My Life and Adventures with cars PART TWO

 My career took me to different companies that all involved driving in some cases involving commutes of over 40 minutes and others that involved fair size sales territories.  Working with my brother in law who was a partner in an ad agency I ended up doing a lot of freelance sales work for a personal client Orange aPEEL  I helped set up wholesalers and then the strategy was to convince some of their retail clients to stock our product.  Fortunately the wholesalers were expanding from a small base in Ontario to a bigger base.  One factor I noticed was that sales declined in the summer and felt one reason was that many of our pet owner  consumers left for cottages.  One of our wholesalers was expanding to cottage country and beyond.  I went on longer and longer trips and eventually overnight.  I went as far north as Kapuskasing, west as far as Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor and as far east as Gananoque and even Ottawa.  Vet clinics were added on expanding the calls I could make.  Read more more on my Ontario expanded driving.

http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/06/travels-of-salesman-part-1-ontario.html 

 My daughter, Heather insisted that she wanted to go to King's College in Halifax.  Nobody in our families had ever been to Halifax, but in fact it enriched us all.  It was agreed that Heather and her mother would fly, but that someone would have to cart some furniture and other supplies.  I asked the boss at Orange aPEEL if he would help pay hotel expenses if I sold in the Maritimes.  Some of our existing wholesalers (mostly ones I had set up) had a toehold in the Maritimes.  It was agreeable to us all.  Heather ended up there for five years and I made two two way trips each year.

An important step in the process was staying in my sister's home in Brossard, on the  south shore of Montreal.  I learned two routes through New Brunswick and looped around Nova Scotia covering most of the vet clinics and pet stores in those two provinces and Prince Edward Island.  A conversation with my brother in law, Ali while in Brossard suggested I would as an anglophone do better in Quebec than a francophone would do in Ontario.  I got some help from a French speaking co-worker, Jacques Major who helped me with an introductory speech and later with a special story aimed at receptionists.  Beyond that my French was pretty pathetic, but could struggle with a helpful francophone who proved to be the majority.  But the bonus was that many clinics hired bilingual receptionists or even better they called in their bilingual boss so I was able to talk directly to the decision maker.  I was able to add in two more wholesalers and one of our Ontario wholesalers expanded in both Quebec and the Maritimes.  One co-worker joked that I was really on a vacation, but in fact I was very busy.   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/travels-of-salesman-part-3-quebec.html

On my first trip studying maps I found a shortcut to a stop in Windsor, Nova Scotia.  It reminded of where I learned to drive, with hills and curvy roads.  Ironically Windsor was home to Thomas Halliburton whose name was taken for the county where I learned to drive.  Most of the places I called in Nova Scotia were on the ocean and I wondered what was in the middle.  I discovered with one single call that cut across the middle and it turns out the answer is trees.

Read about expanding to the Maritimes.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/travels-of-salesman-part-two-maritimes.html

At the beginning my trips to the Maritimes were ignoring the bigger audience in francophone Quebec but that too entered my life.  

Car rentals weren't part of my life until one vacation where I had won a trip to Florida.  My father in law advised us to rent a car from Rent A Wreck which we did from the Tampa airport.  Unknown to me the condo manager had not been told of my visit, but even though the car didn't look like a trustworthy person was driving he believed my story, my wife and four year old daughter were grateful.  We visited Disney World, Busch Gardens, Cape Canaveral and lots of other sites.  On my only other trip to Florida we used them again, but my brother in law had to have his towed away.

 On vacations we often flew to a site and rented a car.  From Montreal I rented a Prius, my first experience with an environmentally friendly car.  All I can remember is after returning from Quebec City I had a lot of trouble turning off a loud alarm at my sister's.  Other vacations were to British Columbia.  One time we flew to Vancouver, took a ferry over to Victoria and the next day took another ferry ride to and from Vancouver so my son could compete in a track meet..  Then again we took the ferry back to the airport.  The next time we flew directly to Victoria.  One memorable trip was after we picked up my friend, Bob Stone at the ferry depot in Nanaimo we headed to Tofino, but Bob steered us to the old route that took us by Coombs for a unique retail experience where you could see goats eating grass on top of a store..  We hit Tofino in the off season, but an interesting place.

The most interesting rental experience came after my car was called to garage and I was told they needed it for a few days.  This happened at the start of the Easter weekend when I was supposed to leave for Halifax.  I had well over 100 sales stops planned.  We couldn't get hold of any rental cars that had any available.  Someone suggested try an airport and we were able to rent one from the Toronto Airport and with not that many choices I ended up with a high performance car.  My son was thrilled when I brought it home and the next day I left.  I soon found it could accelerate much faster than my car and I found myself passing other cars, even long streams on two lane highways.  When I met my daughter she was disappointed that wouldn't let her drive it because of rental rules.  When I returned it they at first tried to charge me for all the extra mileage (about $800 as I recall), but they reverted to original agreement considerably cheaper.

Backtrack a little.  On my previous trip to Halifax my daughter had a beginners permit and had taken driver education.  The lens on my glasses came out about 8 in the morning.  Anxious to get going I had my daughter drive to the next town,  Truro where I got my glasses fixed and I realized if I let my daughter drive I could make my sales calls a little bit better prepared.  I made lots of calls and finally decided around 5 pm or so in Edmonston I would take over as it would soon get dark.  Reaching my sister's I remembered my brother-in-law's original instructions and although I was too confused to use them, this time coming from the opposite direction I did remember.  The next day we got early and left as the Montreal rush hour was in full swing and Heather drove through that.  Again I made lots of calls and when we reached Toronto we again hit very heavy traffic.  Heather handled it very well.  Shortly after our trip when Heather went for her license test the tester pressed for time asked her if she had any highway experience and after she explained she had driven most of the way from Halifax, including three rush hours he let her get the license on her first effort. 

My career has wound down.  Towards the end I found myself once a month delivering newspapers (The Rider, a horse lover publications) over a wide area.  It was my idea to set up a number of librairies spread over four counties.  Another thing happened when one of the partners' mother needed a ride to visit her husband each day in a retirement home.  We had an interesting conversations and I learned to play a game she was fond of.  The game was trying to figure out what vanity plates meant. I got to the point where I could sometimes ask a driver.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/driving-with-miss-jane.html

Some of you may have duplicated some of my favorite drives and others looking for something interesting.  Here is a list of some of my favorites.

When I decided to make a few sales calls to Sydney, Nova Scotia I saw two routes so I took them both.  One was the old highway with lots of winding and lake views.  Rita McNeil had a stop along the way.  The other way was a modern highway that wasn't at all boring. At one point I stopped at Baddeck which overlooks Bras d'or Lake where Alexander Graham Bell flew the first airplane in Canada. 

The normal route to Halifax had been done a few times and I needed to expand my sales efforts so looking at a map discovered the Atlantic side of New Brunswick which meant driving a little further through Quebec past Rimouski one could head down to Campbellton, New Brunswick through Matapedia country that was another hilly, curvy road with lots of trees.  Very entrancing.

Switching coasts and under the guidance of Bob Stone, we decided to seek out Tofino.  Bob suggested we take the old road that included Coombs with a most interesting retail store.  Along the way we passed Port Alberni (earlier I had interviewed Bill Robinson, a famous basketball player from there) where a tsunami had once reached.  Tofino is a backpacker's ideal.   The three of us stayed overnight.

In Ontario I became attached to Picton in Prince Edward County.  Mostly I approached it through Belleville, but on one occasion curious about a different route out of Kingston I discovered there was a ferry boat ride to the town of Picton.  Just my idea of a quaint village with lots of pleasant landscape in an out.

Another pleasant drive was from the town of New Liskeard which sits on Lake Temiskaming lead to Hailebury with the lake on my left the whole way.  Only one time I approached New Liskeard through Quebec on the other side.  Also scenic.

In case you missed it link to Part One:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/02/my-life-and-adventures-with-cars-part.html

TRAVELS OF A SALESMAN PART 3 QUEBEC

My sister Rebecca in Brossard, Quebec fed me and provided a place to sleep during my many trips to the Maritimes.  It is embarrassing to recall that when she was living by herself before having children my father and some of my siblings visited her.  Years later she mentioned how important that was to her as she didn't know many people in Montreal and her husband  Ali was out of the country.  I didn't visit, with my only excuse being I was busy doing other things.  I felt we had a good relationship, but it was mainly because of her efforts visiting her family in Ontario.

When it became self serving such as trying to save some hotel expense on a trip to the east coast it became easier to visit.  Both Rebecca and her husband Ali were very hospitable, in fact setting a standard few people would match.  As years went by and I had to travel back and forth to the east coast I made more visits.  Ali suggested that even though I didn't speak French I would have an easier time trying to sell in Quebec than a francophone would in Ontario.

In fact I used to set the alarm for around 3 a.m. so I could make it to Fredericton before it was too late in the day to make a sales call in English.  Driving past a population base of millions for the opportunity to sell to a population base of hundreds of thousands doesn't seem the best use of gas and time.  I had earlier signed up a Quebec veterinarian wholesaler with national distribution, but had only approached affiliated Ontario and Maritime clinics.  As time went by there developed a few other links.

Jacques Major, a fellow employee at OKD,  wrote an introductory speech in French.  Later he helped me adapt a story I told to win favour with receptionists.

I boned up on a few French words and was supported by French labeling and literature.   Calling mostly on veterinarians I was pleased to learn that there was usually at least one person reasonably fluent in English and often it was the veterinarian owner.  Speaking to the chief decision maker was not nearly as common on my other calls so this became a bonus.  There wasn't smooth sailing all the time.  I stumbled on lots of calls where I didn't make myself understood, but really only had one very negative experience because of my poor French.  I won't go into that, but every salesperson who makes cold calls has to deal with fear of rejection or of looking like an idiot and my Quebec experience provided a lot of realistic opportunities to deal with that.

My first call was on the south shore off Quebec City in Levis and it turned out to be a difficult French conversation.  I had been trying to relate how effective our solution was to get rid of skunk odours.  When I followed up they had actually bought my product as a floor cleaner and were very pleased.  I ran into many English speakers of various levels of fluency and mostly made myself understood.  I was moderately successful not only in increasing sales, but actually picking up stories of successful users that helped me in other markets.  Eventually I called on well over 200 Quebec clinics.

As an outsider to Quebec I had very vague ideas.  I knew Montreal was a major cosmopolitan city.  I knew Quebec City was a popular tourist destination.  I had heard other names, but they held no uniqueness for me.  Like any other province of millions of people Quebec has lots of unique (and very interesting) identities.

At one point I did more than just make calls along the route to the Maritimes, but actually spent a week at a time in Quebec.  From Rebecca's house I could make calls to about a three hour driving range that included Quebec City and Sherbrooke.  I went beyond that staying overnite in motels visiting Lac St Jean.  On trips to Ottawa I visited Gatineau.  On trips to northeastern Ontario I visited Rouyn Noranda.

I started to realize and enjoy that Quebec culture is very rich.  I listened to Celine Dion in French, but also learned of other Quebec singers.  I have since realized  that a lot of Quebec movies are first class and enjoyable.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/09/french-canadian-films-are-world-class.html

Starting where my sister lived, in Brossard.  It was part of a string of communities that are grouped as the South Shore.  I was impressed with the local library and the system of walking trails.  I was dragged to a lot of shopping areas and found many of them enjoyable.  I had my car's oil changed at a particular fast lube place on three different trips in Brossard.  I eventually spent time selling on the north shore (which included Laval where I had sold some other things on the phone).

Favorite places included Sherbrooke, Victoriaville, the Beauce (south of Quebec City), Riviere du Loup.  I was able to circumnavigate Lac St Jean and wished I could have done it more slowly.   Ali had biked around the lake as a university student.  <Correction:  Ali atually hitch-hiked>Quebec City is one of the most interesting cities in all North America and I am glad I was able to go back without the pressures of sales calls. Montreal is a cosmopolitan city with a lot of interesting things--one that comes to mind is the market on Jean Talon.  The South Shore is also a very pleasant place.  This brief list of names by no means exhausts all the beauty of Quebec.

One of the biggest legacies came from a trip to Quebec City where I had a limited window because of commitments to travel elsewhere.  I had mapped out my calls to veterinarians and was curious about the proximity to some tourist attractions--old Quebec and the Montmorency Falls.  I felt railroaded in a morning rush hour and ended up going through old Quebec and then later looking for a clinic to the east found myself driving by Montmorency Falls.  I knew I had missed a turn and had to turn around. At that point I noticed Ile d'Orleans.  It just looked like a lot of trees, but people were driving over the bridge.  My curiosity was aroused.  When I got back home I did some research and became even more fascinated.

For one of my milestone birthdays my wife asked me what I wanted.  I decided it would be nice to visit my sister in Brossard and make a holiday of it.  I was no longer visiting Quebec on business.  I suggested we could go to Quebec City.  Even then I was planning on a side trip to Ile d'Orleans.  We stayed in a Quebec City motel and of course visited the famous old Quebec.  I felt like I was dragging my wife to Ile d'Orleans and was very disappointed at my first two planned stops as they were not open or we couldn't locate them.  I was ready to admit defeat, but my wife's attitude was we were already there and might as well continue to circle the island. Her boss had once done a bicycle tour of the island.  The next stop less than ten minutes later (and not planned) turned out to be very delightful.  It was a bakery with very different and wonderful pizza.  Further down the road we ran into some boutiques and then a fabulous chocolate place.  We bought some local wine.  We had dinner beside Montmorency Falls which was another wonderful meal with a beautiful view.  A year later we decided to spend 4 days on Ile d'Orleans at a bed and breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Back in Montreal my sister gave us a tour of Montreal that would have been more enjoyable if I wasn't so tired.  Did have some of the famous Montreal bagels and saw old Montreal.  When I go on my sales trips I don't always see the most scenic sections.

Talking to Peter Cotton (my cousin Donna Stewart's husband) I started to tell him where my favorite drive was and it turned out we both agreed on a road to Beloeil, just off the Trans Canada Highway. Something about the particular houses along the river.  Peter had been involved with the design of some restaurants along the harbour in Halifax that I also enjoyed.

While staying with my sister's family I got involved in some of their routine.  On several occasions went on long family walks.  I remember on a couple of occasions going with my niece Leila delivering newspapers in the morning (something I had done a great deal of in a previous job).  Leila helped me visit a Montreal cat show where I couldn't always make myself understood.  Samia, my sister's other daughter had developed an interest in Tae Kwon Do.  I had picked her up from a practice and attended one competition.  That developed into a passion for both Samia and her mother, both of whom got black belts.  Samia has competed at a high level internationally.  I also remember enjoyably socializing with friends who had originally come from Ali's home town of Safi in Morocco, both at their home and my sister's.  As usual they were all at least tri-lingual including their 5 year old son who couldn't understand why my French was so poor.  He thought everyone in Canada spoke French.  One year I was invited to attend an Eid dinner which is the traditional end to Ramadan. Often I got to enjoy some really good Moroccan cuisine eaten in a unique style, plus other interesting menus plus an impressive tea ceremony put on by Ali.

I like to think of myself as an opportunist.  We all think that if only the right opportunity would offer itself our fortune would be made.  It happens for some people.  What most of us do not always realize is that there are always opportunities and some of them are mind blowing.  But we aren't always looking for them so they either go unnoticed or sometimes sooner or later someone else discovers them.  I am glad that I took an opportunity to explore Canada's most unique province and get to visit my sister's family more often.   I owe it to my brother in law, Ali who encouraged me with his one observation and his many acts of hospitality.  I am grateful to Jacques Major who gave me a very helpful tool and opened up the door to life changing experiences.

The photo at the top is of the bridge going to Ile d'Orleans.  I probably never would have seen it if I had not missed a turn and realized it when I saw the Montmorency Falls.  My wife, Sharon took that one.  The second photo is at a bed and breakfast in Ile d'Orleans where we met two couples from Brooklyn New York that were very enjoyable company.  The photo at the bottom is Montmorency Fallls which is actually higher than Niagara Falls, but much narrower.  You can see a pedestrian bridge over the top of the falls which my wife walked across.

You can read about Part I, my travels in Ontario at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/06/travels-of-salesman-part-1-ontario.html Part 2 recounts my travels in the Maritimes at  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/travels-of-salesman-part-two-maritimes.html