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<center>*People are basically the same the world over. Everybody wants the same things - to be happy, to be healthy, to be at least reasonably prosperous, and to be secure. They want friends, peace of mind, good family relationships, and hope that tomorrow is going to be even better than today.*</center>

<center>**- Zig Ziglar -**</center>
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Last week I secured a big account I've been working on for a couple weeks. The engineering company holds government contracts to supply railway track sections and manufactures, among other things, a specific part of rail line called a *railroad switch or turnout*. Essentially, the *switch,* moves the rails which diverts the trains' wheels from one set of tracks onto another - Say, a straight rail line into a siding.

The government contracts means they have many loads moving which take time to load and unload, being very heavy steel sections, so the account revenue is significant for the transport company I work for. It's a handy account to have and I'm pleased I secured it.

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I won the account Tuesday and on Friday their first load moved, a 26 metre (85 foot) section of *switch*, that was headed for installation on a local section of rail line that day. 

Despite being in *management and not operations* I make a point of attending the first load with a new account to ensure it goes smoothly and to show that we care enough to be there. It's good for relationship-building which drives further revenue which all adds to my budget so...I turned up Friday

Some of the chaps from the engineering companies' rail division did the loading and careful placement of the rails by crane, and the driver chained the load of course, which left nothing for me to do but be there, take a few snaps and shake hands before the load moved. I'm happy to say yesterday's initial load went smoothly and without incident which is good as *incidents* with loads like this often mean big problems, injury or death. 

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Above you can see various shots of the rails themselves and the loading process onto the flat bed semi-trailer. For the switch-rails they used two overhead cranes due to the weight and for the single rail sections just the one, centrally mounted.

Because this is a switch section some of the rails are curved and it's quite incredible to think that these solid rail track lengths can be precisely bent and angled to suit considering the heavy gauge of steel used - I saw the machinery used in the bending and angle process and *yep, it's as serious-looking as you'd expect it to be.*

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In the shot above you can see a 200L drum on a pallet and a crate beside it, just to the right of shot. That was also part of the load. The drum contains *e-clips*, also made by this company; they hold the rail sections to the concrete sleepers when laid. The crate contains the other bits and pieces required like: rail tie plates, insulators, rail shoulder and several other things, all made from steel and all heavy as fuck.
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I tend to be very diligent when it comes to my job, *or anything for that matter*, and I don't like doing things by halves which is why take the time to front up at the first load of a new account. I also take the first invoice personally the following week, with a couple dozen donuts, it's a small thing but seems to make a difference. Me being there allows them the opportunity to tell us we did a good job and helps builds a layer of value, and also allows them raise any issues directly to me rather than email or on the phone where communication can be ineffective. Bing there in person often results in them opening up about future work as they are usually feeling pretty good about the first job so it's a win-win. 

This company has many contracts and manufactures various things, not just rails, and I'm excited about winning the account which, into the future, will generate a lot of revenue for the trucking company I work for and considering that's my job and I get commissions paid commensurate to revenue generated, I'm pretty pleased. 

What's really cool about my job is that *everything needs transportation*. Companies and businesses don't make things to stockpile, *they make them to sell* and they need to be moved to the market. Trucking keeps Australia moving and the amount of money spent on transport is immense which means a lot of opportunities for me. Building relationships is key to winning accounts and contracts and it's the strength of relationships that determines ultimate success, so it's relationships I work on building.

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Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - *Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind*

<sub><sub>Any images in this post are my own</sub></sub>