Splendid Swiss Isolation – Day38

Splendid Swiss Isolation – Day38

0700 “Cause you’re a sky…” Oranges. When getting them outside, a desperate look on the three !!! 3 broken Nespresso machines sitting outside. What a waste. I had a last, really desperate attempt on decalcinating one of the machines yesterday: I simply dumped it into vinegar, let it simmer for about three hours and then put it to dry for another four. Did not do the trick. Arghhhhh! Earl grey then, again.

0800 Cross Business unit Board meeting. Efficient, fast, some HR issues. Mainly discussion about the ramp-up once the Bundesrat will have allowed for opening up again. The members of the committee are sitting in three different countries, that’s a little funny. My truck colleague, the three CFOs and myself are in Switzerland. Van MD is back in Germany with his family. He probably could enter Switzerland, but currently the controls for non-“Pendler” are tight. The biggest problem is with my colleague from Financial Services. As his predecessor moved to China just ahead of lockout and he was supposed to come in from Austria, he’s still sitting in Salzburg and can’t move. We are quickly debating if we might organize an undercover operation in a closed van during night… kidding. Home office does not care where you are as long as you have a decent Wifi and are available. Both is the case, so this just adds to the peculiar circumstances of Corona-lockout. There are a lot of “firsts”, indeed.

1200 Business update. It is all about the ramp-up. We do regret that we will not be able to open up on the 27th of April already. But wait, here’s an idea: We employ, for every showroom, a tattoo specialist or a masseur/masseuse and install them in one of the sales offices. As they are allowed to open, we will offer a massage or a little Mercedes star to any customer signing a contract for a car on the way in our out. Simple as that. Courtesy to Mercedes-Benz… kidding again. But the temptation is there, I must say. However, it is important that the group to be opened on next Monday wasn’t exactly random. It is figure “e)” under the original governmental order on the kind of businesses that had to go into lockdown: hairdressers, massage salons, cosmetic and nail studios. Tattoo shops. So all they did was relax on on point out of approximately 10 of the original restriction list. No magic. Simple logic. Well, I would have appreciated some little magic, our hygenic concept in Retail is vey complete and very convincing. Maybe there’ll be a shot between the 27 and the May 11th, you’ll never know.

1300 Lunch. Salad, tuna, bread, chesese, we’re running out of creativity, patience and on top of that neither of us did have time to prepare much today. But it is satisfactory, the discussions are lively and funny, the mood keeps to be great. As does the weather, this is amazing, for six straight weeks now we are living what I believe is one of the most beautiful spring seasons I can remember. Had the virus known it would be that great, would he have postponed his spread and preferred some holiday? We’ll never know.

1345 TelCo, followed by a call, a discussion via phone and a skype conference.

1430 Discussion on the ramp-up Sales program. Great preparation, everything aligned between Finance, Financial Services, Sales. We have to keep this kind of process once we’ll be in the offices again, it’s a positive flow. We will be ready, we are prepared.

1530 A strange meeting: We are talking about the next dealer conference. January 2021. Will we be able to have this conference, physically? Nobody knows but we have to book venues, otherwise digital will be indeed the only solution. Budget defined. Check. Venue defined. Check. Content defined. Check. Great preparation, team, thank you.

1630 An interview, by a renowned pulication, on the results of the yearly swiss dealer survey: Last time we have won with flying colors in almost every category. And this year? Can’t tell you, confidential until publication, I had to promise. But it feels good to talk about past business as it is actual business. Better than the hypothetical plannings we currently do. However, we will be prepared. We want to win. And we will

1800 Over and out. Bike and go. Push it. Sweat. Get your mind free. Chase the guy in front. Try not to shout out loud when another one is passing, my, do they all have electric bikes or am I this bad? On top of the hill I have improved my personal time by 30 seconds. On 3km. Still not brilliant, still 16.11. But slowly …

2000 Nobody is really hungry. And, guess what, it is Thursday. Heidi Klum time. I cannot believe I am really watching this show. And watching it I wonder how such a display of semi-nude teens and twens is still possible (and obviously popular) in times of diversity. Now it’s too late for another philosophical exercise, but we will have to treat this subject, sometimes, soon.

2300 It’s over, good. Bed, Book, bussi. Good night