If you've flown recently, you know that there are new strict rules for what you can and can't have with you in your carry-on bags. Any kind of fluid or toiletry item has to be 3.4 ounces or less...NO exceptions. That was driven home to me a few days ago when the woman in front of me had a 4-ounce bottle of an expensive perfume (or maybe it was a bomb component disguised as perfume) confiscated by the TSA agent at the x-ray machine.
"But its only 4-ounces," she pleaded. "That's almost 3.4 ounces!"
To which the quick-witted security agent replied, "There's no such thing as being a little bit pregnant, either." The agent won the battle.
All of this means that travelers have had to change the way they pack, and what they take with them if they have carry-on luggage. As a result, its opened up new selling opportunities for on-the-ball companies who are using the new rules to their advantage.
Since I didn't feel like undergoing a body cavity search at the airport to start off my business trip, I left my tube of toothpaste at home. So when I got the Marriott in San Antonio, I went to the front desk to see if they had any toothpaste.
Boy did they! Colgate was on the ball, and had struck a deal with the chain to supply customers with sample packets of toothpaste for everyone who wanted one. They took advantage of a change in some rules, and I'm sure they're seeing an increase in their sales as a result. Colgate toothpaste, which usually isn't the brand we use at home, was pretty dang good! I hadn't used it in years, but I would use it now after my free sample at the hotel.
What do body cavity searches and free toothpaste have to do with your sales 
career, you ask? Simple: Has there been any change in your industry or market that most people would view as negative that you could use to open up new opportunities for your product or service? Most of us don't look at negative or restrictive news as "opportunity", but that's what it is. Whenever the rules change, it means that new opportunities exist for quick-thinking sales professionals.
Always look at negative or restrictive news as an opening for a new opportunity. Be creative in how you look at those opportunities as they relate to increased sales for your product or service.
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