Is this any way to earn a living?

Editor's note: Jack Ross is president of J. Ross Associates, Inc., a Port St. Lucie, Fla., research firm. The names of the people mentioned are fictitious, but the hotels and islands referred to are real.

Having been a professional marketing researcher for over 30 years, I've met and interacted with hundreds of people, as a colleague, superior, subordinate and client. My travels have taken me across the country and into some foreign lands. After thousands of research projects, both quantitative and qualitative, I thought there wasn't anything new I could experience, that I had been with so many different people that I had met "all types." I thought nothing could surprise me anymore.

The story begins with an unexpected phone call from a researcher at a client company. "How would you like to conduct a series of focus group sessions in the Caribbean Islands?" I said "Are you kidding?" My initial thoughts were, "Who wouldn't like to conduct any research in the Caribbean?" imagining, of course, the good times that could be had when work was through.

Most of the design details were already decided upon so I submitted my cost and timing estimate and crossed my fingers. A few days later the good news came and we had about 10 days to get the necessary details squared away. The plans called for me to visit six islands over three weeks' time.

Week 1

At 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday I left my home for the uneventful drive to Miami Airport, not knowing that this would be one of the few smooth experiences of my venture. An American Airlines agent in a very crowded airport directed me to gate E35. With 90 minutes until departure, I went to the gate area and bought a cup of coffee. A little later, I decided to check the monitor, only to discover my flight was at gate D10. I hurriedly left, lugging three bags and a container of coffee, but arrived on time--hot and tired, but on time.

On the plane I met Sandy, a member of the client company. Our overbooked 727 departed 45 minutes late and we arrived at our first stop, Aruba, slightly behind schedule. Sandy introduced me to Axel Sanchez, another member of the client team, who was on our flight, but sitting too far away to talk with. His delightful personality and wonderful Jamaican accent convinced me he would be an interesting person to work with.

Upon arrival at our hotel in Aruba, La Cabana, an 800-room complex on the ocean, I joined Sandy and Axel while they helped set up the focus group room. This took about two hours and would prove to be representative of virtually all our stops. Nevertheless, we had time to enjoy a wonderful dinner at the Driftwood downtown. It was here that Axel started to tell us wonderful stories about his growing up in Jamaica and of the island personalities.

On Monday afternoon (after our session was completed), we left Aruba for Montego Bay, via Miami. We had to go all the way back to Miami, walk the entire terminal, pass through customs and come all the way back to get to our plane. We arrived at gate D2 and departed from gate D20, all the while lugging our baggage and fighting the crowds. We made it to the gate with about 10 minutes to spare. I was exhausted.

At the Half Moon Resort, we were greeted at a reception desk and were shown to magnificent accommodations in the Royal Suites section. It was now about 38 hours since I left home and I had only done one group.

With nine more to go, I began to wonder if I would make it. I did not join the others at room check or at dinner because I wanted to be fresh for the early morning session.

Early Tuesday morning, we went over some procedural changes to the moderator guide. Amazingly, one of the group participants, Connie, had lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., when I did and, before and after the session, we shared several wonderful stories of our younger lives. The rapport we developed proved especially valuable in a business sense, since she was the only respondent who could stay to the end of the session. Can there be a more phenomenal coincidence?

We left Montego Bay for Ocho Rios and then Kingston at about 12:30, with Axel driving us in a Toyota Camry (with air conditioning). For the 60+ mile ride along the northern coast of Jamaica, Axel proved to be a better guide than any tourist board member could have been. He named the towns and rivers we would pass before getting to them, showed us several places where bauxite is mined on the island and explained how the sugar cane is harvested. He pointed out where Columbus landed on the island and even where the Pinta is rumored to be submerged. Our road was only one lane each way, with many people passing (including us) even when it seemed to me that they shouldn't be. We made it in one piece, ending our trip with a delightful lunch at the Ruins restaurant, which sat at the foot of a waterfall in Ocho Rios. We were only a few minutes from the Jamaica Renaissance Hotel where we would conduct our 4 p.m. group. (It started at 4:30 with only three of eight recruits and ended with a total of five.) After this group, we immediately left for Kingston for the night's stay at the Pegasus, a short drive from the airport.

The drive from Ocho Rios to Kingston was similar in length as Montego Bay to Ocho, but that was the only similarity. We had to drive south across the whole island and the only way to do that was to go through the mountains, along a winding, one-lane road (it reminded me of the Pacific Highway between L.A. and San Francisco) at night, sharing the road from time to time with large trucks. I didn't hide my concerns (the others did quite well), which Axel found somewhat amusing, but he assured me there was nothing to worry about as he had done it many times. As Axel predicted, we arrived safely almost two hours later at the Terranova Restaurant for a late dinner.

A going-away party for the Mexican Ambassador was being held at the restaurant, so we ate in the presence of dignitaries. My experience here with Chateaubriand and the Jamaican brand Red Stripe beer was wonderful and a good ending to another very long day of two groups, more than three hours in the car and several eating/discussion sessions. We arrived at our Kingston Hotel at 11 p.m. and went to bed.

On Wednesday, we left at about 8:30 a.m. for our trip to the Cayman Islands. One group was scheduled for the afternoon, with the other for Thursday morning. I hoped that we would finally have time to relax at the beach or at poolside before going to dinner. We didn't. Our plane was about an hour late in arriving in Jamaica and after it was loaded, the captain told us the plane was too heavy. We waited another 30-45 minutes while they took out 600 gallons of gasoline. With a long customs wait (because of drug searches), we arrived at the hotel less than one hour before the group was scheduled. After the group was over, I had two hours for relaxation at the Clarion Grand Pavilion pool. I enjoyed a few refreshments and listened to a delightful lady guitar player sing some very relaxing songs. Dinner at the wharf was fairly expensive but quite good.

After our morning session, we were to head home. The group went well and I had lunch at the poolside bar before leaving for the airport. Finally, something went smoothly: an on-time departure, early arrival, a fairly quick trip through customs and home at 8 p.m., after an uneventful two-hour drive.

Week 2

The drive to the airport on Sunday was again uneventful but I had to park near the top of the next building's garage because of crowding. I went to the correct gate the first time and the plane departed on time.

We arrived at Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Customs was quick and a 30-minute car ride to Treasure Isle Hotel was interesting, to say the least. The one lane road through shanty towns showed me more examples of slum living. Goats in the road, a cow lying on a beach and speed bumps instead of traffic lights. The road wound around the mountains (with no guardrail), but I kept my nervousness to myself (shades of Jamaica again). We arrived at the hotel and had a very nice dinner on the veranda, overlooking the water. We were given a small suite because the hotel misunderstood our arrival date. The view in the morning was just spectacular.

Work went well; the group was informative and knowledgeable. However, only three showed up of the five recruited. The locals in Tortola indicated that we'd be lucky to get to Barbados four hours after leaving, saying that we wouldn't leave on time and could miss connections. I looked forward to the continuing "adventure" with some anxiety.

Departure for Antigua on Liat Airways was 10 minutes early and we landed five minutes earlier than predicted. We went through customs quickly and left Antigua for Barbados on time. Arrival in Barbados was exactly as expected and 30 minutes after touchdown, a cab had us at our hotel. (Happily, the Tortola people were not correct.) After checking the focus group room, which was already set up, we went to the Brown Sugar for dinner. The seafood platter had four varieties of fish, which were very tasty. The plan was to meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. since we had a 9:30 start.

The first session went well despite concerns that the group might be difficult and uncooperative. We fine-tuned some areas and, as a result, the last session was the best of all; a good way to end my moderator's function. Dinner at Pisces, a beautiful spot on the water, was excellent and not any more expensive than the others. A relaxation period at the bar before turning in for the night was an appropriate ending. It didn't make up for the inability to lie on the beautiful beach or wade in the blue waters of the Caribbean; maybe next time.

The flight back was wonderful. Sandy got us both on the American Airlines flight and used coupons to upgrade us to first class. Excellent breakfast and service and a good rest. I was in the office by 3:15 and caught up with everything before my last leg to Cancun the next weekend.

Week 3

On Saturday, I left home at 7:45 a.m. for an 11 a.m. flight to Cancun in first class (couldn't get on coach). For 95 miles the trip was uneventful. Then, one mile from the Sunrise Blvd. exit, the traffic backed up. I decided to get off at the exit and find the turnpike. Twenty minutes later, I was on my way south again. I arrived at the parking garage 15 minutes behind schedule and was at the gate one hour before flight time. I don't know if I would have made it if I had stayed on Rt. 95. I guess that's why we leave plenty of extra time. I wondered if this was an ominous beginning to my last week.

The groups were scheduled for Monday, but I left on Saturday to take advantage of the beautiful beach. Sunday I spent an hour and a half briefing a Mexican moderator. The respondents did not speak English, so I could not moderate. Observing a Spanish speaking session and listening to a translator talk into a tape recorder proved to be okay, but it is hard to sense the flavor of the group. I took as many notes as I could.

During my three days in Cancun, I enjoyed the beach, the beautiful water and the in-the-pool bar of the Melia Tourquesa Hotel. The day after the last session (we couldn't leave at night because there were no flights), we left the hotel about noon for a two-hour flight back to Miami. The flight left on time, landed on time and I was home about two and a half hours after touchdown. A good ending, but now came the detail work. In three weeks, I needed to have a final report to everyone. The bottom line of this whole experience is that if I'm asked to do this kind of thing again, I'll probably say no. It was just much too much of a hassle in so many ways.

Epilogue

During the two weeks after the last group, I received multiple phone calls from various client people, pushing me to complete this important project "early." It was difficult trying to respond to the requests from five or six different people. However, I did deliver the report on time and a week later, a summary conference call took place. The conference call lasted about an hour.

When I finished with the requested changes, I thought about everything that had occurred with this project, about how good it sounded in the beginning, the travel difficulties, the working with multiple "bosses," the poor show-up rate, the little bit of extra time I was able to spend in Cancun, and the underpricing of my costs (unintentional). I finally decided "never again." An old adage had once again come true: "You can't judge a book by its cover."