The north and south divide

I have spent so much of my career concentrating on business in the south that it was a bit of a culture shock to travel up to Yorkshire.

Although this is the home of my fathers family, it is not a place that I have travelled to regularly since my grandparents died.

There is a subtle difference between the north and the south, and this has nothing to do with house prices or the availability of work following the demise of the coal fields.

It is quite simply, friendliness.

No cold and frosty greeting from the hotel receptionist when you arrive after a 4 hour journey looking a little tired and weary.

Instead a warm welcome from someone who does this job every day but brings something different and is genuinely pleased to be of help.

North and South

The breakfast at this hotel was (in the words of Tina Turner) simply the best.

Sausages tasted like sausages rather than reheated cardboard, the bacon was thick and juicy and the mushrooms had actually been cooked in a pan with some butter rather than shown a microwave straight out of the tin.

So what of the business.

Once again the receptionist at this important client greeted me like a long lost neighbour and the meeting was held in an informal style with the engineering team.

Will I get an order? Possibly.

However, what I did get was a desire to live in an environment where people treat you with respect and show a genuine interest in what you have to say.

That is the true north and south divide.