Little things mean a lot

I'm constantly amazed at how many salespeople seem perfectly willing to miss sales by being "too busy." One example: Last week, I was seeking a location for a large seminar (you'll know more about this in coming months). I checked with several of the larger hotel/conference centers around Kansas City, and all were very forthcoming with information except one.

At this to be unnamed hotel, I was told that the person was out of the office, but would return in 30 minutes and would call me "immediately" upon return. OK. I can live with that. That was at 9:30 in the morning, so I expected a call before noon. When I didn't get one, I tried calling at 2:00, and got voice mail. I left a message explaining that I had to present my findings to the group I represented at 7:00 the next morning. No call. In fact, there was no call until 4:00 the following afternoon, at which time I informed the salesperson that she was too late. She was fairly indignant. Now, I might think that she was occupied with other groups that were having meetings at the hotel, except for one minor detail:

The sign in front of the lobby had said, "No events today." I wonder why?