A salesman, visiting his barber for a haircut, mentioned that he was about to take a trip to Rome. The barber, who came from Italy, said, "Rome is a terribly overrated city. What airline are you taking and what hotel are you staying at?"

When the salesman told him, the barber criticized the airline for being undependable and the hotel for having horrible service. He told him "You'd be better off to stay home."

But the salesman insisted: “Tm expecting to close a big deal, and then I' m going to see the pope."

The barber shook his head and said, "You'll be disappointed trying to do business in Italy and I wouldn't count on seeing the pope. He only grants audiences to very important people."

Two months later the salesman returned to the barber shop. The barber asked, "And how was your trip?"

The salesman replied, "Wonderful! The flight was perfect, the service at the hotel was excellent. I made a big sale, and I got to see the pope."

The barber was astounded. "You got to see the pope? What happened?" "I bent down and kissed his ring."

"No kidding! And what did he say?"

"Well, he looked down at my head and then said to me, ‘My son, where did you ever get such a lousy haircut?'"