I wear a name badge. It says "Hello, my name is Tim". I wear it when I'm at the shows, I wear it when I'm not at the shows. I wear it in private, I wear it in public. I wear it all the time. Crazy? Maybe. Amazing? Yes.
You see, it makes people talk to me. To me. It makes them friendlier and more social, and it helps them remember me and remember my name.
As a salesman, that's what I want. As a person, that's what I need.
You see, the world can be a pretty cold and distant place. Nobody looks at or talks to anybody anymore. When we were kids, we were interested in everyone and everything. Always talking, always asking, always looking. But when we grew up, we grew apart - apart from people, apart from feelings, apart from the world.
Wearing this name badge opens the door. People say, "Hi Tim" out of the blue. People that I don't know. People that are yearning for a connection, and a little friendliness in a world gone cold. People call me by my name and it warms my heart. Gives me a chance to say, "Hi, how are you? Isn't this a great day? What are you doing up so early?" Gives them a chance to tell me about their lives and their days. Gives us the chance to share a little warmth and human interaction where typically there isn't any.
Example. Last night I went to the grocery for some milk. When I was checking out, I looked at the name badge of the clerk and said, Hi Joseph." He looked at me, then my name badge, smiled, and said, "Hi Tim." We both got the biggest smiles on our faces, chuckled, and the connection was made. What started out as an impersonal transaction turned into a friendly moment. Made him feel good, made me feel good. Wow!
It's changing mine too...
You see, it makes people talk to me. To me. It makes them friendlier and more social, and it helps them remember me and remember my name.
As a salesman, that's what I want. As a person, that's what I need.
You see, the world can be a pretty cold and distant place. Nobody looks at or talks to anybody anymore. When we were kids, we were interested in everyone and everything. Always talking, always asking, always looking. But when we grew up, we grew apart - apart from people, apart from feelings, apart from the world.
Wearing this name badge opens the door. People say, "Hi Tim" out of the blue. People that I don't know. People that are yearning for a connection, and a little friendliness in a world gone cold. People call me by my name and it warms my heart. Gives me a chance to say, "Hi, how are you? Isn't this a great day? What are you doing up so early?" Gives them a chance to tell me about their lives and their days. Gives us the chance to share a little warmth and human interaction where typically there isn't any.
Example. Last night I went to the grocery for some milk. When I was checking out, I looked at the name badge of the clerk and said, Hi Joseph." He looked at me, then my name badge, smiled, and said, "Hi Tim." We both got the biggest smiles on our faces, chuckled, and the connection was made. What started out as an impersonal transaction turned into a friendly moment. Made him feel good, made me feel good. Wow!
Wearing this name badge is not my idea. It came from a book I recently read by a fellow named Scott Ginsberg (http://www.hellomynameisscott.com). Scott started wearing a name badge all the time to see what would happen. It changed his life.
It's changing mine too...
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