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What’s in a Name?

About a year ago, my wife and I bought a nice home in the suburbs. It’s big enough for us to start a family, on a quiet street and close to her work.

Not long after we’d moved in, neighbors started stopping by to introduce themselves. The nice ones brought baked goods, the nicer ones brought bottles of wine.

Famous for my inability to remember names, as time passed I’d frequently ask my wife, “Who are the people in the yellow house again? The blue one?”

“Scott and Phyllis are across the street. Rich and Lisa are next door,” she’d reply.

“How about the nice woman west of us? She always waves at me when I’m outside and says, ‘Hi, Matt!’”

“I don’t remember,” Allison would respond. “Why don’t you just go ask her?”

My reasons were many – mostly out of embarrassment that my neighbor knew my name after one introduction months ago, but I had forgotten hers. The shame grew as time passed – I actually started avoiding her so I would never again have to respond to her greeting with another, “Hey… you!”

Now, let’s contrast this shortcoming of mine (one of many) with the experience I had on a recent visit to Jersey Mike’s Sub Shop (6th and Broadway) in Denver.

On my first visit I was immediately greeted by the owner, who took my order, name and made small talk while his team made my delicious lunch.

On my next visit, exactly one week later, I was greeted by name when I walked in the door. He asked me how I’d liked my Club Supreme sandwich that I’d ordered the last time and if I’d like another one. Then, as his team made my sandwich to order, he recalled my mention of the fact that I travel downtown at least once a week for our staff meeting, and asked if I was ready.

Can you believe that? Clearly, this man is gifted, but talk about building customer loyalty and a real relationship with your clientele! Where am I more likely to go next time I’m looking for a sandwich – a place that treats customers like cattle at the feed trough, or somewhere I’m seen as an individual; not just the next sale?

My point is this. The truth of the matter is, people can probably get what they need elsewhere, from your competition. The difference often boils down to the level of customer service you provide, and the degree to which you go out of your way to make them feel special and appreciated.

A final note – this past weekend over the fence, I spotted my neighbor to the west refilling bird feeders in her yard. Instead of avoiding her, I approached and said hello. After a short conversation, I admitted I couldn’t remember her name.

“It’s Sue,” she said. “And no need to be embarrassed – I had to ask Scott and Phyllis several times what your names were!”

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Posted by Matt Wittern on 08/21 at 12:00 PM
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Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Texters…

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This cartoon appeared in the editorial section of the Denver Post on August 8, 2009. What a coincidence for me as, just the night before, I had been having a lengthy conversation about how the next generation seems to me to lack the fundamental social skills that come with actual spoken conversation and not through texts, Facebook or Twitter.

I came to this conclusion after watching my niece and her friend who are both 16. They came in and were extremely uncomfortable around the adults in the room. My niece never introduced her friend, nor did her friend take it upon herself to let us know who she was. This is by no means the first interaction I have had like this between my niece and her friends. It sparked a conversation with the adults in the room.

I was curious. When had it become okay to not interact with adults? I remember being the same age (and no, I’m not that old…!) and sitting in my friends’ kitchens talking with their parents and interacting with the entire family. Now my niece sits in the back room, around a computer, looking at her MySpace page with her friends. When she actually is in the same room, she isn’t comfortable enough to even introduce them. We decided as a group that it must be due in large part to text messaging, Facebooking, Twittering, etc. that our youth has lost the basic skills of normal everyday conversation and interaction.

What a scary thought, especially because I can see my own young children going down the same path. My five-year-old daughter hasn’t learned to read yet, but she can navigate her way around my iPhone and computer to play games whenever she wants; so how fitting when I open the paper and see this cartoon. 

It depicts life perfectly – we have lost the art of conversation. What a sad, sad realization. While I’m all for using technology to further communication, I have to say – when texting becomes simpler and more comfortable than using real words, we’re in trouble.

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Posted by Laurie Meza on 08/19 at 08:35 AM
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Posted by black evening dress  on  01/18  at  03:39 PM

we have lost the art of conversation. What a sad, sad realization. While I’m all for using technology to further communication, I have to say – when texting becomes simpler and more comfortable than using real words, we’re in trouble.

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Posted by Liam Neeson  on  09/27  at  01:49 AM

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