While looking for lunch on Thursday in Long Beach, I was approached by a homeless guy. He was dressed well and wasn’t the kind that scares you. He aggressively tracked me down, ignoring my first attempts at just walking by. When I finally acquiesced, he shook my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Darrell Torson. I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’m homeless. Is there anything you can give, anything at all?” When he saw me hesitate he added, “It’s ok if you don’t want to”, assuring me of his good will. Finally, in a last-ditch effort he started talking about God. Meanwhile, I’m thinking, “Is he going to drink it? Is he going to get in his Porsche pretty soon and go home? This is Long Beach, he’s probably making a ton here.” I ended up mumbling something like, “Not this time”, barely able to avoid caving in to his sparkling performance. I walked away somewhat in tatters, knowing that this guy was one of the very best and that I should at least have given him some money in appreciation of that fact. This was no beggar, this was a polished actor. He deserved a wage.
Then I thought, “Hey, that guy would be a great missionary raising support”. Be aggressive. Look people in the eye. Be point blank honest. Ask for money. Assure them its ok if they don’t. Talk about God. Hmm…
Sounds like the guy could have been a salesman down on his luck. People have tightened their “purse strings” as of late and if he was selling something that people don’t need or already have (i.e. steak knives), it’s not surprising he would end up homeless.
The largest church in Minneapolis stands right next to my old college. On my drive home waiting for a particular light that was almost always red, I would almost always find myself idling just a few feet away from someone looking for a hand out. Now even though my shinny BMW is no where near new and was 10K less than a Pontiac I had before it, the car looks expensive and therefore in the beginning during these awkward moments I would feel obligated to at least give something and after awhile began to believe an honest “Thank You” was worth a handful of change.
I always made good use of the ashtray as a spare change depository and everyone who asks usually got less than a dollar in change while we talked waiting for the light to turn green.
There was one exception to this rule. I never looked at the hand made signs because I knew what the people were there for, until one man who clearly looked homeless pointed across the street as I reached for my ashtray and said: “I’m trying to get that lady in the car over there to look.” when I asked why he proudly displayed a hand written sign that simply read: “Please Smile”. That guy got more than a dollar.
Being able to sell yourself or your product is vital for everyone ranging from the homeless to Fortune 500 CEOs; being able to do so with a sense of humor while under financial duress is priceless.
If one uses the sales methods blogged about and can make others laugh at the same time, 9 times out of 10 they’ll get what they’re looking for.
Dave,
I knew something was wrong! Maybe it was the threatening them with God’s displeasure if they don’t give me some money. I am newly inspired.
Randy