“Thank you (fill in the blank) for your business.”

Don’t you hate form letters? I do. But I have a small problem and I hope that you can help me solve it.

First the good news. I am proud to say that my post yesterday – “Why names matter” – is now my all-time best in terms of the number of readers who clicked on it. Thank you one and all! And that is my problem.

I was able to personally respond to the readers who sent me an email commenting on the article. We started a dialog because the first barrier was crossed – we now know each other’s names and we can start to talk to one another. In a manner that is meaningful to each other.

But how do I start to have a dialog with each of you? In a manner that is meaningful to you? Are you interested?

I suppose that you could say that we already have started. You wouldn’t be reading this post if the content didn’t provide something of value – to you. But you know more about me than I know about you.

It all starts with a name. Knowing your name. Addressing you by your name. Getting to know what makes you unique. Getting to know what we have in common. Where we disagree.

In order to start a conversation with a stranger here are two points to consider:

• An excerpt from Seth Godin’s post “Name tags:”
  • I love name tags.I think doing name tags properly transforms a meeting. Here’s why:
    a. people don’t really know everyone, even if they think they do.
    b. if you don’t know someone’s name, you are hesitant to talk to them.
    c. if you don’t talk to them, you never get to know them and you both lose.
    d. if you are wearing a name tag, it’s an invitation to start a conversation.
• An excerpt from the www.chrisg.com article, “10 Reasons Commenting is Good for Bloggers:”
  • Make friends and influence people – Blogging is partly a networking activity. People are more likely to link to you (or more) if they have heard of you. Get yourself out there, make friends.
  • Clicks – People click your link to see what other interesting stuff you write about. Obvious but true.

I do believe that my blog is getting more attention because I am paying more attention – to what others are writing about and commenting about on various blogs. I have started to add my comments when I feel that I have something to contribute. I always leave my full name and email address. I never hide behind a pseudonym. I am curious – I enjoy exploring different points of view. I like to ask questions. I like dialog. How about you?

“If you don’t know someone’s name you are hesitant to talk to them.” – Seth Godin

If you are reluctant to post your comment here on my blog, that is okay! I welcome your thoughts. I invite you to send me an email – danny@thecompanyrocks.com. My name is Danny Rocks. I am interested in whatever you are interested in.