SSLtech
Well-known member
Triggered by another thread where the pros & cons of having your real name on your badge at trade shows, I usually get round the problem by having an "Official Alias" for such events
What wasn't touched upon in the other thread is that as soon as you express interest in a product (which often turns out to be rather less interesting on closer inspection and you'd much rather that they did NOT contact you) they 'swipe' or 'scan' your badge, from which point forward you're inundated with marketing nonsense, and your details shared or sold with other companies.
Since here at work we have a mailroom which sorts through incoming nonsense and routes it to the appropriate person, I register at all trade shows under an easily rememberable fake name. That way when unwanted mail arrives, it gets trashed since the mailroom know that anything for that name is junk. -If I see something from a manufacturer that I do want to hear more from, I tell them my real name and department and tell them to use the same address.
My friends use names like "Richard Cheese", "Ben Dover" or "Marge Innovera"... my own name (in case you ever see it on a badge at a trade show) is "Warren T Voyd". (Geddit.... "warranty void"????! :wink: )
Okay, something else happens from time to time which is a benefit which I hadn't forseen: Occasionally, a sales creep will stride confidently towards me with (as an example) the air of an old associate who I've spoken to a hundred times on the phone but never met... they warmly extend their hand and exclaim "Warren!!! -Good to meet you at last!!! -How's [insert the name of a genuine employee that they know by name] -to make you think that they have many many dealings with your company, but that perhaps you just don't recall them even though they're obviously terribly impressed with you and remember your name!!! (In fact they've glanced at your badge while you've approached, distractedly looking at gear...)
The first couple of times, when sales slime tried this approach "Warren!!!! how the hell ARE you???" I didn't even realise that they were talking to me.. I wasn't mentally ready to respond to the name "Warren", but when I twigged to this trick (which these particular sales mutants seem to do as a regular tactic) I started to have fun with it. -I mean... why the hell should I be the one to feel awkward when they're the ones pulling the sneaky trick?
If I'm accosted with this nowadays (and assuming I have my wits about me at the time!) I like to engage in a few seconds glad-hand-shaking and warm-smiling, then through the firmly clenched teeth of a wide fake smile, I lean towards them (only slightly) and say somthing along the lines of "We've never met and you're only pretending to know me, aren't you???" ...though if the stand is busy I usualy try to do so loud enough for others to hear...
The effect on the smile of the sales snake is usually priceless!
Okay, so throughout this post I've chose to use a few unflattering terms to describe salespeople. I should make it clear that I have no quibble with the vast majority of salesfolk, indeed without people manning the booths of trade shows, I'd have no way to learn more about the real good stuff. -However, people who try tricks such as the one I describe here are like internet spammers, at least to my mind... -deceptive and uncaring. It usually takes a degree of cockiness to pull it off and that does nothing to endear them to me either.
Does anyone else have any favourite fake names, but specifically with a recording/technical reference? For example: Warren T Voyd, Max Ripple, Red Lightson, Moe Channels... etc?
-I briefly toyed with the idea (on the "old" forum) of using my 'Warren' handle as a sort of 'Doc-Holliday' pseudonym with a view to having some fun, but I didn't do it.
Keith
What wasn't touched upon in the other thread is that as soon as you express interest in a product (which often turns out to be rather less interesting on closer inspection and you'd much rather that they did NOT contact you) they 'swipe' or 'scan' your badge, from which point forward you're inundated with marketing nonsense, and your details shared or sold with other companies.
Since here at work we have a mailroom which sorts through incoming nonsense and routes it to the appropriate person, I register at all trade shows under an easily rememberable fake name. That way when unwanted mail arrives, it gets trashed since the mailroom know that anything for that name is junk. -If I see something from a manufacturer that I do want to hear more from, I tell them my real name and department and tell them to use the same address.
My friends use names like "Richard Cheese", "Ben Dover" or "Marge Innovera"... my own name (in case you ever see it on a badge at a trade show) is "Warren T Voyd". (Geddit.... "warranty void"????! :wink: )
Okay, something else happens from time to time which is a benefit which I hadn't forseen: Occasionally, a sales creep will stride confidently towards me with (as an example) the air of an old associate who I've spoken to a hundred times on the phone but never met... they warmly extend their hand and exclaim "Warren!!! -Good to meet you at last!!! -How's [insert the name of a genuine employee that they know by name] -to make you think that they have many many dealings with your company, but that perhaps you just don't recall them even though they're obviously terribly impressed with you and remember your name!!! (In fact they've glanced at your badge while you've approached, distractedly looking at gear...)
The first couple of times, when sales slime tried this approach "Warren!!!! how the hell ARE you???" I didn't even realise that they were talking to me.. I wasn't mentally ready to respond to the name "Warren", but when I twigged to this trick (which these particular sales mutants seem to do as a regular tactic) I started to have fun with it. -I mean... why the hell should I be the one to feel awkward when they're the ones pulling the sneaky trick?
If I'm accosted with this nowadays (and assuming I have my wits about me at the time!) I like to engage in a few seconds glad-hand-shaking and warm-smiling, then through the firmly clenched teeth of a wide fake smile, I lean towards them (only slightly) and say somthing along the lines of "We've never met and you're only pretending to know me, aren't you???" ...though if the stand is busy I usualy try to do so loud enough for others to hear...
The effect on the smile of the sales snake is usually priceless!
Okay, so throughout this post I've chose to use a few unflattering terms to describe salespeople. I should make it clear that I have no quibble with the vast majority of salesfolk, indeed without people manning the booths of trade shows, I'd have no way to learn more about the real good stuff. -However, people who try tricks such as the one I describe here are like internet spammers, at least to my mind... -deceptive and uncaring. It usually takes a degree of cockiness to pull it off and that does nothing to endear them to me either.
Does anyone else have any favourite fake names, but specifically with a recording/technical reference? For example: Warren T Voyd, Max Ripple, Red Lightson, Moe Channels... etc?
-I briefly toyed with the idea (on the "old" forum) of using my 'Warren' handle as a sort of 'Doc-Holliday' pseudonym with a view to having some fun, but I didn't do it.
Keith