Ever been called hun or sweetie while trying to perform your job?  Personally I do not like.  But sometimes there is no other choice for a customer because some opt not to wear a name tag.

I personally do not enjoy name tags..back in the retail days we all wore name tags and many of us tried not to wear them.

In retail, name tags are as important as wearing shoes and if you didn’t wear one..sometimes you were sent home!

After leaving retail I attempted to be rebellious: “I AM NOT WEARING A NAME TAG! NEVER AGAIN!” I threw it away….Celebrating my departure from retail being nameless…without anyone knowing my name.   So when I started my real estate career…I opted not to wear one..

Being in front of the public and being a no name..I noticed a couple of things would happen people would refer to me as hun or sweetie and sometimes when talking with people I would have to  repeat my name over and over again..

For a very long time I had a nameplate on your desk.   Why?  Was the public going to see that?

I spent thousands each month getting my name out…with postcards..and ads and my website…yet I was stubborn, by not wearing a name tag did it hurt me?  Yes it did.

I slowly figured it out…the name tag wasn’t for me but for the people I wanted to do business with.

For such a small investment with so much value. I ordered a name tag and before I knew it I had a few.

I started to notice a few things…

People would look directly at it.. My name is unique, I would have to repeat my name about 3 times with the customer….spell it for them and let them know Midori is a common Japanese name and it means green. Then I would point at my name tag.

Usually standing in line…fine dining and wearing the name tag..people would start real estate conversations with me..and at the end sometimes I would find a phone number in my hand.

For some reason the public finds name tags as official.

Ever been out in public for someone to notice you because you farm their neighborhood and they want to say something to you but they are not positive it’s you? Then all of a sudden they walk up and introduce themselves and tell you I wasn’t sure if that was you until I read your name tag. It has happened to me over and over again!

Don’t be rebellious…just pin and go..its one of the most affordable, useful marketing tools..just ask yourself this question.  Can you really afford a missed real estate conversation or lost opportunity?

Contributing Writer: Midori Miller is a Real Estate Trainer and writes and trains Real Estate Training and assists sellers in short sale situations. Midori is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker , License # BK645709 at CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty and a member of the Daytona Area Association of REALTORS.

I urge you to take the time and read this, if I were attacked before reading this I would have made a few mistakes.

This information was provided by rapists and date rapists currently in prison. How, what and why they pick their victims.

• Hairstyle- Woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed.  Rapist are likely to go after a woman with long hair.  Women with short hair are not common targets.  Still be careful!

• Clothing-They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly, they are smart they carry scissors.

• Cell-phones- They look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

• Mornings- Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

• Location-They look to grab a woman and move her to another location where they don’t worry about being caught.

• Weapons-Only 2% carry weapons, rape carries 3-5 years but rape with a weapon 15-20.
• Fight-If you fight at all, they get discouraged, why, it’s time consuming.
• Scream-Don’t cry for help, yell FIRE!
• Umbrellas and similar objects-Be careful they will use these weapons against you!

Getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

• Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
• If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
• Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back where you are coming from.
• We are too sympathetic: STOP! Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of women. He walked with a cane, and often asked “for help.”

Great Advice…. Please Listen and Pay attention:

• If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage, elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and small talk, “what time is it?” or make general small talk: Now you’ve seen their face and could identify them in a line-up.
• If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK!
• If you carry pepper spray, yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
• If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can be smarter. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD.
• Someone used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands – the guy needed stitches.
• After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause trouble.
• If a guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible.
• Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. Use it!
• If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away from you….chances are that he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
• If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will.
• Women have a tendency to get into their cars after completing errands and just sit doing something else,  DON’T DO THIS! The predator could be watching you. When you GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
• If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and hit something that would wreck the car. Your Air Bag will save you. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run.

Please feel free to add to this list….we can never play it too safe…….

Words that I refer to often!

My friends are too polite to point out my weaknesses but my competitors are attentive, direct, and are eager to take my place if I don’t do my job!

THEY KEEP ME WORKING HARD AND ON MY TOES.

They inspire me to find new ways to improve my services.  If I had no competitors I would be less professional and efficient.

I am better for the discipline they command of me!  I respect them and salute them.

THEY HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR ME!!!!!!

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

These are the top 5 social networking sites…are you there yet?  If not..you should!  And if you are on other sites..well that’s good too!

1.  Facebook-one of my personal favorites

2.  Myspace.com

3.  Twitter

4.  Flixster

5.  Linkedin.com

My personal favorite social network….Activerain!

Brian Brady
tagged me for this MeMe.

Before I took my walk down the aisle the first time…I refused to
come out of the Bridal room…and my dad came in to tell me jokes…the
preacher told jokes and my future ex-husband was concerned.. my dad
gave me two options…go out there and meet my future husband at the
altar…or take the keys and drive the van as far as I can go…It’s up
to me..I finally went out to meet my future ex-husband….I don’t think
it was really anything against my ex-husband…because when the
computer scientist and I tied the knot…it was like a
reenactment….for some reason I had trouble taking that walk once
again but this time it was different…it wasn’t my dad handing me van
keys…it was my brother who told me….GET MOVING..he’s a good man! So I got moving and met him under the tree!

When my kids were young…the power rangers were in town...that’s
right…mom stood for hours and hours to get Tommy’s autograph…I
climbed tables…got in to spats…and Bobby loved every minute of
it…when Bobby talked to Tommy(I think he was the green ranger)…he
told him…my mom is single…will you marry her? I was
embarrassed..and Tommy was a good sport!

When I was a little girl…we
always went on vacation…to Disney..Busch Gardens…you name we all
went as a family and traveling sometimes was not fun…dad seemed to
lose his patience the further we drove…9 people and 1 Volkswagen
van….we stopped to get breakfast..and the waitress asked how I wanted
my eggs?  I told her cooked…what else?  Needless to say…dad was
irritated once again..but I was dead serious…I wanted my eggs to be
cooked!

Boys..my first kiss was in high school and a very bad experience…I
was a freshman…and he was a senior.  When my date dropped me
off…there were 16 beady eyes looking through the front window…it
was my entire family…waiting to see…once my date kissed me…I ran
in the house…bypassed all those beady eyes…ran to the
bathroom..spit in the toilet...that kissing thing...I wasn’t ready for it and swore I would never do it again!  Can you say Liar!

I never knew I had a fear of birds until recently...Sammy our Siamese…was
in the front yard…and ran and grabbed a bird…the computer scientist
grabbed the bird and brought it in the house…the poor bird looked
dead…until he got comfy in the house and started flying around…I
was screaming and freaking out!…The computer scientist…didn’t want
to hear my mouth any longer and could see the fear in my face….he got
that bird out of the house as fast as he could.  We will never own a
bird in our lifetime as long as it is up to me!

My brother is moving to Alabama..my
baby brother..originally I was to spend Christmas in January with my
parents…but because little bro is moving..and he suggested to my mom
to change Christmas …because we have a chance to be all together..my
mom is so very happy and opted to change Christmas to February….I
can’t wait!  There is always so much laughter…fun…and yes we still
get into trouble and sometimes mom and dad… still thinks we aren’t
very funny!

This may sound strange but it is definitely worth sharing..I am not
big on doctors as a matter of fact we practice herbal medicine…and
alternative medicine.  A few months back I had a huge mole..in my hair
line…while most would go to the doctor and was told over and over
again I should…I opted to treat it with vinegar…and guess what in a matter of weeks that mole… completely gone!

There you have it you heard it from me!