SAP Pre-Sales Life, episode 209 – Nicknames

I am a Josh-of-all, master-of-some, and writing is not one of them.  I have 208 previous BLOGs, but along with my humility, they didn’t survive when I changed careers this year.  We all love nicknames when they describe us in a humorous and positive light.  I have a new life now, and with that I will either continue with old nicknames, or my colleagues will brand me based on my actions, physical attributes, ticks, idiosyncratic manners, or any other item when preparing presentations or presenting to customers.  In the past I gave myself a nickname from all the times my global colleagues would repeat a phrase after I would speak up on a conference call:  “Good Point”.  Couple this with my name, and I am forever to some in the IT community as “Good Point Bentley”.  I embraced this name with some apprehension.  Was it a good point because:

• I have no idea what he is saying, but if I say “good point” he will hopefully think it’s okay to stop talking.
• Okay, it’s a “good point”, but there is a more polite way for him to phrase this, but fine, “good point.”
• “Finally someone has said what needed saying in a clear and concise manner, “good point”.

One day I get an IM, and see “GPB”.  “What is ”GPB” “I ask.  An ego-swelling response came back:  “Good Point Bentley”.  Wow!  I have an acronym for my nickname in a company that is an acronym, and names every component an acronym of some sort.  I am not saying this caught on, but in certain circles it is nice to know you left an impression. 

That leads me to my new role and what I am charged with doing.  I need to be less of a “GPB” and more of a memorable presenter.  If the good points come across as breadcrumbs in the mind of my customers I have done my job.  We were all told recently to be memorable.  Sell software, but don’t forget to make yourself standout.  To that end, here are some recent comments from colleagues who have interacted with me:

• “Bentley, you are a clown.” (Not from actions in front of customer, but deserved).
• “I am going to help you establish a great reputation among your peers.”
• “Josh was awesome.”

Did I mention earlier I am prone to an ego swell?  I joke with people that door-jambs are a certain width for my head to get through.  I am actually modest, but am learning what it means to have a reputation among peers and if I get a positive nickname then I am ahead of the game.  In all honesty, I am very excited when I can explain to a customer something about our Mobile Enterprise software they may not have thought of, especially when it’s an internal policy and not a technical feature.  When I say the IT department is a great driving force behind device approval, but not the only department who owns that decision and they say “that’s a good point”, I smile. 

I plan on writing SCN BLOGs to track my experiences in the field, and provide mobility tips.  I am in airports a lot more; see a lot of interesting people in, and outside of customer visits, should make for great BLOG’s.

So in closing, please comment and leave me your nickname, how you got it, and if you like/dislike it. 

See you on the road,

GPB