I am named after both of my Grandfathers – My father’s father David and Edwin, my mother’s father. I am very proud of my heritage. My father’s father, who actually went by his middle name Carl, owned Bowman Hardware in Marshall, North Carolina. I knew him as Papa Carl, and loved going to Marshall a few times a year to visit him. Though he is no longer around, the store is still there, and still bears his name. He was a proud man with a strong work ethic, and he was hands on as a business owner. My mother’s father, whom I don’t remember personally, was another great man. He died shortly after I was born. Daddy Ed, as he was known, worked as an editor for the Toledo Blade – a paper that is still considered to be exceptional. Anyway, as a result of these two great men, I was named David Edwin Bowman. So where am I going with this…
Well as fate would have it, Arthur C. Clarke, who recently passed, chose to name the main character in 2001 A Space Odyssey, David Bowman. Thus, should you choose to search for David Bowman, you will find Arthur C. Clarke first. Periodically, when I call into a customer service and give the person on the other end of the line my name, I get the reply of “Hello Dave” in the best HAL impression the sci-fi buff turned customer service agent can muster. I always play along, as I get a chuckle out of it.
Now, that is an interesting coincidence to be sure, but there is more. When I went to work as a sales representative for a small company in Cincinnati back in 2001, who was I introduced to on my first day? Dave Bowman, sales rep. This presented a problem, and for a short time I foolishly chose to use my middle name to alleviate the confusion. I never got used to that. I love my middle name, but it was meant to be in the middle. To this day there are people whom I met there that refer to me as Edwin. Fortunately, he left soon after I started, and I went back to my given first name.
Well, living in Dayton, I have tried to spend a good deal of my time networking and building the brand call “David Bowman” brand as Tom Peters might call it. It just so happens that there is a local newscaster named… you guessed it, Dave Bowman. I am convinced he used to spell it Bohman, but I can’t verify that. So, yet another of me.
There are David Bowman’s that are musicians (so am I) bloggers (so am I) and any number of other things. I can’t imagine being John Smith.
So when people wonder why the E. in the middle? The answer is mostly because I like the way it sounds, but has a little to do with differentiation too. Even that is not foolproof. I have my Google Alerts set up to let me know where David E. Bowman turns up on the web. It turns out someone who shares my first name and middle initial, was arrested in New Jersey last week. It is weird to see your name in print like that – but good to know it is somebody else.
So, what’s in a name? Arthur C. Clarke unknowingly altered my life, albeit just slightly, with his choice of names. I would guess that all the other David Bowman’s out there probably share this experience in some way too. So I suppose that names do matter – sometimes in ways that can’t even be measured. Is it any wonder that one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories is too many Daves?
Check out this great slide show from Paul Isakson on the Future of Marketing and Advertising. In this series of slides, Paul captures the essence of where I believe marketing is headed. It is about listening, using insight to solve problems, and finding ways to create the remarkable. The hard part is not in identifying what to do, but is in actually doing it. I also love the use of the web based tool 
One of the sharpest practitioners of marketing I know is Rod Sommer, a partner with LJB Inc – an architectural, engineering, consulting firm headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. Rod has a no nonsense approach to marketing. He defines his philosophy as attraction based marketing. He combines an open mind about technology and its potential with a critical eye on the goal of facilitating growth through person to person contact.
Rod believes that while the tools have changed over time, the fundamental principles that drive sales remain consistent. People buy from people they trust, respect, and like. Technology should serve to further this as opposed to “getting in the way.” Rod also runs the sales organization for LJB, and he has a very unique approach to sales. No salespeople. How is that for innovative? Rod also serves as the chair for LJB University, the firm’s employee development and continuing education organization. Rod talks about why employee development is so critical, especially to his business. Additionally, Rod discusses his love for public broadcasting, Marshall Goldsmith, the daily commute, UD, and personal productivity. If you are a salesperson, marketer, or are involved in business to business services in any way, take 20 minutes and listen to what Rod has to say. I know I learned a lot from listening to him, and I bet that you will too. Thanks to Rod Sommer for taking the time to speak to me. I hope you enjoy this latest edition of voices – recorded entirely on my new MacBook Pro, which cut the process down by 80%. To say I am a convert would be an enormous understatement.
What did you say?