In the year 2000, I sat in my small office with my 4 month old baby girl on my lap, struggling to grow my business. It was in that year I started, I suspect, a life long friendship with a man who has come to be known as Mr. New York. At that time he was a young man in Long Island, NY soliciting web-based sales positioning on the internet. It was a time when the internet was just getting discovered as a "tool" for business. It certainly wasn't tried-n-true like my newspaper advertising had been. It was scary and a monetary investment I had to weigh heavily. The smooth talking man at the other end of the line was not going to trick me...I got calls like this all day long, every day. So, we talked about business goals. I questioned him extensively about the company he worked for, while looking everything up on the computer as we spoke. I had a business partner who then looked at all the data as well. Looked interesting, but will this internet thing really reach enough people?
Well, suffice it to say, the internet thing did reach enough people. This salesman became an integral part of my daily life. I monitored every penny that was spent and what kind of return we saw from this investment from every zip code in which we invested. As time passed, we grew to know each other on a personal level. He knew how to reach me if a zip code of "desire" came available. which led to calling me wherever, whenever. I remember driving my son down to Chicago for a voice-over commercial, and my cell phone rang. A "prime" zip code had just come available. I told my New York friend that I had to pass as much as I really wanted to deal with it right then and there. The conversation that day then transitioned into terms of friendship. This man suddenly became acutely aware I wasn't SO driven that I would change my mind, so instead we started talking about life. I got to know his history about his parents, siblings, his past. We laughed about kids and relationships and family. I then hung up.
My 9 year old son asked from the back seat, "Who was that, Mom?" Although I knew his name, I answered, "Oh, that was just Mr. New York." Don't know where that came from, but it stuck.
This man remained a fundamental part of my advertising, but we never met. For years, he helped me grow my business. And, yes, I loved our conversations on the phone. He was funny and a delight to talk to. And when my husband left in 2005, the company dissolved, and so seemed my friendship with Mr. New York. I figured he was collateral damage of the whole divorce. But Mr. New York did call....a different tone in his voice.
Mr. New York started treating me like a woman, not just a pay check or a sales score. Call me Manti Te'o, but it was nice. This man did ask how I was doing with my husband leaving. He asked after the kids. We asked about each other. It was like we were two lost souls that just knew we needed to know someone cared, and we did. He often said, "Hey, beautiful." And it certainly wasn't from seeing me...still hadn't met. But can you imagine what those two words meant to a woman who was devastated by betrayal, being told how awful she was for so long? It was heaven.
Yes, my kids knew when mom was talking to Mr. New York. But how do I tell them that I had developed this strong bond with a person I had never met. Then, I remembered having a pen-pal (no not the Pen-Pal account). It was virtually the same thing, so I explained it that way. We have never met.
Today, Mr. New York remains in New York with a beautiful wife and daughter. I remain in Wisconsin. We stay in touch....and perhaps someday we will all meet.
Mr. New York, thank you!
Well, suffice it to say, the internet thing did reach enough people. This salesman became an integral part of my daily life. I monitored every penny that was spent and what kind of return we saw from this investment from every zip code in which we invested. As time passed, we grew to know each other on a personal level. He knew how to reach me if a zip code of "desire" came available. which led to calling me wherever, whenever. I remember driving my son down to Chicago for a voice-over commercial, and my cell phone rang. A "prime" zip code had just come available. I told my New York friend that I had to pass as much as I really wanted to deal with it right then and there. The conversation that day then transitioned into terms of friendship. This man suddenly became acutely aware I wasn't SO driven that I would change my mind, so instead we started talking about life. I got to know his history about his parents, siblings, his past. We laughed about kids and relationships and family. I then hung up.
My 9 year old son asked from the back seat, "Who was that, Mom?" Although I knew his name, I answered, "Oh, that was just Mr. New York." Don't know where that came from, but it stuck.
This man remained a fundamental part of my advertising, but we never met. For years, he helped me grow my business. And, yes, I loved our conversations on the phone. He was funny and a delight to talk to. And when my husband left in 2005, the company dissolved, and so seemed my friendship with Mr. New York. I figured he was collateral damage of the whole divorce. But Mr. New York did call....a different tone in his voice.
Mr. New York started treating me like a woman, not just a pay check or a sales score. Call me Manti Te'o, but it was nice. This man did ask how I was doing with my husband leaving. He asked after the kids. We asked about each other. It was like we were two lost souls that just knew we needed to know someone cared, and we did. He often said, "Hey, beautiful." And it certainly wasn't from seeing me...still hadn't met. But can you imagine what those two words meant to a woman who was devastated by betrayal, being told how awful she was for so long? It was heaven.
Yes, my kids knew when mom was talking to Mr. New York. But how do I tell them that I had developed this strong bond with a person I had never met. Then, I remembered having a pen-pal (no not the Pen-Pal account). It was virtually the same thing, so I explained it that way. We have never met.
Today, Mr. New York remains in New York with a beautiful wife and daughter. I remain in Wisconsin. We stay in touch....and perhaps someday we will all meet.
Mr. New York, thank you!
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