It came in on a Friday afternoon email and I needed a laugh to end a hot week:

Hi first_name, 

Checking in to see how your current cleaning services are being handled. How about a brief call in the upcoming week to learn more about your situation? 

What was that? My first name is First_name?

Poor. Really poor.

I’m not the one with a situation. They are.

They cannot clean up a database, apparently.

But here’s a constructive LinkedIn idea, to get a better idea of someone’s preferred first name, even though they may use a more formal version of it in their name on LinkedIn.

Look in their Recommendations.

See how the people who really respect them refer to them, in their glowing remarks about how wonderful they are. Then you will know if they go by Joseph or Joe, Margaret or Maggie, well, you get the idea….

I promise you no one calls them “First_name”!