Anyone can be a beggar. It takes no skill. No previous training.
You just stand - or sit - on the street, a paper cup in front of you, make eye contact....or maybe not.
But to be successful, a beggar has to incorporate the talents of a successful business person.
For instance, the best ones offer a service...with a smile!
Go to Westmount Square heading for the metro, and chances are you will meet this gentlemen
who gives you a warm smile, and opens the heavy glass door for you.
He does it with style. With a flourish. Truly a service because that door is heavy!
The middle aged woman I met begging on the street was irresistible. With a warm welcoming smile, she calls out to each passerby in front of her, "Have a wonderful day!" Whether they give any money or not.
The effect? Not the standard guilt. Her warmth made you feel sooooooo good.
First time round I didn't throw any coins into her cup. But the effect of her smile and words of welcome lingered. As I was about to enter into the metro, I was driven to turn back and drop a few coins in her cup. When I looked back, someone who looked like a regular had dropped by just to chat with this lovable person.
Ask Mcdonalds, ask A & W, what's one of the most important elements to success,
And without hesitation, they will respond...LOCATION.
But location is not enough. The successful beggar is 100% involved.
He puts his whole attention into his job
So if he's begging in front of Metro supermarket, , he isn't eating a banana.
Or if he's begging in front of Schwartz' on the Main at lunch hour,
with people streaming in and out,
the successful beggar is not busy chatting with his cronies.
Staging is very very important.
And of course, appropriate dressing can't be overemphasized.
The best I have ever seen took place in Sienna, Italy, in the center of town,
in the famous tourist attraction, the square in the round.
In the morning a young beggar was being trained by his father in the art of begging.
Not being on "beggar duty," the son was wearing a beautiful tweed jacket -
which didn't fit into the dress code for a beggar.
And, because one leg was shorter than the other , the young man had a crutch.
In the afternoon, when the tourists were thronging into the square.
the young man was in full beggar regalia...tattered clothes!
And staggering around with his crippled walk!
But what was truly memorable was his prop and how he used it: his crutch.
Talk about staging! He made all his drawbacks work for him.
Exaggerated crippled walk!
And madly waving the crutch and yelling at the crowd....in Italian, of course!
His staging brought in the contributions!
(Somehow I don't think his marketing shtick would go over well on the streets of Montreal!)
I must say, I have to rein in my impulse of giving advice to the beggar on how to improve their marketing style. There are times when i am truly off my mark.
Recently, I was approaching the Bank of Montreal on the corner of Sherbrooke and Victoria.
What grabbed my attention was this impeccably dressed man standing in front of the bank
smoking a cigarette and holding a paper cup.
With the picture in my mind of the young man in Italy dressed in tatters waving his crutch,
I was driven to tell this man that he wasn't properly dressed for begging.
As I approached him, a quarter in my hand, ready to drop it in his paper cup.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
That wasn't a beggar.
That was the manager of the bank!!!!!!!!!!!!
And in that paper cup was the coffee he was drinking!!!
Can you imagine what his expression would have been reacting to a crazy nut of a woman
dropping dirty coins into his coffee!!!!!
Postcript: With regard to the homeless, the Guardian writes, "There's a need for a robust network of community-based mental health services with an emphasis on respect, social inclusion, community participation and support when needed. "
At the same time, if the homeless have an immediate need to help themselves,
we can help a little by keeping loose change in our pockets!
And if you truly would like to help the beggar, give them what they crave more than money can buy:
Recognition that they are a worthy human being.
As you drop the coins in the paper cup, look directly in their eyes and smile.
And as you drop the coins, drop a few words, like "how're you doing? Have a good day!"
You will, too!
