Reach Out and Touch Someone
by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com
How often do you reach out and touch someone? Are there people in your phone’s “favorites” list you haven’t spoken to in a long time?
Most of us are not looking to spend even more time on the phone. But I do find myself looking at my favorites list and calling one or two of those people now and then who I haven’t heard from in a while. Hey, we all get busy, and time flies, and sadly, just quickly looking at my list, I see a couple of people who are gone. I wish I could call them now, but when I had the chance, I was too busy.
I really do have a tremendous number of contacts in my phone. As I look at the names, many make me smile and recall fond memories. Believe it or not, there aren’t any contacts that bring a bad memory to mind. I don’t hold a grudge about anything, but that said, there are some people in there I will likely never have a reason to talk to again. (It makes me wonder why I need their phone number other than to accidentally bum dial them?)
Thankfully, my normal day includes communicating and working with very motivated and positive people. If at all possible, I steer clear of anything negative. Still, there must be something more to it. After all, we don’t know what another person is going through. With the way things are in the world today, everyone has their problems and very few people are looking to take on more problems to solve.
That’s a perfect lead into what we do. The games we create, operate and repair are truly an escape experience for our players. The games help people to forget their troubles (at least for a while), smile and enjoy the moment. We aren’t solving world hunger but we are providing a valuable service to our players. This simple thought should not be lost by anyone in the industry!
We are in the business of FUN. If our games are not fun, they won’t sell or earn money. I look in FECs and see a lot of games that copy each other. I urge designers and manufacturers to innovate rather than imitate. Think of new ideas! With all the amazing technology available to us today, it is easier than ever to make great games.
Manufacturers, look at the games you’re designing. Are you just doing the same old thing? Operators, look at your locations. Are you just phoning it in? Think about the job you are doing for the company that pays your salary. Are you engaged and doing your best work?
It’s only April, with lots of 2025 left. Call that person you haven’t heard from in a while. Get at it! Make it happen, take a chance, work smarter, make things better and, hopefully, we will have more people smiling than frowning!
Jack Guarnieri started servicing electromechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the amusement game business since then. He was an operator in NYC, then began a distributorship in 1999, PinballSales.com, selling coin-op to the consumer market. In January of 2011, he founded Jersey Jack Pinball (named after his RePlay Magazine pen name), which builds award-winning, full-featured, coin-op pinball machines. Email Jack at jack@jerseyjackpinball.com.