The man wore a hospital bracelet around his slender wrist. He spoke softly, greeting us with an “Excuse me, gentlemen.” By the old clothes he wore, his exceptionally thin frame and the rusting metal on his bicycle, we all were able to tell he was homeless.

He began his speech, admitting to us he was embarrassed to explain his reasoning for stopping us. He then proceeded to tell us his story of sorrow; he had an inflamed appendix and had surgery done to him for its removal. He then lifted up his shirt to show us the damage that had been done. At this point, I turned my head away from him, not out of impoliteness, but because I preferred not to ruin my appetite. Based off the simultaneous sound of groans and the sour look on the face of my friend next to me, I can guess the scars looked pretty gruesome.

Once he put his shirt down, the homeless man informed us that he was in desperate need of medication to treat the problem and that he had no money to pay for it. He then politely asked us if we had any cash to help contribute to his medical expense.

If I had cash at the time, I probably would have given him a dollar or two. Unfortunately, I only had my debit card on me — I promise you this is true. But I would have thought it to be fitting to donate some money to that homeless man because I believed he truly earned my charity because of the strong efforts given in his presentation.

Occurrences such as this are not uncommon in East Lansing. Homeless people frequently can be spotted picking up recyclables or sitting at a bus stop. Some of them might ask you for a donation, and some of them might just tend to themselves. However, for the ones who do request some sort of generous contribution, it should be known that your business is valuable. Therefore, similar to any other business, a person needs to earn your service.

In a sense, a homeless person’s job is to ask people for money. It may seem kind of ridiculous, but in the scheme of things, it can be said that “begging” is in fact a major source of their “income.”

Within a business, presentation is essential in making a sale. Because in many business transactions, how a product is presented — the way a salesman talks up a product, statistics that are used to glorify the product, visuals given that can persuade a buyer, etc. — all are imperative in a product’s success.

This same idea goes for a homeless person’s presentation. They need to show some kind of evidence that persuades potential donors to believe what they are saying is sincere and that a solid amount of effort has been put into their presentation.

The homeless man my friends and I met delivered a fantastic presentation to us.

He held our attention, giving us the impression his words were not a complete waste of time. The way he approached us was polite and not startling whatsoever. He wore a hospital bracelet around his wrist that indicated to us he must actually have been a patient at one point in his life, which was a nice touch. The revealing of the scars from his surgery was definitely the game changer; it provided the “Pow!” that every sales pitch requires.

Even when we had to disappoint him with the sad truth that none of us had any money, he did not call us out for lying or display any sign of anger. He merely thanked us for our time and rode away on his bicycle.

The homeless man exemplified the qualities of what I would call a great performance.

On the other hand, a homeless person who sits on a street corner and does nothing but merely ask for spare change is showing no signs of validity for his or her cause. He or she is giving no effort in his or her work and, quite frankly, should not necessarily deserve your attention.

You would not buy a product from a salesman who blandly told you, “Hey. Buy this thing.” So why would you give your money to someone who basically tells you the same thing by not displaying any thought for the way he or she asks you for money?

Regardless of how people obtain their capital, they should do so in a manner that convinces others they are sincere and deserving of business. After your next donation to a homeless person, I’m sure you’ll walk away with that warm, fuzzy feeling inside that you deserve.

However, ask yourself if the person you helped has earned that same feeling that you have given him or her.

Ron Kim is a guest columnist at The State News and an English junior. Reach him at kimronal@msu.edu.