In thinking abt the concept: #AreYouFineWithFine – I went to go share it on LinkedIn, to see how I could make the concept relatable on a social platform where the focus is the workplace.
As a sports exec, I started in “marketing.” Why marketing in quotes? Bc you quickly learn in most any position, sales is a pretty universal skill you must acquire. Even if not in a direct selling role, you’re always having to sell something- an idea, a program, a new way of doing things.
So when I finally did switch over to the “dark side” of sales management, I had to learn the tricks of the trade in a way I’d never heard before. One of those tricks was: “Avoid fence sitters. Any answer is better than a ‘maybe.’ A yes or a no gets you close to that sale, or the next sale, but someone who constantly drags their feet, takes away your valuable time & energy.”
I don’t believe this in the proverbial “slick used car salesman” way. Instead, there are polite ways to have a direct convo to see where someone’s at in their decision making process, address all concerns, & use polite persistence, to get an answer.
Ok, that helps in sales, but where else? I did a post a bit ago on ppl ghosting. In it, I spoke abt how difficult it is when companies string ppl who are interviewing for a position, along, w/o giving clear cut answers, & how that waiting game & not knowing, makes us feel stuck & uneasy.
If the above 2 examples are accurate, why then do we not follow our own recommendations when it comes to our feelings & emotions & those of our friends & fam?
When we check in w ourselves, why are we OK with avoiding, & just saying we’re “fine”? Why are we OK when others tell us they’re “fine”?
You can’t get anywhere sitting in the middle. Not w prospects in sales, not when waiting for an answer on an interview- & not with ourselves & others when it comes to self improvement.
It’s better to NAME where we’re at- to identify it. “Fine” is a “fence-sitter” term. We’re not giving ourselves, or others, any direction as to where we are & where we need to go, w “fine.”
More to come on common terms we ALL can use to “get off the fence.”
