Assume They’re Delighted to Hear From You
When I finished recording yesterday’s Pretty Way Walk, I heard someone call, “Mum.”
It’s strange how easily you recognise your own child’s voice. I looked across and saw Andrew, my grown-up son, with his girlfriend’s dog, Mabel.
Mabel is still a puppy at not quite two years old. She recognised me immediately and reacted as though seeing me was the best thing that had happened all day. Her whole body was wiggling while she asked for pats, rubs and the chance to put her nose against mine.
Mabel assumes everybody will like her
Paul and Scruff arrived shortly afterwards. Paul made a fuss of Mabel (who was equally delighted to see him) while she and Scruff had their own little chat.
As we were talking to Andrew, a couple walked past us. Mabel didn’t pause to wonder whether they were busy, whether she might be bothering them or whether they had already patted enough dogs that day.
She assumed they would like her.
More importantly, she assumed they would be delighted to meet her. Her confidence paid off because they stopped and gave her exactly the attention she expected.
We make very different assumptions in business
Mabel’s approach made me think about the assumptions we make when sharing our work.
We tell ourselves we can’t post every day because people might get fed up with us. We hesitate to mention something we sell because it might feel too salesy. Sometimes we say nothing because we have already spoken about the subject once and assume everybody must remember it.
These worries can feel considerate, but they are often based on something we have invented. We don’t actually know that people are tired of hearing from us.
As I talked about in yesterday’s walk, many of our followers may not have seen the last post anyway.
What if people want to hear from you?
Imagine approaching your content with a little more of Mabel’s confidence.
This doesn’t mean posting without thought or treating every conversation as an opportunity to sell. It means allowing for the possibility that people followed you because they want to see your work and hear what you have to say.
Someone may be interested in the decision behind your latest illustration. Another person may need the reminder contained in a story you have shared before. A potential customer may be waiting for you to mention the product they have been considering.
If you remain quiet because you are worried about being too much, those people never get the chance to respond.
Repetition does not mean everybody has heard it
We tend to experience our content differently from our audience.
We create the post, edit it, publish it and perhaps repurpose it elsewhere. By the time it reaches social media, we have already spent much longer with the idea than anyone viewing it.
That can make a subject feel repetitive to us when it is still new to the person seeing it.
Your audience is also living a full life. They are not keeping a detailed record of everything you have posted. Even people who enjoy your work can miss something or forget it until you mention it again.
Confidence still leaves room for consideration
Taking a leaf out of Mabel’s book doesn’t mean assuming every person will adore everything you share. Even Mabel will eventually meet somebody who doesn’t want a dog nose pressed against theirs.
The useful part is her starting assumption. She expects a warm response instead of deciding in advance that she is unwanted.
We can bring some of that confidence into business while still respecting our audience. We can share useful stories, talk about our work and clearly explain what we sell without apologising for appearing.
What would you share today?
You don’t need to become louder or post for the sake of filling space. You may only need to stop assuming that your presence is an inconvenience.
The people who followed you may be pleased to see your name appear. The right customer might welcome a reminder about your offer. Someone may even be quietly waiting for the story only you can tell.
If you’re delighted to hear from me and would like more stories about creativity, art and business, you can join Stories from the Dotty Side here:
https://jodraper.au/stories-from-the-dotty-side
What would you share today if you assumed people were genuinely delighted to hear from you?
