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Used cars and job hunting – don’t ask for the sun, moon and stars
We’re selling a car, so we posted a detailed ad on Craig’s List and received over 30 replies in just one day. Clearly, we want to sell the car, but we are busy, so going through the replies seems a bit tedious, even though we are happy to have people interested (don’t get me wrong)!
Many express interest and include their contact information. Some even let us know when they are available to see the car. Others followed up their original email with YET ANOTHER email – within 24 hours! But, the most interesting (to me) were the ones who had 8 or 10 (!) additional questions, wanted a picture AND asked if the price is negotiable! Faced with 30+ responses, which do you think we’ll contact first? Yup – the ones who gave us the information we need and didn’t seem too demanding.
Lesson? When you connect with someone – for any reason – think first about THEIR needs. How will your note, letter or request strike them? If you hope to hear back, make sure you include information that helps your target understand WHY connecting to you would be advantageous. Make it easy to them to respond (by including your phone number and email address).
Finally, don’t be too demanding! If we can sell a car without responding to extra questions and sending pictures, we’re going to go that path. “High maintenance” isn’t a label you want as a used car buyer in a seller’s market or as a job seeker in a recession.
Think of this analogy when you apply for your next job. Are you putting yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes? What can you do to make things easy for him or her? Are you connecting the “dots” between what the job requires and what you offer with your resume? Are you addressing the employer’s key questions in your cover letter? Are your materials optimized and competitive? Do what you can to increase the odds that you will be in the “short stack” of people contacted for the opportunity.
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photo by preciouskhyatt
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I actually think that you’ve got this backwards. I dont think that the consumer or potential buyer should be concerned about THE SELLER’S needs. If you’re posting something on craigslist it is your responsibility to provide your potential customer with all of the information they require. I honestly don’t think requesting a picture of the car was demanding at all. This is the internet, the car could be in shambles.
-Luke
Chevy – The point of the analogy is that job seekers DO need to think about the needs of the person posting the ad! Sure, the person who wanted the sun, moon and stars was certainly within his “rights” to ask for additional information, but he’s not the one who had the opportunity to buy the car – which was not in shambles and described in quite a bit of detail in the ad!