When buyers on Facebook Marketplace are like a difficult colleague
I am currently trying to sell something on Facebook Marketplace.
Each time that I attempt such a thing, I find it to be a fascinating experiment in, well, humans.
It occurred to me last week that some potential buyers on Facebook Marketplace are like a difficult colleague . . .
Making demands ("I want to see more photos of everything!")
Sending messages that lack any sort of greeting, closing, or acknowledgement of the human being on the other side of the Messenger inbox ("How much? Where is this? Will this fit in my space?")
Or asking 27 questions and then ghosting altogether (the worst ).
When team members are frustrated with their managers, I often hear feedback along the lines of:
My manager doesn't care about me as a person. They only care about the task list and the project plan.
They don't ever ask me anything about me or my life or check in with me as a person.
Our 1:1s are status update meetings, to go through the project plan.
My manager knows nothing about me as a person.
Most of our 1:1s involve my manager asking, “Is this done? Is this done? And is this other thing done?”
It is really hard to get a response from my manager.
BEING DIFFERENT AS LEADERS
The good news is, as leaders, we don't need to be like the rude Facebook Marketplace buyers. We can create something different.
For example:
By acknowledging the person we are working with, and not just the topic, challenge, or issue
By asking first, “how are you?”
By adding a quick greeting and closing to our emails
By being direct and also kind
None of these things take a lot of time or effort, but they make a big difference.
Now, if only we could figure out how to incorporate these basic courtesies into the world of Facebook Marketplace.
What do you think? Have you ever experienced something similar?
QUESTIONS
Here are some reflection questions to consider:
Is there any instance in which I have been forgoing common courtesies (due to being in a rush, being irritated, or being distracted, perhaps)? And, if so, what could it look like to bring them back?
What is one small way that I can create connection today? (via email, in person, on the phone, or perhaps via text)
Who is someone I have a hard time getting along with? What is one thing that we have in common —and what could it look like to get curious about that commonality?
What could it look like to have fun + create connection, related to something that otherwise feels like drudgery? (ie: while working on taxes, sending an otherwise-boring email, or doing some sort of administrative task?)
