Do you usually act first and think later? Maybe gun it and improvise.
Or do you think first and act later? A more systematic approach.
I take both routes, depending on the urgency and importance of the matter. And of course, how much I can handle, bear to lose, or consider to win from it.
For the past 9 months, I've been actively scouring the Meta market on both Facebook and Instagram, and the number of indecisive people I've encountered is disturbing. Of course, it's nothing new to me, I've been seeing such people act this way almost all my life.
But this time it affects my pockets and takes up my time. The faster someone decides to hit the green signal and place an order, the faster I can start working on crafting their desired product, and then move on to serving and "wooing" the next potential buyer.
The art of seduction, eh?
We don't sell any commodities or necessary items, people don't "need" the products we have to offer.
So, a lot goes into marketing, educational content, and then persuading potential buyers. With that comes a lot of interested and "interesting" clients, who are always on the fence; for every 10 clients, at least 7 behave this way.
I'd love to say that such people are the type who like to wing it and seize opportunities, the typical go-getter, but that would be an exaggeration. Now that think about it, such go-getters would surprisingly be more beneficial to our business.
Yet, when it comes to spending money, whether you're buying something, investing, or lending, you should never go unrehearsed. Going YOLO and winging it only applies to seizing opportunities, and there's usually a good gut feeling present at that time.
"Improvise, adapt, overcome" - Bear Grylls
Alas, not everyone is good at improvising. Those who are good, have had a ton of practice, and now just make it look easy. And it's quite evident, that these days indecisiveness is more common than decisiveness, just like how common sense is more uncommon.
Indecisive people aren't good for business, whether they're running the business or buying from it. They will take up all your time, and then leave without purchasing a single item or without adding a speck of value.
The window shoppers have now invaded the online market as well, eh?
The difference is quite clear though. A person who is interested in buying comes in with a set of questions and a plan. The more concise the process is, the better it is for them. The window shopper, however, just barges in, asks a ton of unnecessary and irrelevant questions, and takes twice as long to decide. Yet, the chances are that at least 70% of them will walk out without uttering a single word.
Not even a jolly thank you or goodbye? Tragic!
I don't know how these people sleep at night with such inconclusive habits and approaches to life. It's not about the products being sold and my pockets getting filled, but it's simply a matter of money and time management.
"If you can buy it twice, you can't afford it" - Jay Z
So, if it is out of our league and too damaging to our pockets, or even too complex for us to comprehend, then it's better not to fiddle with such things and waste our precious time and money.
If I talk about my own approach, I think at least three times before I step into a shop or get in contact with a business to buy something that I've been eyeing. The set of questions that I ask myself are:
- Do I need it or want it?
- Do I need it now?
- Do I have the budget or capability?
If at least two of these check out, then there's an 80% chance that I'll make the move.
Alas, not everyone is as conservative; if they were, then the world would probably be a better place...
I can imagine how crazy indecision is and how it has wasted the time of so many people
It is a habit we should not welcome
We've become a bit too selfish I guess, we just think about our wants and needs. We never look at things from the other person's or business's perspective.