Am I Persistent or a Pest? Hmmm.... I Wonder ...

Check out this fun song! I was looking for some cool photo relating to the acronym: P.U.S.H. (Persist Until Something Happens) and I came across this song I had never heard of. It won't be making my top ten list for running or working out, but it's not half bad. Anyway...

If you're an author, you've found yourself working hard to pitch your book to a publisher, to market your book, to get your book onto bookshelves and into the hands of readers, and then working hard again asking readers to refer you to friends as well as leaving reviews. You're no doubt dealing with people by phone, email, in person, and more! Non-writers also have many opportunities each day where they are following up with business contacts, friends, their children's teachers, and the list goes on. We can all apply this question somewhere and somehow in our lives:

Are We Good at Being Persistent or Do We Make a Pest of Ourselves? 

 

I have a fun scenario to share. Years ago, a neighbor and friend of mine won one of the WOW! Women on Writing contests and was excited to be interviewed. She weeks went by and she hadn't heard from anyone at WOW! so she called me to find out if this was usual and customary. She said "Crystal, I checked my junk folders and everything. I don't know what to do."

I reached out to other WOW! Staffers like myself who interview contest winners and found out the email had been sent nearly a month ago. That email had somehow gotten lost. The author was patiently waiting and the WOW! Staffer figured maybe the author wasn't interested in being interviewed. 

Fast forward to a more recent scenario - where it was my job to interview an author who had won a contest. I reached out with my questions and she responded that the questions hadn't been received. I had requested the answers by a specific date and they never arrived. Two days after the deadline, I email asking about the interview and never heard back. I was about to reach out again and thought better of it. I spoke to a more seasoned WOW! Staffer who explained it just happens like this from time to time and it's not a reflection on me. 

Since that time, I find myself wondering about my persistence. I want to make sure everyone feels loved and appreciated, but I don't want to be too pushy. I guess that applies to all of us, doesn't it? We want to be Persistent without being a Pest. I've done some research on this matter and come up with a few ideas that have helped me feel a little more balanced. Of course, I want to hear from you - so take a peak at my list, and then leave some comments to help me improve! Thanks in advance!

- Be Super Courteous (this isn't just your ordinary being polite - this is being so super lovely that anyone who speaks to you wants to invite you over for coffee and fresh baked cookies. Of course, it also needs to be genuine - so be yourself, but use those manners that would make even Grammy proud!)

- Define Persistence for Yourself (spend a good amount of time thinking over scenarios when someone has been persistent with you; what feels right for you? If you've ever purchased something you hadn't intended to, that's a great scenario to examine. If you've stopped short of purchasing something you really wanted to, that is also a great situation to think about at length. Have a clear picture in your mind of what is too much or too little. Chances are, if you treat others the way you'd like to be treated, you'll find yourself coming across appropriately as persistent instead of pesty.) 

Photo by Zoë Reeve on Unsplash

- Ask the Hard Question About the Elephant in the Room (if you aren't sure how often is too often to email, call, or follow up, just ask the question: "I'd really like to follow up with you, but I don't want to overstep. Do you think you'd rather hear back from me at the end of this week, or would the beginning of next week be better?"

Please note I didn't offer the example of "should I follow up with you or fall off the face of the planet?" because let's be honest - you're amazing and rejection just isn't an option, right? When there's an elephant in the room, it's best to just talk about it with a smile on your face, right?)

- Be Flexible, Open to Feedback, and Willing to Adjust Your Approach  (as I said before, you're Amazing! but let's be honest, feedback and flexibility is something even the most amazing human needs from time to time. Talk to people you've worked with before and ask them if they find you to be pleasantly persistent or ways you could improve on your persistence. Maybe you are too timid and you need to be a little more persistent. Maybe you are too pushy and could use some adjusting in that direction. You'll never know unless you ask and then it's your job to be flexible and make the necessary adjustments to be successful!) 

Have I mentioned how amazing you are dear reader? I love that you show up, take time to read and digest the information, and I'd love to hear from you! What is your advice for being persistent? Do you have an entertaining story about persistence or pesty-ness? 

GO!

Thanks in advance for the comments! You're Fabulous!!!

Hugs,

~Crystal

and now...a little more about me...

Shown from left to right:
Delphine riding Honey
Mr. Otto holding Eudora
Crystal riding Marv.
Thank you Forward Farm, LLC 

Crystal is a hot mess of busy-ness who has decided to shorten her bio...

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her own blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!