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Tip of the Day: Asking Questions

May 18, 2016 by ShareASale Author Leave a Comment

Picture this, you’re attending an Affiliate Marketing conference and are at a Q&A session regarding new tools from networks and how they benefit both Merchants and Affiliates. You have what you believe is a great question.

As you raise your hand, you notice the number of people in the room including many “big names” in the industry. Your palms get sweaty and you being to question yourself about if your actual question might “sound stupid” to this group. As you’re acknowledged to ask, you stammer out an “I’m sorry” and quickly sit down, face flushed. You look down, embarrassed and not wanting to make eye contact with anyone as the moderator shrugs and moves on to the next person who has a question.

This situation happens to thousands of people everyday across the world in a myriad of different scenarios. Fear of public speaking is a common issue with many, compounding that with the fear of “asking a dumb question” exacerbates it even more. This turns into many people psyching themselves out and muttering an “I’m sorry” and dodging having to ask a tough question. Some call it the “Apology Reflex” as seen in this article in the NY Times.

It’s a common reflex, people use it for many types of situations such as appearance, asking questions, not responding fast enough and more. This Greatist.com article touches on these points and explains why people use the “I’m sorry” crutch to handle too many situations that they shouldn’t.

My challenge to you is this. The next time you attend a show, I want you to have the confidence to ask your question regardless of how many people or “who” may be in that room. For starters, you’ll get the answer you were seeking. Also, you may find that some attendees may have had the same or a similar question to yours. This could lead to some great discussions after the session and foster new business relationships in the future. I’ve been to many shows where I’ve heard someone say “I’m sure glad you asked that question!” It’s a great icebreaker into a deeper discussion later on! 

Be confident in your line of questioning, do not apologize for what you ask, believe in yourself. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Tip of the Day: Featured Programs - ShareASale Blog
Tip of the Day: Featured Programs – ShareASale Blog
One of the easiest ways for our Merchants to increase exposure is by choosing to become a Featured Program. There are different options to choose from that will spotlight your Merchant Program around the Affiliate Interface.
ShareASale Summer 2016 catalog released! - ShareASale Blog
ShareASale Summer 2016 catalog released! – ShareASale Blog
Each quarter ShareASale releases a new Merchant Catalog & Magazine featuring Merchants with relevant products for the upcoming season in addition to noteworthy articles and related content. Today we are happy to announce the release of the 2016 ShareASale Summer Catalog!
Tip of the Day: Increase Engagement - ShareASale Blog
Tip of the Day: Increase Engagement – ShareASale Blog
Once your site has begun to generate traffic, you need to start thinking about building a “community” around it. A very easy way to do that is to make your posts more engaging and interactive by adding polls, allowing commenting, discussion areas and more.

Filed Under: News & Events Tagged With: conference tips, conferences, networking, tip of the day

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