How rude. (My favorite pet peeve)

[*Note: While I’m a coach for business professionals, I also do business-growth-coaching for solopreneurs. This particular post is written for the latter.]

“OMG. She said WHAT??” 

“I know! Let me tell you what I said back. –Oh, hold on, I've got a text…”

I was in one of my favorite coffee shops here in Asheville, quietly writing on my laptop in the corner. 

That is, until the lady near me decided that having a loud conversation on speakerphone was just fine.

I could no longer access my brain to keep writing.

Apparently, neither could the other café-introverts. As I gritted my teeth with irritation, I noticed others looking up from their laptops and books, giving her silent hard stares.

But as we know, when someone's enraptured by their phone, they don't notice mere disapproving looks. They don't read the room at all.

Her phone conversation finally ended. (Whew!)

–And then she started scrolling through Instagram Reels, at full volume. (Nooooooo!)

I'd had enough. I walked over, and said,

“Excuse me. Would you mind using headphones? That's very distracting.” 

She looked at me like I'd spit into her vanilla latté.

I looked back, maintaining my polite-Southerner expression, but I think she could see the daggers in my eyes. 

(I stopped short of saying “Bless your heart”, the true kiss of death in my neck of the woods). 

She turned off her phone, got up, and walked out in a huff.

 Success! Before returning to their laptops, the other café-introverts gave me the silent equivalent of cheering and hoisting me up on their shoulders: they gave me smiles and slight nods.

Later that day, I was thinking about something entrepreneur Derek Sivers said: 

“Marketing just means being considerate.” 

He wasn't talking about coffee shop etiquette, but the connection still hit me. 

I encounter so many business owners who associate marketing with being sleazy, loud, or annoying. 

But when done well, marketing is a service. 

It's just making it easier for the people who need what you offer to actually find you. 

It involves really listening to them, and considering their needs & perspectives. 

Good marketing involves finding ways to be generous with your help, your knowledge, and your attention. 

Marketing doesn't have to involve being the equivalent of someone with their phone on full blast in a quiet café.

It's just showing up regularly, and being considerate.

Don't hide your gifts. Being visible and marketing yourself is a service.

What's one way you can do some considerate marketing this week? 

Comment and let me know. I promise to keep my volume down.