Persuading people to invest in an idea is never easy. In fact, it’s one of the trickiest skills I’ve ever tried to master, which is possibly why I’ve spent so much time working on it. Now, people assume that it must come naturally to me, which is annoying. It’s just as hard for me as it is for the average Joe; I’ve just made an effort to learn more about it.
Regardless, I’m forever being put forward to pitch ideas to the director of the company I work for. It’s an subscription-based e-commerce enterprise, with the star product being monthly sample boxes of sugar-laden Dutch foodstuffs. Anyway, today I had to put forward a spiel on how the business could benefit from commercial solar installation. Brisbane, needless to say, has a great climate for it, and I know the company is running at a profit, so why not?
It seemed like a bit of a no-brainer, so I don’t know why Dirk couldn’t just do it himself. I’m pretty sure it’s his job, actually, and Karl is his brother. But he was all like, please, Anneke, use your natural talent for corporate persuasion to help me push this through. And I was all like, fine. Now I wish I’d made more of a thing of it. I need to get a bit more kudos for this skill of mine. I mean, Karl went from completely disinterested to jumping in with both feet and a rock tied on for good measure.
In fact, it’s possible that I persuaded him just a little too comprehensively. I hope the enthusiasm I’ve generated doesn’t end up putting the business in jeopardy. I mean, I just ran some figures using an online solar panel calculator, and the number of panels Karl is now fixed on is definitely too high. Like, way too high. As if a treat box company can afford a large-scale system like that! Besides, the PV rig won’t fit on the rooftop.
So, yeah… I guess this is why I’m so good at social media.