Don't make me repeat myself.

I was at work last Wednesday and just outside the wall of cubes I sit in was the General Manager of our company. She was talking to a potential customer. We have 2 products that can be used together, one of which is the product I work on. She had just come out of the server room with this guy, who I didn't get a chance to see and she was telling him about the people who do use our product.

'I know you are looking to go a different route, but if you ever do consider it, it [our product] works well with [the other product]. Some of our clients are going for a custom solution, and some are going with another approach which doesn't do as much as [our product], but we think our approach, being configurable, is something that really gives the best of both, and that's something you might think about, if you were to consider getting this type of solution. I know you aren't thinking that now, but, if you get to a point where you do consider it.'

The guy she was talking to didn't say anything as she repeated herself at least three times.

I thought her delivery/pitch was pretty smooth overall, but it seemed rambling. This business of saying the same thing over and over again in the same conversation seems weird. The Director of IT does this a lot too. I don't know why they do this. Are they used to being ignored? Is there something the other person should say to convey the message, 'Yes. I understand. Please move on to something else or shut up.' ? I know the feeling though, where you are trying to convey something, but you aren't sure if you put it right, or if the other person is listening, or appreciates the importance of the matter as much as you want them too.

Still, if people aren't going to listen it doesn't matter how many times you say it. Where I work, it's common for people to be working at their computer when someone comes up to talk to them, and they won't turn around to look the person in the eye while the other guy tells them something. Kind of rude actually. I turn around myself.

Also, it really is hard to tell if people are listening and remembering anyway. What can you do, give them a quiz later?

Sometimes I think it's a miracle we communicate at all.