How do I help a "loser" Droid user

souljerr

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Ok folks -

I have a couple of friends that are not very technical at all who have purchased the Droid. They've both had the phone for about 3 weeks and have not even been to the marketplace yet. I've sent them here but so far they only use their Droid to answer phone calls and check emails.

Any suggestions on how to help them understand the power of the Droid?
 

JessiesGirl

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Ok folks -

I have a couple of friends that are not very technical at all who have purchased the Droid. They've both had the phone for about 3 weeks and have not even been to the marketplace yet. I've sent them here but so far they only use their Droid to answer phone calls and check emails.

Any suggestions on how to help them understand the power of the Droid?

I'm not a very technical person. Oddly, I have been selling software and internet apps for years though! My gift is explaining the technical to normal humans.

Once I realized I couldn't break hardware by fooling around with software, I became our company's best salesperson. When they tapped me for sales, I fell out of my chair( I am so not a techie). And I've even helped the people who really understand the software come up with great new ways to use it and tweak it.

So to sum it up, I speak in English. So do the people with the checkbooks. :) Or in this case, your friends.

Don't go at them with all your 'jargon'. They will not understand it, they will not be impressed by it, and they will start to avoid you whenever they can. Furthermore, they will stop asking questions for fear of looking stupid. If you want to succeed, you have to speak in English. Pose it in terms of the problems they'd like to solve--how will they use it? Not 'how does all the tech make that happen'. Then offer a solution, in ENGLISH.

ETA: Really, you need to get them talking, freely, about the things that are difficult for them to do today. What frustrates them, what would they do with a handheld device in a blue-sky world? Get 'em talking. Which means you are mainly asking q's and then listening. Get 'em talking!

Once you know their needs/wants, you can recommend some apps and ways to use the phone. You can guide the conversation with the questions you ask because you know what the phone can do.

It does no good to say, hey, did you know that you can completely customize this device? You'll get blank stares.

But if you ask them how they use the phone while driving. What would they like to have in the car, period? Don't even limit it to handhelds! What can't they do while driving that they'd like to do? How many devices are they currently using to meet those needs? Etc. Then you have a starting point to explain possible solutions....

For another example, ask them how many times they've heard a song they liked but had no way to identify it so they could purchase or download it. You just sold Shazam.

Ask them how many times they've been at Target, Best Buy, etc. and sort of thought that was a good price on something, but held off so they could go home and research it in the internet first. OR worse yet, bought it and THEN researched it on the internet to find out they'd been taken. You just sold Shop Savvy. I love this one because the 'cost of doing nothing', which is what a software sale is always up against, is immediate here.

Honestly, with this phone? The best question you can ask is when were you really bothered that you didn't have a computer? 'Cause there will almost always be an app for that problem.

Think of function, problems, needs. Then offer a solution. You're in sales now, baby!:icon_ banana:
 
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pcandroid

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Only help someone who wants to be helped, you can. Hmmmmmm.
 

Martin030908

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Send them to Droidforums.net
I ran into this similar problem with the Storm 1 and some of my friends... they all wanted help but weren't tech savvy. I find people learn better if they're self motivated... so point them to us, and if they wanna know what to do we'll guide them along :)

I wound up with some wasted time and frustration trying to teach smart phones to some friends... I'm all for helping out but sometimes it's better just to send them to another source.

edit: to go with jessiesgirl's comment, having them read through the forums allows the person to learn in their own fashion... certain threads may make more sense than others depending on the explanations involved. She pretty much hit the nail on the head... dumb down the lingo to help em out :)
 
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wil318466

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You have to show them. There is no way to get a person who isn't a techie to become one. I think its in some people's nature. We all know the type who like messing around with things, researching, customizing, learning, and tinkering nonstop, all night.

Then there are the people who simply can't be bothered. I know both types, and there just is no way to make people become the other way. But, you can always just grab their phone and "fix" it for them. It doesn't take long.

-Wil
 
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souljerr

souljerr

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So to sum it up, I speak in English. So do the people with the checkbooks. :)

Don't go at them with all your 'jargon'. They will not understand it, they will not be impressed by it, and they will start to avoid you whenever they can. Furthermore, they will stop asking questions for fear of looking stupid. If you want to succeed, you have to speak in English. Pose it in terms of the problems they'd like to solve--how will they use it? Not 'how does all the tech make that happen'. Then offer a solution, in ENGLISH.

Excellent advice. I think I saw their eyes glaze over when I started talking about all the stuff it could do.
 
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souljerr

souljerr

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Send them to Droidforums.net
I ran into this similar problem with the Storm 1 and some of my friends... they all wanted help but weren't tech savvy. I find people learn better if they're self motivated... so point them to us, and if they wanna know what to do we'll guide them along :)

I wound up with some wasted time and frustration trying to teach smart phones to some friends... I'm all for helping out but sometimes it's better just to send them to another source.

edit: to go with jessiesgirl's comment, having them read through the forums allows the person to learn in their own fashion... certain threads may make more sense than others depending on the explanations involved. She pretty much hit the nail on the head... dumb down the lingo to help em out :)

I'll try to get them here again. I just hate to see so much power go unused.
 

New2u

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Another thing you can do is show them what alot of the apps can do. If you have alot of apps installed on your phone, show them some, and see if they like them. If they do show them also how to go to the market place and how to add an app from there. While it may be SUPER easy for most of us, i know some people who it would be hard for. The best thing you can do sometimes is to show them what they are missing. Sometimes be like hey did you check out that new app "insert name here", it looks pretty awesome, it has all these awesome features.
 

Martin030908

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Actually AndroLib.com is another good website to have them check out. It's not perfect but at least you can get a better idea of what the apps do with the descriptions there vs. trying to wander the market. I find the market is best when you know what you're looking for.
 

JessiesGirl

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Send them to Droidforums.net
I ran into this similar problem with the Storm 1 and some of my friends... they all wanted help but weren't tech savvy. I find people learn better if they're self motivated... so point them to us, and if they wanna know what to do we'll guide them along :)

I wound up with some wasted time and frustration trying to teach smart phones to some friends... I'm all for helping out but sometimes it's better just to send them to another source.

edit: to go with jessiesgirl's comment, having them read through the forums allows the person to learn in their own fashion... certain threads may make more sense than others depending on the explanations involved. She pretty much hit the nail on the head... dumb down the lingo to help em out :)

While I appreciate the compliment, I find some of the threads here completely incomprehensible Too many acronyms, too many uses of jargon. Honestly, I think certain members like it that way. They want this to be an insiders club for the techies, and that is how they speak about this phone. It's an ego thing with some here, and a lack of understanding that the man on the street honestly doesn't understand what they are saying in others ( although the latter group really meant to be helpful!). Just something to keep in mind...

And I don't think of it so much as 'dumbing down' as explaining things in terms of function. Most people only want to know what this device can do for them and don't care how it gets done--only that it gets done.

I don't spend a lot of time contemplating why my electricity works, for example, I only care that it does....

The techies are excited on an additional level, but the average consumer only cares about function.
 
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Martin030908

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^ I try an explain everything in 'layman's' terms. I sold IT consulting for a while so I know how confusing the tech jargon can get!

I do agree some of the threads can get a lil 'tech heavy' but overall it's a good place to start in the forums.
 
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souljerr

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For clarification - I didn't call either of them a loser. That was how they both described themselves. I'm not that mean.
 
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