Do You Ever Get Tired Of...

[Trypno]

...answering questions about your mod? Things like, "Why is it so huge?", or "How much did you pay for that?" or just questions in general? I feel like there are just some questions that a veteran vaper just shouldn't be answering, at least truthfully anyway, because you know that before you give the answer it'll likely drive them away from vaping.

It's usually curious smokers I have the hardest time answering questions for, not because I don't know what to talk to them about, but because sometimes speaking vape is like speaking a whole 'nother language, or as one of my customers put it, it's like a science. Honestly, that's kinda how it is, there's a lot of knowledge that goes into vaping that could just be overwhelming to a newbie, I know it was for me when I first started.

Don't get me wrong I love talking to people about the basics of vaping, showing them my mod, and answering their questions, especially if they're a smoker, because I love planting the seed in their head that may one day get them to quit, but some of their questions just make me want to sweat bullets, because I'm never quite sure how to answer.

The worst one for me is, "How much did you pay?" Because their response to my answer is always disbelief, even if I told them the price I paid for my MVP instead of my ProVari. I of course explain how I personally justify the purchases to myself, as well as pointing out that a good mod or even cigalike can save you more in the long run after the initial investment, than constantly buying cigs. Of course for some vapers who have made it a full hobby, that may not be true, but for the vapers who get their gear and are satisfied with it, it seems to be that way.

So anyway, what about you fellow vapers, ever get tired of answering questions about your mods, or vaping in general?

 

[TwoTimes]

I don't I'm a chatterbug by nature and love being able to talk to people about something I know a fair bit about. I get more tired of saying "No" when someone asks if I have a lighter for their cig though!

 

[catalyst]

I am certainly tired of it. The first few hundred times I told them all about vaping and answered all of their questions. Now, it's just annoying. I don't mind the occasional "What flavor is that?" but I'm sick of the "What is that thing?!" questions.

 

[Trypno]

I am certainly tired of it. The first few hundred times I told them all about vaping and answered all of their questions. Now, it's just annoying. I don't mind the occasional "What flavor is that?" but I'm sick of the "What is that thing?!" questions.

ME TOO! I work as a cashier, so daily I'm bombarded with questions, and this one really kind of irks me for some reason. I never know which answer to give, do I tell them it's an Ecig? Do they even know what an ecig is? If I tell them it's an Electronic Nicotine Delivery System, will that blow there mind and pull them into the future where we vapers seem to be living?

I read a study somewhere that said 47% of Americans didn't know the Sun was a Star (What?! The Sun is a Star? Wait...what's a star?) which honestly, seems a little high to me. But everytime I tell someone it's an Electronic Cigarette, followed by confirming that yes, it does indeed have nicotine in it, hence the term 'electronic CIGARETTE', I wanna punch myself right between the eyes, driving in deep and fast until my frontal cortex is blasted out of the back of my skull in a gory spray of gray matter and skull chunks.

That may be a little dramatic...I haven't vaped since 3 this morning lol

 

[catlady60]

I was asked why my ACE was so big and I answered, "It's big because it has more capacity and one batt can last me all day without having to switch batteries every few hours.

 

[amolson]

Well, I have far more experience teaching than vaping, but this is my way of approaching it.

1) Keep it simple. What's the minimum you need to start vaping successfully and reliably? Battery, topper and juice. Thankfully there's a local B&M that's perfect and that's where I point them. $50 out the door. Easy peasy. Point out this around the price of a carton of smokes. If you don't have a good local B&M, almost every good juice vendor has a basic setup available, with either a sample or bottle of juice.

2) Don't go into details. This is one of the hardest parts. It's sooooo easy to go on about mods and throat hit and power and Kanger vs. Innokin and ... just don't. There will be time enough later.

3) Do rave about flavors you love. Especially if they're available from a local B&M. If you start with the flavors and work backwards, people are a lot more likely to get excited. One I've found is, "Do you like clove cigarettes? Well, you can have them without guilt." Lots of smokers love cloves, but they're just too unhealthy/expensive/funky looking. Or, "I vape 2/3/x different flavors every day. It's great!" Keep it positive, not "Oh, those things taste nasty. Don't you want something better?" but "This x I'm vaping right now is great. Here, would you like a taste?" (friend tips are well, your friend)

If you don't have a local B&M that's newbie friendly then you might want to think about printing up some business cards with links to a few of your favorite on-line shops and a picture of the most basic eGo type setup. Remember, if it doesn't fit, it's too complicated.

Examples ...

"How much did that cost?"
"Well, you can get a really good start for about $50. 3 ml of juice is like a pack of smokes, so a 15 ml bottle, $7, is about 5 packs. Do the math."

"That thing is huge/weird!"
"I've been doing it for a while. Most people, when they start, use a simpler setup. More like a big pen. This is the big hawg."

"What does it taste like?"
(I'm thinking of getting a stash of friend tips for this one. I usually have one flavor on me that's not wild.)

"Don't you know that stuff has x in it?"
"Really? Where did you hear that?"
"Uh, don't know." or "It was on the news." or "My friend/MIL/etc told me."
"Riiiiight. And you believe them because?" (Take a nice big vape and enjoy. Wait.) "On the Electronic Cigarette Forum they have a whole library of articles with links to refereed journals. I think I'll stick with the journals."

Short, sweet, to the point. If they try to attack, point them to the journal articles. Keep them moving forward by NOT giving them all the information up front. Get them to ask if you can. Then they'll remember the answers. Even more, keep it positive. "I love being able to smoke coffee." not "Stinkies taste nasty to me now" Never use terms like stinkies or even analogs. Keep it friendly. You're showing them an open door, not running down what they are doing. That creates resistance and they stop listening. Good luck and it does help to think about it before hand.

 

[Trypno]

Thanks for the tips Amolson, if I had a printer nearby I'd print that out, because they're good, and you're right, sometimes we either get overwhelmed with outside stimuli and can't provide good, positive, accurate information, or we get so excited talking about vaping that we forget to keep it simple.