On being a salesman

I don't like being a salesman of my own product. I am quite comfortable talking in public about program or policy development - sometimes trying to convince my solutions might have some validity. But it is an entirely different thing standing in front of the public and suggesting to them that they should part with their presumably hard earned money. While it is a rush when someone buys something, I am always worried that they will find a fault with it when they get home or that it won't last as long as I (or they) think it should. I have far too much personal angst about my abilities to be a good salesperson.

However yesterday I  buried those feeling of insecurity and went to the local Saturday Farmer's Market to sell my weaving. Actually I have been trying to do arrange it for a few weeks. The parking lot outside the Memorial Center is a large one but it is generally packed with vendors. There is no room for new vendors unless someone cancels. There is a building that some people use but I don't like it. The building feels dark and there are relatively few stalls inside. I suspect that the majority of the people who come to the market do not ever look inside. I wanted to be outside, in the sunlight and where there were lots of people walking by. On Thursday I was told that there had been a cancellation and if I could be there at 6:30 Saturday morning - I could have a spot. I spent most of Friday running around packing up my stuff. Loading all of my stuff including the two frames into my little Toyota Yaris is a bit of a challenge.

Saturday I was at the market by 6:15, got my spot and started to set up. It takes me a lot of work to get things set up. Assembling the two display frames is tricky in that there are too many pieces and not enough hands. None-the-less by just after 7:00 I was ready to sell. One on side of me was a friend who Makes, sells and demonstrates hula hoops and on the other side a person who was selling meat pies, baking and maple syrup. Across from me was a locally well known person who sells freshly made ethnic food and beside her was a person selling apples and fresh asparagus. On the other side of her was someone playing classical guitar. It was a good spot to be in.

 

 It was good except it was cold; people were getting set up wearing multi-layers of clothing or else winter jackets. I, or course, was wearing my sandals. It was also very windy. Someone told us that they were forecasting gusts of up to 40K which is a lot. People with awnings were having to hang on to them so that they didn't blow away in spite of the fact that they had extra weights tied to the bases. One of the stronger gusts blew over my rug display frames. The rugs all ended up the ground. I was forced to rearrange things and reduce the "sail potential" of the frames.

My feet were cold but I, for some reason, need to spin barefoot. It just does not feel right doing it with shoes on. I wanted to spin so that people might feel more comfortable coming over to my disply. I think I am too big and perhaps hairy for people to easily approach me. If they see me spinning they might be curious enough to look at my stuff. And that strategy worked. I had lots and lots of people visiting me, touching the rugs and remarking how soft they were. In fact my fellow exhibitors on either side of me suggested that I should charge people just for the privilege of touching my stuff! I also had a lot of business cards taken. I don't know why or what people do with them but I will need to get some more printed up.

It was generally a really fun day. People seemed to enjoy me taking about washing wool in my bathtub and the general state of my house. People particularly seemed to love my comment about the large swirls of dust bunnies, some of which are large enough to lose small children in, drifting through my house. I sold a shawl, a large bag and a few little purses. It was a bit less than I had hoped for in my fantasies but I had a number of people ask me if I was going to be there again as they were interested in buying something but wanted to think about it. I had lots of very positive comments and my fellow vendors remarked how busy I was. So I am happy - still filled with angst but satisfied.

Packing up was started by 1:30 or 2:00. As more and more booths disappeared (they were clearly more practiced in the art of dismantling than I), the gusts became even stronger. It was a lot of work taking things apart. By the time I got the stuff into the car, and then back out of the car and up the stairs into my apartment I was exhausted. I am going to spend time this week improving my display system so that it is easier to get assembled and perhaps more importantly disassembling it.

Perhaps I can be a good salesman..... don't know if I want to but it is the only way that I am going to get rid of my stuff. So when given the chance I will keep on working on those skills.