A few days ago, I was signing copies of my book ? Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness ? at the flea market. Nobody expects an author to sign books at a flea market. Some people sell a few worn-over books, but authors just don't do book signings at flea markets. Especially not books about finding happiness.
I've never been afraid to be different, to take the road less traveled, to wander off the beaten path and run gleefully right over a cliff. Fortunately for me, the flea market is on low ground and I had the chance to learn a few things just watching people.
Pop Quiz: Is it best to wedge your booth between other booths piled with junk, where nobody even notices you are there? Or is it better to have a booth out in the open away from the clutter, where people can easily see you and get to your booth?
I learned the hard way. My booth was out in the open away from the clutter, where people could easily pick up speed and zoom right past. (But I was right next to a support beam, so at least I knew the roof wouldn't cave in on me.)
Apparently, the sales process at the flea market works like this:
Step one, some fool actually stops to look at a toaster-oven with only three coils missing, partially blocking the aisle.
Step two, a traffic jam ensues as more people come along and completely block the aisle.
Step three, to relieve their boredom, they buy "treasures" they would gladly have passed by if they could just have picked up enough momentum to keep walking. Isn't that a lot like how "gurus" sell stuff on the Internet?
Step four, they go home and brag about their great "find" and how it cost them almost 14 cents less than any of the other "Happiness is surviving your own cooking" commemorative plaques in their collection.
I leaned my second lesson. To sell anything, you have to slow people down. So I stood in front of my booth.
"Free bookmark, sir?"
Sir hesitates, then takes the bookmark.
"It features the nine habits of maximum happiness."
Sir studies the bookmark.
"Same habits as in my book right here."
Sir looks up at the display for a moment. Then he starts moving again, staring down at the bookmark, mumbling something under his breath and BANG! hits the support beam. "Ooh," I thought. "A few thousand more times and that beam might not hold. That could be dangerous."
Fortunately, I decided to relocate, standing with my back to the beam so people would pass safely to one side. Don't kill your customers: a brilliant idea whose time had come. I learned my third lesson after running through just 34 first aid kits.
I went through the same routine with Broad-eyed Lady and her husband, except that she missed the beam. She continued walking as she read the 9 habits of happiness on the bookmark, then suddenly slapped it against her husband's chest. "Here. Read this," she commanded.
Ouch. That's gotta hurt. Good thing I was giving away bookmarks and not paperweights.
I thought Broad-eyed Lady was a unique character, until Hunched Old Lady did the same thing. And so did Spunky Crew-cut Girl. And Grizzly Guy, too. I guess it's easy to expect others to change, rather than ourselves.
In fairness, few people used my happiness bookmark as a domestic weapon, a fact the judge took into consideration later that day. He even commended me for not giving away paperweights.
But he did order me to recount, without looking at my notes, the lessons I had learned watching people at the flea market. Let's see ...
Slow down, or you'll never spend your kids' inheritance on priceless knick knacks.
Grab people's attention or they will just whiz by.
Don't kill your customers
Don't expect people to change for you, even if you do wield a loaded bookmark.
About The Author
The author is David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy. To receive his satirical happiness column weekly in your inbox, sign up at http://TheHappyGuy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html or read more columns at http://TheHappyGuy.com/self-actualization-articles.html. Visit his home page "Finding Happiness and Self-actualization" at http://TheHappyGuy.com.
For technology companies, service after the sale has emerged on... Read More
Products for sale need to be displayed in a manner... Read More
There are hundreds of books available to teach you how... Read More
Selling your services to corporations is an attractive proposition. The... Read More
It is fairly common for real estate companies and mortgage... Read More
Selling is as much an art as it is a... Read More
I've found that winners say "I choose to." Whiners, on... Read More
If you have competitors, then you should have at least... Read More
It is a basic tenet of behavioral psychology that people... Read More
Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include... Read More
Many companies are looking to improve upon the speed, security,... Read More
Here are five sure-fire ways to guarantee you will not... Read More
Hi, I'd like to discuss the most powerful words you... Read More
So now the time has come to invest in Lead... Read More
If you need to hold a fundraiser and don't know... Read More
Make no mistake that emotions are the driving force behind... Read More
Myth 1: Sales People are all Shady!In the Broadway play... Read More
Sales information resource Just Sell, calls caring "sales love". Here's... Read More
Value is in the Eye of the BeholderSales today is... Read More
Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes another... Read More
Yesterday I received a call from a financial planner named... Read More
When Dr. Frankenstein exclaimed "it's alive... it's alive," he thought... Read More
A white paper supports PR, marketing and sales because it... Read More
Selling With Purpose What is it about selling that makes... Read More
Mannequins are primarily used in stores to display clothing. A... Read More
I'm not a baseball fan. Never have been. In fact,... Read More
The multi million pound cosmetics industry is acutely aware of... Read More
I've written previously about how to attract customers and how... Read More
Like the legendary search for the Holy Grail, the cup... Read More
The time comes for all mortgage brokers and loan officers... Read More
There are thousands of books and seminars on how to... Read More
JOHN DI LEMME ON "5 + 5 = Your Dream"... Read More
John Di Lemme on "Miracles are your responsibility"Miracles are your... Read More
I was sitting at my desk last week when my... Read More
If you plan to do sell your product or service... Read More
There are many ways to sell and have fun doing... Read More
ReferralsA substantial part of your business can come from referrals.... Read More
Lance has what it takes and then some.Did you know... Read More
It's easy to spend days, weeks, or months speaking with... Read More
There's a direct correlation between sales experience and prejudging. The... Read More
Most consultants I've talked to don't spend any time trying... Read More
Everyone wants the best possible value in every transaction, but... Read More
What do you think it is? Many experts insist it's... Read More
We all have people whom we find difficult. We don't... Read More
We use only 5% of God's given potential, 95% of... Read More
Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know... Read More
For two winters I heated my house with an old... Read More
(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More
Britney Spears has recently caused controversy with suggestions that the... Read More
An area that can become profitable for many businesses in... Read More
A completed communication consists of a sender and a receiver.... Read More
At-ti-tude, n.One of Webster's dictionaries describes the word attitude as:a... Read More
Many stores on a budget choose to buy a used... Read More
The USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is based on the assumption... Read More
Who likes cold calling? Most salespeople don't like cold calling,... Read More
You have a great product, but it's not flying off... Read More
What comes to mind when you think of networking --... Read More
A lot of effort is put into getting new clients.... Read More
We use this method to find new cleaningcustomers, and it... Read More
"Sales Letter"... that's your web site's sales page. The page... Read More
Our world of selling is closed off from other areas... Read More
This evaluation is not for the "weak-kneed". Real questions to... Read More
TELEPHONE TECHNIQUESSelling face to face is different from selling on... Read More
Neil Rackham turned the world of high-ticket salesmanship on its... Read More
Article I of a two-part series.No matter what customers say... Read More
In the course of my career, I've had to deal... Read More
Sales |