I spent a little bit of time working in sales.
I think most creative people are inherently entrepreneurial — we think outside the box, we develop, we create, we share — so I felt like I could be pretty good in a sales position.
I was okay, but not great, especially when it came to pressure sales. I was terrible at that. So my close rate wasn’t the best.
My sales career might have been short-lived, but I was able to take one of my experiences and flesh it out into a story, which I plan to publish soon (no, not the book recommendations one).
As creative people, we’re in the business of sales whether we like it or not. We create something — a book, a screenplay, music, artwork — and we want to get it out there and share it with the world. But putting yourself out there can be very uncomfortable.
Case in point — I don’t think I’d ever be doing this if it wasn’t for the simple fact that the only one who is going to promote my book is me. But if I didn’t finally bite the bullet and do that? It would be another huge mistake as an indie author.
One of the things I learned in sales is that at some point you will need to ask for the order.
It can be super awkward but if you are a sales professional and you never ask your prospect to buy your product or hire you for a service, then you won’t be a sales professional for very long — because you’ll never close a deal.
So I am going to take a little of my own advice and I am going to ask for the order.
I wrote a charming middle grade book that takes place at Christmastime, and it’s about a ten-year-old boy who discovers proof that Santa Claus goes on vacation the week after Christmas — Naughty Week — and kids are allowed to be as naughty as they want to be.
It’s a fun romp for the whole family, and grownups will enjoy this just as much as kids. It’s silly, irreverent, imaginative, action-packed, and it’s got a lot of heart as it deals with real-life issues like change, family, and loss.
So this is me asking for the order go buy my book Naughty Week. It’s available wherever books are sold.
And after that, keep writing.
