The Sales Champion - A Very Short Story

The author visits a building materials fair and meets 2 extraordinary sales champions. A story for authors that want to promote their book.

The Sales Champion - A Very Short Story

I had no specific reason to visit the exhibition, but then again, fortunately, I seldom need one. This time I would use the fact that it would be raining cats and dogs soon, and I wanted to stay dry today as my excuse. There was really nothing there for me as a writer since it seemed to be some kind of building materials expo. But then again, maybe I could use some of the latest new materials in one of my stories. That's one of the advantages of being a writer: we can show up anywhere, anytime, just by saying "There could be a story in this." And the crazy thing is that most people tend to believe it, often trying to make us feel more than welcome! Even if their stuff is utterly boring, it seems they need or at least want to believe someone else might be interested in it. I once was even heartily welcomed at a bookkeepers' reunion class. My excuse for that one was the bitter cold, as I remember correctly.

So, when some early droplets started to hit my head, I decided that a quick look inside probably wouldn't hurt at all, and maybe they would even serve reasonably good coffee to their visitors.

When I opened the door and found my way in, my welcome proved to be even better than I had hoped. In a small corridor, I was welcomed by a sweet young lady. At least, I think she probably was sweet since she had an inviting smile on her face above which sparkled lively green eyes. For the occasion, she wore a (French?) maid outfit: a short black dress, black stockings, and a white apron and cap with her long shiny black hair tucked up in a knot under it, her ponytail hanging out of the hole of the cap.

"Welcome to the fair," she said, "can I offer you some refreshment?"

 "Well," I answered, "as long as it's not another downpour, I imagine you surely can. In fact, that would be more than welcome," and I lifted a glass off the tray she was holding.

"Were you looking for anything or anyone special, or do you just want to browse around?" she then asked. Though I surely would have loved to browse her all over, I reckoned she was talking about the fair.

 "I have been looking for both something and someone special my entire life so far," I answered, "but the harder I seek, the less I seem to find, so it might be better to just look around a bit first."

"OK, the hall on your left is aimed at advances in conventional building materials, while the right one is showing contemporary building blocks and prefab materials."

 "Building blocks are something I am familiar with," I told her, "so I guess I will turn right here. Thanks for your welcome. I think you must have been born a hostess."

She winked, then said, "thank you for your compliment, and then to think you have hardly seen me in action at all. Why don't you take my card? That way, you can always give me a ring should the need arise." She then handed me a business card with her picture on it and the text "Hostess for all your special occasions" and a phone number printed on it.

 "Thank you," I said, "but I'm afraid I'm not really a party animal, so I probably won't be using your service any time soon."

"You'll never know," she answered with a cheeky smile while opening the door to the hall on the right for me, "have you noticed it's for all your special occasions?"

As soon as I had stepped inside the hall, I felt a deep voice drifting into my ears. "I was wondering, could I interest you in some quality work-wear?"

 "I don't think so. I can work anywhere, and I don't really need to wear anything while working. I only need protection from my overzealous fantasy and perhaps a cap to protect me when it's raining sunbeams."

"Clearly not a builder then. They need all kinds of protection these days: a helmet for their heads, clothes and shoes for their bodies, glasses for their eyes. You name it, they need it. So, I take it you must be a writer then. I guess if you can work anywhere, then it would indeed be nice to work on a bench in the park, writing in the sunshine, where there are a lot of other people that may see you?"

 "Yes, I like to do my research that way, just me and my laptop. Sometimes I even find passersby there who then turn up later in one of my stories. You can find a nice selection of society as a whole in a park and some of them have stories of their own to tell. So, you could say the park can be a great source of inspiration for me."

"Then, how about a shirt with the text 'Do not disturb. Another great work in progress. Read (all about) it later'? But, to be honest, I was not thinking about you; I was thinking about your readers. Wouldn't you like to have them wear clothes with your picture on it, or the title of your latest book?"

 "Why would they like to wear anything that would be promoting my stuff, let alone my ugly face?"

"Why indeed would people promote manufacturer's brands, like e.g., NIKE? Including their Name, Logo, and Slogan for free, wearing their stuff all the time? Just consider yourself to be a manufacturer of stories and you could use the very same tactics they use. You could give them an incentive to do so, e.g. a free story, preview, or even book in exchange for a review on Amazon, or a social media post with a picture of them wearing a T-Shirt, or some other garment with your message on it. And it might be very possible that people would prefer to wear garments promoting something or someone they like or are a fan of than just another clothing brand. Take sport clubs and their heroes as an example. You should become a brand yourself."

 "Now you're talking! Be a Brand New 'Brenda' Brand. That might be a good idea. I'm thinking about a new word, quote or expression from one of my books with the cover as a background, or with the title of that book on it. Or, instead of me wearing the shirt you proposed I could have my readers wear it with a slightly altered text: 'Please, don't disturb now. I want to finish early today as I have a GRoSS read waiting!' with a picture of the cover on it."

"See, that's what I mean. I knew right away that your writer's fantasy would come up with something. What makes it even better is that you could sell these garments yourself for some extra income."

 "Okay, now you got me hooked, let's go somewhere quiet, have a drink, and talk about this some more."

He then smiled, took off his jacket and showed me the T-Shirt he was wearing under it. It said: 'Sorry, not while I'm working. I want to quit early to have time for my GRoSS read today!' with a picture of my book cover on it.

I was stunned for a moment, looking at it flabbergasted, then finally asked: 

 "How the hell could you have known that I would be here today? I didn't even know that myself.  And you saw a writer in me straight away, while I could just as well have been a rubber duck designer testing a new design while sitting naked in my bath tub. Are you some kind of magician or clairvoyant?"

"That will remain a secret for the time being," he answered, "but I might be prepared to tell you if you become our customer." and then he handed me his business card.

 "Thank you Mr. Magic, I'll let you know." I said, shaking his  hand, then leaving the hall, still bewildered. As I entered the small corridor again I noticed two things. The first being that - although the side table with the now empty tray on it was still there -, the attractive French Maid hostess was not. I guess the time for warm welcomes had passed, or maybe she had been invited to another special occasion. 

The other thing was not so much a thing as a change. The sun was beaming through the glass panel in the door, working hard to get rid of the last resisting raindrops. I opened the door and decided to pay the park a visit. After all, although I had not really seen anything of the building materials fair, I still had enough to think about.

END OF STORY (I told you it would be very short!)

What do you think? Would you have become his customer if you had been me? Or is it perfectly clear to you how he managed to perform his little stunt?

Let me know your thoughts, and I will dedicate my next short story to you if you come up with the correct solution. Should there be more correct answers, 1 winner will be drawn from the entries.

Author's Note

Reviews and remarks (only positive please!) are welcome.