I have been running this post through my head for the last 24 hours or so and thought I’d share some of the lessons I’ve learnt from my first big market. These are things that may not apply to other sellers (or they may) but are quite specific to me.
1. It’s not all about the money.
If you read my blog regularly you will know that the money from my sales goes to the work of SIM. For this reason I was really hoping for a lot of sales. I was so tired that at the end of the day I felt neither excited nor disappointed about the amount of money I made. This may have been because I have nothing to mark it against being the first event I’ve done.
As the day progressed instead of worrying about sales and money I started to enjoy just meeting people (some I had only ‘met’ online) and was pleased to see a couple of the SIMAid project catalogues go into people’s hands. A lot of people asked about polymer clay and how I made my products but a few asked about SIM and it was nice to meet some YWAM ladies too who dropped by.
I am more concerned about doing what I believe God is asking me to do in representing the work of SIM than making money. He is in charge of my sales so I believe that I sold what he wanted me to sell. End of story.
2. I need to work on my reactions.
Last week I shared a photo with you of my earring display. It was all done up in colour order and I’d spent half a day putting it together. Well, ‘clever me’ managed to stick it all down and take it to the market as it was. The idea was to save time and just put it up when I got there.
I did that. It arrived fine. I put it up. I was nearly finished when I asked Michael if he would come around to the front of my stall and help pin my sign on the table. Let me just say that Michael was a great help to me at the market (thank you honey). He put aside a whole day in his very busy schedule to be there and sit there and told lots of people lots of big stories about how great I am (cough cough blush). I tell you that because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about what I’m about to say.
As Michael squeezed past the two tables to come around the front and pin up my sign I heard a very loud crash. I looked down and there on the floor was my earring display. I thought oh no some of my earrings fell off! I picked it up and you guessed it…..all 72 pairs were on the floor (and in amongst everything else on the table).
I have no idea if Michael blushed about this because I was too busy growling and reacting very badly and saying things like ‘you are kidding me, this is the worst thing that could have happened’ (and a lot more). I am embarrassed to say that I did not react the way that a loving wife who respects the other person should react. I acted as if he had purposely knocked the display to the ground. This is an area I need to work on. It really wasn’t the worst thing in the world, we scooped up the earrings and I rehung them. Took me about 15 mins and we were ready right on time. I hope that I can learn this lesson and learn some self-control.
3. People are not scary.
Sitting in a market and talking to people I do not know is usually very scary to me. I was feeling slightly out of my comfort zone and in many cases I’m sure I came across a bit cheesy and too ‘hello, how are you, la la la’. That was just nerves. I need to learn how to relax and be myself. I suppose I’m afraid that people won’t like the real me. The real me is a conservative Christian (I’m not ashamed of that, just not sure how people will react to it) with a tiny hippy bent. The real me is someone who wants that pat on the back at the same time as wanting to be equal and treated the same as everyone else. I guess I need to just relax and think ‘like me or lump me’. I have never been ‘cool’, ‘trendy’, ‘in’ whatever in my life. Not once. I was very much ‘out’ in my school years and I suppose I’ve dragged that with me even now. I need to focus on doing what I feel God wants me to do and be myself.
There are more lessons but these are the main three. Nothing whatsoever to do with business, displays or marketing although I’m sure those lessons were there too.
