I wandered into Barnes & Noble the other day as I do probably at least once a week. I adore wandering the aisles searching for new reads, people watching, and reading magazines in a hidden corner.

That particular day happened to be an author signing day, which honestly I don’t pay any attention to. However, this author was quite different: as soon as we walked in the door he greeted us, said, “I’m signing my book today,” and started talking. When he said it was a love story set in North Georgia, I was interested but not sold.

Of course Robert’s Georgia Bulldog t-shirt gave it away and Jeff capitalized on it: we ended up in a great conversation about the South, Georgia, Atlanta, and college choices. In the conversation we found out that the author had actually worked on the Wonder Years (which I loved) and Dawson’s Creek before moving back home to Georgia to raise his family and write novels.

By the end of the conversation, I was happy to make my decision on what book to purchase, forego my normal half hour long wander through the stacks, just for the pleasure of reading a book by an author with whom I’d had such a nice conversation.

And of course, I always have so much respect for anyone who puts himself out there, standing next to his product and greeting complete strangers as they walk by. I know how hard that is.

But to me that was a primo-example of a sale that probably wouldn’t happened if it hadn’t been for the personal connection afforded by an author signing day. Without him standing there, his book was one of thousands in that store and I may or may not have come across it.

In fact, it wasn’t just him standing there. If he hadn’t said anything, I probably would have done that half-smile thing and kept on walking. It’s a great example of very basic communication and sales that apply to so many situations, but for this blog, most especially craft shows and markets.

- You must greet people! Be friendly and smile.
- Find common ground. Use anything you can to relate to that person – common interests, team affiliations, birthplace or where you’ve lived, etc. The weather can only go so far, and it gives people something more definitive to remember about you.
- Tell them about your product / service but in a more subtle way. Try to find ways to weave your credibility or successes into the conversation without gloating or being too sales-y.
- If they buy something, great. If not, give them a way to find you again! You absolutely must have business cards on you at all times.

So now I know you’re wondering what I thought about the book: I’m still reading it right now, but so far, I’m loving it! You can get a copy here if you want to.