THE COLLECTOR'S FORUM by Michael Corbin I HATE SALESPEOPLE! I don't know about you, but it happens to me whenever I walk into a department store, which is why I try to avoid them altogether.
"May I help you, sir?" the salesperson asks. "No thanks, just looking," I say. "We have some great deals going on right now!" says the salesperson. "Yes, I see," I say, getting irritated. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know," the salesperson says. "Thank you," I say, feeling a little harassed at this point.
It's even worse at a national electronics store chain where they attack you as the sliding glass doors open. "Welcome to ----, Sir!" I hate this because it forces me to be polite and reply with "Thank you." Unlike many shoppers of the feminine persuasion and some men as well, shopping isn't a euphoric experience for me. I want to get in and out with my anti-social bearings and crankiness intact. I usually know what I'm looking for. When you actually NEED help ... that's when NO ONE is around! Recently, I was in this store, minding my own business, when a worker bee (sorry, "sales associate"), accompanied by his questionably competent manager approached. The worker bee guy turned around and looked at me as I was scrutinizing cds and quickly whispered, "Sorry, I have to do this..." then, he said loudly, "CAN I HELP YOU SIR?" Normally, I would've been irritated, but I had to laugh to myself this time. "I'm okay, thanks," I said. In addition to trying to get people to buy stuff, salespeople also have to spew the company line. At some point during any shopping experience, I always remember that this is all part of the game. You can't play baseball anywhere without the ball and you can barely shop anywhere without getting thrown a sales pitch. We live in a consumer society and guess what? Sales, promotion and marketing come with the deal. Foul!
It's so ironic because now, I'm on the other side of the counter. Now, I've got a product that I'm trying to sell. My crankiness has done a 360 and it's smacking me right in the face. My first ever book, "ART IN KING SIZE BEDS: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL," is now available on AuthorHouse.Com and will soon be on Amazon.Com and Barnes & Noble.Com. Like a joke bungled by John Kerrey, Karma is now doing the Irish Jig before my very eyes. Before you assume this essay is a shameless plug (which it sorta is), stay with me.
Now that I'm a salesman (ugh! that's creepy), I've come to realize that promotion, salesmanship and marketing are almost everything. I think they're really what separate successful artists in every genre from ones who aren't so successful. Look at artists like Damien Hirst and Julian Schnabel. They're superb marketers and promoters. Some people call them "sell outs." I call them smart. There are so many talented artists out there, yet the reality is they SUCK when it comes to promoting their own product. Look guys, I know you don't like being salespeople and getting out there and pushing your work, but it's simply the way things are done in our 21st-century wired world. I've spoken with quite a few artists who seem to think they're going to be "discovered." Good luck! I think the best thing that any of us can do is to "DISCOVER YOURSELF" and get busy.
If I hadn't discovered myself, I never would've written, "ART IN KING SIZE BEDS: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL" (Authorhouse.Com). Before I wrote the book, I didn't think my thoughts mattered. Now, I think they matter enough for me to not only put them in print, but to also get out there and promote my book. If I don't do it, who will? Sure, you can hire someone to do promotion for you, which I have. However, no one shares the same passion you have when it comes to you, your vision and your art. YOU HAVE TO GET OUT THERE. Promoting my book, which I'm currently, constantly doing, is the most challenging thing I've done in my life so far. Basically, I'm asking people to spend their hard-earned money on something that I've created. Who am I to ask people to do that? I'm no Damien Hirst. I'm no John Grisham. I'm just an average Joe trying to get people to appreciate art like I do (and buy my book). Still, the truth is undeniable. Successful artists, pop stars, writers and businesspeople know the value of promotion. They MAKE TIME for it. Whether or not they have REAL talent is irrelevant. It shouldn't be irrelevant, but it is. The fact of the matter is people have to be prodded to do practically anything, particularly spend their hard-earned money ... that's even assuming they have measurable disposable income. "SELL IT!" has become much of the world's mantra. I'm not saying that's good, it just IS. In short, most people aren't clairvoyant. They don't know what you've got until you alert them. How you alert them is up to you.
I still hate salespeople, but now that I'm walking in their shoes (which I bought, literally), I can be a little more sympathetic. You can view promotion and marketing as bullcrap, pain in the ass endeavors or you can see them as part of your exciting, artistic adventure. Actually, I see it as both. I don't know how well my book will sell, but I'm promoting the hell out of it. ("Art In King Size Beds: A Collector's Journal" AuthorHouse.Com) It deserves no less and it's really up to me.
Kudos to you hardworking salespeople out there. You definitely earn your money, but I swear, if you approach me and ask, "May I help you?" I'm going to hit the roof.
MICHAEL CORBIN IS A WRITER AND AVID ART COLLECTOR