It is cold in Sarasota.
A chilly 57 degrees.
So we went to GoodWill.
I met a nice fellow from Canada. He did not know Ralph. He said Canada was a big country. I think he was from Nova Scotia.
I learned that Wilf Carter was known as Montana Slim in the USA. Would that make him a "cross-over" artist?
He also explained to me how to clean old records using Elmer's glue. You coat the record with a think coating, let it sit 72 hrs, and peel it off. I was suitably impressed.
I have heard of this technique before and it can end badly.
However, I am trying to not be a "basement" person (as explained in last Sunday's Sermon) and so I actually engaged in conversation, instead of pushing the "fake phone call" button on my phone and pretending to talk to my wife.
Then we went to see the site of the first hardware store in Sarasota. It is now Yoder's fresh produce. It was nice.
Later we waited in line for an hour to eat at Yoder's Restaurant.
I had fried chicken.
It was good.
Then we went to our friends place of business.
They do something with construction and contracting.
They share space with an alarm sales company. The alarm sales guy is an ex-Kirby salesman. He was number 2 Kirby salesman in the USA. I wish I could have met him. Alas, the sales team was out harassing elderly people into buying their alarm monitoring systems.
One technique he used to motivate salespeople is to have balloons which had slips of paper designating a prize inside. If you make a sale you can poke a balloon and get a prize. There were all these posters, "$500 or a trip to the Bahamas," along with motivational slogans written with a sharpie on poster board.
The balloons had all been popped. I unfolded a whole pile of prize tags. The prizes were $1, $5, one extra chance at the big drawing, another dollar, and the biggest motivation of all, A BALLPOINT PEN!.
Now that would be a motivation to get my foot in the door.
They said he never actually had pens and would offer to take the salesperson to Wallmart to , "get a really good one."
We are having a good trip.
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I'm glad the Kirby guy managed to motivate you, even if you didn't meet him. I can just tell you're going to go home and start offering your helper pretend ball-point pens.
ReplyDeleteYup, I think he will be really motivated by popping balloons for fake prizes!
DeleteMy son once fell for the "be an alarm salesman" pitch. They hire salesmen constantly promising them a fortune in commissions. The salesman may sell one in a couple of weeks and then gives up in disgust. They don't care, they have a fresh crop always. It's a real racket. Both the people that buy them & the salesmen that sell them door to door get screwed.
ReplyDeleteGlad the trip is going well. But what, somebody from Canada that hasn't heard of me? I'm shocked. I really hate it when someone pulls the fake cell phone call on me. Or at least I am pretty sure I would if anyone ever tried it. I guess Wilf Carter figured more folks had heard of Montana than they had of Port Hilford , Nova Scotia where he was actually from.
ReplyDeleteWell, up north it's saddle broncs and it's hockey and honky tonks,
ReplyDeleteOld Wilf Carter 78's.
Dumb stuff like chores when it's twenty below,
They're the things that a country boy hates.-
Alberta's Child, Ian Tyson
hey we have Mrs Yoders - and they are a chicken place. i wonder if its the same group. the food is insanely good. me and one of my farmin' pals meet up there and eat our weight in fried chicken and pie. its amazing. the alarm sales guy never make it to our front door - if the dogs dont scare them off that mean gander does. say you could start an Alarm Goose biz down there. i'm sure it would be a hit!
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