Hanging fliers and selling cookies

I spent most of yesterday hanging fliers around the neighborhood for my upcoming book signing. I am excited about the book signing; it was what I call "a God thing." My friend George would say, "God told me..." I was in the local Caribou Coffee Shop with a friend and noticed their community bulletin board when it hit me. Maybe I could do a book signing somewhere like the coffee shop and hang fliers about it on community bulletin boards. It sounded like a lot of free publicity.

Before I left there I asked to speak to the manager, but she was not there. I verified that I would have to connect with her to get permission for the signing, so I took the number and left. The following week I called a couple of times without making contact, but eventually got her on the phone. She sounded gruff, but she was there and willing to see me. I rushed up the street and started to tell my story: "I am a local Christian author and am wondering whether..." "God is in this place," she interrupted.

So, I booked it and another friend helped me post it on facebook as an event and a lot of people wished me the best and yesterday I went out to hang fliers. I have done some church related door knocking before, but this seemed different. It wasn't nearly as scary. My first stop was a bank with a policy that only non-profits could post on thier board - understandable, but discouraging. But I only ran into one other place with a policy like that. Most places had day care announcements and all kind of local small business ads. I got fliers posted at the bowling alley, banks, grocery stores, exercise centers, senior living facilities, the staff lounge at a government office building, and churches. The "old folks homes" were the most excited about it. Two of them wanted my phone number so they could follow up. At one of the churches the pastor invited me in to sit and chat a bit and quized me on several controversial religious issues. He said he would be at the signing and would post the notice in the church building.

I am not finished, have covered less than half the area I want to post in, but it was a great day. I thought it must be like selling girl scout cookies. Everybody buys girl scout cookies, right? At least we do. What I was selling was an idea. And it was truly exciting to see the receptiveness that exists in the neighborhood - just like selling trefoils and thin mints.