Quills and Questions #5 : On Your Phone At An Event? Good Or Bad?

Happy 4th of July!!

Here’s a potentially "controversial" one. 

The answer would seem straightforward… Don’t be on your phone! Focus on the people so you can sell your product!

However, in my opinion, from the experiences I have gathered… I say a lot of it depends on location. 

At a bookstore, where they are hosting an event just for you? Absolutely not! Pay attention to what’s going on and set that phone aside! 

However, at other events…? 

Farmer’s markets are a hit or miss. There are a lot of people, so it seems as though you’d want to be alert, but most of the time, they just walk right past your tent. It’s good to keep an eye, see if people are stopping to look at your table, because then you can engage with them. 

Then there’s the program I’m a part of, The Authors In Grocery Stores program. I set up my little table for anywhere between 4 to 8 hours a day. And I’m here to tell you it doesn’t make a difference whether you are on your phone or not. People will approach you if they are interested. Otherwise? They won’t even give you a glance. 

(Plus, let’s be real, it’s kind of creepy to be staring wide-eyed at every person that passes. They may avoid you because they think you're getting ready to pounce on them like a velociraptor.) 

Now, if you are on your phone, I’m not saying you should be doom scrolling tik-tok or trying to beat the latest level in Angry Birds. ( I mean, if you have nothing else to do, then sure, go for it…)

But I take the time to get work done. Posting to my socials, checking emails, working on my manuscripts, inputting/tracking sales… or even writing this very Quills and Questions post. Because let’s face it, going out to events is TIRING. Driving in crazy traffic, hauling all of your supplies to your designated spot, setting everything up, standing there for hours and hours, then getting to pack it all down, haul it back to your car... and return to driving in crazy traffic, the sequel that nobody wanted. 

You are not going to have the energy, nor the motivation to do much of anything else after returning home. (Believe me, I speak from experience). 

So getting to work AT events, such as my grocery store signings, or even at spurts at Farmer’s Markets, really helps me. Because hey, even if I didn’t make any sales, at least I got all of my work done, and it's all contributing another step further into bettering my book career. 

I’ve conducted the experiment several times, testing to see if being on my phone really makes a difference. And so far, from what I can tell…? 

No, it doesn't. 

People will avoid eye contact, or be so engrossed with what they are doing, they won’t bother to look at what you're selling. And they’ll do that whether you are watching them or not.

In fact, I’ve had a lot of days that yielded better sales working on my phone or laptop vs. watching every person as they go by. So if it’s not going to affect my sales whether or not I’m working on my phone, then I’m going to work. And If I run out of work? …Sometimes games aren’t a bad way to help the time go by, either. 

Now, I would encourage you to not be on your phone for the first few events you try. Observe people and their tendencies. If a lot of people are stopping to look at you, then stay alert, because your engagement may be the thing that gets you that sale. But if people are ignoring you? Then don’t feel guilty about ignoring them right back. 

Just make sure that you’re not TOO engrossed in your Angry Birds… because you may look up and notice someone is staring at you. ;)

If you have any questions, I encourage you to reach out to me on my website’s contact page! I will answer you, and maybe the topic will become a future Quill’s and Questions Post!