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electric firing part 3(story)

updated wed 12 feb 03

 

mel jacobson on sun 9 feb 03


a story:

the leading car salesman in the world was a guy outside
chicago.

he said. `do you ever go into a dealer, with money in
your pocket, ready to buy a car? all the sales people
are in a circle,around a car, talking to each other. NOT seeking customers.
try and get some help to buy a 25,000 buck car. no
one will talk to you. the salesmen are in a `DOPE RING``.
stop in with your clay duds on....they will not even look at you.

same at hopkins high. all the teachers run to the lounge.
talk to each other. to hell with the kids.

if you want to sell cars, talk to people who want to buy them.
call them, send them birthday cards, call them a month after
the purchase, ask them if they are still happy. do sales people
do that? not on your life...they talk to other salesmen.

when i taught. i ate my lunch at my potters wheel, had coffee
in the pottery. with kids. taught 6 classes a day. never turned
away a kid. i did house calls, talked to parents. i wonder why the kids
were so happy.

same with electric firing.
are you impressing your clients, customers, or some
guy at the college...who never has bought one of your pots.
and his ego will never allow him to buy one of your pots.
are you trying to impress ruth butler at cm, or are you trying
to make the best pots you can???? she likes electric fired pots,
just as she likes wood fired pots. she likes great pots, and
i trust her judgement. she sees lots of pots. but, better you
work your client base. impress them.
if you work hard, get better, fire well, have skill, one day
ruth will tap you on the shoulder and say...`hey, send us some
slides of your work.` but, don't hold your breath...get busy with clay.
impress you.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.TICK-ATTACK.COM

iandol on mon 10 feb 03


Dear mel jacobson,

You may well be right, though sending out cards, making house calls and =
so forth to make a sale on a car without prior invitation seems to me to =
be close the hard sell I was accused of when we discussed sales =
promotion.

As for eating in the workshop, how many health and safety rules did you =
break? Was this really a good example to set?

Yes. I have worked in schools. We sat at tables with our students, ate =
our meals with them, had conversations about all sorts of things, =
learned civilised manners and helped the less well endowed to be better =
accomplished with their knife and fork, went out into the yard and the =
onto the oval with them. Lili will know what I mean.

One of the rules in becoming civilised is not to be a bully. Can't do =
that at table.

Ivor.