Open Up Your Mouth!

A little over a year ago I met this wonderful lady named Geraldine Chalklette.  A tiny little chocolate powerhouse with a huge heart.  I met her at my very first book signing event at The Nile Valley Restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio.
I was up there with my close friend Aisha Taylor and we were sharing a table together.  Anyway, to make a long story short, little Mama (Ms. Chalklette) walked over to my table with her arms crossed, smiled, looked me up and down and told me that my little table was pitiful.  She stood there and ran down to me all the things that I needed to do.
For example, she said I needed "some good candy", to draw the people. 
I needed to put my book on a stand so that it could be on display for everyone to see. 
She added,"Girl where is your poster?  Now you know you need a poster."  Of course I had a poster, but it was at home and I told her that.
"Good place for it," she responded.
Now somebody else may have been offended, but I know good advice when I hear it, so I started taking notes.  We exchanged numbers and we became fast friends.
We met weekly, we talked often and she shared with me as much as she could, with a genuine desire for nothing more than to help me and to see me be successful.
I met many people through her because Ms. Chalklette was a connector.  If she couldn't get the job done, then she was gonna connect you with someone who could.
I loved that about her.  She stayed positive and she made sure that she only connected me with positive people who had her stamp of approval and if somebody wasn't right she was gonna tell me about them and she would tell them about themselves too if they weren't careful. I  have met many people, am still meeting many people, and am still connected with many people through her. Because I networked. 
As a matter of fact I never would  have met Ms. Chalklette and many others had it not been for my good friend Aisha Taylor who introduced me to networking.
Networking is such a neccesity in this business.  You never know who you're gonna meet.
Networking is such a powerful tool.  Seize every opportunity to share your craft. If you keep silent about your gifts then why should a stranger share it?  I have met so many wonderful people just by opening up my mouth. 
Grocery stores, clothing stores, pharmacies, I share my book wherever I go and somebody's gonna buy it! And they do. What's the worst thing that can happen? Seriously?  Somebody might say no, they're not interested. So?  You keep it movin'.  Somebody's gonna be curious.  Somebody's gonna want to know what's so special about your book. 
As a matter of fact, last year when I was standing in line at Rite Aid talking about my book, this lady over heard me talking and she jumped in the conversation and said,"What's so special about that book." and I answered with a smile, "It's special because I wrote it."  And guess what.  She bought one.  As a matter of fact I sold three books that day in that line.  Had I been timid and afraid, those three books would still be sitting in the trunk of my car.
In other words, confidence goes a long way.  Never be afraid to open up your mouth, because as the old saying goes,"A closed mouth don't get fed."
I don't know whose grandmama or granddaddy we have to thank for that saying, but aint it the truth?
I lost my dear friend Decenber 4th of last year.  We were on our way to a networking event.  We were going to Columbus to support a close friend of hers when she suffered a heart attack in my car on the way there. She died 1 week later.  It still bothers me to this day because I think we shared a divine connection and I miss her dearly.  But I am so happy that I met her and I've met so many people that loved her as I do and I never would have met her if I had missed out on that networking opportunity and if she hadn't felt comfortable and confident enough to open up her mouth.