Page 40 of Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal
Max was right—she has no idea how to sell an experience. He hit the nail on the head. And Betty, despite her prior excellent Christmassy ideas, might be looking for her white flag of surrender sooner than she wanted.
Composed, I open the door to Uncle Dwight’s real estate office and wave hi to his receptionist, Harry.
“Is Uncle Dwight in his office?”
“He is,” Harry says. “I think you can go back there.”
“Thanks.” I nod.
Uncle Dwight’s office is festive on the outside. The windows are lined with artificial pine garland and lights, and the paper advertising the different properties for sale in town is printed out and taped, but it’s cleverly lined with miniature garland to keep it Christmassy as well. Did Uncle Dwight think to do that, or is it a requirement?
Either way, it is a nice touch.
And inside the building, there’s a Christmas tree in the corner, some green and gold fabric bunting hung around the perimeter of the room, and Christmas knickknacks displayed on every surface.
And it’s like this year-round.
I head down the hallway to Uncle Dwight’s office, and when I see he’s on the phone, I hold my hand up in apology, but he waves me into his office and tells me to take a seat.
So I sit as he finishes up his call.
“Yes, 671 Lincoln Avenue just went under contract. Mr. Kevin, that’s right. He wants a thorough inspection done. Yup. Okay, thank you.” Uncle Dwight hangs up the phone and then leans back in his chair. “Wasn’t expecting to see you today. Everything okay?”
Here goes nothing.
“Um, I, uh, I wanted to talk to you.”
He leans forward, placing his forearms on the desk, looking determined. “You can’t quit on me.”
How did he know?
I let out a breath as tears start to well in my eyes. “I don’t think I can do it. He was right. I’m going to fail.”
He straightens up. “Who was right?”
“Maxheimer,” I say. “And he didn’t directly or intentionally try to hurt me, but he said something that really hit me hard and?—”
“Hold on. First of all, why is he even talking to you?”
“I went to the farm to check out one more thing. I wanted to make sure they weren’t using multiple suppliers for trees, because I had one that I really liked and then second-guessed myself. Well, I ran into him there. He’s clearly on edge now with me being around. And we got into it a little. He was telling me that the difference between a successful business and one that crashes and burns in the first year is selling the experience, something I didn’t know. And he’s right. I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m the girl who crashes and burns in the first year.”
He slowly bobs his head and then leans back in his chair. “You are not that girl. You are smart, Betty. You know how to put together a successful business plan, and yes, maybe you weren’t able to see it through, but we talked about the reasoning behind it.”
“I wasn’t able to sell the experience, Dwight,” I say, skipping theUnclepart this time, because at this point, it just feels silly.
“Which is something to be aware of, something to know now rather than later on down the road. But I don’t think it’s about the experience. I think you just need to immerse yourself more.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going back to that farm. I don’t want to see him again.”
“You don’t have to go back there. You have plenty of resources outside the farm.”
“Like where?” I ask.
He spreads his arms wide. “This entire town. Each business has found a unique way to sell the Christmas season to each customer. I think you take the next week, and study each business and see how they do it. Take in every moment, every decoration, every interaction. Study the proprietors; watch andsee what might work for you and what might not work, then apply that to the plans you’ve already drawn up.”
“I don’t know. I feel like I’ll fail you.”
“With that attitude, you could. And you have to stop thinking about this being a me thing. This is a you thing. I’m not investing in a farm; I’m investing in you. So have some pride in the fact that I trust you with this project. And honestly, you’re the only one that I trust. I’ve built a small empire here, Betty. I’ve invested in real estate around town, I’m a landlord of several apartments and houses throughout this area, and I want to expand now. I want to invest in something that really is for the betterment of the town. I want to endorse Kringle’s Christmas spirit, and I know you’re the one to help do that.”
