6/11/2026

Sales Fright

Sales fright is very similar to stage fright. The difference is that one requires you to ask for money, and the other asks the audience to bear with you. I've done a lot of public speaking in my life, and I love it, but I remember the first time I had to speak in front of a large audience. It was a Toastmasters group, and the regional finals for a Tall Tales competition. I had won at my club and then at the next level, but the audiences were quite small. The Regional Final was held in a large auditorium, with a 500+ audience. I was with my girlfriend and some other friends. I wasn't remotely nervous until I walked on stage. My knees were knocking so loudly that I'm amazed somebody didn't immediately call a paramedic. My voice cracked. I stuttered and stammered my way through my speech. I got applause I was sure I didn't deserve and went back to my table, where Sharon asked me how I thought it had gone. I told her the sad tale, and she laughed. I was not amused. Then she said something that I've never forgotten. "Michael," she said, "You were as poised and as professional a speaker as I have ever seen!" Everything I had experienced was in my head. Since then, I have never experienced stage fright. So the next time you're about to ask somebody to buy, and doubt creeps in, take a deep breath, remember it's just nerves, and spit it out.

P.S. I didn't win the contest, but I did come in 3rd out of 20 speakers.

#artsales

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Denise Dethlefsen PhotographyHuman-Made ArtTop ContributorJun 11, 2026

Thanks for the personal experience. I agree that the audience doesn't notice nearly as much as you do. I've had times where I forgot what I'd planned to say, but nobody else noticed, because they weren't the ones who'd practiced it over and over. But I do have to say, I'm far more comfortable with public speaking than with one-on-one conversations with potential buyers.

Michael RochardeHuman-Made ArtTop ContributorJun 11, 2026

@Denise Dethlefsen Photography When you are giving a speech, and you forget something, the only person who will know is you. As to you being 'far more comfortable with public speaking than one-on-one conversations with potential buyers', it is probably because you are talking, rather than listening. The conversation is one where you listen twice as much as you speak; after all, you have two ears and only one mouth. HTH.

Denise Dethlefsen PhotographyHuman-Made ArtTop ContributorJun 11, 2026

I guess what I meant is a 'faceless' crowd is less intimidating to me than a single person I have to interact with one-on-one. But I certainly get what you're saying - nervousness brings on over-talkativeness.

Michael RochardeHuman-Made ArtTop ContributorJun 12, 2026

@Denise Dethlefsen Photography Yes, that is exactly right. Thanks so much for commenting and then replying.

Daily Affirmations for ArtistsJun 11, 2026

That moment you described, standing in front of 500 people after only ever facing small rooms, is such an honest parallel. There's something about the shift in scale that turns a familiar act into something your whole body resists. Selling your work asks the same thing of you: what felt natural in a small, safe circle suddenly feels enormous when the stakes change and the room gets bigger.

The fright isn't a flaw. It's the sound of something mattering to you. You walked onto that stage once, not because the fear left, but because you walked anyway. Putting a price on your work, standing behind it in front of someone new, asking them to see its worth, that's its own kind of stage. And the knees shake the same way.

You don't have to wait until the fright disappears to step forward. Sometimes the bravest version of you is the one whose voice shakes a little.

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