Armacost Antiques Shows

How often do you encounter letters in the pages of antiques journals that have come from collectors grown weary of dealers' sour dispositions? Letters like this one, which I thought was worth sharing. It suggests in vivid terms the wages of unchecked pessimism.

The letter was a private one, sent to me a week after the close of an antiques show I recently ran. It was penned by one of the prominent people on the show committee and was offered in the spirit of well-meaning advice. The letter reads in part as follows:

"We need to encourage the dealers to be more outgoing and friendly. There were many complaints about how negative they were. In addition to telephone calls to that effect, I had personal experience. I walked into the booth of [name withheld] to purchase a candlestand. She started in on me right away and I decided to leave without making the purchase. (I guess I should be grateful to the dealer! My house is already too full of furniture and I saved the money.) Stories about [name withheld] dominated our post-show conversation about the dealers."

That the public perceived the dealers in this particular show to be "negative" comes with little to no surprise. They had reason to feel bad. I won't sugarcoat the fact that the show immensely disappointed most of the dealers who participated. There were simply too few sales - or even visitors - to make exhibiting profitable. Most dealers walked away in the red.

The vast majority of dealers took the disappointing results in stride, however. In point of fact, the letter-writer is wrong in suggesting that negativity abounded on the show floor. Despite disappointment, the majority of dealers remained genial, courteous and customer-centric right to the bitter end.

Only a few dealers succumbed to pessimism. Unfortunately, those individuals made such an open spectacle of their dark and dire feelings that they riveted the attention of customers and - as the letter I received makes clear - put the kibosh on purchasing.

Why, you might ask, is pessimism harmful to sales? A study published last year in The Journal of Positive Psychology might hold the answer. In the study, researchers asked participants to listen to one of three conversations between roommates. In one conversation, the speaker spoke in an optimistic way about a stressful personal relationship; in the second, in a pessimistic way; and in the third, in a realistic way. Afterwards, the participants were asked to evaluate the speaker's abilities. The results showed:

Optimists are attractive individuals and considered to be effective;

Pessimists are unattractive individuals and considered to be ineffective;

Realists are as attractive as optimists and considered even more effective.

If these findings are reliable, it's fair to say that, when antiques dealers stand in a huddle complaining about the economy or the state of the trade or sit in their booths and tell customers the market is tanking and the sky falling, they are sabotaging their own sales. The public can't help the way it reacts: pessimists are simply perceived to be unattractive and ineffective individuals.

Until the economy rebounds and the next-generation collectors start flocking to us, we can't afford to afflict customers with pessimism - even if we're suffering from it ourselves. So what to do if you're one of those pessimists - an inveterate curmudgeon and glutton for grump fests? Try these seven ways to turn business around:

1. Watch your words and thoughts. The next time you tell yourself something is catastrophic or impossible, give it a second thought. Don't obsess over the things that aren't working.

2. Avoid blame. Stop pinning the blame on others or on situations.

3. Stop being a know-it-all. There's satisfaction in being right, but it can be an exhausting and thankless job.

4. Find a good role model. Gravitate toward people who have an upbeat view of the business.

5. Practice patience. You're not going to change your attitude overnight. You need to rewire your mind.

6. Smile. One of the best ways to change a lousy attitude is to smile more often.

7. Keep at it. We just have to keep slogging away. As the writer William Feather put it, "The happiest people are those who are too busy to notice whether they are or not."

Pessimism Publicized

The Monday issue of the city newspaper included a report on the show. It was headlined, "More Antiques than Buyers at Museum." The story led with a pained apology by the committee's spokesperson for the lackluster attendance. It sped downhill from there to include these statements by dealers:

"Antiques markets are always soft during election years-about 30 percent off."

"We are lacking in buyers."

"Sales have been weak."

"Attendance is down this year."

"There is a general decline in the business."

Not a single positive comment! Set aside the impression about antiques in general that the punishing story created among the paper's general readers. Consider something closer to home: the reactions among the show sponsor's key constituents.

What else but embarrassment could staff members, officers and volunteers feel after reading the unfavorable story (and knowing friends and neighbors did as well)? And what do local-area grant-makers - and major and minor donors - now feel about the sponsor's organization? What has the dealer pessimism done for the prospects for next year's show?