The right shirt, the right text and a bag of brown rolls

by John Passmore

No problem finding six people to talk to today - we did a Win-a-Mini at Focus.

In fact by lunchtime, I was talked-out and grateful for half an hour in the Red Lion for a chicken piri-piri baguette and a pint of Adnams. So when the barmaid looked at the logo on my shirt and said: "What's the Utility Warehouse, I was in no mood to talk.

Get it over with, a small voice told me. Quick as you can.

So I gave her the quickest spiel in the book: "It helps people save money and it helps people make money. Which would you go for?"

"Oo, I want to make money!" she said. So out came the little notebook and now she's looking at the website.

In fact what with one thing and another, I rather over-did it today. While waiting for people to come out of Focus and win a mini, I sent texts to four tradesmen who turned up in vans with their mobile numbers on the sides. “Hi, just saw your van in Focus Car Park,” I sent them. “Would you be interested in earning some extra money. If ‘yes’ when would be a convenient time to call?”

One texted back “half an hour” and I talked to him while waiting for my clarinet lesson (and yes, he was interested and is now looking at the website). The other sent back the message “R u still here?”

“Yes,” I replied and rang him while walking across the car park, waving.

We met like two people in a cartoon shaking hands while saying “hello” into their mobiles.

It turned out that this was a husband-and-wife electrical contractor – and yes, they’re looking at the website too.

Such a good day, in fact, that when I popped into the Co-op to get some rolls for my son’s sailing trip tomorrow I just had to give a leaflet to the man in the queue behind me: “Look, I always give one of these to the person behind me in the queue – it’s about making money…”

The check out girl said: “What’s that about money. I could do with making some money!”

I reached for another leaflet and found I was out of them.

“Don’t worry said the man in the queue,” avidly reading about starting his own part-time business for a refundable deposit of £199.75, “I’ll show her this when I’ve read it.”

Just as long as he signs her up…