By tapping into potential of puzzling product, area company gains new clients, pursues more

There are some key similarities to being a circus clown and working in sales.

Aaron Watkins would know. He was an actor in New York and a clown with Big Apple Circus and Ringling Bros. Circus. Now he runs a promotional company that sells pins, patches, buttons and other products to companies and organizations nationwide. “When you’re any kind of a performer, you’re going out and you’re hustling up business on a daily basis,” Watkins says. “You’re as much a salesperson as any kind of an entertainer.”