How to think like a performing arts presenter? More importantly, what are they thinking about as they consider which direction to take their programming season year after year? This is the first in a series exploring how to think like the people who book your act. I'll explore here performing arts presenters, then in the weeks to come I'll also share how to think like a club booker, an elementary school programmer, college activities buyers and festival artistic directors. This entire process requires you to set aside your own goals for a bit and focus your attention on the needs, concerns and goals of the potential venue presenters with…
Blow up the to do list accomplish more each day by incorporating these two best practices into your life. We are so consumed by our attempts to manage our time and squeeze tons of things into our day. And yet, at the end of each day we wonder, "What did I accomplish?" Instead of beginning with long lists of things to do, calls to make, how about if we blow up the to do list accomplish more. We do that by re-framing our vision of the day and stop trying to manage time but rather begin to manage our energy. Our energy ebbs and peaks throughout the day. Using those…
Use these 4 best strategies to streamline follow up with gigs and media to reduce your frustration around call-backs and land great gigs and media coverage. You’ve made your initial contact, sent your first email, letter, or complete packet. Now the next step is crucial and often the difference between throwing money or time out the window or getting what you want. You may think follow-up is not fun and often I hear artists say they made the call or sent the packet so they’re done. What was sent is so often forgotten and three months later they wonder why they haven’t heard back from the person, the label, the…
Are you ready to close more booking deals? Are you ready to get to, "YES," more often? Let's examine one of the main reasons you may not be closing as many booking deals as you like and how you can turn that around to get more great gigs. The number one main thing many artists tell me they do is to try to close the deal way too soon. Sure, they may be eager and ready to nail down the date, but is the buyer ready? You may find yourself in a similar situation. You've spoken with the buyer a few times and you think that's enough time to confirm…
Conquer phone phobia let testimonials do the selling is the last of this three part series. It is also the third most cited type of phone phobia by artists—Selling Yourself. How do you establish your value with the person you are speaking with, to get a gig? I often hear that artists don’t like to “blow their own horn” and talk about themselves in a positive promotional manner. It’s often uncomfortable to talk about yourself and what a great act you are. So why not let others tell your story for you and use their words—not yours? This is why getting testimonials, media quotes and reviews is so important for…
Conquer Phone Phobia and prepare your calls for the best booking results. Making booking calls may not be your favorite thing to do, but at some point you just have to get to it. When you have the added pressure to get the job done, that might be exactly the wrong time to make the calls. If you jump into a calling session unprepared you may come off scattered and unprofessional. That’s not the picture you want to paint of yourself and your act. So to avoid this problem the best thing you can do is to practice your call, prepare your calls and conquer phone phobia. Knowing what you…
Conquer phone phobia and reduce fear of rejection by making "Friendly Calls." In my recent survey, "Fear of Rejection" was the # 1 cited reason that artists don't like making booking calls on their own behalf. Let's examine why and how to make booking calls much more fun and productive. Booking a gig is really a matter of being chosen over the many numbers of other artists vying for the same gig you are. So when making booking calls, there is always that chance that you will not be chosen. And here is where fear of rejection comes into play. If you make the call, you might be rejected…
Conquer Phone Phobia, conquer the fear of making phone calls. So what’s behind this phobia, why is it so common among artists who book themselves and more importantly is it affecting you? In my recent survey, many artists responded citing the below as the top three factors getting in the way of making booking calls. Fear of rejection—now that is a big one that almost every artist's response included. This one has the potential to make you avoid calling prospective bookers no matter what. No one likes to be rejected, right? But, as an artist doing your own booking, it could be even more of a problem because you often…
What does it mean when a venue wants to place a hold on a date? That question came in recently and I thought it might be a worthy topic to cover in a Biz Booster. When a venue wants you to place a hold on a date for them, they pencil you in on their calendar. Now they may have some reasons for not confirming the date with you right away. Some of those reasons may be: They are waiting for confirmation from another act They are waiting to see if a bigger and more well-known act might be coming through. They may need to check on facility availability If…
Plan for positive results each time you contact potential venues. Impossible you say! Perhaps not—when you plan appropriately! OK, so how exactly do you do this? I believe it’s all a matter of setting your expectations to meet the situation properly. How many times do you sit down to make booking calls or write booking emails and expect to get the gig on the first call? C’mon, deep down, you are all geared up to book that tour in one sitting. I know, I used to be that person, all filled with confidence, totally believing that I’d get this tour booked in the morning and could rest on my laurels…
