Many performers are beginning to accept gig offers for live performance situations and that is exciting. Some of your rescheduled gigs are now right around the corner. And, just like any live gig, you need to negotiate your contract and express your needs and requirements. You may need to review those upcoming gig contracts and reconnect with the presenters to make sure your new COVID needs are being considered. Normally, your contract riders, if you use one, includes any additional requirements to help ensure that you can present your best performance. In these COVID times, circumstances are such that you need to include additional items during your negotiations, follow-up and…
Negotiation
Get Paid Higher Fees
November 21, 2019 – Posted in: Book the Gig NegotiationGet paid higher gig fees by building your value in each market. But, how do you build your value? One way is to track every gig you play in and around each market. Track your audience numbers, your merchandise sales, the percentage of seats sold in relation to the size of the venue, the weather on the day of your gig, whether any other events might have presented a conflict for your audience and what sort of media coverage you got. Now when you have hard, cold facts like numbers, you are better able to negotiate the next gig by leveraging the facts to increase your guarantee…
Avoid Getting Flustered When Asked Your Fee
September 23, 2019 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationAvoid getting flustered when asked your fee? You're on the phone with a prospective booker and the first thing they ask is your fee. The conversation goes something like, "So what's it going to cost me?" And you get all, uh, um, well… and then blurt something out. Not your finest moment as a negotiator, eh? I'll bet you would like to avoid getting flustered when asked your fee. Why don't we re-frame this experience to be more under your control and a lot more professional? Let's show them who's got your act's best interests and their venue's best interests in mind and set yourself up for a successful negotiation.…
Forget Something in Your Contract?
September 2, 2019 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationDid you forget something in your contract? You've got your contract ready to send. Now look it over one more time. Forget anything? Did you include the merchandise clause? Yes, the one that spells out exactly what percentage the venue or organization gets. Who does the selling—one of your people or one of theirs? This item may have been overlooked during your negotiations. But unfortunately, when it comes time to settle the gig, after you've had your best night of sales ever, the venue representative won't forget to collect their percentage. OK, pick up your jaw from the floor. This nasty surprise could have been avoided had you included this…
An Inquiry vs An Offer
July 1, 2019 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationAre you aware of the difference between an inquiry vs an offer? Have you ever had this happen to you? You get a call from a venue who is all excited about the possibility of booking you for an event. You discuss the date, the price and a bunch of other details. It’s looking great and you think, “What a wonderful way to start the day?” A few days pass, then a week, then a few weeks, and you don’t hear anything more from the person, so you give them a call. And now you begin to get the run-around and the delay tactics. You begin to hear, ”I’m not…
Stop Negotiating For Them
February 18, 2019 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationStop negotiating for them and make every negotiation unique. "I'm sure they're already booked." When was the last time you said that? Or how about, "They probably can't afford it." I hear that one all the time. Or, "my friend told me they only pay "X" so they surely won't pay me more." How often do you stop yourself from making a booking call because, in your mind, you've already done the negotiating for them? You've already given them a small budget and you've already determined that they are booked. We'll the facts may be that they are booked and that they do have a small budget. BUT, that might be…
Value Versus Money
February 4, 2019 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationTalking about value versus money can change your booking negotiations completely. Do you find yourself getting caught up in money talk? Do you allow the booker or presenter to drag you down into the "what's your fee?" gutter too soon in the conversation? Do you get that queasy feeling in your gut because they are making you talk money before you are ready? It's going to happen, sometimes very early in the conversation, sometimes later, but at some point you are going to have to talk about money. Are you prepared? Here are 3 steps to help you be prepared AND shift the conversation to begin talking about value versus…
Get Higher Gig Fees Use Your Numbers
September 10, 2018 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationGet higher gig fees use your numbers. It is simple, concise and logical. In past biz boosters I’ve talked about keeping track of your numbers. Your numbers are an integral part of your ability to leverage higher fees during your gig negotiations. Track numbers like: Advance ticket sales or at the door sales CD sales, other merchandise sales Final percentage paid if it’s a percentage gig Number of other events in town on the same date as your gig Number of newspaper articles, interviews and listings promoting your gig Number of emails or postcards sent out to your fans in the area Number of your fans that responded by showing…
Are You Asking Enough Questions?
June 11, 2018 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationAre you asking enough questions during your gig negotiations? No matter what kind of gig you are attempting to book, you will make a better deal if you ask more questions. It's always a thrill to receive an incoming call or email from someone who wants to book you. But, let's not jump on board too quickly, at least not until you are satisfied that the gig is right for you. You do that by asking lots of specific questions that allow you to both understand the venue's needs and make sure you will be placing yourself and your act in a performance situation that fits. Over time, your set…
It’s Not Always About The Fee
April 23, 2018 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! NegotiationIt's not always about the fee when you are negotiating your gig deals. I can't tell you how often I've negotiated gigs and the fee was the least important part of the negotiation. Sometimes the peripheral items you can get thrown into the deal turn out to be far more valuable than the actual fee. But first you must know what peripheral items are valuable to you before you jump into any negotiation. And remember, each negotiation is going to be unique, so the peripherals in one situation may not be the same in another. So how do you handle that? It's all about preparing before you negotiate any deal.…