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 or not chosen. If you don’t make the call you avoid the whole experience of feeling or being rejected.
We all want to be accepted. We all want to be chosen. It lets us know we are doing something well or right or beautiful.
Now when it comes to creating art or music or performance of any kind, we want our work to be in demand by an appreciative audience.
So how do you create a situation where your calls for gigs can reduce or remove the possibility of being rejected and increase the opportunities of being chosen?
Make friendly calls only.
This means start with people or contacts that either you already know or who have been referred to you by people you know. It also means starting with calls within a close circle of contacts rather than calling large venues that have little chance of knowing who you are.
If you have pockets of fans in multiple markets, start with them to create multiple or mini-home bases of support.
Make lists of the types of people suggested below:
By focusing on known contacts, previously played venues, friends, friends of friends who might put together a house concert or recommend you to contacts they know who might help refer you to people in or out of the industry, to organizations or businesses, you reduce the stress of making completely cold-calls.
By starting with known contacts, you practice your pitch, get more comfortable with the calling process and have more of a chance of being received well by the call recipient. This will raise your comfort level and your confidence. There is much more chance to have your call received and your act considered when you say something like, “Joe Smith at the ABC venue suggested I give you call after we played his venue. He thought you might be interested in presenting our show at your venue as he felt your audiences are similar.” Boom! You are in and they are receptive because Joe sent you.
I’m a firm believer of creating a tight circle of connections close to a home-base and then expand outward to build a strong foundation of fans, venues and media contacts. This creates market demand; at first in a small area and then expands wider and wider. Creating market demand increases the potential of being chosen more often over time and less chances of being rejected.
If being rejected prevents you from picking up the phone to make the calls you need to make to book your gigs, try making these “friendly calls” first, before attempting to call an unknown contact. You will begin to conquer phone phobia and reduce fear of rejection.
Have you tried to make “friendly calls?” Have you made some lists of potential contacts to call?”
Leave me a comment below or on the Performingbiz Success Strategies Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PerformingbizSuccessStrategies.
I can’t wait to hear about your success.
Next week – Conquer Phone Phobia and Prepare Your Calls
Thanks to Carol Ehrlich for this week’s Biz Booster graphic image, “Conquer Phone Phobia And Reduce Fear Of Rejection.”
Now, Thanks to the Band Curfew from the UK for providing the Biz Booster theme Music, “Future Dance”. Check them out at www.curfew.co.uk
And for more career boosting tips, articles, books, resources, tele-seminars and online courses, visit me at Performingbiz.com