Are you concerned about those elusive return bookings?
The gig went pretty well you think to yourself as you head to the dressing room. It was a great audience, pretty full house, very responsive.
You felt great! You were pleased with your playing and your banter—a good night.
These thoughts roll around your mind time after time and yet those elusive return bookings are so baffling. “What went wrong? What continues to go wrong? What am I doing that turns a great gig into a one time only gig?”
One of the main factors that may be the cause of those elusive return bookings is probably something you never even consider. Think about this, your on-stage performance is great, but what about your off-stage performance? Your relationship with the staff may be the thing that is getting in the way of your return bookings.
Did you ever consider that the staff or in the case of smaller venues, the volunteers might be the ones who have a lot of say when it comes to who they want to work with again?
Let’s face it, if you arrived in a frazzle because there was traffic and took it out on the staff, they might hold it against you. If you snap at the sound or lighting crew, they may be less than enthusiastic about having to work with you again. If the volunteers were looking forward to talking or partying with you after the show and you just took off without even a thank you, you can bet when your name comes up at the board meeting, there will be grumbles of discontent.
If you are looking for return bookings, make sure that you share your good intentions with your audience and the staff or volunteers. Be hyper-vigilant about how you treat your host organization, the volunteers and staff. In the end, they may have the last word as to whether you get that return booking or not.
Elusive return bookings can easily be fixed when you take stock of all aspects of your interactions from the first phone call or email to last thank you and follow-up after the gig. It could be a small forgotten gesture or a larger faux pas. When you trace back your interactions with your host organization, you might discover that small kindnesses could be the remedy to those illusive return bookings.
Here is an article you can use now…
How a Positive Indie Attitude will Advance Your Career
Are elusive return bookings a concern for you? What have you determined to be some of the causes effecting you? How have you begun to remedy them?
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I can’t wait to hear about your success.
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