Get 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 up for the show
- The weather that day
All of these numbers are so important for you to have close at hand on your booking calls. Use them when you launch into a negotiation with the same venue for another gig and certainly with a new venue in the same area.
When you use these numbers, you reduce your emotions around booking and rely on the historic facts of the previous gig. The venue bookers like to discuss the numbers. They are more able to base their reality on these kinds of facts.
Facts Booker Rely On:
- If you have a mailing list of 3000 and 600 are based in his or her market. At the last gig 150 of your mailing list members actually came to the gig.
- If at this same gig, you got a feature article in the local paper, an interview on the main radio station and then had an additional 175 people show up at the gig.
The booker can make a further determination that the media helped attract new people to your gig and you were media-worthy.
These numbers are something the booker can use to create a very realistic picture of how you might do on a return gig to the venue. All of this information is fact-based rather than hype or pure fantasy. This time around, they can look at the facts and make a determination to increase the guarantee or the percentage or both, based on facts. You can negotiate more coolly and calmly because you have facts to back up any claims or request for higher fees.
It is so important to track your numbers constantly. It doesn’t matter where you play, how well-known you are or what kind of support team you work with. I was talking with some artists who have been doing an amazing job of tracking their numbers. They use their numbers to plan their next tour, the places they’ll play and times of day they play. I’ve written a blog post titled, Buskers Do It, How About You? Check out Coco & Lafe’s story. I think you’ll find it enlightening and inspiring.
So, if you want to get higher gig fees-use your numbers during every negotiation. You’ll be amazed at the response and how much more professionally you begin to approach your booking calls.
Do you track your numbers? Do you use your numbers in your negotiations? What impact has this had on your negotiations?
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.
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
I’m Jeri Goldstein, Thanks for listening.