Don’t say “no” for them

Here’s a marketing/sales tip for you.  Don’t reject the sale before the client has reviewed the offer.

As entertainers, we’ve all done it. That email, or phone message, or web request comes in asking for a price to do a performance at an event. You read into the message and make assumptions. And you immediately think of all the reasons why they aren’t going to be able to afford your regular fee.  It’s for a small group. It’s in a small town. It’s a kid’s birthday party.  I’m sure you have your own set of filters. As a result, you decide to tell them “no thanks”, or you quote a rate that is less than your usual fee.

Here’s my tip for the day – Respond with your full fee and let them be the ones to say “no thanks”.

I recently received one of those requests. So many of my “this will never fly” alarm bells went off I lost count.  And guess what – I got the gig.

What is the event?  It’s a family gathering, celebrating the birthday of the youngest daughter who is turning 14, in a suburb of Los Angeles, CA.  Oh, and it’s being held on Thanksgiving Day.

My first reaction? I don’t travel that far for a birthday party. You can’t afford what I would charge to do that.  Then I thought, what the heck?  I’ll put it out there and let them make that call, not me.

I have a standard fee structure that I use.  Hopping on a plane is my highest rate. As another performer put it, “You’re not paying for my performance. The performance is free.  I do this for fun.  You’re paying to get me there.”  The logistics of taking my act on a plane require a great deal of effort and that is reflected in my fee structure.

In terms of cost to the client, this is one of my highest paying events for the whole year (so far).  And yet it’s for one of the smallest groups.  (About 30 people.)  Yeah, sure, I won’t be spending Thanksgiving Day with my family. Oh, well.  Believe me, I’ll be giving thanks on that day.

Make more mistakes

Here’s my goal for this year – Make more mistakes.

Yes, you read that right. For most of my life I have played it safe. Too safe.  Maybe that made me a good engineer. Then again, maybe not.

The more I go along in building my business, the more I realize and appreciate the value of making mistakes. Lots of them.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not out to waste vast amounts of money. I’m still eager to avoid making huge and costly blunders.  But, I am working hard to train myself that it’s OK to be less than perfect.  And write the cost of the mistakes off as education.

In launching my business, I studied people who have gone before me. I have made it a point to try to avoid the mistakes they have made. This has been helpful – to a point. What I’ve come to realize, though, is that by trying so hard to avoid other people’s mistakes, I’ve been unwilling to make enough of my own mistakes.

My degree is in electrical engineering. In my first job, I did both hardware and software design. I found out quickly that I was much better at software than hardware.  Why?  Because I made lots of mistakes and fixing mistakes in software is much easier than in hardware.  Hardware is a one-shot deal. You design the whole thing, review it as much as possible, commit it to production, and hope you got it right. (We did not have fancy hardware simulation tools that most good engineering shops use now.)

Over many years, I became a very good software engineer (it’s not bragging if it’s true). I favored the iterative approach to writing code. Write some, test it, fix the bugs, write some more, repeat.  The key was to test frequently and avoid getting in so deep that you had to rewrite huge amounts of code.

That’s what I’m trying to recapture as an approach in my business. Do a little at a time, test it, see if it’s working, adjust and move ahead.

This can only work if I allow myself to make mistakes along the way. By doing things a little at a time, I hope those mistakes are not catastrophic.

As I look back on my life and the choices I’ve made, I find it interesting that writing software is the only place where I truly took this iterative approach. And it is the thing I was the best at doing.  (I only stopped because I had to due to a physical injury – a long story for another time.)

Wish me luck. Now go make some mistakes of your own.

Therapy

Have you ever been to a therapist?  You know, one of those people who asks you annoying questions that are supposed to somehow make you feel better. Or, maybe they give you wise words of encouragement that leave you ready to take on your next challenge. (And then you get the bill.)

How about a coach? A life coach, or a business coach, or any other kind of personal coach? Basically the same thing, minus the degree. (Go ahead, bash me for that.)  Oh, and the pricing structure is a bit different. Note I didn’t say it was less expensive, just different. A therapist typically charges by the session (30 minutes, 60 minutes…)  Coaches typically sign you up for some length of time (1 month, 3 months, a year…)  You’re on the hook, whether you make use of their service or not.

Both coaches and therapists provide the same basic service. They help you through your tough times and push you to move ahead in your life. Yea, I know, that’s a grand simplification. Too bad.  Both can provide a great service if you hook up with the right one. But, don’t stop there.

When you are launching and running your own business, it is important to have people you can bounce ideas off of. Some people can get this from their families. Most of us can’t – especially those of us in the entertainment industry. You can try your regular set of friends, but more likely than not, they’re just not going to understand. Most of them probably have “real” jobs. They won’t be able to understand how hard this can really be. After all, when you’re on stage and people are falling out of their seats laughing, it all looks so easy.

I rely heavily on a small set of people who are also in this industry. BTW, I include comedians, magicians, jugglers, and public speakers here, not just ventriloquists. Some of my group are local, some are not. The one common thing between us all is that we support each other without question and without any exchange of money. Some days I’m drawing heavily on my support group, sucking all of the strength I can get. Some days it’s my turn to give. Some days it’s time to turn on the firehose and spray someone extra heavily.

One of my local groups actually calls our times together “therapy”. We get together on a semi-regular basis over coffee or lunch or whatever. We share our status, our fears, our successes, and our dreams. We pat each other on the back, kick each other in the rear end, or whatever is needed.

Another of my friends lives several states away. We mostly communicate via email. He’s been in the business much longer than I have and he’s provided me with incredible support and encouragement. Lately he’s been struggling with a particular long-running gig. It’s my turn to send hope and encouragement his way. Were he to share his complaints with someone outside the industry, he’d most likely hear comments like, “Hey, you’re working aren’t you?”, “What’s your problem?”, or “Suck it up!”  Only a fellow traveler in this space can relate to the inner demons that come out to play.

The point I’m trying to make here is whatever you’re doing, don’t go it alone. Reach out to others in your field. Find people who are at a similar point on the journey. Find those who are farther along. And as you progress, offer your time to those who are following behind.

Go out and create your own therapy group.

Negotiating fees

Are you struggling to book shows lately? I’ve had numerous conversations with people about pricing, discounting, negotiating fees, etc.  Here are a few of my thoughts.

• Rule #1 – Never negotiate your fee, but do offer discounts.  OK, the cynics are saying, “isn’t that the same thing?”  No, it’s not. Discounts are temporary. They are a special offer, not guaranteed to be available in the future. Whereas, if you negotiate your fee, you’re stuck with that as your new going rate.  In my contract package, I include a formal invoice. I list the performance fee, which is what it always is, then I list line item discounts that reduce the final price to whatever we agreed on.  Feel free to make up discounts.  One example from a recent invoice is, “Special economic stimulus discount”.

• Rule #2 – Always ask for something in exchange for a reduced rate. Do you have products to sell after the show? Maybe offer a discount to your performance fee for explicit permission to sell stuff.  Are you trying to build video footage for promotional use or even a DVD?  Ask for them to provide video recording services.  If nothing else, at least ask them to provide you with at least 3 people whom you can contact using them as a reference.

• And here’s one last idea I’ve been using. I’ve been doing shows for retirement communities around town. Primarily I view these as a service project.  I love doing them as I have a soft spot for senior citizens (I plan to be one someday.)  And it’s really helpful to me in continuing my efforts to ttaallllkkkk ssslllllooooowwweeeerrrr.  My deal with these groups is, “what’s your budget? OK, that’s what I’ll charge you.”  Their budgets barely cover my expenses, but I’ll continue doing this as long as I am able. There are a number of caveats that go with the deal. The main one is that I reserve the right to cancel at any time if I get booked for another event.

The work is out there, folks. Go find the people who need what you have to offer. Don’t give it away, but do work with them to find creative solutions.

Just keep swimmnig

My family spent last week in Orlando, FL.  We spent 3 days at Disney theme parks.  I found great inspiration there. One of the live shows we saw was “Finding Nemo”.  You remember that, right?  Two key points:

1. Just keep swimming – This is Dory’s mantra.  As she is helping Nemo’s dad (Marlin) search for Nemo, they encounter numerous challenges and obstacles.  Through it all, Dory reminds Marlin to just keep swimming.  Many days in my business, I have to remind myself of that. There are those days when it feels like nothing is working, no progress is being made. That’s when I just keep swimming. Some days are harder than others to keep at it, but I keep on swimming.
2. Let go – One of my favorite parts of the show was the turtle scene.  The movie version of this is even better, but the live action turtles are a sight to behold. The wise turtles tell us that when you’re caught up in the East Australian Current, the best thing you can do is let it ride.  When things are moving along, don’t fight it.  Kick back and enjoy the ride.

Just keep swimming.

What water?

The January 2009 edition of Golf Digest just arrived on my doorstep last week.  There is an article about Tiger Woods.  (Big surprise…)

Like many people, I love to watch Tiger play golf.  When he is in his zone, it seems as though nothing can stop him.  It is fascinating to me to watch anyone who is such a master at their craft.

If you play golf, then you are familiar with the common psych-out strategy of saying to your opponent, “Watch out for the water on your left.”  This simple comment, given as if it were a helpful suggestion, implants in the mind the one place where you DON’T want your ball to go.  So, what happens?  That’s exactly where it goes.  Plop!

Tiger’s dad taught him a different question to ask himself.  “Where do you want the ball to go?”  Well, obviously, right down the middle of the fairway.  OK, then think about that.

How many times do we psych ourselves out by thinking of what we do NOT want to happen, rather than concentrating on that which we DO?  We focus on what we fear rather than on what we desire.

Focus your energies on the path you wish to follow.  Envision the ball soaring ahead, landing with a gentle roll on the middle of the fairway.

Water?  What water?

Attitude of Gratitude

I’ve been trying something new lately and it’s working for me – an attitude of gratitude.

As I struggle with the business side of my business, it is so easy to get depressed and grumpy. Am I making enough money? Can I survive on this? Is it going to work out? Am I going to have to go back to a “real” job?

The answers are: No. No. Yes. Maybe.

Then it struck me.  So what?  I am living the dream. Right now, at this moment, I am doing exactly what I want to be doing.  I get to bring laughter to people’s lives.  How cool is that?

So, rather than whine about how the higher-paying gigs are not coming in at the rate I’d like, I’ve started telling myself every day how cool it is that I get to do this at all.  Rather than immediately turning down events that are below some artificially set fee threshold, I talk with the client in more detail.  What is your situation? What can you afford?  Are there ways we can get creative with the financing of the performance?

Now, understand, I’m not doing this kind of “creative financing” for gigs that are 6 months out and I’m not doing it for corporations that are just being cheap.  I’m mostly talking about those last minute calls. Shows that are 2 weeks from now (or less!) and I can see that my calendar is empty on that date. I know that the chances of another gig coming up in that time frame are slim.  Why not take it?

I’m also actively seeking opportunities to donate performances.  These fall into my guidelines that I spelled out in an earlier posting.  Last night I got to do one of these.  I did 3 hours of strolling close-up magic for the Children’s Hunger Alliance.  It was a blast!  They brought kids in from all over Columbus, mostly inner city areas, to the Nationwide Arena.  The kids got to ice skate on the main ice, the same place the Columbus Blue Jackets play their games.  How cool is that?  Half the kids skated while the other half got a good, hot meal.  Then they traded places.  There were about 600 kids plus another 150 volunteers to run the event.  I strolled around the tables while they were eating their dinner.  Sign me up again for next year!

What are you grateful for today?  What are your gifts?  Share them!

Marketing 101

I just returned from the NSA Fall Conference in Scottsdale, AZ.  I went specifically to attend the 2-day “intensive track” on marketing. For those of you following along, I belong to both Toastmasters and NSA (National Speakers Association).  Toastmasters teaches you how to speak, NSA teaches you how to get paid for it.

It was a whirlwind trip. The convention officially opened at 5:00 on Thursday evening.  But, I also registered to attend a special pre-convention seminar on Thursday afternoon from 1:30-4:30.  So, here was my first day:

• 6:30am (Eastern time) – Flight leaves Columbus – 37 degrees outside
• 2 hour layover in Chicago – get something to eat
• 12:20pm (Mountain time) – Flight lands in Phoenix – 85 degrees outside
• 1:30pm – Arrive at hotel, check in, drop off bags in room
• 1:45pm – Get to registration desk.  Find out I’m invited to a “first-timers’ meet & greet” from 3-5.  I’m also informed of a special meetup of one of the sub-groups I’m in within NSA from 3-4.  Head off to the pre-convention seminar a bit late.
• 3:10pm – leave seminar (it’s OK, but not hitting directly where I need), go to sub-group meetup.  Who is speaking?  Patricia Fripp.  Holy cow!  First day at NSA and I’m already going to meet the mentor of my mentors.  Great session, goes a bit long (that’s a good thing), and I have a personal encounter with Patricia that clues me in on one of her pet peaves – I used the word “stuff”.  Those of you who know her will understand.
• 4:30pm – walk to other end of hotel property (feels like at least a half mile) to get in on last few minutes of first-timers’ meeting. Too late, already closed down.  Buzz by room for a moment, and head down for opening session.
• 5:00pm – Opening session.  Great kick-off for the convention.  Speaker is Jackie Freiberg talking about her new book, “BOOM! – 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors Off Business as Usual”.  Good topic.  Having spent years witnessing mediocrity-creep first hand, I can relate.
• 7:00pm – Opening booze-and-schmooze event down by the pool.  Cash bar, good food.  I’m starving because I haven’t eaten since the layover in Chicago 12 hours ago.

Friday – Full-day seminar with Bob Smith.  Incredible content-rich seminar.  Directly relevant to what I need right now.  This plus meeting Patricia Fripp the previous day has made the trip worthwhile already.  The rest of the convention can suck, I’ve gotten my money’s worth.

Saturday – Full-day seminar with Steve Miller.  Remember I said I’d already gotten my money’s worth?  Good thing.  This one just didn’t work for me. Mismatch between my needs and what he had to say.  By 10:30 I had gotten everything I was going to get from this session.

Saturday 2:10pm – Walk into a different seminar and try the 2:00-5:00 session on using social media web sites to drive business.  Ford Saeks is the presenter.  Back to fantastic content that is right on target for me.  I walk out with a todo list a mile long. I’ve already implemented one of the take-aways on my web site.  Specifically? Make all graphical elements clickable.  Go check out the front page of my web site.  Now the front graphic is clickable.  Clicking on any character will take you to that character’s page on my site where before it did nothing.  Also made some subtle text changes.  More to do, but it’s a start.

Sunday 5:00am – Leave hotel in shuttle van to start my trip home.

I’ll probably write more about what I learned in future posts.  Right now I need to go modify my YouTube profile to implement some of the tips I picked up.

Biggest mistakes

I’ve been listening to another CD course I bought from one of my favorite speakers, Darren LaCroix.  This particular course is called, “Get Paid to Speak by Next Week“.  One item in particular jumped out at me and grabbed me by the throat.

Disc number 4 is, “The Top 16 Biggest Mistakes”.  The mistake that grabbed me is, “Quitting too soon.”  If you’ve been reading my posts of late, you know that I have been struggling with my business.  I am loving this life, but a couple months ago my inner demons started screaming.  Fear has been coming on strong.  I started fearing the cash flow, or rather the unidirectional nature of it.

Several of you have written to me about these posts and I deeply appreciate your comments.  Some of you have said, “Hey, don’t worry about it.  If you have to take on another job for a while, do it.  Do what you’ve gotta do.”  And some of you (fewer in number) have said, “Don’t give up.  Keep at it.  It will work out.  Give it time.”  And yet others of you who know my family situation a bit more intimately have said, “Tell your wife to get a job first!”  We have affectionately called it playing real-job chicken.  Which of us is going to flinch first?  (For those of you who don’t know, she is actively working on her first novel.)

Interestingly enough, the people who have written telling me not to fret having to go back to a day job are working a regular job themselves.  The people who have written encouraging me to stay the course and not back down, are out there on their own.  Let’s see, which do I aspire to become?  Right.  Guess that’s the advice I should follow.

If you ever have the opportunity to hear Darren LaCroix speak, jump on it.  He is funny and inspiring.  His materials are pricey when compared to a book, but extremely affordable when compared with other video and audio courses.  And if you can catch him in person, take your checkbook and take advantage of the discounts he offers when you buy things right there.  I attended the District 40 Toastmasters conference specifically to hear him speak and especially to pick up this latest course at the discounted price.  His materials are primarily targeted at aspiring speakers, but it also applies to entertainers in general.

Here’s a photo from that day:

Darren LaCroix and David Crone

Hardware store

I went to the hardware store yesterday.  I bought 2 screws at 7 cents each.  A whopping total of 14 cents for my purchase.  This isn’t the first time I’ve gone to a hardware store and made a purchase totalling well under a dollar.  Each time, I’ve left wondering whether they actually made any money off of my purchase.  By the time you factor in the time it took for the cashier to ring up the sale, or in many cases, the store clerk’s time in helping me locate the specific nut or screw that I needed, there is no way they are making money on that particular transaction.  And yet, they are still there.   They are still in business. And I continue to go back.

Years ago I worked in a bicycle shop.  When we did repairs, we often would have to replace various items.  Many times these were nuts and bolts.  Every item was itemized on the bill.  Most of these miscellaneous pieces of hardware were 2 to 5 cents apiece.  I remember grumbling about having to track those items.  I asked the store owner why he bothered, why not just eat that cost as a part of the total?  Here would be a $70 repair bill, with 3 items listed at 3 cents.  Did that 9 cents really make a difference?

The light bulb is finally starting to come on.  I’ve been looking back over the past year, contemplating all of the shows that I turned down.  A birthday party here, a campground there.  I turned these down because what they would be able to pay was so much less than what I would get if I booked a corporate event on that same date.  I was afraid to commit a slot on my calendar below a certain price threshold for fear of losing an opportunity on that same date for something bigger.  As I consider this, I am not aware of a single instance where a bigger show actually came through on one of those dates.  Hmm…

Leaving the hardware store yesterday, it occurred to me that I have been following a broken model.  If a hardware store operated like I have been, they would only carry screws in 100-packs.  To get the 2 screws I needed would have cost me $5 instead of 14 cents.  And I’d be stuck with 98 screws I’d probably never use.  How many potential clients are out there who don’t want the full stage show complete with sound system and lights?  A typical corporate event consumes 5 hours of my time on site.  What if I changed my model and offered a lesser package for less money?  How can I offer 2 screws instead of forcing everyone to buy the whole variety-pack?

See you at the hardware store.