By: Alok

Alok — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:57:09 +0000

Guitar Dan: I am impressed with your advice and tactics. I do hope that you publish a book based on your marketing experiences.

cheers,

Alok

By: Guitar Dan

Guitar Dan — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:49:13 +0000

I was having another record year until the start of the second quarter. I am a solo entertainer, which helps in good times and bad. Clubs started to cut back and ask for deals. I lost one room because they
cut back all but Friday and Saturday. I lost another when I was underbid on the job: It was far enough
away that I had little room to move. These two venues cost me about $2000.00 per month. It hurt me,
but I was still turning a profit. It’s been getting tighter since then, but I had a plan. I can readjust any
situation in about 90 days. Here’s how I did it.
I knew that the week nights would not likely pick up for a while. I turned my attention to nursing homes
and rehab facilities: there are 20 in my county alone and they’re always looking for people. I need to
net $300.00 per week on Mon. through Thurs. I’m targeting for four 1hr. shows at $75.00 per show.
At this point, I’m halfway there. Previously, I’d gross about $200.00 and expense about $50.00 with
a 100 mile round trip. I will have 4 nursing home shows per week, by years end.
Fridays are never a problem, even in bad times. Saturdays are becoming more difficult to book because a great many players are ‘drasctically’ lowering their prices: A little give is OK, but any more
than 12.5% to 25% is just stupid! You’ll never get it back. If a club owner asks for a 50% cut, he has
no respect for you and the place is probably in real trouble. Look for somewhere esle to play.
Be creative and put some time into your buisness. I find a lot of work, off the beaten path. I also make
a minimum of 10 to 20 sales calls every day Mon. through Fri.. Look for new construction: The smart
guys have their name in before the doors are open. I recently stopped at a restaurant that was under
construction and found out the owner was a venue that I couldn’t get booked at because they had
regular acts for years: I will be starting at their new place in November.
You can’t avoid periodic ’slowdowns’, but you can shorten their length and impact:

1. SELL, SELL, SELL: Make daily sales calls, even if you have a full book. It lets the owners know
your motivated.

2. SREAD YOURSELF AROUND: House gigs are nice, but they WILL eventually go away for one
reason or another. Play as many different places as you can.

3. DELIVER MORE THAN YOU PROMISE: Don’t brag about your following: Most acts don’t have
any. Sell the owner on being able to hold the crowd. One of the most
frequent comments I get is that someone was only going to stay for one
drink and ended up staying for hours.

4. NEGOTIATE HARD: Don’t be to quick to drop your price. It may seem like you’ve made a friend,
but this is buisness. I hear club owners saying that other acts did them a
“Favor” and cut the price: I’m not here to do favors, but to turn a profit.

5. HAVE CONFIDENCE: If you are the best at what you do, you should be able to command a
higher price: even in bad times. The venue is buying a ‘product’ to
increase their profits. Remember that for every venue that closes,
another will open: When will they learn? If you can produce for them,
they will buy your product.

I could write a book and maybe I will. The point I’m making is that most people don’t have a plan.
When hard times hit, they get hurt. It’s no secret why some keep going and others get “day jobs”.
Get a book on how to run a small buisness: Learn Sales, Marketing, Book Keeping and how to
track your numbers. I was sales manager for an industrial chemical company and use the same
practises in my entertainment buisness. If you’ve got your show down, learn to run it as a buisness:
It will save you in the rough times ahead.

Thanks;

Guitar Dan

Comments on: Brand Building During A Recession

By: Alok

By: Guitar Dan