I absolutely hate knocking on doors and doing cold calls. I did it in the beginning, because that's what it took. But it's so time consuming.

When you do a cold call and everything in the club is OK, you are just another pesky salesman that the manager doesn't have time for. After all, a waitress called in sick, the beer distributor screwed up the invoice, the ice machine is on the fritz and a zillion other things are going wrong.

So you knock on 100 or so doors.

Then you knock on the door just after the manager had a band catastrophe. They broke up, got sick, or drove away customers. Then you are the hero - and you get the gig.

That's how we started back in 1985. Was lucky enough to book slow summer seasons on cruise ships (we lasted 3 years on a 3 week contract and quit when we got tired of living on board). This helped us build up a client base in South Florida during our 3 month vacation (that was typical on cruise ships back then).

I haven't done a cold call in well over 15 years now. It's all repeat business, referrals, and the occasional agency gig.

Agents are having just as hard a time getting gigs as we musicians are. More and more clubs are going DJ, TV-Land (sports bars), Karaoke, Open Mic Night, and so on.

Plus people don't go out as much as they used to. With wide screen TVs, 7.1 surround sound, and a Cable bill that can easily run $300, they get entertained at home.

Thanks to the fact that we are lucky enough to have enough talent and professionalism to get repeat business, we've been doing some gigs for over 20 years now (they may only book a few parties per year, but there are a lot of them).

Once you get the commercial gig, think like the club owner/manager. Pretend you get a piece of every dollar that goes in the cash register. Make all your decisions that way, whether it means skipping breaks, being nice to a nasty customer, or playing the favorite song of the regular customer as soon as they are settled in.

If doing a private party gig, think like you are the host or hostess, and do everything you can to make sure the guests have a good time. They will complement the host/hostess on the entertainment choice, and you will get the repeat gig.

And of course, send your resume to the local agencies. Create an agent-only website (with no contact information) so they can show you off to prospective customers without giving away your personal contact (some people will try to side-step the agency for a better deal). Do your best job, don't cause trouble for the agency (be nice even if the manager is not), and pay their commission promptly. They are trying to make a living too.

There is a little work to go around, the other acts your size are your competition, you have to simply do a better job than the rest to get repeat business.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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