In the introductory video I asked you to send in your big question(s) about corporate entertainment. I drove you to this blog and told you that any questions you asked would be addressed. So… ask!
Getting The Ball Rolling
· 75 Comments · What is your big Question?
Tags: introduction·questions
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75 responses so far ↓
1 winsomecowboy
I wish to turn my reticence into it’s own marketing angle. I wonder if simply producing a show reel that follows your concise well honed format can compensate for my reluctance to hob-nob?
I’m serious.
2 admin
My first thought is that you shouldn’t rule anything out. I mean, who knows?
My second thought is Steven Wright. That guy won’t even look you in the eye and he’s huge! Famous, successful, and he’s even won an Oscar. He’s embraced his reluctance to hob-nob and he’s flying high.
Give it a try, OK? Make sure it’s authentic – not put on. If that’s really who you are, I can’t imagine a reel that shows you being the happy-singing-and-dancing-minstrel would be any good at all. Producers see through BS and the good ones will spare their clients the misery of sniffing it.
How real is your reel now? Man, that’s fun to write.
Reticence can really work if crafted properly. Hell, it’s contrary to the norm and that’s got to be a good place to start.
Be OUT THERE with your reluctant self! And post a link to the video! I’d love to see it.
Barry
3 Dean
I have done some atmosphere work at corporate parties, but I don’t think that’s what you’re talking about here. What are the different levels of corporate entertainment and how do I move from one to another?
Great first video lesson! Can’t wait for more.
4 admin
Hey Dean,
Atmosphere gigs are good… nothing wrong with those and there are a TON more atmosphere gigs around then there are headline spots – so keep it up.
Levels, that’s a good question. Not that they are defined specifically anywhere, but here is what I see out in the world:
Atmosphere: Usually at an evening event where I see DJs, caricature artists, jugglers, magicians, tarot card readers, balloon twisters, clowns, stilt walkers, and perhaps other cool talents that I’m forgetting.
Keynote Speakers: Usually brought into a sales meeting to address a very specific topic ranging from Accounting to Yoga and everything in between.
Headline Entertainment: That’s what I’ve been doing for 20 years at corporate events. People in this category are used to break up long general sessions, to kick-off a big sales meeting, emcee awards ceremonies, do industrial films for a company program, or after-dinner entertainment on one night of a big conference.
There are other ways to bring your talents into the corporate market, but these are the most common categories I run across.
Hey – and ALL of them beat a real job, any day!
Barry
5 Chris
Contacts. Seems to me just like every other market I’ve broken into, the corporate one really bursts open once you establish the right contacts within an organization. How do you find them? What dept. do you send your promo to? Who books gig like these?
6 admin
I love that last sentence, Chris, because it reminds me a one of my favorite showbiz jokes:
A really successful comedian is talking to a young newbie comic. The newbie is telling the pro about this terrible gig he had the night before at a club in town. “It pays almost nothing, the stage was tiny, and there was almost no audience”.
“That sounds horrible,” says the pro, then adds, “Who books that?”
————–
Regarding contacts – Yeah, contacts are important and must be treated like gold. A few of the lessons in the 7-Day Training Course really drive that home.
There is no hard-and-fast rule about who to send promo to.. well, there is, actually. Dont’ send it blindly to anyone – that’s a good rule. There are important steps you should take to insure that your mailings get to the right person. They must know it’s coming so they have some attachment to it. If I get a package I’m not expecting I figure a hundred people are getting it as well and who wants to be one of the crowd?
In our upcoming teleseminar we are going to talk about promotional materials and how to make sure it’s a welcome arrival. Stay tuned for the announcement.
7 Atta Boy
Are mailings passe?
My brother-in-law is in marketing. He says that he will send hard copy to someone only if they request it. He does all of his work via internet or phone.
Are we going paperless?
8 admin
Oh yeah… that’s what I was talking about above where I said not to send it blindly to anyone. It’s the fast path to the round file.
Paperless is not quite here, but my last printing of DVDs I only ordered 200 – there’s a sign of the times. I used to do these by the thousand.
While the use of printed material is fading, the importance of them being high-quality is more important than ever. The good news about this is that it’s cheap to do it right. Print on demand and an abundance of talented designers kills any excuse of not being able to exceed a client’s expectations when they ask for hard copies of materials.
I’ll review some printed materials soon and we’ll look at how these pieces are treated when they land in a client’s hand. One tip – and I know I’m sounding like a broken record but it’s really all that matters – they should be BENEFIT driven!
Barry
9 Gary Karp
Yo, Barry!!
This is INTENSELY cool. Man, do you want me to spread the word to my NSA pals?
Anyway, for me, I’m just breaking into the corporate world. With nominal success. I’m their “October Disability Employment Awareness Month” guy, and they get the surprise of finding out that the guy who talks about disability is funny and a juggler AND inspirational.
But I don’t have the right formula for these corporate gigs yet, either in the overall design of my keynote (which is great but not reliably audience rousing) or in how I put myself out in my marketing.
HELP!!
Gary
10 Dion Wright
A friend of mine is a classical and crossover classical violinist. She would like to expand her career opportunities.
I have known about corporate gigs for years and i would like to mention that avenue to her, but it seems that corporate gigs take on more populist performers than classically trained ones.
Would the kind of music she plays (light classics/inistrumental music like sarah brightman or bond) go over in a corporate gig or is classical music too rarified and obscure for the corporate market?
11 paulm
I have seen many violinists playing classical music at corporate parties that I’ve worked. They are like artists, fortune tellers, mimes, magicians, etc who are hired for “atmosphere”.
As an usher at a performing arts center twenty years ago, I saw the amazing violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg mesmerize a very upscale black-tie audience. She didn’t kill – she annihilated. I know people who were at that concert, and we’re still talking about it twenty years later. My point is that a gifted musician can still command attention from a jaded crowd.
12 Keith
How does one best break into this market? I have no letters of rec. from clients in similar situations, no fancy video of a corporate ballroom full of happy people, and little experience in this market. Also, who are these producers of whom you speak? I have seen some agency websites with Raspyni’s info up. Why would they hire me when they could have Michael Davis or Chriss Bliss?
K!
13 Barry
Hey Keith,
People have broken into the corporate market a bunch of different ways but they all have one thing in common: there was a first gig for a corporate audience. No one does a 2nd without having done a first. So if you have not done any corporate gigs, you need to get that first one under your belt.
I’m not joking around or being sarcastic – the first step to breaking into the market is to do one.
You won’t be starting at a big event as emcee for an annual awards ceremony or an after dinner headliner for a big sales meeting. For those events they hire the aforementioned acts, and rightly so. Those acts have had that first gig many years prior.
In the membership site we will take acts at all levels and help them to get more corporate gigs. If you feel that your act is where it needs to be and you need help getting gig #1, that’s what we’ll work on. If you have a few and can’t get it together to land more, we’ll work on that.
Not having seen what you do it is impossible for me to spell out a plan for you to get a corporate gig.
14 DeBorah Beatty
Although I am a vocalist, I want to get a speaking gig. Will your program be a good thing for me as well? I’m still working on getting that first corporate gig.
15 Barry
Hi DeBorah,
Welcome. For the next 7 days you will get a good look into what it takes to land corporate gigs. I hope you learn a lot and if you decide you want more, come on board with the membership site. As I write in my introductory letter (www.getmorecorporategigs.com) you won’t be left alone.
Take the basic training class and look at how you can put what you learn into action. I don’t know what kind of speaking gig you want, but the sky is the limit and a vocalist? Absolutely… go for it!
16 Cliff Spenger
Hi Barry,
Thanks for this free 7 day trial, my question: ” How are corporate clients able to justify large fees for their entertainment, is it because the cost of the whole event is so high that by comparison the Entertainment fees are comparable?”
17 terry
Hi Barry,
I am primarily a family entertainer right now, children and adults that very much enjoy my show and applaud me for my GREEN message, my politically astute delivery yet appeal to the little ones, in all, a show for all ages. My question, Is there a place in corporate show world for my kind of delivery, as a ventriloquist/ magician, such as company picnics or spouse/ family entertainment while corporate seminars are being conducted elsewhere?
18 James
Hey Dude.
I am stuck. You see the corporate market in america may be huge, and I have done a few corporate events in Oz, but all they seem to be after here is a magician who can make their ceo appear or something? How can I offer something like that? The market here is much smaller, and after the whole recession thing are people really going to pay the big bucks still? I want to do this course to be one of the only successful jugglers in corporate market in Australia.
Cheers.
James
19 Barry
James,
Don’t be stuck… that’s an attitude that will kick your butt and win every time.
It sounds like what you want to do is move from where you are now (let’s call that ‘x’) up the ladder a bit (say, x+1, then x+2, etc…). Don’t fall into that pitiful place of thinking the recession and economic times are holding you back. All the do is offer a golden excuse that is real easy to grasp onto and blame for piss-poor results.
Keep finding ways to offer real value, benefits, and a unique experience and moving from ‘x’ to ‘x+1′ will not be an issue. You’re the juggling superstar (or so says your domain!), now find a way to make that into something that corporate events care about and benefit from and you can do this.
20 Barry
Terry,
Sounds like a winner. I’d caution you against pigeon holing yourself into spouse/family/picnic gigs, unless that’s exactly what you want.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it’s impossible to get hired for a corporate gig UNLESS you are clean, politically neutral, and have mass appeal – unless you are a major headliner – famous, like Howie Mandel or Robin Williams. Book either of those guys (or anyone like them) and all bets are off… They are hired because of who they are.
But us? Talented performers who want to work in this market live and die by the follow up comments and one bad one will go infinitely further than a thousand good ones.
Hang around here… get your business in order and market to the right people. If you want to focus on the picnic/family/spouse events, that’s great, but make it your thing – not a fall back.
21 Barry
Cliff,
‘Large’ is relative!
Take an 3 day/2 night National Sales Meeting for IBM with an overall budget of 3.5 million dollars. They have the Raspyni Brothers do a 60-minute after dinner show at a total cost of $20,000. People are talking about it, they have great memories linked to the event, they see their people used on stage in very cool ways, the audience hears the names of IBM products and services incorporated into routines, and one hour of their event is completely covered for less than the price of adding fruit plates to the breakfast buffets.
You nailed it… it’s all part of the cost of doing business and making sure that prospects see the benefits of what you will bring to their event makes the cost negligible.
22 Niels Duinker
When I started performing my friends at the other side of the Netherlands had more gigs..Than my mother suggested that maybe there were just more gigs over there..I didn’t believe that so much. These guys were just having a better show at that time and had put more time into their promo.
OK, the United States is a pretty big country but how many juggling teams or solo jugglers are earning those big numbers…I think when we work hard, run our businesses with the same determination as for example the Raspyni Brothers we can become successful performers as well.
James I have seen you perform in Japan and ahve seen your videos. If you keep working consistently on your promo and make sure that you answer your email consistently, dude, you will become successful. You definitely have the skills to pay your bills!!
Just keep working with the same determination and enthusiasm as a couple year ago. There are still plenty of possibilities they only might a bit harder to find right now.
Good Luck,
Niels
23 Michael Annotti
Greetings,
My question is do Corporate gigs hire artists who perform original music?
Thank you,
Michael
24 paulm
I’ve worked many corporate parties that have a musician or combo playing original music. I know this because I’ve talked to the musicians about the biz and their music. I also have friends who play the guitar, piano, violin and cello at corporate events, and often play their own compositions.
The key is to play music that is appropriate for whatever event you are hired for. Original speed metal, hip hop or polka is probably not appropriate for most corporate events. Light classical, jazz and pop probably is. I even know a pianist who plays ragtime – originals and standards – and is very successful because he has found his niche.
25 Tobias the Adequate
Wow. Killer intro video – I’m looking forward to going through the course.
I’ve been performing at small venues – Renaissance Faires, festivals and County Fairs, and for a “hack magician” like me, Corporate events are the holy grail. I know I have a solid “set” (with enough optional extras to go from 10 to 60 minutes), but did you find yourself changing the type of stuff you did as you moved into the Corporate world? What criteria do you use when evaluating the bits that make up your set?
26 Dan Wions
Hi Barry,
thanks for reaching out like this, I look forward to taking the course. My biggest question is as follows. I
have been a professional musician since age 14, doing everything from backup bands for pop stars, jazz bands, and Broadway work, to recitals, orchestras, chamber music, private parties and weddings. Recently, I started what I call a music performance referral network…kind of an empowering booking agency for musicians, which includes a free consulting service for patrons. I have a lot of experience in the wedding background and ceremony music arena. It is an area within the music business that suffers from bad marketing, and a lack of good quality musicians. My question to you, which I’m sure you’ll already plan on answering in this course, is how do I make the transition to (or prepare for the addition of) corporate gigs from wedding and private functions as I grow my network?
Best,
Dan
27 Josh Casey
I wonder if it’s possible for an act to make the big, big bucks these days without the kind of television appearances that were commonplace a decade ago. How do you get that kind of cred when the big shows aren’t putting on variety acts as feature entertainment? Are there any juggling acts who are making more than $5000 a show who came on the scene in the past 10 years?
28 Barry
Hey Josh,
I just checked out your site… don’t limit yourself to $5K my friend. You’re a good looking guy, great energy, original stuff, and people like you.
Get your message straight – who do you want to be and to who – and you’ll make plenty of money from corporate dates.
I’ve never heard of you before tonight but after looking around your site you seem a likely candidate to make the move up.
TV? Oh man, I have dozens of hours of TV appearances that aren’t even on my promo reel… can’t use it! People hiring today see Johnny Carson, Comic Strip Live, Caroline’s Comedy Hour, Evening at the Improv, etc on a demo reel and they’ll rip out a lip ring trying to get to the remote fast enough to kill the reel.
Having a focused message. Making the benefits of using you so present that they can’t think about other options. Networking with the right people.
Hey, if you do well on America’s Got Talent go ahead and put that on your reel. But Josh, don’t for a second think that old TV clips matter to the people who make decisions these days. You’re way better off – WAY BETTER OFF – having a focused message that isn’t full of crap, and maybe a YouTube video that’s caught on well.
Barry
29 Niels Duinker
Barry,
Here in the Netherlands they are now casting for Holland’s Got Talent season 2. At my current gigs I now meet plenty of (half) finalists from season 1. It seems that I am in the same league now as they are now after their popularity highly increased for a couple months after this show. I am thinking if I should compete this year or not. Last year I didn’t. If it does go well I might end up with a couple extra shows in the same kind of venues where I work now but if the judges or the editing team don’t like it, it is probably going to take me a while to recover from this show.
I hope you have some advice for me on this one.
Thanks, Niels
In 2004 Team Rootberry showed me Josh’s website as example of a great website when I had problem designing mine.
30 Barry
Hey Niels,
I don’t know how audience are in Netherlands, but over here I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Americans have very short attention spans and that works to the benefit of acts who don’t show well on AGT. If an act does well, the sky’s the limit.
Terry Fator was working fairs and festivals for a long time before he won. Now he’s making like US$10,000,000/year in Las Vegas. If AGT hadn’t gone his way? He’d still be doing fairs and festivals and life goes on… and maybe once in a while someone would have asked him if he was the guy who… ya know.
So I guess your job is to define what “a while to recover” means… in America, that time is basically until the next commercial break. In the Netherlands, it might be a few days
I can’t imagine a juggler ever winning, but Passing Zone got into the final 10 and that was really cool. They stepped up and did as well as a juggling act will probably ever do on that show.
In America, watching juggling is pretty much on par with stepping in dog poo. It’s something that happens from time-to-time, but no one really wants to do it. If the act is good and keeps the juggling secondary to the entertainment, it’s cool because it’s like almost stepping in poo, but missing it at the last second.
Does that help? Anyone else have a thought on this?
Barry
31 paulm
The “dog poo” observation is the brutal truth. I’ve met many talented jugglers, magicians, mimes, artists, etc who say “Why doesn’t anyone know who I am or pay me what I want?”
The answer is simple. Nobody cares about you and your amazing talent unless a) it directly benefits them, or b) you’re already famous for being on TV. And here’s the kicker – being on TV does not increase your gigs. Being famous does.
32 Alison Kenyon
So… I do what I call “fine art” body painting.
I do landscapes, replicate/emulate featured works of art at touring museum shows, create full body designs in the theme of an event, and even recreate famous works by Salvador Dali, Picasso, etc.
Most of the time I do this in front of a crowd, in my “Salvador Dali Parton” costume (or in a costume that fits the theme of the event) over the course of a few hours.
Is this something that you think can translate into a high paid stage act? (I’ve been toying with the idea of doing it to really upbeat music as an almost dance piece, and finishing a full body in 20-30 minutes)
Or should I stick with promoting myself to “atmosphere” type gigs?
And if so, are there high paying corporate atmosphere gigs out there? I’m so sick of rinky-dink event planners that tell you there’s only $___ in the budget. I don’t buy it.
Is your membership program one that suits atmospheric acts like this?
If I’m promoting myself strictly as atmosphere, so I still need a video?
Will you be doing a section on contract riders?
ps: I’m forwarding your website to my dad on the East Coast who plays in an award-winning blues band. I’m sick of hearing how broke he is all the time!
33 Niels Duinker
Hello Barry and paulm, Thanks for the advice.
In Europe many countries are a lot smaller than many states in the US. Especially the Netherlands. The have had a couple of these shows on t.v. during the last couple of years. Now the level of the act is pretty much all wannabies so agents here aren’t that impressed although they still watch it. Pretty much all the agents (party bookers) here already know me because I have spend a lot of time in getting my mailing list right. There attention span is a lot longer than the next break and they are the ones who enable me to pay my bills.
It is a “tough” decision because even if an acts win there are no really great places here that will book you steadily to perform. I will let you know if I decide to compete. For now I think that I will put that time in getting my new website right.
Niels
34 paulm
I’m happy to report that I redesigned my website to use some of the tips I got from this blog, and it’s already working. I’ve found that the trick is always KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Which means concise, on message and accessable.
35 Dan
Barry,
Is it possible for an acoustic duo to break into the corporate market? How about a duo that is playing mostly Christian music? I’m guessing there’s a “niche” somewhere, but what do you think?
36 John
As a magician with lots to give, how can a family entertainer break into the corporate market without having to go away from what he feels has worked in the past.
37 Niels Duinker
It is always a good idea to have different sets of promotional material for the different markets that you work at. Your messages will be more targeted to the client’s specific needs.
38 Barry
Hey Alison… sorry it’s taken so long. We launched the site and I have been wrapped around all the details and joy of that project.
You know these guys, Fear No Ice? That is one model I can imagine using when building your stage act in Fine Art Body Painting. I have a few thoughts on this:
1. It rocks… it’s different, it’s edgy, it’s beautiful (yeah, I’ve seen your work!)
2. It’s international. No worries about language and it can happen over time.
3. I could see it on a main stage at a corporate event if it’s short enough. 20-30 minutes won’t cut it. But – can the model come out partially painted and you finish the job in 3 songs with flair? 10 minutes and everyone in the audience will swear you did it from scratch.
4. I could see this at a large conference in the lobby area during a break… how intense for people to be able to see it up close while it’s happening.
5. Make it theatrical and HECK YA! Get a great video made from clips of you actually doing it. This might require some shows that aren’t what you want, don’t pay what you want, but will give a videographer a chance to capture the magic.
This is a call out to anyone that does something unique – don’t fret that you’re not a magician, juggler, speaker, singer, or ventriloquist… celebrate it and start getting to work on building a package that shows producers what you’ve got!
39 Alex
here’s my question – is it possible to get into the corporate market “too early in your career”… i.e. – should you wait to develop your act in other markets for a good amount of time before you hit the market – or once you think you have what it takes – go for it and don’t look back.
40 Barry
Alex I dig your chutspa! While many people in this world procrastinate, analyze, and freeze up when it comes to career movement, you found this site, signed up for the free course, and joined the membership site all within a 15-minute time period!
Getting this small glimpse into your operating system, I wouldn’t advise slowing anything down. Welcome to the membership site! It doesn’t seem like a brick wall could slow you down.
Explore the site and do the 7-Day course.
Oh, the answer to your question… As you’ll learn during the 7-Day it’s so much about how you approach this market… There are acts doing really well that aren’t the best in the world – and that’s being kind. There are great acts that have a hard time getting booked. Treat it like a business – like your livelihood depends on it and you can enter before making it in other venues. There are no prerequisites – except looking and showing like a pro – and that’s what we work on in the membership site.
Barry
41 Barry
Dan,
I worked with a duo a few weeks ago and took a few moments to talk to them about the market. They said it is really good right now for them. They were doing a lot of background gigs, cocktail receptions, dinner music – but they are staying really busy.
Pushing any one sect isn’t a great plan (generally speaking) for the corporate market. People from all different walks of life work for companies and the producers tend to stay pretty middle of the road in their choices.
That said, get your marketing in order and focus on the groups that DO want what you are selling. It is a dead end to create anything and then try to get people to buy it. Find what people are buying and make something for them! There are tons of conferences that would love a Christian Music duo act. You could never run out of bookings! But – aiming the traditional corporate marketing route will not be a an easy road.
So you got it – the niche is there. You have to market to it directly and you’ll be met with open arms.
Barry
42 Barry
Dan (from way back at comment # 26),
Sorry this one slipped by. Good question and let me take a whack at it.
I went to your site and it looks great. I think if you really want to bring more corporate work into your network you have to chase it. It’s a great niche for what you’re offering – every event I perform at lately I notice a trio or quartet working and I consider that very cool! I love these guys and have even pulled them aside during a break to talk about this site with them – find out what they need to know so I can gain greater insight into that niche of the niche.
When you book something for a social press the person for a few contacts in the corporate sector that might be able to use your consulting services.
Hit the sidewalk in your area (can’t find where you’re located on your site). Go introduce yourself to people.
One thought – I do see the word ‘consultant’ on your site a lot and I like the concept, but in reality, my experience is that clients want ‘experts’ who are going to call the shots. I’m not suggesting you scrub the consultant angle, but it wouldn’t hurt to sell the benefit that you take the ball and run to the end zone while they do what they do best.
I wish you the best of luck and success.
Barry
43 Catherine Scholz
Hey Barry – there must be a way to input a comment without clicking on “42 comments” and
scrolling thru all of them first, right?
42 is the numeric cosmic answer to every question in the universe, by the way.
44 Steve Seguin
Hi Barry,
Love the 7-day course! It’s been difficult sticking to one a day and not binging through more than one at once. I figure it’s better to pace myself and ponder each one.
I guess my biggest question is whether it is enough to have a very funny and very entertaining act or whether I need to also “wrap” it with some kind of corporate-friendly message (like “teamwork”).
Steve
45 Melissa Aston
My main question is: How do you maintain artistic integrity at corporate gigs? I have done some corporate gigs here in Vancouver, and they all seem to want beauty acts, so I end up in fishnets and fancy makeup. I am a clown and juggler and have done no clowning in the corporate market yet. Is there a way to market what I actually do, rather than what they want me to do? Does that make sense?
46 Barry
I’ll get to #44 and #45 (Steve and Melissa) together since it’s basically the same question. They boil down to the same thing: this career isn’t about you.
When you enter the corporate market it isn’t about what you want to do, or say, or believe. It’s about providing a service to a group that really doesn’t care about you – they care about what you can do for them. And put simply, if you can’t exceed their expectations, they will go onto someone who can. It’s not a slam against you, it’s just that you aren’t showing that you can provide what they want. And there are plenty of people who can.
Look at it this way, if you were jonesing for a BBQ chicken dinner and you went to a store that only offered baby back ribs, would you go to another store or would you just settle for baby back ribs. Bear in mind, you aren’t just jonesing for BBQ chicken, you have 1,000 people depending on you having a BBQ chicken for dinner. You are going to go to another store.
By the end of the 7-day course I hope you both see that there are a ton of easier markets to work – fairs, birthday parties, festivals, social events – but to succeed in corporate you must (as my good friend Bill Herz puts it) leave your ego at the door.
You are a commodity and if you market yourself well to this niche you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts. I sold my soul decades to this market and I have loved every minute of it. I make a lot of money, I work in beautiful resorts, and people completely groove on what they get from me.
I sleep just fine, but your mileage may vary
Thanks for posing these questions. I think they will help people to further qualify themselves as worthy candidates for this market.
Barry
47 Jessie Rose
Hello,
Thanks for the great course – really helpful stuff!
I am part of a circus hula-hoop act called Hoop La La. We specialize in high impact, choreographed 6 minute acts and have recently had some success in the corporate market in the UK following our appearance on Britain’s Got Talent.
However our prices are still pretty low, and many bookers ask for reductions as our acts are so short.
Soo… are we better off trying to put together a longer show (like 30 minutes or something, like a mini cabaret), or better off sticking with what we do best and finding a way to persuade people it worth it?!
Can we ever make big money that way in the corporate market?
Is there a different strategy for cabaret style acts in this market?
I also work as an aerialist (www.doublestrapeze.com), any advice in specific for aerial acts?
Thanks again!
Jessie
48 Scott Wells
How do I overcome objections from corporate clients who say their budgets have been cut in this economy and they “are going in another direction this year,”?
49 Barry
Hey Scott,
I actually thought about changing the name of my show to “Another Direction” so we could get more bookings.
Budget cuts are a reality right now… no doubt about that. You have to be able to do what corporate entertainers haven’t had to do in the past – show a return on investment.
We are getting deep into this on the membership site right now. This week I put up an interview with Shamus Brown of Industrial Ego sales training and he gets down and dirty about how to get into and under the skin of a prospect.
Next week I’m doing an interview with a top producer in the corporate market. She says exactly what’s selling and why in these current conditions. And if you want to work, you want to hear what she’s says.
Basically Scott, what your client is saying is true. But that doesn’t mean they won’t hire you. It means they aren’t interested in hiring what you are offering. Can you find a way to offer something so good they can’t afford to NOT hire you?
50 Corrie
Great video Im now motivates to cut and edit all my old demo reels
thanks for the insight ill put it to good use.
51 Ed Underwood
Hey,
Enjoying the lessons so far! Thanks for sharing information and motivation. Both are always welcome!
We are doing alright with performing at theatres, festivals, etc but we are trying to gear up for operating our own venue in a tourist area. To create a secondary revenue stream to that ‘risk’ we are branching into educational, cultural programs within the state and would like to bring in some corporate by using our family troupe as an example of unity in diversity and teamwork for corps that have a family emphasis.
52 Barry
Ed,
Sounds very creative. I like the fact that you are looking for multiple income streams. That is the key to wealth and success. All the eggs in one basket is a road map to trouble.
Corporations that have a family emphasis? Whew… that drives the funnel down to a pretty narrow delivery port.
I’d suggest you keep brainstorming (never stop!) for ways to bill for the use of your venue. I don’t know where you are but if you build up the marketing of it with enough benefits (find out what other options there are in your area and offer more, better, cleaner, brighter, louder — whatever!) then they do.
Good luck!
Barry
53 Jim Saylor
custom single biggest question about corporate entertainment: I’ve been a comic magician for 18 years and told by all who see me perform that I am very good. So I guess my biggest question would be; Why after all this time am I not getting the big corporate shows?
54 Dale
You know I’ve been sitting on my best showcase video for a while now and watching your video lesson got me thinking… What the heck am I doing… I need to show this to everyone, not just people who are inquiring. So here it is
http://www.mbd2.com/tradeshow/promodvd.html
55 Barry
Dale… you are a freak of nature. I love this video and have almost nothing to say to you to make it better.
EVERYONE – go watch Dale’s video and notice a couple of very cool things he’s done:
1. Made it fun and easy to watch
2. Done wonders with a ton of ‘unprofessional footage’
3. Has a narrator driving the benefits
4. Doesn’t keep anything on the screen too long
5. Looks like he loves what he’s doing
6. Puts real clients on the screen – talk about answering the WIIFM?
7. The video is short but packs a punch.
I could go on but you get the idea… I like what Dale has done here. I know why it’s his “best showcase video”. I could see this doing exactly what he wants it to do – make prospects quit looking at other tapes.
Now, just cause I can’t leave good enough alone, I would suggest doing the benefits/features exercise from lesson 4 again and turning some of the features of your skill into benefits for the client. It’ll give it even more punch and have prospects reaching for the phone even faster.
Besides that, well done, Dale. Come join the site anytime as I believe you shouldn’t be home any single day unless you choose to be. I’d like to help you get more work.
Barry
56 Steve Langley
Just listened to the first lesson. Great information. Wow, not sure that I can manifest my wealth of curiosity into just one question. So, I’ll ask one question, although maybe not my “biggest”… and that is… How is the transition made from a $2500 – $5000 act to a $10,000 and up act? Is it done in a gradual manner, or do you just decide one day that you are worth that?
57 Barry
Hey Steve,
Ask all you want… no need to pack a ton into one question. You are invited back as often as you’d like to come by.
When you get to day five you will get a bunch of scoop on pricing. So, you can click on it here on the blog and see some of the follow up comments to that lesson, or you can just hang out for a few days.
Basically, raising your price can happen in a few ways.
1. You are too busy at your current price. You can raise it slowly – say $500 at a time until you feel you aren’t getting the gigs (in which case you aren’t selling the benefits hard enough – Day 4).
2. Something big happens to you – like you win America’s Got Talent. Do what Terry Fator did and go from $1,200 straight up to $30,000. Don’t waste time at that point.
3. The worst thing to do is just decide you’re worth more and just toss that number out there. You are going to raise a lot of eyebrows and lose a lot of gigs. If you can show why you’re worth this price (forget comparing it to your old price), you’ll do fine. But without any substantial changes in your marketing or profile, don’t just go from $2,500 to $5,000.
I hope you find this useful. Keep doing the 7-Day course and then come join us on the membership site. We are rocking over there.
58 Barry
Hey Jim,
Hate to say it, but a lot of people are very good. I’m sure you are excellent at what you do, especially if all who see you performs say so, but you have to do more to get big corporate gigs. You have to perfect the business part of show business.
There is no magic pill. Few are born into it (I surely wasn’t). It’s doing the right things, at the right time, to the right people.
I’m helping dozens of professionals do it everyday on my site. Come join us if you want.
59 Steve Langley
Thanks for your follow up, Barry. makes complete sense to me.
S
60 Reno Goodale
How do you get the leads without cold-calling? Is there a reliable Directory/Network of buyers, or is it all through referrals?
61 Barry
Hey Reno,
Are you considering cold-mailing? Whew… brave man.
I really recommending getting in touch with someone before sending them anything. I have seen thousands of dollars worth of printed materials round-filed upon arrival and I’d like to see you *not* add to the tally.
It isn’t real hard to make some kind of contact to make sure you a) have permission to mail and b) don’t just waste your time and money.
A personal referral is great if you can get one! If you can’t, bite the bullet and get someone on the phone. Work on what you’re going to say.
Oh man, there is so much good stuff on the membership site about how to do this. Come on over if you’d like!
62 Jeffrey Daymont
To make the step into corporate entertainment you need to offer what the clients are looking for. How do you go about advertising a show that addresses specific corporate needs if you haven’t done that kind of presentation before?
Also I just got the link to lesson 1 but I keep getting a “404 file not found” message. Is this the first test?
63 Jen Slaw
Hi Barry! Thanks for doing this.
I guess my “biggest” question is about show content and figuring out how to craft a show that is most appealing to corporate clients.
I know this is very broad, but I guess I’m asking for tips for figuring out what the clients are looking for and how to shape a presentation that uses my existing skills but meets their needs.
64 Barry
That’s a good question, Jen.
These days, corporate clients are looking for creative solutions that don’t cost a bucket of money. You are a great example!
I did a piece on the membership site about Selling Your Short Act and a few others that speak directly to this.
Join the site – if you don’t love it after 30 days I’ll give you your money back – that goes for anyone reading this. Heck, even if you love but don’t feel you got $97 worth of great information I’ll give you your money back. But be warned, I haven’t lost a single subscriber yet!
I love your work!
Barry
65 jack ryan
Barry,
Jen Slaw told me about your site. I’m actually in your video. 5 people are holding up basketballs in China. i’m one of them. I’ve traveled the world performing my b ball tricks. I also have a inspirational story that was a documentary and now Fox studios bought my life rights and a feature film is in the process. So now i can perform and speak with an inspirational message. How do you get your name out there to get booked for these corparate gigs?
Thanks,
Jack
66 Barry
Hi Jack,
What video are you talking about? Sounds like a cool story you have there… are you going to get to act in your life story? There’s a Beatles’ song in there, ya know?
Barry
67 jack ryan
Barry,
The vid on your site. I do some shows with Tee Sachatoro(not sure of the spelling) We did a show for Panasonic in China a couple of years ago. The end of the show we all held the 5 basketballs in the shape of the olympics.
They will be getting real actors for the movie.
68 LOTHAR
Hey Barry, I liked what you had to say regarding #44,45 – its not about you. We have to learn to get our ego’s out of the marketing. Magicians for years have stopped doing the Zig Zag illusion because “every magician does it”. The point is that, whenever I have spoken to laypeople about magic over the years, the Zig Zag is the one illusion that almost every lay person knows and talks about – because its good. They pay your fee, not your peers. Listen to them and give them what they want.
69 Lothar
Barry, I heard your new message. Very good stuff. I have a friend who is a hypnotist and he says that he never uses negative words to a subject because the mind disregards them. So, he never says “You hate smoking” because the mind hears “you smoking”and it becomes a positive reinforcement. This is powerful info. The subconcious jumps over the negatives, even when used in a positive way, and just hears the rest of the statement. Be careful what you say to yourself.
70 Laura Moyers
Trying to find the price for this program.
Thanks,
Laura
71 Barry
Hi Laura,
I tried to email this to you but it bounced back.
————————-
Hi Laura,
I have a few different investment levels. See them right here.
If you aren’t thrilled with what you learn and don’t feel that I radically over deliver on what I promise you, it’s free
.
Your site looks like you are focusing mostly on religious and kids shows. If you are planning on moving to other markets, this community will certainly show you the way to shine above the pack.
Best of success to you,
Barry Friedman
72 Mark Boody
Barry,
My question is this: I’m a christian illusionist & I’m looking to get feedback from my clients (ie: what spiritual message did you like best, favorite illusion etc.) I’ve given them a survey sheet w/ only 10 questions in a S.A.S.E, but getting the responses back is like pulling teeth!
I want their feedback to improve my show.
Thanks
Mark
73 Barry
Hi Mark,
10 questions and an SASE? My friend, you’re making them work way too hard.
After you pack up your props their lives go on. If you’re lucky they’ll remember you for a few days. As important as we feel we are in the lives of a client and an audience, the truth is that we are a blip on a very crowded radar.
In Day 2 you’ll learn how to make this easier for them, and up your response rate by hundreds of percent. Stay tuned and follow up once you see that lesson.
Best,
Barry
74 David Lichtenstein
Hello Barry,
I’m amazed you’ve put so much effort into this site. Thanks, it looks great.
I’m not quite ready to go after the corporate seriously. I need to get my promo and website modernized and up to snuff for the work I’m already doing regularly: international festivals and fairs. I’m going to follow your 7 day course for help with that. First up is simplifying and improving my website.
I think my entry into corporate will be my western theme. So my question: How do I pursue a theme-niche? How do I find those trickle of corporates that have a western theme?
75 Barry
Hi David,
Welcome to the Training Course. Your question raises a really good point and let me address it right here.
Theme/Niche – yeah, you hit on gold right here.
It’s much easier for a producer to book you if you tell them who you are! Right? A good looking guy who makes jokes at Award Banquets? There are hundreds of those acts available. A cover band? Yeah, take your pick from the million you can find online.
Now take your act – perfect Western act. Focused. They don’t have to guess where they’d use you. Your job is to let them know you exist, that you are professional, you can be counted upon, and you are available.
Don’t waver from your focused message to them. Once you start to sound like you can do everything you lose your place. Keep doing the International Fairs and Festivals – sure, but also start marketing to meeting planners in your region and see if you can do a slow and steady cross-fade into corporate and association shows.
Keep working the program… those videos aren’t for watching!
Barry
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