Two months ago I published a blog here in which I referred to Rick and Nancy Monsipapa, who host the “Nail the Sale” podcast. In the workshop that I mentioned, Rick told the audience that a sale really begins with the word No.
This is the point where every musician reading this thinks, “Ha! If that were the case, I’d be performing a couple hundred nights a year based on all the No responses that I get.”
Of course, what Rick really meant is that when someone tells you “No,” you need to further explore what’s behind the decision so that you can get them to change their mind.
As evidenced by the (highly trafficked!) blog that I posted on here a week ago, I certainly do know what performers are going through in many (many) aspects of their career. Specifically, since the Now Hear This company name is usually written with Management • Promotion • Booking somewhere very nearby it (see the top of this very webpage!), there is certainly a wealth of experience on this side of the table when it comes to contacting venues and event organizers – and hearing “no.”
What’s particularly baffling to me, however, is the type of “no” that I see recurring as we contact potential guests to be featured on “Now Hear This Entertainment.”
When you try to book yourself somewhere and they just flat out don’t get back to you, the obvious thought is, “I wonder if they don’t like/want me and/or my music, or if maybe they didn’t even receive what I sent?”
One of the reasons that “Now Hear This Entertainment” was launched almost three-and-a-half years ago was to provide the type of publicity that we desire/seek for our clients. The ability to really talk extensively about topics like a current release, a list of accomplishments to-date, and so on – not to mention get two songs played – is so much more preferred than a five-minute segment with no music played.
Keep in mind that NHTE has gotten listeners from 127 countries, spanning all five regions of the world (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania). Plus, the show has gotten very high profile guests, ranging from the keyboard player for Aerosmith to the lead guitar player for Garth Brooks to the trumpet player for Billy Joel to the drummer for Joe Walsh, plus a Grammy Award winner, a Las Vegas headliner, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and two Emmy Award winners, not to mention participants from “American Idol,” “The Voice,” and “America’s Got Talent.” All of this is noted in emails sent to potential guests.
So why, then, not respond to the inquiry? From the category of “business must be good,” it is alarming when we send interview requests and get no answer at all. There is no cost involved nor is there any travel required. Heck, since it’s an audio-only interview, you don’t even have to get dressed up! The show must (and will) go on, so we will continue to have the success demonstrated in the paragraph above. But, in the meantime, the hope is that performers will adopt the Golden Rule when it comes to responding to inbound opportunities much in the same way as they want venues to answer their outbound requests for a performance booking.
React to this blog and talk about your booking experiences in our Facebook group!
Bruce
10 July 2017
By: Bruce Wawrzyniak