Oct
17
One of the hardest to master and most effective ways to get more clown business is the sales call. You have to get used to the idea that you are selling your services as a clown and people may not necessarily come to you.
Most clowns, when approaching a business about clowning, goal will be to give someone a business card. The problem is that the person you give it to is probably not the one who will hire you. Or they might hire you for a $100 birthday party but not the $1100 grand opening.
The first step to creating an effective sales call is to gather intelligence on the business. This isn’t as cool as it sounds since all you want to find out is whom the owner/manager is, because that is who needs your card. If you frequent the business you are selling to you might be able to pick up a business card for the manager. If not, you might do some sleuthing on the better business bureaus website.
Once you have a name, it is time to get ready. The most important part of the preparation is appearance. Even though you are a clown you need to make sure that you look like a promoter and not a performer. A lot of clowns seem to think that being a clown gives them the right to dress crazy anytime they are doing something that has to do with clowning. Sadly, this is not so. Especially when dealing with businesses, you will need to wear your best professional attire. That way when you meet with the business owner, you will be of equal footing.
You need to figure out what it is that you have to offer to this business and what the benefit to the business will be. The benefit needs to involve money in some way as all businesses are worried about the bottom line. This is as simple as keeping the kids happy so the parents have more time to shop thus spending more money. If you have the reason ready when you walk in the door, the owner doesn’t have to think of one.
Finally, you are ready to make the call. You first need to set up a time to meet with the owner/manager. Remember that you need to do this at a time that is convenient to them and for clown sake, be on time. There is nothing worse you can do for your image than to show up late or not at all. A simple script for setting up this meeting is:
“Hi my name is Bobby Joe with Bobby Joe Entertainment. I would like to take 30 minutes of your time to talk about what I as an entertainer can do for your business. What time works for you?”
The important thing is to get that all out in one breath. That way they have all of the information they need to make the appointment. Remember to alter this accordingly if you are talking to a secretary or receptionist.
If they say no, ask if there is a better time to call or if you can drop off some information for their consideration. Don’t forget to call back within two weeks after dropping off a brochure (more on that later). If they agree to a meeting, show up on time ready to present. You should bring pictures of yourself both in and out of clown, any praise you might have received, as well as a price list. That way, they know up front what you can do and what it will cost.
It is also very important to be specific during the presentation. Do not make bold generalizations, but be as specific as you can. Don’t say that you can do magic, if all you can do is make one silk scarf disappear. Say instead that you can do some magic and are working on learning more.
Whether you book a job or not at the meeting is not important. What is important is that the business owner now has your name. When they are looking for entertainment, they will remember. Of course, it still wouldn’t hurt to call them every couple of months to see if they have any events coming up that they need entertainment for.
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