Monday, April 26, 2010

Missed Opportunities bum me out!

In the past 28 years in the music industry you have seen the fat label cat days-hot tub filled w/ beautiful girls 1 hairy backed producers, lighting cigars w/ C notes-
To the back on the street days.... The Fat cat is now an ol broken down Ally Cat after cocaine rehab. The beautiful girls are looongggg gone with the drugs and the money-

In a way today is like the old wild west, The old model of big label music deals is dead, and it's a Indie jungle out there what few "deals" are out there are not geared toward the performer making ANY money. The one thing hasn't changed is that it is STILL the Music Business- the smart and successful people are using basic business strategies to create and monetize the brave new world. Folks that shun technology and educating themselves about how business works will be find themselves forever treading in the same small pond with no measurable earnings from their craft.

Let me give you a couple of examples of missed business opportunities that happened this past weekend:

Example 1- Who to do business with:
A client recently asked whether they should do business with a particular organization who for $400 / yr would "promote" the "selected artists" to their in house Music Supervisors and Publishing company.
(It wasn't clear if your $400 suddenly made your "a selected artist" or THEY decided which artist was bestowed that title).

Beyond that, on the website in the selected artist publishing area the word MUSIC is Mis-Spelled as MUISC. If I was not hesitant to give up my $400 I now would be.

LESSON: CHECK THE DETAILS.

A much better investment would be have your $400 applied toward a direct & measurable result.
I would recommend a business assessment where you are provided with the framework you will need to insure you have a catalog which is properly cleared, licensed, THEN learn to to properly use the tools to develop relationships DIRECTLY with the music supervisors/ publishers. These folks are SO BUSY that when you have established a repoire, and have a properly prepared pitch for them you have maximized your opportunity for having your songs HEARD and considered for placement WITH the decision makers.

EXAMPLE 2- Where is the business?

I recently performed at & conducted a workshop at a 1st time GO GREEN Expo:
Granted in Northern California the GO GREEN mantra is a bit like preaching to the choir, but a good cause and great info for a FREE bring your family event.
IF YOU COULD FIND THE EXPO!!!
No where on the GO GREEN Sacramento website did they have the event address! or a QUESTIONS or FAQ link.

If I had not been performing there I would have given up looking and found something ELSE to do.

Needless to say it wasn't a surprise to me that the micro version of the Los Angeles Expo that I had previously performed at was a HUGE missed opportunity- & for all the business owners that paid money to have a booth at the expo???? money down the drain because targeted leads didn't know how to get to them.

LESSON: if your business provides a service- put your address on ALL of your marketing collateral INCLUDING the WEBSITE.
Website Content Review! make sure it's current and targeted DO NOT put any barriers between you and your customers.

EXAMPLE 3: What is your business?

Conventions & Expo's have booths filled with people selling you their products or service: Unless you can capture your audience in the 1st 15 seconds you have lost the sale. EVERYONE must have a "elevator pitch" (called this since you should be able to tell someone in the time it takes to get from one floor to the next who you are and what you do).
In music this missed opportunity happens thousands of times each day.
When someone asks you what you do ? I hear songwriters say " oh I'm a singer songwriter" REALLY wow! know if your a girl I assume you sound like Jewel or a guy John Mayer or James Taylor and I'm kinda bored with you.
What if you Tell me your a performing songwriter that sounds like Green Day doing a rockabilly jam w/ Sinatra developing your catalog for film & television Then I know what you sound like, and that your a developing artist with a interest in placement opportunities.
NEXT, the knowing when to and when not to pitch....

LESSON:
Every day you meet at least 5 people who are potential customers- properly utilizing opportunities, developing relationships so you grow your base so each DAY you have a minimum number of individuals BUYING something from you.


These are 3 examples reflecting missed opportunities for customers to buy something, or add to a strong foundational componant that you are building toward your dream opportunity.
You might not even recognize the opportunity passing by, unless you know where to look.

These are a couple of examples of area's I can help you:


BUSINESS ANAYLSIS-
ELEVATOR PITCHES-
ORGANIZATIONAL PLANS-
DEVELOPING REVENUE STREAMS-
1 HOUR CONSULTATIONS

If you are interested in learning how to make your passion a successful business let's talk! Face to face, phone, email or skype tele-consultations available.

I want to help you be successful, so you can help others succeed!

=Tamra=
www.tamraengle.com

No comments: