HERE IS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE
BREAKTHROUGH NEW BOOK WRITTEN BY A
MUSICIAN FOR MUSICIANS COMPLETELY
FREE OF CHARGE. THIS BOOK WILL SHOW
YOU A STEP BY STEP FORMULA FOR
CREATING BETTER PAYING GIGS …
Table of Contents
Who are You and What are You Doing Here? ...........................................10
If You Don’t Want to Succeed, Then You Can Skip this Chapter .............27
Marketing: The Difference Between Dreams and Reality ....................... 36
Features and Benefits: What’s the Difference? ........................................47
USP: The 3 Letters that Will Transform Your Career ..............................53
How and Where Do I Put this USP to Good Use? ....................................60
Lead Generation Techniques That Makes Your Phone Ring
and Puts Money in Your Wallet – Fast! ...................................................64
Developing an Irresistible Offer ................................................................77
Become Clairvoyant –Know What Your Prospects Will Say Before They
Say It .........................................................................................................91
How to Quickly, Easily and Effortlessly Write Sales Letters, Ad Copy and
Marketing Pieces for Your Promo Pack .................................................. 95
Seven Steps to Inject Your Writing with HGH ........................................98
Headlines – The Difference Between Getting your Promo Paks Read
or Thrown Out .........................................................................................102
How To Get People to Believe In You – Quickly ....................................120
The Most Inexpensive Type of Marketing: PUBLICITY ........................123
8 Highly Effective, Low Budget Promo Secrets ......................................127
How to Get Club Owners and Other Decision Makers to Call You .........130
Here is How You Close 70% of Your Prospects
Without Meeting Them in Person ..........................................................134
Cold Calling vs. Warm Calling ................................................................145
Need a Quick Burst of Cash? ...................................................................147
Putting It All Together .............................................................................149
Your present circumstances
don’t determine where you go;
they only determine where you begin.
– Nido Quebein
What you have in your possession right now is a very powerful tool. If you
think about it, this is something you have wanted to have in your hands
for a very long time.
You see, as musicians, we are not like any other profession. When you
want to become a Doctor, you go to medical school, you do your
internship and you are a Doctor. When you want to be an attorney, you go
to law school, pass your bar exam and you’re an attorney.
When you want to become a musician, you don’t even have to learn how to
play your instrument, (Sex Pistols); you don’t have to learn how to sing,
(Jessica Simpson, Brittney Spears,). All’s you have to do is get some gigs.
That is where this precious marketing course comes in. It is a Step-by-
Step marketing course that will take you from A to Z on building a solid
path towards becoming a very well paid professional musician.
It certainly will help that you have some skills and a viable product to sell.
But let’s face it, in this day and age of ADD entertainment, that is so
overrated. It will help if you are talented and capable of getting onstage
and giving a good show.
That is not what this course is about. I am not going to talk about
memorizing tunes. I won’t talk about why so and so won American Idol
and why the other guy should have. I am not even going to talk about my
favorite love, who is the best band/singer/guitar player/musician.
This marketing package is about getting the gig to show off all of your
talents. This is about running your music business in the black. This is
about getting the gigs that will allow you to quit your job, supplement
your income, get better paying gigs, learn to apply the basic business skills
that other successful business owners use every day, day in and day out to
build profitable and rewarding businesses. This is a Master’s level course
in Music Business.
In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity
– Albert Einstein
Now, it’s time for me to write something that is going to tick quite a few of
you people off. But I am going to say it anyway.
This course requires action. It will take time. It will take energy. It will
frustrate you and you will feel like quitting; possibly more than once.
If you think this is going to be easy then pick up the phone and call me
right now and I will give you all your money back.
But if you want to change the way agents and club owners treat you, if you
want to change the way you are getting gigs and if you want to make more
money playing music than you ever have before, then be prepared for a
great ride.
Also, notice I did not say that it would be hard work. I said it would not be
easy. I am going to ask you to stretch your mind.
Minds are like parachutes --
They only function when opened.
– Thomas R. Dewar
We are in the business of fun. No one asks us to come to their party or
event so that we can “work” music for them. They only ask us to come and
“play” music.
Therefore, our marketing efforts are going to be fun. Our marketing
efforts are going to be entertaining. Our marketing efforts are going to be
imaginative, creative, goofy, innovative, risky and downright playful.
We are in the business of fun. People never hire us because they want to
have a lousy time. Even when a guy hired me to play his father’s funeral, it
was because his father enjoyed life and he wanted to celebrate the
memory of a good life.
Once I played a party for a guy
going away to jail. He got pinched
on some federal embezzlement
charges and he was going away for
four years.
He was partying because he
wanted to celebrate that he didn’t
have to give anybody up.
Personally, I think he was just
ecstatic to be getting away from his
goofy wife. But that’s another story
… He called me because he knew
we were going to have a blast! He
wanted to go out in style. We got
the gig because we are FUN!
Our marketing will reflect that.
This course will take you to places you’ve never been before.
Welcome to the marketing book that was written by a
musician for musicians.
Process vs. Event
Successful marketing is a process. It is not an event. There is not one thing
that you will do that will turn everything around. Even if there was, that
one thing would change in time. Then you would still have to try new
ideas, new media and new messages to new markets.
This course is going to be filled with action.
You are not going to be able to sit back and relax and expect your
phone to ring.
You are going to be asked to try new techniques that may seem
awkward and uncomfortable.
You will have to try and do things differently.
You will have to stretch your comfort level to expand the types of
gigs you are getting.
You will be expected to open our mind to new ways of makin’ money
makin’ music.
You may also run the serious risk of having …
Your band mates criticize you.
Your spouse will wonder what crazy plan you are into now.
Your boss will deride you into thinking what a nice little hobby you
have, oh, and be on time for work Monday morning!
When you start seeing really nice paying, high profile gigs come in,
You will be reviewed in the papers by music critics who have never
been on stage before and
Who have never, ever written a song before.
You will get slammed by some of your well meaning relatives who
never really supported you before, but
They will be first in line with their hands out once you start making
bank.
But it’s not about them. It’s about you following your dreams and
aspirations to get the recognition for what you have always had inside you
all along.
When you follow this step by step formula, you will begin finding and
getting better paying gigs. You will soon have the ability to find and book
exactly the kind of jobs you have been looking for all these years.
You will be able to command better fees because you will learn how to add
value. You will not have to cold call because I will show you how to get
people to call you. You won’t have to worry about your competition
because not only will you create value that separates you from everyone
else, but you will learn about positioning yourself to be the expert in your
area, your genre and your field.
Prepare for the journey.
Give this 12 months. In fact, within 6 months, when you do the steps
outlined in this program, you will see positive results. How do I know
this? Because I have applied it to my business. The Music Business.
There will be no need for cold calling. You will not have to worry about
your competition. With this course your own worst enemy will be the
space in between your ears. There is only one way to shut that
opinionated, sometimes well meaning, but frequently annoying ‘Censor’
inside your head. Action.
So let’s get started. Remember this is a hands on course. It is not the kind
of book you sit and read in an easy chair. You will be asked to fill out these
assignments and keep yourself focused by staying on schedule.
Let’s begin right now.
Who are You and
What are You Doing
Here?
NO ONE CAN HIT A TARGET CONSISTENTLY WHILE
BLINDFOLDED
Do you know what you want? Do you know where you are going? Good.
Now we’re going to write it down. First, let me ask you . . .
How easy would it be to defeat the best Marksman in the world?
I say it would be simple. And I would give him three tries to do it. This is
how I would have him try to beat my best shot.
I get to go first. I shoot as long as I like until I get as close as I can to the
bulls eye.
Then I would blindfold the champion, spin him around in a circle ten
times to his left, make him stand on one foot and give him only three tries
within five seconds.
Think you could beat him that way too? Of course you could.
I only give this example as a way of explaining.
If you can’t see your target, how do you expect to hit your target?
Step #1: WHAT IS YOUR PERFECT GIG? WOULD YOU KNOW IT IF YOU SAW
IT? You Must Know Where You’re Going Before You Start on your Journey
Your first step will require writing. Don’t worry about doing this perfectly.
However, you are expected to do it. So relax.
Total time for completion: 20 minutes
There is no right and no wrong for this step.
Find a place where you won’t be interrupted. If your phone is on, turn it
off. Turn your ringer to silent. Close the door. Shut off the tunes. Close
down the IM.
Tell your loved ones you need about 20-30 minutes. I say 30 even though
it will only take about 20 minutes to do this. When you are finished, you
will want an extra 10 minutes or so afterwards to review and reflect.
Basically this is a meditation that you will do for the rest of your life.
Check in on yourself frequently. If not on a weekly basis, then at least
every month. The reason is it is a tool you can use over and over to keep
yourself positioned and calibrated for maximum results.
Just make sure you do this. Otherwise you will be exactly like the world
champion archer who got defeated by the amateur upstart. Blindfolded
and useless.
Time to start. No right or wrong.
What is your perfect gig?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How many people are in the audience?
_____________________________________________
Where is it located?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How big is the arena, the venue, the room?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What kind of people are in attendance?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What is the occasion?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Why is everyone there?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What are you wearing? How are you dressed?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How did you get there? Did you take a flight or did you drive
Did someone drive you?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How many people are on stage with you?
How big is the tech crew?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Where are you staying?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What time of year is it?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What can you smell?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How does it feel when you get off stage?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What kind of money did you get paid?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
What are you going to spend it on?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How soon is your next perfect gig scheduled after this one?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
That’s it. You’re done for now.
Whatever you came up with is yours and it is perfect.
Everyone has to agree with you because it is your perfect gig, not theirs.
Know where you are going and you will get there.
Don’t worry about How you’ll get there. We’re taking care of that in the
rest of this book.
When you do the rest of the exercises in this book, the How will take care
of itself.
Congratulations! You’ve just finished Step #1.
Give yourself a little pat on the back. Jump up and do a little
dance, go get the libation of your choice then hurry back.
Good job. Now we need to know where you are at. In order to reach our
target, we need to know where you are starting from.
Stephen Covey in his great series of books, “7 Habits for Highly Effective
People”, talks about packing for a trip. You are going to pack differently
for beach trip than you would for a ski trip.
What kind of performer do you want to be? If you don’t know what you
want, you run the risk of getting trapped into a genre that doesn’t interest
you.
Many years ago I wrote a children’s play. It was sort of on a
lark. I was working a lot in theater and someone
approached me about doing the music for a children’s play.
I was in between projects and I thought what the heck.
When it opened I had no idea how big it was going to be.
There was an unbelievably large audience looking for
quality children’s entertainment. This was in the late
80’s/early 90’s. We were starting our family back then. I
don’t know if there was any correlation but I do believe in
coincidences.
I started to notice several former “rock stars” who were
writing and producing CDs for kids too. Some of these are
still very popular on the family circuit – libraries, park
districts, festivals.
It turned out to be a pretty cool gig actually. Those of us
who are parents know kids will listen to a favorite tape or
CD ad infinitum. If the music is actually good, we’ll buy
every CD the artist made. We figure if we’re going to get
sick of a song, it may as well be a good one.
Right now if someone asked me to write a children’s play I
could do anything for little kids as well as teens. Because
that is what I am interested in. I am very good at it.
So what are you interested in?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 1 year? 6 months from now?
What area do you want to concentrate on? What kind of gigs do you want?
Do you want to work in:
Bars
Restaurants
Corporate events
Conventions
Trade shows (a.k.a. Industrials)
Recording Studios
Birthday parties
Church gigs or Sacred music
Senior villages and retirement homes
Schools
Park Districts
Libraries
House parties or Private parties
Frat parties
Stadiums
Arenas
College campuses
Theaters
Performance Ensembles
I could easily fill up my schedule with Seniors and Restaurants. But they
don’t pay well. I mean, you can make a decent living and keep your
schedule full. But wouldn’t you rather work smarter than harder?
I can make four times as much working in the corporate market. How?
We’ll cover that in the chapter called Developing Irresistible Offers.
What you need to know and be able to answer is …
Do you want to be a featured performer or do you want to play
background music?
Can you do both?
It is important that you decide.
Because if you are anything like me, you probably suffer from
Entrepreneurial ADD. You are never happy where you are at. You are
always coming up with new ideas and thinking up new ways to make and
create, right? We can’t help it. It’s in our nature.
When our boys were younger, like 5 and 3, we took them on a trip to
Colorado. The whole time we were building it up as, “We’re going to the
mountains! We’re going to the mountains!”
Then the day we got there we said, “We’ll be going into the mountains!
We’ll be going into the mountains!” As we were driving up the mountain we
kept saying, “We’ll be at the top of the mountain soon! We’ll be at the top of
the mountain soon!”
And when we got out of the car the boys said, “Can we go to the
mountain?” We said, well, “We’re here. Take a look.”
But they just pointed to the next mountain range over and said, “No. We
want to go to the mountain!”
We musicians are a lot like little kids. We frequently don’t know where we’re
at. We keep seeing the next project or the next gig or the next big thing
and we think, “I want to go to that mountain!”
It’s important that you know where you are at and write down where
you want to go. Otherwise you run the risk of not knowing you got
anywhere once you get there.
So a major portion of writing down your goals is honestly assessing where
you are currently at.
I made it very simple for you. Just fill out the chart at the end of this
chapter.
Know what you want
Otherwise as your level of success rises, this is what happens . . .
You get a call to play a restaurant gig on Friday and then someone will ask
if you can put together a band for a Saturday wedding. You’re hungry so
you’ll say yes, even though you know you’ve got to learn to play the first
dance song which is some obscure Celine Dion song from a Disney
musical that the bride loved when she was eight years old. Then on
Wednesday the local VFW hall wants you to find them an accordion
player. But they only have $200 bucks so you spend 4 hours calling
around to find a guy for a lousy 15% commish of $30. Next the retirement
home calls and wants you to lead a SING-ALONG-FROM-THE-AGES-
REVUE and you’ve got to learn “Bicycle Built for Two” in a day. Thursday
someone wants to use your recording equipment to record a quick 13 song
demo – oh and can you engineer it for us because our guy has to work that
night because someone called in sick. The following Friday the local band
needs to use your PA for that showcase gig that will be their big break.
And on and on and on and on . . . .
Now if you like that kind of life AND you can pull it off – more power to
you. I’ve done that before (OK not exactly like that, but you get the idea.)
It ain’t pretty that’s for sure. I find that I can make more money by
specializing.
It’s called
Riches in Niches
I get a ton of agency calls. Those are what we call the “Cannyugettmeahh .
. . . . . . “ calls.
The calls go like this,
“My next door neighbor’s butcher’s wife is having an 80th surprise party
for her mother’s best friend’s hairdresser. Can you get me a ________”
and then they ask for either a strolling violinist, or an accordion player
that plays German Operas, or a one armed bassoonist with a lisp. See
what I am saying?
If someone calls and I can make an extra $100 or $500 bucks, great!
But I do not want to spend my marketing energies too widely. Not at first.
I want to focus and concentrate. I want to be known as that guy that does
something specific.
Now if you are in a limited market and no one agency is proliferating in
your area and you see a solid need for a service, then by all means set up
shop.
The best agents I work for have been working musicians. They know the
drill and they negotiate better contracts.
Just remember, this is a global economy right now. You will be competing
against agencies in all the major markets. And the most successful
agencies specialize.
I know one agency here in suburban Chicago that concentrates on College
Gigs. I know another agency that only does Stand ups and Impressionists.
Yes they canngetthusshuuhh . . . . but they make their Riches in Niches
If you are having trouble deciding, then you need to make another list.
That’s right. Get your writing head back on because in a few minutes I am
going to ask you to begin making a list of your. . . .
Strengths and Weaknesses
I know many of you out there are going, “Oh man!! Not another goal
setting list. I hate those things because they never work for me.”
These books I recommend and I will paraphrase them here.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
The 11th Element –
See you at the Top – Zig Ziglar
And of course we already mentioned …
7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Dr. Stephen Covey
You know it is actually a sad fact that most people spend more time
planning their wedding than actually working on their marriages. It’s also
a very sad fact that most musicians spend more time practicing their
instrument than actually looking for work.
Why is it that most successful professionals specialize? The reason is
simple: The Laws of Supply and Demand.
There are not many people who can perform brain surgery (and have the
patient wake up and go on to a lead a productive life).
On the other hand, there are millions of people who can sweep a floor and
take out the trash. Who do you think gets paid more?
Does the guy who plays bass in the symphony get paid more than the bass
player in the coffee shop? Of course.
But how much more does the player in the Def Leppard Tribute band get
than the guy in the orchestra? You see what I’m saying.
The other major reason for deciding what kind of performer you want to
be is it will target our marketing.
Let’s face it. We’re all here because we want to increase our income.
Specializing is the key
Most of us are also here with limited budgets. Therefore we need to be
very accurate in knowing where we want to go and how we want to get
there.
Our marketing efforts will be very different for each area – or target – we
want to pursue.
If I want to get more radio airplay, I will market one way. If I just want to
get more Retirement Home gigs, I will market another. Going into high
end corporate gigs means you will need to hit those contacts regularly
with glossy/shiny/fancy marketing for many months before you get paid.
That market books 6 – 18 months in advance.
Once again be very precise in finding -- then hitting your target.
The only exception to this rule is if you are living in an exceptionally
limited geographic market area. For example, if I just want to
concentrate on getting gigs in bars and restaurants, I am not going to be
efficient or successful in a large city like Chicago or even Pensacola. I need
to do one or the other.
But if I am in a limited area, I would market to bars and restaurants
because there really aren’t that many of them.
Right now I am not marketing to Banquet Halls and Country Clubs. I am
concentrating on event planners and agents. My corporate show is
different than my bar show. I chose corporate work because it pays more.
I don’t know about you but I would rather work smarter not harder.
Now – if one of those agents or event planners books only country clubs
or banquet halls, will I take their gig when they call? Of course I will. I just
don’t want to waste my marketing muscle on too wide.
Precision and Accuracy
If you are a children’s performer, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t
market to churches and schools together. But in my area that is not going
to be cost effective. There are too many of both. One or the other will
bring in more than enough work.
Overall, you are going to be more successful as an entertainer if you
concentrate your efforts by choosing a specific target market and focus
your energies there.
Now it is time for you start to your next assignment. In a moment you will
begin to take your inventory. Honesty is important here. The more honest
you are, the more success you will have in the future.
Your Fantasies are not going to cut it here. Now is the time to deal with
the cold cruel Realities of your life. If your goal is to perform the opera
songs you wrote but you’re not a very good singer, well then it’s best to get
that out in the open now.
Step #2: TAKING YOUR INVENTORY. If you ran a small grocery store, you would
need to regularly take stock of your goods on the shelves. What is fresh? What is
rotting? What makes money? What loses money?
Total time for completion: 15– 30 minutes
This House Cleaning Inventory is a checklist. It is to be done without your
spouse or lover helping you out. Again there is no right and no wrong
here. Just make sure you do it. Close the door, turn off the Simpson’s re-
run and – be Honest.
THE CHECK LIST TYPE INVENTORY IS INCLUDED IN THE FULL VERSION
OF “How I Make $100K Playing Music” WHEN YOU PURCHASE THE FULL
VERSION ONLINE AT
MakinMoneyMakinMusic.com
Obviously this is no litmus test. It is only meant for you to prod yourself
into seeing how well you know yourself. Some of these answers may be
elusive to you at best. That’s OK. The fact is that you are asking those
questions. You are honestly answering them – even if your answer is “I
don’t know!”
When I was 16 I bought my first car for $300. It was ’68 Chevy Biscayne.
(Nice big back seat) 4 door, 6 cylinder with a mono-jet carburetor. Of
course it needed a ton of work. And being taught from an early age that
hard work was good, I was all too happy to show my Dad how responsible I
was by digging in and fixing that car all by myself. I had no idea what I was
doing.
After I screwed up the re-build on that carburetor a few times I finally went
to the local mechanic who taught me how to fix it.
It was a great lesson and I value the time I spent in the local garage.
Mechanics are a lot like musicians. They speak of cars like we talk about our
favorite instruments. They listen to an engine the way we listen to our
favorite songs. And their humor is right on par with any band, anywhere in
the world after a gig or hanging out on break. (IOW, not for the faint of
heart)
Now jump ahead a few years later and I own my first house and something
needs fixing. So what do I do? I go out and buy a tool belt and start
knocking down walls and ripping up floors.
After I thoroughly screw it up, I call the local handyman and pay him to
clean up my mess.
Nowadays, my wife, (the smarter of the two of us) realizes that if anything
needs fixing, the first call she is going to make is NOT going to be to her
husband the musician.
So my next question for you is . . .
What is the Highest and Best Use of Your Time?
Know your limitations.
Do what you do best and let other people do
1) What you either don’t like to do or
2) What you are no good at doing.
Putting yourself in a position to only do the things you are good at will be
a real key to your success.
An even bigger key will be to delegate the tasks you are no good at doing.
Here is another phenomenal test I took online. http://www.Kolbe.com
I want you to go to and spend the $50 to take this test. It gives you a real
good idea of who you are and what you are capable of.
I don’t get a cut or anything. I am telling you this because I want you to
become a successful, efficient professional musician.
The Kolbe Test will analyze your unique abilities, your strengths and
weaknesses, in the areas of:
A. Fact Finding;
How well do you gather information?
Do you like Specific answers or do you prefer Simple solutions?
B. Follow Thru;
How well do you sort and store information?
Do you prefer a System or are you capable of Adapting?
C. Quick Start;
How well do you deal with risk and uncertainty?
Are you capable of improvising or do you need things stabilized?
D. Implementer;
How do you handle space and the tangibles, the physical part of
reality?
Do you like to build things? Are you hands on? Or would you rather
have someone else do it for you?
Take the test. It is well worth it. I always knew there were learned
behaviors that I had.
I never knew it was OK to let go of them and accept who I was.
Do the things you are good at and find the people who like doing the
things you are no good at.
OK. Time to stand up, stretch your legs and do that little dance
you do when no one is looking. You just completed Step #2!
To get your copy of “How I Make $100K Playing Music: A Step by Step Formula for
Creating Better Gigs” go to MakinMoneyMakinMusic.com
You may distribute this book freely as long as you keep all contact
information and all hyperlinks intact. Any questions contact me, Dan
Gillogly at dan@makinmoneymakinmusic.com