Who's your favorite band or musician currently?

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As I figured, you want to sell yourself!

            Ok, by this point you should’ve made some contacts. There are probably a few people you can call or email right now that have a decent amount of influence in the entertainment world. If not, you need to get a few and do it like yesterday. The more contacts you have the more opportunities are available. However, you must put them to work. Having a list of contacts is great but what good are they if you never use them.

Contacts are no good if there is no connection. They are called contacts for a reason. Instead of treating your list of names and emails as items of “first-contact” only (you have the initial meeting and that’s it), look at them as a long-term project. I have contacts that I’ve stayed in contact with for at least two years before actually collaborating with them. Just because a project or opportunity has not presented itself yet, does not mean one won’t.

Be sure your product or service is unique and put yourself out there. It would be wrong to tell you to annoy your contacts so instead I’ll tell you to send frequent reminders. “It’s not enough to just be. There’s too much competition. You need to network, communicate, and engage with people as the “you” you want to be, and you won’t get there by hiding.” If you know for a fact someone can help you and possibly vice versa, find some inventive way to stay fresh in their mind. You can add them to your newsletter, email blast, your blog, and your Facebook or Twitter accounts (as long as they are frequently updated), etc. The idea is to stand out and be frequent.

Don’t let failure be the end of it.

Everyone fails. Everyone stumbles and makes mistakes. However, persistence is the entire point of this post. Persistence is also what separates those who never reach their goal from those who frequently do. Learn from the mistakes you’ve made in the past and move on. Allow those experiences to be stepping stones for your success.

Thanks for reading!

So…. You want to sell yourself?

             For most beginning musicians, artists, etc the idea of marketing, advertising and even sales is not of much concern. Knowing how to present yourself as marketable material or even as a product is one of the most important lessons to learn. Without this knowledge you have no career.  There will be no gigs to play, no venues to attend, no workshops to teach, nothing. If you do manage to get a job of some sort the pay will not be that great. The point here is you have to sell yourself. Legally.

Of course, you must have a decent sound, technique and unique or appealing appearance. Sounds cliché but that’s just the way of the entertainment world. You must have something an audience will look for. Is it sellable? Are you sellable? Is your product or service worth being invested into? Will people pay to hear you?

Let’s assume, yes, you have the above qualities. Building your business and audience network is the next step. You may already know a few people you can present your product to and who will even support it. Concerning your business contacts, find ways to collaborate. How can they help you and vice versa? Figure out inventive ways to connect with individuals and organizations. Once you’ve made contact, allow your integrity as a business individual and zeal for what you do to speak for you.

REMEMBER THIS: No one else is going to do it for you!

“Don’t sell yourself well? Think of “you” as a superhero version of yourself.” Take some time to write all of your best qualities. What do you do well? Why do you do them well? What do people like about you? Why do they like those things about you? Next, take some time to make a list of your areas of improvement or more frankly, those areas in which you suck. Do whatever it takes to improve in these areas immediately. The less baggage you have, the easier you’ll sell.

Now back to your best qualities. If you aren’t doing this already, begin to dress the part, act the part, speak or sing the part. Be the businessman or businesswoman you are trying to sell to everyone. As you continue to make your list of things that suck smaller, the stronger your better qualities will be and of course the more you’ll be able to sell yourself.

Thanks for reading!