By Mark Stoddard
FREE — good for selling things, bad for paying your bills.
When I advise singers, I stress that they should never again sing for free. And they don’t have to in order to make a living from their talent.
To folks of other skills and business the same advise applies. Don’t give away your services. Ever.
Now, let me contradict that or at least set up the paradox.
In every business transaction one person has value that is traded to the other person for their value. When both parties get the value they want, a deal is made.
If a singer is asked to sing at a concert and the deal is, “We’ll be staging the event and have many expenses, so we can’t afford to pay you. We hope you’ll donate your performance,” don’t let the conversation end there.
Most singers figure if they don’t accept the free job the organizer will just get someone else so they cower and accept.
Your position of advantage is lost but doesn’t need to be.
Instead, when someone asks you to do something for free, listen and understand what they’re asking and understand what their assets are. Then consider:
1. They asked you so that is a great compliment. They wanted you. Work that.
2. Their event has great value because people are trading their value to come to the event. They value the event and sacrifice their free time to come and in many cases are paying for their tickets.
3. Now is your greatest time of leverage and you must use it.
First, say, “I’d love to help you out and pleased you think so much of my talent that you would ask me above so many other singers.” You are establishing your value.
Next, say, “Normally the market rate is at least $2,000 for such a performance but I understand your financial difficulties and would be happy to help you.” You establish the value, again, for you, and set a dollar roof that they now must think about. You’ve also let them know that by asking for free they are saying they are not competent in their financial dealings. Be gentle, but make the reality point just a bit.
Now, come in for the opportunity and say, “Your audience must be some special people.” Let them tout their abilities to attract people. Let them brag on what good people they know. Establish the value of the audience and you further increase your value for you are being asked to stand before them.
Then say, “I’d like to thank them personally for coming.” Then proposed one or two of the following:
1. In all literature that goes out before or after the event a gracious note be included from you thanking people for coming and endorsing the event or cause or whatever. Your name and picture need to be reinforced in the consumer’s mind.
2. Ask for the email addresses (that’s the cheapest, but, mailing labels can be acceptable or something like unto them) of everyone that has been invited so you can send them a personal note after the event. They have a list of people that they’ve invited. You’re asking that by you sharing, they’ll share. Most organization will cooperate. Some will give you the list. Others will agree to print what you need at their expense and include it in their mailings. However it turns out, begin by asking for the entire list. You may get it.
3. Tell the organizer you’d like to offer all of their audience members a special price on your product (your book, your CD or DVD, your whatever), and offer that for each sale made you’ll donate to the cause or give to the company. Give them a self interest in your advantage. They’ll be far more likely to give if they’re going to get.
4. Something else that you need.
At the very least make sure you get all of whatever you work out put into an email that you send to the organizer that states what the arrangement are going to be. Make it a Letter of Understanding and ask them to “if my understanding is consistent with yours please reply to this email that you agree.”
Be sure to include in the letter a request that the organizers, on their letterhead will give you a stirring endorsement and positive evaluation of your abilities and contribution.
And yes, you will likely need to write that letter of recommendation. You send it as a sample. Some will use that to help them get around to writing their own, but in many, many cases they’ll take the words you write and use them for their letter.
What about those who brush you aside and won’t give you anything? There are a very small number of people like that. To them I say, “Let me get this straight. You want me to give up my time and talent as a value to you but you’re not willing to help me out in any significant way in return?” Most of the hard noses will reconsider. For those who don’t, these are the words you must absolutely say…
“No thank you.”
Walk away and don’t look back. Literally. These kinds of people aren’t worth dealing with. It will be a bad experience for you.
In the end, you must not sing or work for free. You must always receive significant value. It doesn’t have to be money. In the examples above while money was not exchanged, you did get a list of names and rifle-shot exposure that would have cost you far more than the fee would have been.
If you’ve followed the other advise I’ve given in my book Marketing Singers and others, you’ll parlay those names into far more income because you now have a great many new people/customers to add to your house list so at your next concert or event or product launch you’ll have people to invite who know you, have sales from your product, and have quotes or endorsements to add to your website and other promotional materials.
All because you refuse to do things for free.
Mark Stoddard is a business leader, professor, marketer and consultant who has been helping singers get jobs for more than 20 years. On the singing front he staged more than 100 professional shows aboard cruise ships that employed classical singers, pianists and strings. He’s also coached singers on how to sell their CDs and other products, use the social media and how to negotiate contracts. Email Mark at mark@mjstoddard.com.
