I want to tell you a quick story about something that happened to me TODAY and what i learned (again) from it...
Today i was at the gym working out when this ridiculously hot girl walked by me.
Remember, i'm living in LA now so i see some pretty amazing women walking by me on a daily basis. (Just last week i sat 2 tables away from a group of 8-10 former playboy bunnies. Great meal!).
So i'm just staring at this beautiful girl in the mirror while i'm pretending to continue my workout and i guess i was a little obvious because the guy on the bench next to me starts laughing.
Obviously he noticed her too so we began talking. We ended up working out together and talking for the next 45 minutes.
I found out that this guy works in the marketing department for a fairly big cable television station.
Right away i jumped on this and told him that i'm a promoter and if he was ever looking for someone to throw a party for them or coordinate an event at a venue, i could help him out.
I told him about a few of my past parties, the clubs I've worked at, and the people I've worked with. He said he would definitely let me know if they ever have anything they could use my services for. (When we went back to the locker-room i made sure to give him my card--i always have a few in my wallet)
I figured it was a long shot, but it was a good contact to make and hopefully something good would come of it...
****************************************************************
Well tonight i got an email on my blackberry from him that I've copied and pasted here:
"We r gonna be launching a new show this fall& i'd love to talk to u about throwing a PR launch party for us. Call me tomorrow"
Hopefully this happens and we get to throw this launch party with lots of celebrities and sponsors...that would be great for my resume and EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY profitable!
****************************************************************
But this whole situation reminded me of how important it is to be social and outgoing as a promoter...
...i know this sounds obvious to some people but from time to time we all need to be reminded. Even i forget how important this is for our business and how much we can benefit by being very social at all times.
It's easy for us to go about our daily lives with our heads down and our mouth's shut...but if we do that we limit the different opportunities that come our way.
The more people we talk to, the more friends we make, the more connections we have, means the more money we'll make.
Think of every single new person you see or meet as another opportunity to make more money...So the more people you meet, and the more people you talk to,the more money you will make!
And this rule doesn't just apply to being a promoter...this is true for any business that you are in.
If you want to be successful in business you need to be (or learn how to be) social and outgoing at all times.
While this does apply to all businesses, this is especially true for promoters...We earn a lot of money by bringing people to a party. We are paid to be popular and have lots of friends/connections.
The only way to make more friends and meet new people is to talk to people at the gym, in your classes, at your office, or anywhere you run into people on a daily basis. Join groups, attend events and go out of your way to network.
Had this beautiful girl not walked by I might have kept to myself today and not started talking to this guy...and then this opportunity (whether it turns into the very profitable party or not) would have just passed me by.
I got lucky this time but i'm going to make a point to work on this every single day because, while i knew this was important, i was reminded how much this will improve my business on a daily basis!
So my tip of the week, one that I need to remember too...
No matter where you are or what you are doing, always look to be social and outgoing whenever humanly possible, so you are open to any and all opportunities that might come your way!
Showing posts with label Starting Your Own Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starting Your Own Business. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Are you Neglecting a Big Part of Your Promoting Business?
I noticed something the other day with many newer promoters that really worried me...
A buddy of mine is opening up a lounge in Dallas, TX and asked me if i would help him out and interview some of the promoters he was looking to hire.
I called up each of the promoters to conduct a phone interview (i wasn't looking to fly to Dallas in the summer) and I asked most of the promoters the same basic questions to get an idea of what kind of promoter they were...
One of my go-to questions to get them talking is:"give me an idea of your promoting process to bring people to my venue".
I got a bunch of different answers......some told me they would use myspace/facebook marketing.......some told me about an elaborate radio campaign......some were strong believers in a street team handing out passes...but out of the half dozen or more promoters i interviewed that week, only one of them discussed using an email marketing campaign. (and guess which one got my recommendation to hire???)
And when i say "an email marketing campaign", I'm not talking about someone that is going to send out a blast to their facebook or friendster buddies...
No, i mean someone that has an email list with names and emails of real people that will attend their parties.
There is a very big difference between email marketing and social network marketing. With Social Networking sites like myspace, you often have random people that are located all over the world as "friends" on these sites. While its great to have lots of friends all over, these people aren't realistically going to come to your party that Saturday night.
This is why building a good email list of realistic, local clients is so much more valuable and crucial to filling your venue...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking those that use social marketing, radio ads or street teams to promote, but i CAN NOT BELIEVE that they use these methods BEFORE email marketing.
Those are things that should be done ALONG with an email marketing campaign...email marketing should be the first thing you do THEN you use these other methods to help grow your party.
In my experience (and those of all the top promoters i know and work with) email marketing is the easiest, cheapest and BEST way to get people to your party.
For as little as $20 a month there are amazing sites that you can use to make your email marketing very simple and very effective.
These sites automatically send out the emails, track how many are delivered, how many are opened up and read, and how many of your links inside your emails are clicked on...its amazing!
There are a bunch of different companies out there that do this, but the one that i personally use for my own business to send out emails (including this one) is Aweber.
No matter what company you use, you want to make sure it's a big company that is well respected, otherwise you can run into problems.
I use Aweber because:
1) They are inexpensive
2) It's very easy to use (I don't have too much time to mess around with emails)
3) They have a great reputation in the business so your emails don't get sent to people's SPAM folder...which is a HUGE waste.
I started with a different company originally (which many other promoters were using at the time) but i found that many of my friends and clients weren't getting my emails when i asked them about them.
...they told me they never got it, or maybe it was sent to their SPAM folder.
So, regardless of what company you use, you need to make sure that you are using email marketing as a big part of your promoting business.
Build your email list of potential clients, email them regularly about your upcoming events, offer your clients incentives to attend like reduced admission or drink specials, and fill your party every week!
Repeat this cycle often and you are easily on your way to being a success in the promoting business...
A buddy of mine is opening up a lounge in Dallas, TX and asked me if i would help him out and interview some of the promoters he was looking to hire.
I called up each of the promoters to conduct a phone interview (i wasn't looking to fly to Dallas in the summer) and I asked most of the promoters the same basic questions to get an idea of what kind of promoter they were...
One of my go-to questions to get them talking is:"give me an idea of your promoting process to bring people to my venue".
I got a bunch of different answers......some told me they would use myspace/facebook marketing.......some told me about an elaborate radio campaign......some were strong believers in a street team handing out passes...but out of the half dozen or more promoters i interviewed that week, only one of them discussed using an email marketing campaign. (and guess which one got my recommendation to hire???)
And when i say "an email marketing campaign", I'm not talking about someone that is going to send out a blast to their facebook or friendster buddies...
No, i mean someone that has an email list with names and emails of real people that will attend their parties.
There is a very big difference between email marketing and social network marketing. With Social Networking sites like myspace, you often have random people that are located all over the world as "friends" on these sites. While its great to have lots of friends all over, these people aren't realistically going to come to your party that Saturday night.
This is why building a good email list of realistic, local clients is so much more valuable and crucial to filling your venue...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking those that use social marketing, radio ads or street teams to promote, but i CAN NOT BELIEVE that they use these methods BEFORE email marketing.
Those are things that should be done ALONG with an email marketing campaign...email marketing should be the first thing you do THEN you use these other methods to help grow your party.
In my experience (and those of all the top promoters i know and work with) email marketing is the easiest, cheapest and BEST way to get people to your party.
For as little as $20 a month there are amazing sites that you can use to make your email marketing very simple and very effective.
These sites automatically send out the emails, track how many are delivered, how many are opened up and read, and how many of your links inside your emails are clicked on...its amazing!
There are a bunch of different companies out there that do this, but the one that i personally use for my own business to send out emails (including this one) is Aweber.
No matter what company you use, you want to make sure it's a big company that is well respected, otherwise you can run into problems.
I use Aweber because:
1) They are inexpensive
2) It's very easy to use (I don't have too much time to mess around with emails)
3) They have a great reputation in the business so your emails don't get sent to people's SPAM folder...which is a HUGE waste.
I started with a different company originally (which many other promoters were using at the time) but i found that many of my friends and clients weren't getting my emails when i asked them about them.
...they told me they never got it, or maybe it was sent to their SPAM folder.
So, regardless of what company you use, you need to make sure that you are using email marketing as a big part of your promoting business.
Build your email list of potential clients, email them regularly about your upcoming events, offer your clients incentives to attend like reduced admission or drink specials, and fill your party every week!
Repeat this cycle often and you are easily on your way to being a success in the promoting business...
3 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to be a Promoter
For the past few weeks, I've been going through my email in-box,trying to catch up with everything and respond to as many promoting emails as I can.
There has been one common question that keeps on popping up though, and I thought I'd answer it for you, in case this is something that's been going through your head.
The question that keeps on coming up is basically: "With the weak economy, is this a bad time to be a promoter or start a promoting business"?
I can honestly say, NO, this is NOT a bad time to be a promoter...
...in fact, this might be one of the best times, EVER!
I know you are thinking to yourself, "how can that be? All I hear on the news is:
High Gas prices...Rising Food costs...Major companies going bankrupt...Auto companies laying off 1,000's of employees...Coffee stores closing 100's of locations..."
With all the bad news in the headlines, it's easy to think it's a terrible time to work for yourself or start your own company...
...but fact is, it's the exact opposite.
I truly believe its a great time to get into this business and if times were tough and there wasn't enough business to go around i personally wouldn't be telling other people to jump into the business that pays my bills. I would discourage people to become promoters...
But my business hasn't slowed down at all in the last year and I've thrown some of my biggest parties in the past few years in 2008.
Here are 3 HUGE reasons why it's a GREAT time to be a promoter:
1) Venues have fixed overhead costs and need to be filled in order to pay their bills and make money.
When times are tough, they rely MORE on promoters to help pull in their crowds.
Promoters only get paid for the people that they bring to the venue so if they fill the place, its a win-win for the promoters and the venues.
Owners and managers that once felt they didn't need promoters to fill their venue are quickly changing their thought process when business slows down even a little.
Take advantage of this opportunity!
2) When you work for yourself, you can't be laid off:
Sure, business could slow down, but if you work hard you will never be out of a job...
...That is not true when you work for someone else.
You could be the best employee, but if you make too much money, then you might be the first to go when they need to cut costs. If you are new to the company then they might fire you first since you don't have seniority. Like it or not, when you work for someone else, your career, paycheck, and *life* are in their hands, not yours.
3) Promoting can be done in your part time:
With the cost of everything going up, who couldn't use some extra money to help them offset the high prices?
If you're looking for a way to help supplement your pay check with a part time job or a small business, promoting parties can provide that.
As a promoter, you could easily keep your day job or remain in school and throw parties in your part time to help keep you afloat during the tough times. There are little to no start up costs involved so its the perfect business to try out and see if you can earn some part-time cash.
Have you ever dreamed of owning your very own business?
If so, you're not alone...I was reading some statistics the other day about "owning your own business" and the numbers are pretty amazing.
Almost half (47%) of Americans want to own their own business while only 18% actually do. That means most people are dreaming about it, while very few are actually taking the steps to do it!
Now is as good of a time as any to be a promoter, so if you're thinking about getting into the business or you're looking to take your business to the next level, now is the time to do it...
...so stop dreaming and take the next step!
There has been one common question that keeps on popping up though, and I thought I'd answer it for you, in case this is something that's been going through your head.
The question that keeps on coming up is basically: "With the weak economy, is this a bad time to be a promoter or start a promoting business"?
I can honestly say, NO, this is NOT a bad time to be a promoter...
...in fact, this might be one of the best times, EVER!
I know you are thinking to yourself, "how can that be? All I hear on the news is:
High Gas prices...Rising Food costs...Major companies going bankrupt...Auto companies laying off 1,000's of employees...Coffee stores closing 100's of locations..."
With all the bad news in the headlines, it's easy to think it's a terrible time to work for yourself or start your own company...
...but fact is, it's the exact opposite.
I truly believe its a great time to get into this business and if times were tough and there wasn't enough business to go around i personally wouldn't be telling other people to jump into the business that pays my bills. I would discourage people to become promoters...
But my business hasn't slowed down at all in the last year and I've thrown some of my biggest parties in the past few years in 2008.
Here are 3 HUGE reasons why it's a GREAT time to be a promoter:
1) Venues have fixed overhead costs and need to be filled in order to pay their bills and make money.
When times are tough, they rely MORE on promoters to help pull in their crowds.
Promoters only get paid for the people that they bring to the venue so if they fill the place, its a win-win for the promoters and the venues.
Owners and managers that once felt they didn't need promoters to fill their venue are quickly changing their thought process when business slows down even a little.
Take advantage of this opportunity!
2) When you work for yourself, you can't be laid off:
Sure, business could slow down, but if you work hard you will never be out of a job...
...That is not true when you work for someone else.
You could be the best employee, but if you make too much money, then you might be the first to go when they need to cut costs. If you are new to the company then they might fire you first since you don't have seniority. Like it or not, when you work for someone else, your career, paycheck, and *life* are in their hands, not yours.
3) Promoting can be done in your part time:
With the cost of everything going up, who couldn't use some extra money to help them offset the high prices?
If you're looking for a way to help supplement your pay check with a part time job or a small business, promoting parties can provide that.
As a promoter, you could easily keep your day job or remain in school and throw parties in your part time to help keep you afloat during the tough times. There are little to no start up costs involved so its the perfect business to try out and see if you can earn some part-time cash.
Have you ever dreamed of owning your very own business?
If so, you're not alone...I was reading some statistics the other day about "owning your own business" and the numbers are pretty amazing.
Almost half (47%) of Americans want to own their own business while only 18% actually do. That means most people are dreaming about it, while very few are actually taking the steps to do it!
Now is as good of a time as any to be a promoter, so if you're thinking about getting into the business or you're looking to take your business to the next level, now is the time to do it...
...so stop dreaming and take the next step!
Monday, November 5, 2007
The "How Old" Question...Answered
First, just wanted to start by apologizing for not posting more blogs in the past 2 months...i needed some time off to after a wild summer. I'm back to work on my promoting "busy season" and promise to update this blog every week from here on out.
Over the past few weeks, more and more people have been emailing me about getting started to be a promoter. With Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve and New Years Eve all within 3 months of each other, i guess people realize how much money there is to be made and people are eager to get started.
One of the most common questions that's been popping up in my email box is: "How old do I have to be to start promoting"
Some people are worried they are too young to start promoting....Others are worried they are too old to start promoting.
The answer is: There is no *right* age.
Being a party promoter is about pulling together groups of people, and bringing them to one place that pays you to fill their venue. You can be any age to do this...you just have to find what people your age want to do, set it up for them, and promote the party.
--You can be 18 and promote teen clubs or Prom After-Parties.
--You can be 30 and promote to single professional adults that want to meet other people in their situation but are too busy with work to go to happy hours every week.
...The possibilities are endless!
A common mistake that people interested in this business make is that they automatically think they are too young or too old for this business.
Or they think promoting is for hip-hop and techno crowds only.
Or just for wild college kids
...These are all totally false.
The fact is, anyone, any age, with any background, in any demographic, with ANY level of education can be a promoter... and make over six figures every year doing it.
It's just a matter of sitting down and thinking:
"what do my friends like to do?" or "what kind of party can I throw that would interest MY crowd"?
A fantastic example of this was sent to me by a female Party Promoter Guide reader that is "over 35, lives in the Bay Area, and is currently working at a big accounting firm". She recently started throwing her own parties for divorced people.
She said it was an untapped market and wanted parties to go to herself (a divorced mother) so she stepped up and threw them for her crowd.
Per her latest email to me, she's making an extra $1,500 a month on the side of her accounting job just for throwing 2 parties each month.
And, on the other side of the coin...
If you're under 21, stop telling yourself that you can't make money in this business since you are "under-age".
Many promoters started out throwing parties in high school and made a killing doing it!
Personally, I started in college, but I've worked with many guys and girls that made a ton in high school throwing those"18 to get in, 21 to drink" parties. They make all their money off the door fees. When you're 18 there aren't a ton of options for you, so these parties were always BIG TIME successes.
My advice to you this week...
**************************************************
Anyone, any age, can be a promoter so it's NEVER too early, or too late, to get started in nightclub or party promoting...so get started right away because the sooner you start promoting, the faster you start building your list, making connections, and making some CASH!
**************************************************
Over the past few weeks, more and more people have been emailing me about getting started to be a promoter. With Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve and New Years Eve all within 3 months of each other, i guess people realize how much money there is to be made and people are eager to get started.
One of the most common questions that's been popping up in my email box is: "How old do I have to be to start promoting"
Some people are worried they are too young to start promoting....Others are worried they are too old to start promoting.
The answer is: There is no *right* age.
Being a party promoter is about pulling together groups of people, and bringing them to one place that pays you to fill their venue. You can be any age to do this...you just have to find what people your age want to do, set it up for them, and promote the party.
--You can be 18 and promote teen clubs or Prom After-Parties.
--You can be 30 and promote to single professional adults that want to meet other people in their situation but are too busy with work to go to happy hours every week.
...The possibilities are endless!
A common mistake that people interested in this business make is that they automatically think they are too young or too old for this business.
Or they think promoting is for hip-hop and techno crowds only.
Or just for wild college kids
...These are all totally false.
The fact is, anyone, any age, with any background, in any demographic, with ANY level of education can be a promoter... and make over six figures every year doing it.
It's just a matter of sitting down and thinking:
"what do my friends like to do?" or "what kind of party can I throw that would interest MY crowd"?
A fantastic example of this was sent to me by a female Party Promoter Guide reader that is "over 35, lives in the Bay Area, and is currently working at a big accounting firm". She recently started throwing her own parties for divorced people.
She said it was an untapped market and wanted parties to go to herself (a divorced mother) so she stepped up and threw them for her crowd.
Per her latest email to me, she's making an extra $1,500 a month on the side of her accounting job just for throwing 2 parties each month.
And, on the other side of the coin...
If you're under 21, stop telling yourself that you can't make money in this business since you are "under-age".
Many promoters started out throwing parties in high school and made a killing doing it!
Personally, I started in college, but I've worked with many guys and girls that made a ton in high school throwing those"18 to get in, 21 to drink" parties. They make all their money off the door fees. When you're 18 there aren't a ton of options for you, so these parties were always BIG TIME successes.
My advice to you this week...
**************************************************
Anyone, any age, can be a promoter so it's NEVER too early, or too late, to get started in nightclub or party promoting...so get started right away because the sooner you start promoting, the faster you start building your list, making connections, and making some CASH!
**************************************************
Monday, May 28, 2007
Branching Out
Each year the New York Post does a special "Hampton's" section focusing on what's new and hot for the upcoming summer in the Hampton's. For those of you that don't know, the Hampton's is an ultra exclusive area out on Long Island, NY about an hour and a half outside of Manhattan, where many of the hippest and wealthiest people spend their summers. It's filled with beaches, clubs, and multi-million dollar homes owned by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Joel, and Howard Stern, to name a few.
It's also the location of P. Diddy's world famous "White Party" each summer...
In this years issue, the main article focuses on the new trend of "concierge services". These services basically provide clients with access to the hottest clubs, restaurants, or anything else that they want.
The people that run these concierge services basically know the right people and have pull at all the trendy spots to get their clients on the right list or into the hottest restaurant without a wait.
I happen to know the guy featured in this article, Tony Abrams, from back in the day when he was the door guy at Suite 16 in Manhattan. He was working the list when the club was hot and made some great connections from doing that. He then went on to work in other areas of nightlife, including promoting many of New York City's hot clubs and bars, eventually opening his own business using these connections.
According to the article, Tony has 15 clients already, each paying him $7,500 a year for his services. That means he's made$112,500 this year if he doesn't add one more client. That's not a bad living...
The reason i bring this up is because lots of people ask me if promoting is a dead-end job. I can tell you with 100% certainty, that it's NOT!
Promoting can lead to many other careers or jobs such as owning your own bar, club or restaurant, a job in Public Relations (P.R.), you could venture into concert/event promoting, or even run your own concierge service.
So, if you're worried about trying out promoting because you don't think it's a job that can lead to any real career, or you're afraid that making money in this business is only short-term, think again.
...You'll never know where this business (or any business) can lead you until you give it a try!
It's also the location of P. Diddy's world famous "White Party" each summer...
In this years issue, the main article focuses on the new trend of "concierge services". These services basically provide clients with access to the hottest clubs, restaurants, or anything else that they want.
The people that run these concierge services basically know the right people and have pull at all the trendy spots to get their clients on the right list or into the hottest restaurant without a wait.
I happen to know the guy featured in this article, Tony Abrams, from back in the day when he was the door guy at Suite 16 in Manhattan. He was working the list when the club was hot and made some great connections from doing that. He then went on to work in other areas of nightlife, including promoting many of New York City's hot clubs and bars, eventually opening his own business using these connections.
According to the article, Tony has 15 clients already, each paying him $7,500 a year for his services. That means he's made$112,500 this year if he doesn't add one more client. That's not a bad living...
The reason i bring this up is because lots of people ask me if promoting is a dead-end job. I can tell you with 100% certainty, that it's NOT!
Promoting can lead to many other careers or jobs such as owning your own bar, club or restaurant, a job in Public Relations (P.R.), you could venture into concert/event promoting, or even run your own concierge service.
So, if you're worried about trying out promoting because you don't think it's a job that can lead to any real career, or you're afraid that making money in this business is only short-term, think again.
...You'll never know where this business (or any business) can lead you until you give it a try!
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