Melbourne Herald Sun, Friday December 17, 2010
'Tis the season to be merry, and 'tis the season to get down and dirty at one of Victoria's many summer music festivals.
Being a festival promoter can be a rocky ride. You stage a hit and tens of thousands of kids charge in, tossing big money at you. Run a flop and you're the one doing the running, from your creditors.
Now I've got to admit that I'm more Woodstock than Summadayze, but well I remember summers past.
Promoters are always looking at next summer and ways to make it a hit. Some know they are safe. Big Day Out have already sold out in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and have set up ballots for tickets.
Theirs is a dream success story. Ken West and Vivian Lees started the festival at the Horden Pavilion in Sydney in 1992.
Being low budget their big act was Violent Femmes. Then they took a punt on a US alternative group called Nirvana. Between the booking and the Day, Nevermind came out. And so did the punters.
Ah how the cookie can turn to gold. But it can also turn to mush.
Golden entrepreneur Richard Branson gave us a further Virgin brand, The V Festival which plays around the world. But even with the support of Virgin Mobile and Virgin Blue, it won’t lift off this summer. The official announcement is “We are taking a break”.
Market research group IBISWorld points to an over-saturated market. There are only so many kids, and so many days of summer. So around the country, big events like Homebake, Days Like This, and Lost Weekend festivals have cancelled.
In Queensland, Bam! also pulled the plug with too few ticket sales to cover the overheads.
Those who remain in the game have a great advantage this year. Our strong Australian dollar has put acts within our reach who might not have been so keen to come this far before.
We are looking at the likes of Public Enemy, LCD Soundsystem and Iggy Pop at BDO and other festivals, with U2, Eagles and Bon Jovi planning tours this summer.
At Soundwave on March 4 we’ll see Queens of the Stone Age and Iron Maiden. While just last month we saw Leonard Cohen at Hanging Rock.
And to top it off, we have Bob Dylan, BB King and Elvis Costello. You’ll have to go to Bluesfest in Byron Bay to see them, though there is talk of bringing the tour to Melbourne.
In the national accounts, the live performance business is not a major source of finance. IBISWorld quote it at $114 million. But for the artists involved it is important income.
One of the reasons why so many old rockers are back on the road is the simple fact that money from record sales has declined.
The income from an iTunes download, one song at a time, just does not make up for the millions of albums that these stars once sold.
Piracy has also slashed sales growth, making it just too easy for the music lover to steal their favourite songs and in the process kill the acts they love.
17 December, 2010
12 December, 2010
I hate cold calls
Melbourne Herald Sun, Friday December 10, 2010
I don’t care what they say, every business person hates cold calling. They might tell you it’s the exhilaration of the hunt, or they have the hide of a rhino, but there’s always that moment’s hesitation before picking up the phone or ringing the doorbell.
If you’re in business there’s always a time when you have to be pushy and forward. Though what some regard as pushy, others would call a mouse squeak. However the rules remain the same.
For a start you have to know who your prospective customers are. The best way to start is by looking at who you have already, what they like about your product, and where you can reach more people like them.
Imagine you’re selling ladies’ shoes. Who are your market? “Women with feet” defines your market a bit too broadly.
Certainly you want women but are they looking for the latest fashion, or the greatest bargain? Do they want dress shoes or work shoes or runners? Initially you just want a few hundred of the best prospects, and their contact details.
Now prepare a story. Maybe they bought from you before, in which case the story is, “Do you remember the shoes you bought from us last year?” Don’t worry if they don’t, you just want to start the conversation.
If it’s business to business the story might be, “We’re specialists in software support for the freight forwarding industry, with customers like (name a few leading companies).”
Next, in your best “I’m your friend who’s doing you a favour” voice, make an offer with a time limit. “Because you are our customer we want to give you 10 per cent discount on our freshly arrived Italian shoes.”
Or with the business, “Can you spare me a few minutes next Wednesday morning so I can show you how I saved your competitors thousands?”
Always remember it’s not about you, it’s about them. What they want and need - it’s not because you’re a nice person to meet.
What matters to them is saving money, improving their product, increasing profits, or making themselves look good. So research your prospect’s business and your own products thoroughly, be able to talk with knowledge and authority.
Write out your script so all the important points are covered and make sure you have checked any facts. But don’t read off the script - that inevitably sounds stilted - improvise around it. Most importantly, try to start a conversation.
Over the years I have made many thousands of cold calls. They’re still not easy. I’ve had some pretty rude responses, but most times people are polite and will give you a minute. But if you don’t grab their interest in that time, you’re gone.
However there is one more important factor, and that’s persistence. You have to call a lot of people for every response. And you have to take a lot of noes for every yes.
But from experience I agree with the words of an American sales trainer: "Eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact,” he warned. “Yet the majority of sales people give up after the second call."
So grit your teeth, take a deep breath - and pick up that phone.
I don’t care what they say, every business person hates cold calling. They might tell you it’s the exhilaration of the hunt, or they have the hide of a rhino, but there’s always that moment’s hesitation before picking up the phone or ringing the doorbell.
If you’re in business there’s always a time when you have to be pushy and forward. Though what some regard as pushy, others would call a mouse squeak. However the rules remain the same.
For a start you have to know who your prospective customers are. The best way to start is by looking at who you have already, what they like about your product, and where you can reach more people like them.
Imagine you’re selling ladies’ shoes. Who are your market? “Women with feet” defines your market a bit too broadly.
Certainly you want women but are they looking for the latest fashion, or the greatest bargain? Do they want dress shoes or work shoes or runners? Initially you just want a few hundred of the best prospects, and their contact details.
Now prepare a story. Maybe they bought from you before, in which case the story is, “Do you remember the shoes you bought from us last year?” Don’t worry if they don’t, you just want to start the conversation.
If it’s business to business the story might be, “We’re specialists in software support for the freight forwarding industry, with customers like (name a few leading companies).”
Next, in your best “I’m your friend who’s doing you a favour” voice, make an offer with a time limit. “Because you are our customer we want to give you 10 per cent discount on our freshly arrived Italian shoes.”
Or with the business, “Can you spare me a few minutes next Wednesday morning so I can show you how I saved your competitors thousands?”
Always remember it’s not about you, it’s about them. What they want and need - it’s not because you’re a nice person to meet.
What matters to them is saving money, improving their product, increasing profits, or making themselves look good. So research your prospect’s business and your own products thoroughly, be able to talk with knowledge and authority.
Write out your script so all the important points are covered and make sure you have checked any facts. But don’t read off the script - that inevitably sounds stilted - improvise around it. Most importantly, try to start a conversation.
Over the years I have made many thousands of cold calls. They’re still not easy. I’ve had some pretty rude responses, but most times people are polite and will give you a minute. But if you don’t grab their interest in that time, you’re gone.
However there is one more important factor, and that’s persistence. You have to call a lot of people for every response. And you have to take a lot of noes for every yes.
But from experience I agree with the words of an American sales trainer: "Eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact,” he warned. “Yet the majority of sales people give up after the second call."
So grit your teeth, take a deep breath - and pick up that phone.
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