How to use the telephone more effectively to get paying gigs, radio airplay and media coverage (II)

Continuing from last week’s article…

Use a music marketing log to stay on track

If you make even a minimal amount of phone calls to promote your music career, you know how easy it is to forget important details such as who you called, when you called them, what was discussed, and how you were supposed to follow up.

What you want to avoid is calling someone and saying, “Hello, Bill. Say, didn’t I talk to you last month about doing a feature story on my band? Or was it for your review column?... Oh, that’s right. Anyway did you ever get our new CD? I’m pretty sure I sent it out to you…”

Solution: use a music marketing log sheet for each contact you call. Print a fill-in-the-blank form that includes lines for name, company, email and street addresses, phone and fax numbers. Below that leave plenty of space for columns that list the date of contact, topics discussed, action you need to take next, and when you took that action.

Then print dozens of copies of the blank sheets and divide them in a three-ring binder into categories such as print media, radio, nightclubs, online music sites, record stores, distributors, etc. Start using these log sheets every time you communicate with someone about marketing your music, and jot down notes in the appropriate spaces.

Bottom line: By using these marketing logs, everything you need to know about any contact is listed on only one page. And the next time you call them you’ll have the confidence to start the conversation by saying something like, “Hello, Bill. I’m following up on the conversation we had two weeks ago about my band’s new release. You mentioned you might have room for a review in your December issue. I mailed a CD to you on the 10th. Is there anything else I can do to help make that review happen?”

Find out exactly what the person wants

Most people who market their music by phone like to pile on layer after layer of self-congratulatory nonsense. They beat their chests and tell some innocent victim how much they like themselves, using an endless stream of adjectives. Meanwhile, the contact waits on the other end of the phone for a chance to break in and tell the caller what he or she really needs to know.

Even though I’ve had to endure countless calls like this over the years, please spare the people you call from this torturous ritual. Instead, make it your goal to find out what your contact needs from you to make what you want materialise. While you should speak of your project in positive terms, don’t jump headlong into a dissertation on your great qualities before first finding out what it is your contact is looking for.

Example: You might talk a music editor’s ear off about your alternative band’s new CD. Little do you know, the editor just got out of a meeting in which staff agreed they were covering too much local alternative music. What you also didn’t know was that the editor was planning a story on band members with unique day jobs. Had you slowed down and asked a few questions, you might have discovered that. Then you could have let the editor know about your drummer, who is a parachute instructor.

It’s always best to ask questions and find out what your contact’s needs are. That way you’ll open up a lot more opportunities for gigs, press and airplay – and get brushed off a lot less often.

Make sure you contact the right person

First, it should be a given that you uncover the names of the people who can help you (the proper editor, writer, music director, talent buyer, etc.) at the places you call. And if you get a name from a directory listing or through a suggestion from a friend, call the company and verify two things:

1) The person still works there and continues to hold the same title, and…

2) You have the correct spelling and pronunciation of the person’s name (recall the Bob Barker story I mentioned earlier)

In addition to that, it would help to investigate further and make sure the contact’s duties truly relate to what you’re going after. For instance, when I published my former music magazine, I carried the title of editor and publisher. And it’s true that I made the final decisions on what subjects were covered in the paper. Therefore, people seeking publicity naturally tended to ask for me when they called.

What they quickly discovered – that is, if they used the right approach – was that the magazine’s production manager, not me, was the person responsible for handling callers who pitched story ideas.

Too many of these eager, exposure-seeking individuals made the mistake of asking for me instead of explaining who they were and why they were calling. Consequently, these generic PR calls rarely got returned. And the poor souls who placed them surely cursed the world and wondered why they were being cheated out of their share of publicity.

Lesson: Ask a couple of basic questions, explain your purpose for calling, and find out if the name you have is really the best person to contact. People will help you if you only let them.

Give honest compliments when appropriate

Use this one sparingly, because if it’s not rendered with genuine appreciation, it could backfire. However, if you sincerely like the stand a writer took in a recent article, the new radio show a program director developed, or the remodeling a club owner just finished, tell them so.

Insight: This not only makes them feel good, but it shows them you’re paying attention to what they’re doing and are interested in more than just your own self-absorbed advancement.