What have you found
to be the most difficult aspect of a negotiation when booking a gig?
The most
difficult thing I’ve seen is that when you’re not big enough for everyone to
know who you are, it’s harder to get everything you want out of a deal. You sort of have to kind of prove yourself
with maybe a less than perfect deal a few times before you have real pull. Anyone can talk, and some people are very
good at talking themselves up, but I’ve found that backing up your talk, and
being a man of your word, and delivering more than you say you will are the
real keys to being successful. I’ve found
that the second time you deal with someone about booking a gig is a lot easier
than the first, it’s a lot easier to get what you want.
Has there been any
particular experience that was especially trying or made you feel like you
would not be able to successfully negotiate a deal?
I have not
really had any experience where I thought we couldn’t reach a deal. It’s all about being flexible, and sometimes
dealing with a less than perfect deal to get your name out there, at least at
first. After that, once you’ve proven
yourself, it becomes a lot easier because you sort of have a record of
successes (and maybe a failure or two) to show to someone and say, “look at
what we’ve done. This is what we can
offer you, and what we can deliver.” And
then it becomes easier to get what you want out of a deal.
What about an
experience that made you feel as though your skills as a negotiator were
particularly strong?
There have
been two times that come to mind here.
Both have been gigs where a certain price to be paid for the gig had
been established, and we came in and did what we do, played the shows, they
were very successful, and we ended up getting paid more than the price we had
settled on. That felt good because we exceeded
the expectations of the club owner, and in turn, we were well taken care
of. Then when it was time to set up the
next gig there, we were able to work out more money from the start, because the
last time had gone well.
What do you feel is
the key to successfully negotiating an agreement for a gig?
I think
that knowing what you’re worth, knowing what you can deliver on, having
confidence in yourself and what you can do, along with a certain amount of
humility, are the two biggest things.
You have to have a certain bottom line, for instance, you won’t settle
for less than a certain amount for a gig, whatever that number may be, based on
what you know you can bring to the club owner or whomever you may be working
with. And you also have to take into
consideration that the club owner may not have seen you before, or may not have
heard of you, and therefore doesn’t know what you can bring. You may think you’re the greatest musician in
the world, but they may not know that, so you have to have a certain amount of
humility to say, I’ll give some slack the first time we’re here, to show what
we can do. You have to be confident
without being arrogant, and let the performance speak for you, and then the
next time you deal with that person, you can press harder for more because you
have shown that you will hold up your end of the bargain.
What advice would you
offer to anyone entering your industry who feels that they are not a
particularly strong negotiator? How will
this help them to achieve success?
Just do
it. The first couple of times it can be
nerve wracking, but like anything in life, the more you practice and do
something, the easier it becomes. Be
confident in your abilities to get done what you say you will, and working out
the details will become easy.
