Just give them a set price and don't list what it is for!

I sounds like you are not "qualifying the prospect" on the initial call. You have to ask questions, to know what you and who you are dealing with.

And the one price may work for an individual, but if it is a company, then they need performance fee separate from Travel and meals expenses. Most professional who travel, will quote a "per diem" fee as well. If you have to stay in a motel, they will usually book you, or you books and provide the receipt.

The more professional you are, the more it gets complicated, and more bookkeeping comes into play.

Bill right on!

But, there are clients that don't want to pay extra for someone out of town- so better to quote a flat fee that includes everything. Also, I have discovered their are clients that want entertainers from the big cities for an image purpose for their events and they don't care about travel fee's!

Also, there are clients that just want good entertainment for their event that has been referred or seen before and a reasonable fee has no objections.

Yes, getting the basic scoop on the clients needs, desires and budget will help!

If I get them on the phone, I do. When I get SOME info from gigsalad I give them a quote based on the info I have. Normally, if they say ok to my price, we talk details. If not, I know they thought I was across the street.

That's not qualifying them though which can lead to the problem you're having. Qualifying them will lead you on how and what to quote while saving you much wasted time and effort.

Do you mean you cannot contact the reference from Gigsalad, before quoting a price?

I suppose I could, but I don't want to get them on the phone for them to describe their entire gig and work out a quote. It seems cheesy for me to start the conversation with "I'm 1000 miles from you. Do you want to fly me down?" I guess I will put, in big letters" LOCATED IN MONTANA, on my profile.

I think you're missing the point. It shouldn't matter where you are located. If you position and sell them on your services, unique show and know they are a qualified lead, where you are from shouldn't ever even come into play.

I am sitting here right now in Long Island, New York. A client was searching the internet, came across my show (on one of my web sites) and what they saw they thought was unlike anything else they had come across and thought it was perfect for their event (that is exactly the response that my promotional materials, sites, etc. are designed to generate). She called, I elaborated more on the exact content, uniquenesses, and benefits to her and she within three minutes became 100% sold completely. She even said, this is so ideal for what we are looking for I won't even bother to contact the other two or three ideas (entertainers) we were also considering.

I gave her my price (one all inclusive price) with there never being any mention of where I was from or would be coming from, travel costs, air fare, lodging, etc. After we completed the call (she had to check with someone else because it was more pricey that they had originally intended on spending - actually she told me she never had spent this much on an event before) she called back within nine minutes and said "I want to book this". Within five minutes I sent her my booking confirmation and that was that.

Never was where I was from ever mentioned, never was travel and lodging ever brought up or introduced as a potential obstacle, never was the much larger price ever an issue because of the benefits, added value and uniqueness, and all she wanted to know was what to sign and where to send the deposit check.

This is how almost all of my bookings work. In the winter months because of snow, blizzards, travel/airport delays, etc. I allow an extra travel day so I arrived last night and have this extra day here to enjoy the 10 degree weather (but no snow), as yesterday I was walking around the lake at my house in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying 70 degree weather.

It is all in how you present it, and qualifying the leads.

It seems that you get more hung up on you being from Montana than probably most of your potential clients. I only do an occasional booking in my home area or state, almost all of my bookings are on the road across the country. Trust me if done correctly, and the same holds true for leads from Gigmasters and all of the other similar sites, your location, expenses, etc, should never be an issue for the client. If anything by being from out of the area, I have found in most cases actually helps you get the booking, not work against you. Most people feel "local" entertainers are only "so good" or only are at a local level of successor proficiency, however to book a national entertainer, to most buyers seems to automatically create a perception (they create this in their minds) that you must be a higher calibur or level of performer than a local. Let them keep this image, it puts you above the rest and separates you from the pack. Just a few thoughts.

Oops, just got a Gigmastsrs lead, gotta go...

I guess it's because I am still up and coming. I still do mostly kids parties and the ones out of my area are the rare ones. The gigs I am receiving are expecting me to be local because I am paying for an account that advertises everywhere. They type in "Canadian fire eater" and I pop up. I quote them a $5000 quote and they almost always say "Oh, we thought you were local. We have a budget of $200." I would shrink it down to the smaller area, but I couldn't because of the few gigs that I do get out of my area.

As far as having a set price, you have a show 100 miles away and 2000 miles away and you charge $5000 regardless? It seems like you would miss out on some show because of that, but that's probably my small mindset.

I think the misunderstanding comes from the level I am at verses the level you are at. I'm looking for steady kids gigs and the occasional big out of town gig. I doubt you have done a kids show in a while!

Thank you for the input though. It will give me something to think about as I (hopefully) grow.

I think I misunderstood your all inclusive price. I think you mean you charge one price without telling them what is for airfare, hotel, etc. I do that as well. I don't tell them an itemized list.

Kameron, I think I know what you are saying. I too think you need to know where the show is going to be before quoting a price.

Surely you wouldn't charge your next door neighbor the same as you would someone three days away? Would you? That's not what everyone is saying is it?


Tom

Of course not, but you know where their show is from the lead before you contact them.

Oh ok,thanks. Then Kameron shouldn't be having a problem deciding if he wants the show or not.

Tom

I don't understand his logic, that he is afraid he will miss a $100 local show, if he commits to a $5000 show that he has to travel to some distance away.

His excuse why he does not want to contact the potential client is also very alarming. He expects to get shows without ever talking to the client. I believe some time ago, we all went through this and that he should learn some sales techniques and read some sales books. He should write a script so he sounds like he knows what he is talking about as well.

It very much sounds like he has to overcome his fear of sales methods or he will for sure fail as a full time performer.

I believe I gave the example for you before. Many shows the person just wants to know there is really a person they are contacting. Many times all it took to close the sale was a telephone call telling who I am and what the can expect from my show. If you are not willing to do that, then you will miss out on a lot shows, and income.

It might be good to ask yourself this question. Are you afraid of success in being a successful performer. This is a very valid question most sales books want you to answer. You either are a leader or a follower. If you don't consider yourself a leader, then you should just get a day job.

Just realize no one will do the work for you. In your case you get a lead, it is your job to sell yourself.

I believe you should relate to this, if you wanted an expensive trick. It was not fully explained and you don't know if it will work for you. So you call the creator or email him with several question about the trick. The reply you receive is, send $1000 and it will be mailed at once.

That is how it sounds you are treating your customers.

OK, I think we are getting mixed up. I am not afraid of talking to people, or selling on the phone. My issue has been gigsalad. I paid for the largest area because I SOMETIMES get gigs where they have a budget an accept my fee. MOST of my shows are local, and small. I don't want to shrink my area because I DO book shows further away. MOST of the time it's a birthday party that thinks I'm local. I don't want to waste my time if they expect $200 for a bid and they are across the country.

Another issue is that I like to use e-mail primarily. I just want an (electronic) trail. I will call before booking, but often e-mails seem to help establish what they need as well as nix the thing if their budget is small.

Jeesh this is getting confusing.

Kameron, I think I'm confused again too.

You make it sound like they call you and you have no idea where they calling from?

Is that the way it works? You don't know where the show is going to be?


Tom

I get a gig request from gig salad. I know where they are calling from. I don't know what their budget is. Some clients can pay for me to travel. Some are assuming its going to be $100 cause I'm local, which I'm not, typically.

Oh ok, thanks. Honestly I didn't know how it worked.

My thoughts are, Don't worry about their budget, worry about yours.

You can never estimate how much money somebody has.

Tom

Very good advice...

Kameron,

I think what you have to decide is whether it is worth it be have the largest travel distance listed in gig salad? Do the traveling gigs you get from gig salad that can afford your fee pay for the time and frustration you spend on the birthday party calls that are 200 miles away?

If so, you should keep your gig salad setting as it is. If not, consider changing your travel distance on gig salad.