entertainment industry coach question 748: What do I do if I have to leave a phone message?

When I first started coaching, I would tell people to call 3 times before leaving a message (because the point was to get them in). However, with today's technology, people are checking their caller ID, so if they see you're calling and not leaving a message, they may think it's strange. Then again, they may be curious about what you want and call you back. So, the "3 calls before leaving a message" is up to you.

Another obstacle is: if you're calling from a blocked number, they may never answer.

Here is what you want to do when leaving a BRIEF message:

1. State your name- CLEARLY

2. State your phone number- CLEARLY

*I can't tell you how many people have called me and left out one of the above. Usually #1 and then I have to do a google search of the number and hope to find a name to match. Most people are not as caring as me.

3. Give them a compelling reason to call you back. This, while having to be spoken CLEARLY, does not have to be as clear. This is what's called in the biz a "teaser" or a "cliffhanger."

If you just call, "to check in," "to tell me you're available," or "to see what I've been up to," you may never get a call back, or may fall to the bottom of my priority list. Nothing personal, I just have people calling me with urgent matters, questions only I can answer, and something really cool to share (these are all examples of #3).

Always know what you're going to say, should you go to voicemail, before you make the call.

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For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

entertainment industry coach Question 393: How many times can I call someone in a week if the job is coming up in 10 days?

Ohhhh boy! Tread lightly my friend. I know you’re anxious because time is winding down, but bombarding someone with phone calls is a risky (and not in a good way) strategy. Instead, if you have mutual colleagues who can make a recommendation call on your behalf, they may help your case, or find out if the position has already been filled.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

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entertainment industry coach question 242: I'm thinking about sending business postcards (In addition to phone calls) as a follow up to a resume.

The question continued: Is this a good idea? If so, are there things I should keep in mind when doing so?

The person who asked this is an editor. Many actors have postcards, (their headshot photo) that they send when they have announcements or to stay in touch.

Postcards are one way to stay in touch with people. They are a more costly way. I say that because you have to pay to have them printed and mailed. Many people's follow-strategy is email, which is free. That said, emails aren't always opened and postcards are usually seen. You have to decide if the investment is worth it.

Two things I want to address:

1. Why the follow up postcard after sending the resume and making the phone call? Is this a "cold-call" resume sending/call/postcard? If it's cold resume, the postcards are just as cold. The only difference is that after a resume and a phone call, the postcard would be the 3rd contact from you. Still, you know my feelings about putting a large percent of your "work" into pursuing cold leads. I'd rather see you strategically go after 10 jobs than pursue 100 jobs cold. You'll have better results.

2. What to put on a postcard? The same contact info you'd have on a business card and resume and then you have more freedom with the image. Perhaps, something that is unique to you and what you do, something personal (a cute picture of "you" in an edit bay with "your dog"), or a beautiful image that they would put up to look at. My allergist's postcard, to remind me it's time to come in, is a picture of a desert island with a palm tree and a clear blue ocean surrounding it. I have this postcard up in various locations and think of him, and my clear sinuses, every time I see it.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Question 158: what day of the week is best to call someone?

You’ll never know until you ask. And even if they tell you: “Thursday is best for me,” you may still catch them on a Thursday where everything is upside down. Call people when you think you’ll get them in and then ask them if it’s a good time for them to talk. If they say that it’s not, ask when a good time for you to call back will be.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

question 156: What's better: calling a person or emailing a person?

In earlier questions I talked about creating rapport and communication. I wrote that communication is broken down by: 7% the words you say, 38% the tonality with which you say them, and the rest of the 55% is your physiology. Therefore, the best way to communicate with someone is in person, then by telephone, and lastly by email (I'm sure you've had a situation where someone misunderstood an email because they couldn't "hear your tonality" and didn't realize you were making a joke).

That said, whenever possible, ask the person how they, specifically, like to be contacted.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com

Question 86: What do you do if you call someone and they don't call you back?

My question to you is, did you give them a reason to call you back? FYI: calling to say "I'm available" or "just checking in" doesn't warrant a return call from someone who has a full schedule. If you called for either of those reasons, consider your objective met; they know you're available and you've officially checked in.

Now, if you called for a specific reason like, he/she told you to follow up, or you had a question, wait a week, if it's not urgent, and follow up again.  THIS TIME, tag on the end that "you know they are very busy, so if you don't hear back, you'll try again next week." Then your call is expected.

My rule of thumb in this business of "sales" AKA "selling yourself" is:

You keep calling until you are told to stop OR until you feel icky about (yes, icky is now officially a business term). 

If you are stopping because you feel "icky" leave a closure message along the lines of, "I've left 3 messages and I don't want to be a bother, so I won't call again. If you do have time to talk in the future, I welcome your call."

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com      

Question 20: What if I have to leave a message?

This was a comment on yesterday's question.  See?  If you ask, I will respond...

When I first started coaching, I would tell people to call 3 times before leaving a message (because the point was to get them in). However, with today's technology, people are checking their caller ID, so if they see you're calling and not leaving a message, they may think it's strange. Then again, they may be curious about what you want and call you back.  So, the "3 calls before leaving a message" is up to you.

Another obstacle is: if you're calling from a blocked number, they may never answer.

Here is what you want to do when leaving a BRIEF message:

1. State your name- CLEARLY

2. State your phone number- CLEARLY

*I can't tell you how many people have called me and left out one of the above. Usually #1 and then I have to do a google search of the number and hope to find a name to match. Most people are not as caring as me.

3. Give them a compelling reason to call you back. This, while having to be spoken CLEARLY, does not have to be as clear.  This is what's called in the biz a "teaser" or a "cliffhanger." 

If you just call, "to check in," "to tell me you're available," or "to see what I've been up to," you may never get a call back, or may fall to the bottom of my priority list.  Nothing personal, I just have people calling me with urgent matters, questions only I can answer, and something really cool to share (these are all examples of #3).

Always know what you're going to say, should you go to voicemail, before you make the call.  

For more tips and articles by The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com