And...Action!

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

Friday, March 18, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 743:How can you get yourself known on the web, without seeming annoying or cheesy?

Sometimes the way y'all phrase your questions, cracks me up! Let me address the later part of that question since it's what's helping me fill my laugh quota for today...

If you are not annoying or cheesy, you will not be perceived that way. I'm going to go out on a limb, and guess that you're neither of those. Because if you were, you wouldn't recognize the annoyances and cheesiness of others, and therefore, you wouldn't recognize the need to NOT be like them. So, go easy on yourself, and don't do anything that you find annoying or cheesy.

Ways to get yourself noticed on the web that are professional, effective and a smart way to market:

1. Create a website that honestly represents what you do professionally, makes it easy for people to find the information on you that they want, and showcases your best attributes.

*NOTE: if you are not website building savvy, and will spend a lot of time learning as you build, I suggest what my mentor Loral Langemeier says, "Strengthen your strengths, pay for your weaknesses." It's better to spend money on a professional web designer, so you can spend YOUR time generating money with your professional strengths. I recommend Kathy Hoffman athttp://www.hoffmansites.com. Tell her you're my client. She's very reasonable and very reliable.

2. Get on Social Networking Sites like: Facebook, Twitter, Linked in. Make informative or inquisitive posts on people's walls.

For example: a camera operator needed an AC. He posted his request on my wall and on my Greenlight Coach Group wall, and found his AC through my friends network. (hint, hint, if you're reading this you should be friend requesting me on FB, joining my fan page, LinkingIn with me, and following me on Twitter.

3. Write an informative blog or create a podcast.

4. Post videos of yourself (demonstrating /teaching/ working) on YouTube. No dancing to a montage of music from the 80's... that's cheesy (the only exception is: if you're a professional dancer).

5. Post informative comments AND success stories on other people's blogs, like this one! Or www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com. This gets you recognized as an expert in your field, in a community of like-minded people.

If you have more detailed questions about any of the above, post it on my comments section and I'll answer it as a separate question.

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

Thursday, March 17, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 742: How do I sharpen my negotiating skills? (ex: day rate)

I get this question a lot from people who don't have agents. Negotiating is a skill that takes practice and training. Now, if you're like most people in the industry, you don't have a lot of opportunity to practice or you'd probably have an agent who snatched you up to do the job for you. Training can be expensive, time consuming, and in many instances, boring for creative people.

So, here's an answer that you probably didn't expect. It is fun and extremely entertaining while at the same time educational:

1. LEAVE ALL CASH, CREDIT CARDS, & CHECKBOOKS in your car

2. Go into A and/or B & C (at least three 1 high end, 1 low end, 1 middle):

a. GYMS: Equinox, Crunch, 24 Hour Fitness, Ballys, a small neighborhood gym

b. CARS: Bentley, Lexus, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Kia

c. MATTRESS stores

3. Allow yourself to be "sold to"

4. Negotiate with them BUT don't buy

5. Give them your real phone number and email address, so you can see their follow up techniques

Gym, mattress, and car sales people are trained to negotiate. You can learn so much from their different styles. A Lexus sales person negotiates much differently than a Toyota sales person.

Back in your car, jot down some notes. What worked? What turned you off? What words were used to persuade you? What was their body language? Did they create rapport with you, and if so, how? Was a manager brought in to help close you, and if so, was the manager's style different?

Start writing a script based on bits and pieces you take from each that you found to be effective. Then try negotiating with people in your life for basic things like, a movie you want to see, a restaurant you want to try, and the new car you now want to buy because the Lexus dealer was so darn good!

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

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 741: Am I too old for a mentor?

His question went into a little more detail that may be helpful to many of you:

I'm 52 years old. I know a few cameramen whom I think would welcome speak with me. Am I too old to ask them to mentor me? I don't want them to think I don't know what I'm doing!

The answer is: No, as long as you have more to learn, you're never too old. The question is, what are you asking for. You want to be really clear:

1. What does the mentorship entail? (business advice & guidance? Craft advice? Shadowing?)

2. You want to set a time frame, so the mentor is clear that this isn't endless ( 3 conversations, 3 set visits, etc)

3. Explain why you've chosen him/her over all other people. It's prestigious to be asked to be a mentor. Let the people whom you're asking know, where you are, where you want to be, and what you want to learn from them in order to reach your goals.

Preparation + Professionalism never = don't know what I'm doing

Last tip, when seeking mentors, go after at least 5 at a time. The reasoning behind this is: if the first 4 say no, but the 5th one says YES, screw the rest! (was that harsh?) To heck with the rest! But you never would have gotten to the yes, if you started with the 1st, got a no, and got discouraged.

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

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 740: With so many commitments, how do I manage my time?

I chose to answer this question today, because it's 11:30 pm. You see, I made a commitment to YOU, to answer a question per day, and guess what? For me, life showed up today. I didn't have time to blog because of my other priorities. Now, because this is a priority for me, I'm doing it before I go to bed.

I'm sharing this with you as an example of accountability and taking one small step.

You can manage your time by:

1. Making a list of what you WANT to accomplish

2. Making a list of what you MUST accomplish

3. Prioritizing both lists

Then # 4 is KEY:

4. Taking at least one action per day on that list

And # 5 will keep you emotionally stable:

5. Forgiving yourself if you can't

There will be days when I won't be able to post because life will happen, and I will choose to to de-prioritize this commitment because something or someone is more important. And that will be okay. I don't aim for perfection anymore. I aim for enjoying the journey. There are other specific time management techniques that I will offer in this blog. For now I want YOU to practice enjoying your journey until it is no longer something you practice it is who YOU ARE.

Monday, March 14, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 739: How do I get work on a daily show like Conan or The Tonight Show?

Here's how the whole question read: i am 19 and have come over to the US for 6 weeks to complete an internship. Before this i have worked as a runner on big studio pictures, as well as the UK version of Big Brother. TV is ultimately where i would like to end up, one day hopefully as a producer, but until then, how could i find work here on US tv? I would love to work on a daily show such as Conan or The Tonight Show, but would have no idea who or how to go about contacting. I know i would have to get a visa worked out, but i would be willing to get it all sorted so i can work on US TV!

There are two issues here. The Visa has been an obstacle for many of my Non-US resident clients. So, I'm not going to address that here, because until you have a work Visa, you can't work. Therefore, I'll answer the predominant question: Who to contact.

There are different types of producers in television. For example: Line producers who are dealing with the actual day to day of production and co-producers which I just chose as an example of one of the many titles used for the writers of the show. Because I don't know which path you're headed, if you wanted to write, you'd most likely start out as a writer's assistant. If you wanted to be in physical production you'd most likely start out as a P.A.

Who do you contact? EVERYONE you know. You tell them your goal (ex: to get a tv PA job or a tv writers assistant position) and ask if they can help you or refer you to someone who can.

That's where you start. Past that gets too detailed for a handwritten answer, although if you are brave enough to read through the 738 questions that came before this, you will find many helpful blog entries. Good luck!

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

Sunday, March 13, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 738:What 3 things should you do when you go to a networking event?

1. Set a goal for the number of new people you will meet

2. Spend time creating the relationship before asking for their card (getting their information is far more important than giving yours. Of course you should still give yours once you get theirs)

3. Put notes on the business card to remind you what they looked like and what you spoke about

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

Saturday, March 12, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 737: Why would you even answer yesterday's question. What a jerk!

Okay, calm down. I answered it for two reasons

1. because I believe that the guy is in such pain that he can't see past his own problems to appreciate how lucky he is to be alive, safe, and not worried about loved ones who may be in harms way. Sometimes when you're so deeply devastated by not being able to live your dream, in debt because of it, and having everyone in your life tell you to give up, you miss the bigger picture. I hope my response gave him some perspective.

2. because I know how many of us allow ourselves to be surrounded by negative people who complain about things they have no control over instead of taking action on things they do have control over. These people are called "energy drains."

In the world of Money Speakers, coaches say that your bank account is a reflection of the net worth of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So if your friends are poverty conscious, you'll struggle to make money yourself.

I feel similarly in our world in respect to who the 5 people are with whom you spend the most time. What kind of conversations do you have? Do you commiserate with the miserable? Or do you surround yourself with people who are constantly looking for solutions and possibilities?

Take the next month to listen to the types of conversations you're being engaged in. If you have too many negative people in your life, it's time to uplevel your friends/colleagues.

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

Friday, March 11, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 736:Now the stock market is messing up the economy because of the earthquake. Can we get a break?

I want to be gentle with my response here because I know this is not exactly a question, but an expression of frustration, with an underlying opportunity for me to blog about. First let me say, I feel your pain. As a business owner myself, it is scary when CNN has wall street people talking about how our economy is about to take another hit because of the repercussions of the earthquake in Japan.

That said, I've been glued to my TV all morning waiting for a Tsunami which may or may not hit the West Coast. I'm reading on Facebook and Twitter about all of my beach friends evacuating, so at the moment I'm far more concerned about their safety. Things can be replaced, lives cannot. The economy is unpredictable, loved ones and dear friends, and even people we don't know are real, and their safety is the primary concern here. Which leads to your semi-question...

This isn't really about the economy and it isn't really about your job as an entetainment industry professional. The entertainment industry has enough ups and downs and sidetracks to keep you off your game without the help of Mother Nature. What this really is about is how you manage your money.

I've given a seminar for years called "How to Maintain Stability in an Unstable Industry." This seminar gives you perspective on the nature of our industry and how you look at your relationship with money. Are you responsible with your income? Do you save for times like these? Can you afford to save if work is sporadic? And if it is sporadic do you create multiple streams of income to protect you and your family?

The bottom line is you have chosen an industry that has the potential to be feast or famine. You can't hide behind the fact that you're a "creative" to make excuses for not being responsible with your money and planing for your future and your family's well-being. Being responsible means that while your main focus is on generating the work you're passionate about, a percentage of your time must go into additional ways of creating income.

Nothing is guaranteed. Our world is unpredictable. We can only live day to day, not in the "what-ifs" but we must plan if we need to feel secure. Not everyone does, but it sounds like you do.

Perhaps today, even in your position of struggle and frustration, you can make a small donation to the crisis in Japan or help a friend who needs temporarily shelter in Los Angeles, something that makes you feel good about the fact that you can do something to help others no matter how bad it gets for you, you can still give back in some way.

Be safe!

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

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 735: How do I turn a cold call into a warm call?

As I pointed out yesterday, people in the entertainment industry don't respond well to cold calls. If you want to "warm up" your call, the BEST way, is to get a referral to the person you're calling.

If you don't know anyone who knows the person you're calling, do research on the person. Find a common link, something you admire, or a question that only he/she can answer.

Whenever possible, send a personalized letter introducing yourself and explaining the reason for your call- BEFORE you make the call. This way, the person can absorb what you're calling about and be expecting your call.

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

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 734:What is the best way to make a cold call to get work?

For all of you who hate making cold calls, you're going to love my answer to this one: DON'T MAKE THEM! I know in some industries cold calling is the norm, but ours is a creative industry, so it's not. The reason is because people want to hire people they know, like, and trust. Money, jobs, and reputations are on the line. Put yourself in the shoes of the person doing the hiring. If you had to hire someone on a $50 million feature and your job and reputation was on the line, would you hire a cold caller or someone you've worked with for 10 years? Even if your entire network of people was unavailable, would you hire a cold caller or ask your network for recommendations to other people? Cold calling is a long shot. I'm not saying that people have never gotten jobs making them, I'm saying it's working hard, not smart.

I'll answer the obvious next question tomorrow: if I shouldn't cold call people, how do I meet them?