And...Action!

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

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1098: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.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1097: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

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1096: 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

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1095: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?

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

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1094: Dealing with favors part 2

The second part of the question was from the "opposite side of the table."

Question:

I also want to ask favors from those more successful than me. What is the most polite way to do it? Is it proper to offer some small flat fee for their time, or offer to trade something? Put a time limit on it?

First of all, if you haven't read yesterday's blog with the distinction between favors and business requests, do that first. Again, the answer to this question comes back to are you asking for a favor or is it a business request? Unless someone is a professional coach/mentor, (someone like me who gets paid to teach) you shouldn't have to pay for an advice conversation with someone who is more successful than you. If it's for a project, lots of people do freebies, but you have to create a win/win for them to do it. Why would they want to volunteer their time?

When you write "put a time limit on it," I'm not sure exactly what you mean because you weren't specific about the type of favors you wanted to ask for. When I coach people on getting mentors, I do have them put a time limit on the commitment.

Being "polite" is dependent on the recipient. Some people prefer email, others the phone, still others like to be asked in person over a meal. It depends on who your asking and what you're asking for.

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

Monday, March 5, 2012

getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1093: How do I deal with favors (part 1)

Question: As I become more successful, I find more people asking me for favors (I think you call it making requests). One question asked might seem small, but I recognize how much time it adds up to, with 20 people wanting things from me every day.

Answer: First my personal clarification

Requests are defined as:

1 : the act or an instance of asking for something
2 : something asked for

as opposed to:

Favors that are defined as:

1 : friendly regard shown toward another especially by a superior
2 : gracious kindness; also : an act of such kindness

When asking for a favor it implies reciprocity… not with a request.

It is understood in the business world that the reply to a request can be to AGREE, REFUSE or OFFER ANOTHER POSSIBILITY. If you can’t accept “no” as an answer, you’re making a demand NOT a request!

Therefore, you have to determine if you are truly being asked for a favor. If so, should you choose to do the favor, you tell them what they can do for you as a favor in return. Then you can determine whether it's worth it. If not say no.

If it's business, though, then it's a request and you need to set boundaries. You have to decide WIIFY (what's in it for you). 20/day does add up and takes away from the advancement of your career. While saying NO may feel uncomfortable at first, eventually it will be very empowering and and send a message to your subconscious and the people in your life, that while you're an independent contractor, that doesn't mean that you don't have work to do and that you have time to do favors for everyone.

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

Sunday, March 4, 2012

getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1092: How do I make MONEY in this industry, I'm GREAT at what I do!

I could have asked him what he does, but it doesn't matter. I imagine all of my readers as being great at what you do. You're great at what you do and you want to make money at it. This is the frustration of the dreams we have. You see, I know a lot of people who make a lot of money doing jobs they could care less about, hate in some situations. When I ask them why they don't do something else, they all say the same thing, "I don't know what I want to do."

WE on the other hand, know exactly what we want to do. Some of us since we were young children have know the dream and imagined it in all of it's glory.

How do you make money? You let go of your attachment to your dream, and respect this industry for what it is, a business. When you start strategizing and networking like the CEO of a A-lister's company, combined with the attitude of a passionate, determined artist/craftsman/technician, then you will make money. You may think you're doing this already, but in my experience,I've yet to meet a client (and I've coached over 1000) who had this formula down before they met me.

Because most people don't have this formula down, it takes time to grow your business to the point that you're making good, steady money. Therefore, having supplemental income to keep desperation from creeping in, is essential!!!!

Keep your eye on the dream and your mind on the business.

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

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1091: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 (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

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 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!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1091:How do I get a mentor if...

...there are only a few people who do what I do and I know as much as them?"

This brings up a very universal issue. When it comes to getting mentors, while it's great to have mentors who are doing what you want to be doing already, if you are in this person's position, at the same level, they're not the type of mentor you need.

In this case you'd be seeking out business advice and guidance from either:

1. The classification of people who hire you (so unless you know everybody who hires your classification, this type is good for you)

2. Any parallel classification who gets hired by the same classification as you. For example: If you're an Editor, a parallel classification (ones who also get hired by producers and directors) would be a DP, Production Designer, Actor, Writer, Key Hair & Makeup, etc. Why? Because if they are successful, they can give you advice on what they do. You're all in the same boat, just different classifications.