"I'm sorry we missed entertaining at your event
this time, but thanks anyway for giving me $50."
That's how I ended many of my early phone calls.
These used to be my all-time favorite calls.
Well, No, I probably never said this out loud,
but
I used to think it every time I hung up.
Why?
Way back in the 1970s, I was just starting out
and knew from nothing about running a business.
Then I learned how to track my "numbers".
It was just to keep an eye on how I was doing.
I kept whatever worked and changed what didn't.
You're doing this too, right? We all do.
In those pre-email days, I telephoned a lot.
I found that I was booking the band every 8th
phone call, and our average fee was $400.
Do the math. I was making $50 per call.
Every call.
And it felt SO good to remind myself each time.
Wouldn't you love it too?
Do you track YOUR numbers at all? It gives you
an interesting picture of your business, right?
One-sided, sure, but useful, if you're cautious.
Today I have a different favorite phone call.
Much better. It ends with something like this:
"Thanks for calling. Great talking with you.
I look forward to entertaining your guests,
and I'm glad you found us on your planner's
Preferred Vendors List."
Preferred Vendor Lists!
Whatever you're involved in, I bet you have one,
and I bet your clients love using it.
It
helps them
find
what they want -- music and other services.
For them, it makes searching easy and effective.
For me, it's the TOP reason why brides-to-be,
wedding coordinators,
and party planners call us.
We're included in the Preferred Vendor lists of
many SF Bay Area facilities and event planners,