Corporate Hypnosis Shows
Posted on 13. Nov, 2010 by Jason Gold in Stage Shows
The money to be earned in the corporate entertainment world is phenomenal. This is where small businesses and large companies alike book you to perform at their Christmas Show, annual get-together and so on. 9 times out of 10 the company will have the venue and all aspects set up and all you have to do is turn up and perform your show. The way to find yourself into the corporate market is to be in the public eye performing as many shows as possible and if the right people see you then you’ll be in luck. Other ways can include preparing a short DVD recording of one of your shows and sending it with a letter straight into the office of the Company Managing Director. Dealing with company secretaries will almost never get you in touch with the decision makers so it’s your job to find out who that person is and to find the appropriate way to contact them.
I remember a time I wanted to perform for a large corporation at their Christmas event. I searched the company website and found names of some of the highest ranking members of staff, the partners. Some websites will give you details on the person such as “Dan likes football, reading, and spending time with his children”. So I found Dans details, decided he seemed a more approachable person, and planned how to get in touch with him. I put a five minute DVD recording of some of the best parts of my shows in an envelope. I then wrote Dans details in my own handwriting and market it ‘PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL’, before spraying some of my fiancées perfume on it. I imagined Dan’s secretary finding this, rolling her eyes and passing it along without thinking it may be a sales pitch. When Dan received the letter, he opened it to find a note saying “If you’ve opened this envelope, you MUST take five minutes out to see what’s on this disc, otherwise you’ll be left wondering”. Curiosity took its toll and as it happened, the DVD footage was something Dan found funny. At the end of the disc was my name, website address, and contact details. Two days later Dan called me, admitted that my approach was rather cheeky but said that he liked the initiative that I’d shown. I met him at his office the following week and he agreed to pay me several thousand pounds to perform for an hour and a half. Not bad, is it?
This encounter set the mark for me. A few weeks after the meeting with Dan I was performing at one of my regular venues when I was approached by a company director who’d watched the show. He told me he loved every minute of it and wanted my act booked for his event at Christmas. This was still only October. I met him in his office a few days later and he asked me how much it would cost. I was smart to sidestep the question, get him excited about the show, and then casually land the figure. To be honest, I didn’t expect him to pay the amount asked for but by setting the bar high enough, at least the negotiations would still bring in an excellent profit for me. He agreed to the figure and asked me to invoice him straight away.
The corporate bookings continued (and still do) to come at me and every July I make an extra special effort to begin hunting for opportunities, when I know the corporate world is beginning to book its Christmas entertainment.
When dealing with bars, social clubs and nightclubs, many times the agreement will be over a handshake and nothing more. In the corporate world however, most things are handled through contracts. Naturally, you want to look as professional as possible when dealing with people so I designed a contract with a solicitor friend. (By the way, these are the times it’s important to wear your fancy shoes and designer suits.) The contract stated that half of the agreed amount was to be paid immediately, and the other half right before the event. This contract also covered all angles including the audience not wanting to participate in the show, acts of God, time issues and much more. It’s a great idea to have your own contract because if you leave it to the client to make one, this can end up causing concerns with a subject they may know nothing about. You don’t need this kind of hassle.
Don’t wait until the last minute either, you will want to be prepared when opportunity knocks, otherwise it could slip right through your fingers.
