techniques for getting new clients

Neve Studer · Post by **Neve Studer** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 4:04 pm

I recently blew a gig because I talked to the band after a show. It was my fault, I was feeling nervous and started to talk about songs in a way that was too specific, and wigged them out.

In general, my rule is to say hi, and let them know i came out and saw them, but avoid getting into specifics, and call them later (if it's appropriate- I'm thinking of cases where the band has approached me)

MichaelAlan · Post by **MichaelAlan** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:20 pm

This is one of the best threads ever. I just decided to NOT get a yellow page ad. Thanks doods.

Seventh Wave Studio · Post by **Seventh Wave Studio** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 2:55 pm

Yellow pages ads will only get you a dozen calls a week during American Idol time. Every 12 year old girl who has $50 will want you to make them a star.

Advertising gets you bar bands who call around to find the cheapest hourly rate. if you are not the cheapest, they hang up right after you tell them.

The only problem with seeing a band in a club and approaching them is that you have nothing higher up on the ladder to do but see them.

Word of mouth has been the biggest helper in the industry. It does not matter if you offer to pay a percentage, Either you do it well or you do not. If you do it well and everything sails smoothly, your phone will ring.

Perception is HUGE. People with whom I have NEVER met or talked to in my life have given me gleaming remarks, or horrible remarks. It is like that whisper-in-the-ear game when you are a kid. "Well I heard that guy....(fill in the blank)"

I also try to do one extra thing for every band. Sometimes a free acoustic track, sometimes work a photo shoot wth my friend into the budget, offer a case of their favorite beer in the fidge, etc. I wait until we are halfway through the project to "surprise " them. It is just good business anyway.

Find out what the other studios in your area are doing well, and do it better. Find out what they do badly, and do it fantastic.

I run a business and I act like it. I do not wear t-shirts or sneakers during sessions. I am not casual about anything, from bar meetings to contract signings. I keep the studio spotless, touching up paint on the walls and oiling mic stands.

Become friends with every studio in town. Do not be hard to work with. Make sure they have fun.

Sean Shannon · Post by **Sean Shannon** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:23 am

I run an ad in the local rag, and I get a fair amount of calls from potential clients. Of course they are interested in the price, but I also list many of the artists that I work with, and my price is competitive. It has brought me lots of work over the last 5 years. Run the ad every month to keep the studio name out there in people's minds, even slow months when you question whether it's worth it.

Also, your track record will precede you, and your skills will be easy to sell once you have successful projects under your belt. Put up a web page you can direct them to, with sound clips and visuals. This is your chance to sell yourself. Although my site is not perfect, I get calls all the time from folks who said they've already been to my site and liked what they heard. I also put business cards, flyers, and/or postcard sized ads in the music and CD stores every couple of months.

Don't listen to everybody else's sob story, and please don't make the decision not to advertise because someone on this forum says not to. People who do good work, and have been doing this a long time, may not need to run ads, but you are specifically asking how to attract more clients. You want the phone to ring, that is the goal. Once they are on the phone you can sell your services. $50 projects don't seem like much until you consider that the ad was only $100 in the local mag, and that $50 client told her favorite band about you, and they came in with $1500. Happens all the time.

If you honestly believe that less advertising will bring more clients, then don't advertise. Please re-read that last sentence.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 5:43 am

Sean Shannon wrote:If you honestly believe that less advertising will bring more clients, then don't advertise. Please re-read that last sentence.

I don't think that anyone in this thread has made the above argument.

Sean Shannon · Post by **Sean Shannon** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:22 pm

No, but the overall tone is that Yellow Pages ads only bring cheapie wannabes, and other ads aren't worth it. Word of mouth is great, but you have to build that up over time from somewhere. I just wanted to relate my experience so all the newer studio owners don't shoot themselves in the foot by not advertising.

joelpatterson · Post by **joelpatterson** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:38 am

What you say is true, and yet what I see is that there's a community of musicians who talk to each other all the time, and share their experiences, and can't wait for everyone to hear the recordings they've done. This word of mouth is what has worked for me.

The ads I've put in papers have mostly yielded isolated weirdos who troll through newpapers looking for a studio, and so I don't do that anymore.

Not to negate the worthiness of advertising in a traditional way, but your best advertising is an amazing recording done for someone who is determined that the world should hear all about it.

Again, this is just me talking.

Sean Shannon · Post by **Sean Shannon** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 1:55 pm

Sure, word of mouth is great. But, it takes t....i....m....e. The band may love your work, and tell all their friends, but they may not all be ready to record for a while. Hundreds of happy clients, all spreading the word, is awesome, but it takes t....i....m....e.

Ads speak for you where you and your friends can't possibly be, and get the phone ringing. They may not have gotten you enough business to warrant the cost, but for me, I am slammed, the ads make the phone keep ringing with calls from people who don't know my previous clients (thus NEW clients). I will always advertise, and I have hundreds of clients already. Take that for what it's worth to you.

tungsol · Post by **tungsol** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:14 am

I do demos & live sound at local clubs - musicians see me and get the idea that i can handle FOH. The next time they see a gig which doesn?t sound as the one i did they think of me - or not

. So now most People know me, that I do demos and that i?m fun to be with. To put out a sampler is another good idea if you have the money, mine was financed with two gigs with the bands involved and everybody was happy because of all the buzz. But if you decide also to do live sound get the best earplugs money can buy and don?t gig too often.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:32 pm

1. Record a good band for free, two songs and don't rush anything even if they try to rush you, get it right. Tell them the price is to spread the word.
You will get two clients that pay from this.
2. Go to places that have live talent doing the kind of music you prefer to work with, offer a deal to the best you can find and follow up, but, don't be pushy. Be set up and ready when they get there. Find out what they like and have it there on hand. You will get one paying client this way.
3. Make a demo of your best tracks you've recorded. It will waste some of your downtime and hone your skills.
4. Do not mix for free. You can mix at a reduced rate if necessary.
5. If they want you to be their live guy, you're too expensive.
6. Don't ever work with anyone you don't want to, period. It isn't worth the wasted time and you will get no clients out of it.
7. If you want money, do commercials and voice-overs. There's more dough changing hands there.

chillhouse · Post by **chillhouse** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:04 pm

the thread grew! that's good. since writing the original i have implemented a couple of new strategies. i agree with the advertising thoughts, and i also agree with the phone book ad thoughts. phone book ads are really expensive, and i've had better luck anyway with ads in local music/scene rags. i've been at it for a while now, and i agree that word of mouth is paramount. almost every single gig i have ever done has some connection to another gig i did, or something else in the music biz that i did.

main new approach: i'm talking to a couple of aspiring outside engineers/producers about using the room for their projects. this may seem like a no brainer, but when you factor in the "aspiring" part and you own the building and everything in it, you can see the potential for reluctance on my part. i used to be on staff at a local studio that had 17 interns, and there were always problems. if it works out, i will train the right person or people and it will pay off with gigs and as a "buzz" builder for the studio.

i'm too busy to go to bars at night. i'm also past offering out free time to local bands. not that they are bad ideas at all, just that i've already been there. in the end, the studio business is cyclical, and since i wrote the post, i have booked 12 gigs in january. it always comes around, it's just lonely when it's slow.

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:29 pm

Dude, I looked at your site, you were just having a freakout moment.
When you have that many names on your resume and you come a whinin onto the TapeOp board, well, it's just silly. You know better. Panicky. You're just rotten, rotten and silly.

chillhouse · Post by **chillhouse** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:53 pm

easy there cowboy. my post was not whiny, and i still think it valid, regardless. good discussion was generated. this is stuff i think about all the time: keepin' the studio busy. very unpredictable business with a lot of competition...

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:11 pm

You're totally right, rotten and silly, but, totally right.
Made me think, ya know, if you like original or just keepin busy, try gettin hold of some of those booking agents and see whether they have bands that need demos. I know there are a few in Boston. I'm in Memphis and an agent proposed it to me.
just a thought.

Ethan Holdtrue · Post by **Ethan Holdtrue** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 6:05 am

One of the biggest problems I have been faced with lately are guys in BIG bands who start recording. Small local bands get the whole 'ooo... I wanna get recorded by bla bla bla, from bla bla bla!!' and they do and there tracks come out sounding like a pile of mashed ass, but they are happy cause it's 'name brand'.

Any one have any ideas on how to save the market, aside from me starting my own band and getting 'BIG'?

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