10 Tips to Closing the Deal
Dear Friends:
I am very excited about this week’s article. How to close the deal is the topic and I think for all of us in this industry, and probably every industry, it’s one of the most difficult and uncomfortable things to do. It certainly takes us out of our comfort zone! In fact, just writing this article made me anxious since it got me thinking about my upcoming projects and the business details that need to be handled to actually close the deals.
At the same time writing it was valuable for me as a wake-up call because I clearly saw where and why I wasn’t closing the deal on certain projects. Many of us are great at creating some heat around ourselves and our projects from time to time, but how do we close the deal… how do we push it to that next stage? How do we get them to read our screenplay? Sign that option agreement? Watch our acting reel? Hire us as the director on that film or TV show? Commit to investing in our film?
In this “10 Tips” article, I’ll share with you some ideas that will support you with this extremely important issue.<--read more-->
HOW TO GET A MEETING
Dear Friends:
How do we get face time? I realize that online social media is a big part of our lives. I was watching CBS Sunday Morning a while back and the reporter talked to a husband and wife who said they actually text each other while in the same house. They said they seldom have face to face discussions anymore. Is that crazy or am I just old fashioned?
Our iPhone and iPad are our new best friend and the social network is here to stay. When I was checking out David Sayce’s website a while back I read his article about Twitter. He gave fascinating information on just how many times a day we’re online. He said that just one year ago “every second, on average, around 6,000 tweets are tweeted on Twitter, which corresponds to over 350,000 tweets sent per minute, 500 million tweets per day and around 200 billion tweets per year. I’m sure those number are even higher now. <--read more-->
HOW TO CREATE A MISSION STATEMENT
Dear Friends:
The time is always perfect for this week’s topic… “10 Tips to Creating Your Mission Statement”. For some reason we tend to avoid this aspect of our business. As I’ve mentioned in more than a few of my previous articles, you are a business. You are the president and CEO of your company even if you are a writer, an actor, a DP, a director, etc.
When I started doing the research for this article I asked an actress friend of mine about her mission statement and she said, “I never thought of myself as a business, so I didn’t think I needed one.” EVERYONE should have a mission statement. Business, personal, it doesn’t matter… it’s important. So that’s your job this week! And trust me, you’ll thank me when it’s over. <--read more-->
HOW TO GET A MENTOR
Dear Friends:
I don’t think you’re going to be to happy with what I’m about to suggest in this article. I’m going to address the topic of getting a mentor. I have a feeling I’ve lost you already, so come on back… it’s not going to be as painful as you think.
However, when I was speaking at a Scriptwriters Network event a few years ago I suggested that each person there get a mentor. You could have heard a pin drop and then one of the participants stood up and said, “Are you crazy? Who would I get? Why would they ever say yes? How would I get one?” Everyone in the room seemed to have the same reaction. <--read more-->
PUTTING THE BUSINESS BACK IN SHOW BUSINESS
Dear Friends:
In our business we have events, workshops, festivals, film markets and screenings happening constantly. Do you put your business hat on when you attend these events? Are you ready at the drop of a hat to pitch yourself and/or your projects? Are you ready to do a ton of networking? What is the point of having a killer logline, a great pitch, a brilliant demo reel, a fantastic script, composer’s reel, costume designer’s portfolio, etc. if you don’t know how to get it to or be with the right people?
A few years back I went to a PGA (Producers Guild of America) seminar on Packaging and it was so interesting to watch and observe people interact. Human beings are fascinating! The degree to which we are unconscious is staggering. I think we, as creative people, are the worst. We really don’t focus on the Business aspects of our business and we are especially bad at wearing the Business Hat when we are out at events, on the phone or in meetings.<–read more–>
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