Over the years, I have been a fan of cold calling/emailing to get booked for gigs. My current monthly gig I received from walking into the establishment and pitching the idea of having a magician for their monthly event. The manager loved the idea and then referred my plan to the supervisor.

What can you do to prepare your pitch better? And what can you do that will get the manager/coordinator/owner to sign-off on your performance at their event? Below are a few thoughts/ideas to help.

1 – Determine how the event supports organizational goals

Businesses and any potential client are concerned about the bottom line. The manager is hiring you to add value to their event, not necessarily because you do magic or some other type of performance. Determine how you fit in, add value, or how you can solve a problem.

These are a few ways to add value

◾Customer/audience acquisition

◾Customer/member retention

◾Increased donations

◾Improved public perception/support

◾Wider brand recognition

Once you have an understanding of the purpose of the event or reason for booking you, you MUST align one or more of the organization’s goals with the intended outcomes of your presence. Talking to an employee before meeting with the decision maker can help offer an insight into the company's goal.

2 – Grease the wheels to get a meeting

Finding a way to get the meeting with the manager/executive/owner is not always easy. You typically have two things working against you: what you will be presenting to them maybe new and outside the box, and they don’t know you from Adam/Eve.

If possible, get to know the staff surrounding the executive. If they have an administrative assistant, they are usually the guardian of the executive’s phone and the keeper of their time. I typically try to show the staff a magic trick or tell them a story about how I performed at another event/venue like this and the outcome. Having them on your side will help to sell the idea to their boss.

3 – Formulate value propositions

This concept is brought over from marketing. This concept provides a link between your performance and clearly defines how their audience/customer will benefit from your show. This link can be a functional/tangible benefit, an emotional benefit (making their intended audience feel something) or self-expressive (helps their audience express themselves or their identity). Your event pitch value propositions should include at least:

◾How your show at the event fills a need/void or solves a problem

◾Who the event is for and how your performance specifically benefits them

◾How your show/performance can deliver value to the organization

4 – Develop a working theme

During your meeting, you want the idea of your performance to come to life so the person in charge can picture it in their mind. You will want to paint a picture with words and ideas and give them something tangible to wrap their head around.

Develop a theme to sell to the ower/manager. The subject could be increased patronage, repeat customers, added entertainment, or many other topics. The idea does not have to be definitive; it should instead paint a picture of your general thinking and direction you want to take with the event (and possibly include concepts from your value propositions).

I would recommend to come up with three working event themes and how you and your performance can make a good fit. This way they don’t get hung up on just one thinking that is the only way you could fit in. Just make sure they are themes you can live with if they do get hung up on one because it sucks to get buy-in on something you don’t feel is ideal.

5 – Compose a very brief pitch

Depending on who you can meet with to discuss your performance, they may have a busy calendar or may not need a detailed plan (as they may often delegate tasks to other staff). Plan on keeping your initial pitch to under 10 minutes but prep for another 15 minutes of Q&A. During the meeting, you should lead with your value propositions and overall rationale for the event, followed by their audience, working theme ideas, and you should tie all this back to the goals of the organization and the priorities of the client.

There are several do’s and don’ts that you should also follow during your pitch:

◾DO share enough information that they understand the main points and concepts.

◾DON’T share so much that they get hung up on a small point or idea. ◾DO bring along visual aids if they help (a one-page sell sheet or promo video would work).

◾DON’T prepare a big PowerPoint presentation.

◾DO practice the pitch both to yourself and others until it is memorized.

◾DON’T sound like you memorized it … that is, be relaxed and show you have control over the room and your idea.

◾DO maintain eye contact the entire time.

◾DON’T get flustered if the client is critical (some will try to intimidate you into testing your resolve).

◾DO read the executive’s body language and act accordingly.

◾DON’T leave the room until you have discussed and settled on “next steps” with the client.

6 – Anticipate objections and compose rebuttals

Before the meeting, you should play the devil’s advocate and try to poke as many holes in your idea as you can. Be as critical as possible, because some clients either won’t hold back in their reservations to your plan or, even worse, may do this silently in their head and decide against your idea without voicing their objections.

What I recommend is to write down as many objections as you can think of and then have your peers also write down their complaints. Once you have this list, script a rebuttal to each one of these, so you are prepared.

There’s some disagreement regarding bringing up objections yourself and proactively answering them during your meeting. A best practice here is, if there are a few apparent objections that all your peers brought up, then consider mentioning those in your pitch. What you don’t want to do is plant objections in the client’s head that could shoot down your idea before it can take flight.

7 – Create a 1-page “sell sheet” handout

Some clients may hear enough of your pitch to make a “Go/No-Go” decision on the spot, but most will need some time to digest what you have presented before they can decide.

To help them decide in your favor, you should prepare a single-page leave-behind for them that outlines your idea, past performance, testimonials, and includes your value propositions, working theme ideas and how they tie back to organizational goals. It should also include your contact information if they have additional questions after the meeting.

Think of this document like a 1-page business plan that gives the highlights of you, your performance, and your added value to their business/event. It should be quickly scannable and should not take more than a minute or two to digest.

8 – Have a follow-up strategy

Don’t be surprised if you hear crickets a few days or even a few weeks after your meeting. The thought of you performing or performance idea is probably not near the top of the client's priority list, and it may take some time for them to return to the concept or warm up to it.

Pitching your performance can take on the characteristics of a sales cycle. Most salespeople never expect a prospect to say “yes” in the first pitch or presentation, but rather after a more lengthy courting process with lots of back and forth and negotiating.

As such, you should put together a follow-up strategy after your pitch that includes periodic check-ins with the executive and even follow-up meetings to talk about refinements to your idea. Having a good CRM or sales pipeline software/app is beneficial.

Persistence is critical here because if you stay visible and remain on the client’s mind, you are much more likely to get approved. Don’t worry if you feel like you are annoying the client, as most of them tend to like people who are driven (because they see something of themselves in you).

Good luck!