Balloon Figures Services, Popcorn & Cotton Candy
Picture this, you receive a call from a person that wants to know your rate for your services. You start thinking that it’s a done deal, spit out your rate or rates if you have more than one service, and then…
All you hear is silence on the other line. When the person starts talking again, you can feel the change of tone. Then the person says something like they are going to check something out or they are going to think about it and they hang up the phone. You have just lost a gig.
Yep! This happened to me a lot when I was a beginner DJ and then again when I was a beginner clown. But I learned a method that has helped me reduce this from happening a lot. You will still get a few here and there but it will be a lot less.
Bringing In A Pinata
You may be asking right now: “So what is this method you are talking about Pikorete?”
Here it is. Simple an easy to apply.
You have to have a strategy in place for answering calls. My strategy is basically not telling them my rate before getting rapport with them. The way I do this is by:
Asking questions about what they are looking for, what services they are interested in you doing at their event, what is the party theme, asking about the name and age of the birthday kid, and any other detail that comes to mind.
- listening carefully to what they are saying
- how they are saying it (voice tone, excitement or not, etc)
- the words they use when talking so I can use them when talking back to them
- getting a feel for their humor (if they have a great one then I clown around with them on the phone). Most of the people that call me laugh and they tell me that they like the way I talk and treat them in the phone.
Singing Happy Birthday
After you have all this information, then you explain (using the information they just gave you to customize your service to them) what you do before the event, when you arrive at the event, during the event, and after the event. This way they get a general feel or vision of what you are all about.
If you have a website and/or videos or photos, let them know where to find them. Videos of you performing are really powerful because when your prospects see them they know what to expect from you. And if they like what they see, it’s easier to get the deal done.
Pony Rides Service
When you get to this point, most of them will ask you again what is your rate. This is your cue to tell them your rate and then, stay silence… Don’t talk, let them sink it in and wait for their answer, even if it takes longer than usual with an uncomfortable silence and you want to jump in to explain why that is your rate. Don’t do it, just wait.
If you have videos, most of the times they will want to check them out first. If they like you, when they come back, it will be to hire your services.
On the rare occasion that they might say it is expensive, and they ask you to lower your price, you may do that, but make sure that if you lower your rate, that you also lower your services.
For example, instead of an hour of Face Painting, you will do 30 minutes or whatever you can reduce from your service.
Try this next time, and let me know how it works for you.
Food Serving Service
Pikorete The Clown and Pompita The Face Painter serves the area in Rochester, NY and nearby cities. Pikorete likes to celebrate Birthdays for kids and adults alike, Baby Showers, Sweet 16, Graduations, Weddings, school parties and any other event that thehost wants it to be fun. His specialty is making little people and big people, young and old, laugh with his funny games, dances, and other crazy stuffs that he does or that he invents at the moment. You can visit his website at http://www.pikoretetheclown.com