peewee
01-05-2005, 10:40 AM
Do's and Don'ts
Just let me know if you did not get
Parts 1 or 2 in this series...
Once you have your meeting scheduled with the
restaurant manager, it's time to start thinking
strategy. What will you say at the meeting? What
should you bring? What to wear?
Let's break these out and handle them one at a
time.
What to Say
If you want to know what to say, put yourself in
the shoes of the restaurant manager. What is the
number one concern for him on a daily basis? It's
to get more business into his restaurant. So how
will you help him do that?
I would let him know that you offer a very visual
form of entertainment that makes people not notice
how much time they had to wait for their food,
delights kids and adults and is very family
oriented. If people know that a clown will be at
their restaurant every Wednesday evening they will
make it a practice to go there on a regular basis.
Talk to him/her about what is the slowest night of
the week and how you can help boost sales. It
would be great if you asked him what are typical
Wednesday night sales and that you would be
willing to track Wednesday night sales to see the
impact of your performing. I know of clowns who
have brought in over $1000 in business on the
normally slow nights.
By offering to track this information you also put
yourself in a good position to getting an increase
later...but first get the booking.
What to Bring
You should bring some literature as you would to
any presentation. References, business cards, any
literature or pictures. You may or may not need
them but better to have them with you. Also,
consider bringing a sample of what you do.
If you do balloons, bring a small pump and a few
balloons to make a sample on the spot. Or some
pocket magic or walk-around gags. But try to walk
in light. Don't drag in your large balloon bag
and pump or your facepaint kit.
What to Wear
On the subject of what to wear, come in dressed as
a business professional. This speaks volumes to
them to let them know you ARE a professional. I
do not advise that you come in wearing your clown
costume. And speak professionally, not in your
clown voice.
Expect to negotiate a rate anywhere from $30 - $75
per hour for your services. I also negotiate to
get a meal as part of the deal. Not to eat it
there in my clown costume of course, but to come
back later or as a take-out order.
This isn't a high paying job but look at the
exposure you are getting! Be sure to discuss that
you expect to be handing out your cards, are tips
acceptable or unacceptable, can you provide a
coloring page with your clown picture and contact
information, your picture on the marquee and other
marketing opportunities. Try to make it as easy
for them as possible.
In our next Clown Marketing Tip we'll talk about
what to do once you get the restaurant gig.
Yours for more shows, more money and more fun
Esther Beris - The Queen of Clown Marketing
440-298-1536
www.ClownMarketingTips.com
Just let me know if you did not get
Parts 1 or 2 in this series...
Once you have your meeting scheduled with the
restaurant manager, it's time to start thinking
strategy. What will you say at the meeting? What
should you bring? What to wear?
Let's break these out and handle them one at a
time.
What to Say
If you want to know what to say, put yourself in
the shoes of the restaurant manager. What is the
number one concern for him on a daily basis? It's
to get more business into his restaurant. So how
will you help him do that?
I would let him know that you offer a very visual
form of entertainment that makes people not notice
how much time they had to wait for their food,
delights kids and adults and is very family
oriented. If people know that a clown will be at
their restaurant every Wednesday evening they will
make it a practice to go there on a regular basis.
Talk to him/her about what is the slowest night of
the week and how you can help boost sales. It
would be great if you asked him what are typical
Wednesday night sales and that you would be
willing to track Wednesday night sales to see the
impact of your performing. I know of clowns who
have brought in over $1000 in business on the
normally slow nights.
By offering to track this information you also put
yourself in a good position to getting an increase
later...but first get the booking.
What to Bring
You should bring some literature as you would to
any presentation. References, business cards, any
literature or pictures. You may or may not need
them but better to have them with you. Also,
consider bringing a sample of what you do.
If you do balloons, bring a small pump and a few
balloons to make a sample on the spot. Or some
pocket magic or walk-around gags. But try to walk
in light. Don't drag in your large balloon bag
and pump or your facepaint kit.
What to Wear
On the subject of what to wear, come in dressed as
a business professional. This speaks volumes to
them to let them know you ARE a professional. I
do not advise that you come in wearing your clown
costume. And speak professionally, not in your
clown voice.
Expect to negotiate a rate anywhere from $30 - $75
per hour for your services. I also negotiate to
get a meal as part of the deal. Not to eat it
there in my clown costume of course, but to come
back later or as a take-out order.
This isn't a high paying job but look at the
exposure you are getting! Be sure to discuss that
you expect to be handing out your cards, are tips
acceptable or unacceptable, can you provide a
coloring page with your clown picture and contact
information, your picture on the marquee and other
marketing opportunities. Try to make it as easy
for them as possible.
In our next Clown Marketing Tip we'll talk about
what to do once you get the restaurant gig.
Yours for more shows, more money and more fun
Esther Beris - The Queen of Clown Marketing
440-298-1536
www.ClownMarketingTips.com