There’s been dozens of times where I’ve felt like people have fallen of the face of the Earth. Where I feel like they have totally forgotten that I exist, that I master, that I do music and that we have had multiple conversations about me working with them on a potential project.
This is normal.
What I have learned is that people are busy. The internet is quirky. And it’s never personal.
When I started in this industry, I would have lots of conversations with lots of potential clients. It’s easy to go to a bar or a show or an industry event, when the alcohol is flowing like water and people have already been pre-gaming before, to find yourself feeling like your next few months will be booked out solid.
Everyone has a project, everyone is happy to talk. They may even tell you to your face that they will work with you...and then....... sure enough...... the next day...crickets.... chirp, chirp.
Once again, a reminder, don’t take it personally.. it’s the booze talking.
What I have found to be a major key to my ongoing career and journey is that by being persistent with clients and following up, I have landed a ton of projects. There is a good way to go about being persistent and a bad way to go about it.
The bad way is to bug them over and over again and sound desperate because you’re trying to work on any and everything. I get this. I started this way. If anyone had something potential that I could work on, I would jump on it. Over the years I found that some people are good fits for some projects and some people are good fits for others.
This is where honesty and self reflection come in. You have to discern, if you’re actually a good fit.
Will you add value to the project? Are you ready for this project?
If the answer is “yes”. Then begin the persistency.
Anyone who is a good fit for a certain project will not have to peacock their way into getting it. I’ve noticed that when I stay in my lane and go after projects that I am a great fit for, they come naturally, easier, and we always get a better end product.
Being persistent with these sorts of projects is key.
People are busy. You are not the center of the universe. When someone doesn’t respond, text, or follow up in a timely manner that you have predetermined is timely, don’t take it personally.
I have had so many times where people have followed up weeks or months later after I have sent follow up emails and texts. It may have felt personal or that they were blowing me off but, in reality they’re just busy. I was not the center of their universe.
They got busy, they had work, they had a birthday, a holiday, a vacation, a death in the family, they got sick... all of these things have happened to me where my email is no longer a priority to them.
This is normal.
The solution, don’t take it personally and continue to be persistent if you’re a good fit.
I have had multiple projects that feel like they have come to a complete stop, only to discover that my emails had been pushed to spam or junk randomly. This happens more often then we think. It has happened to me as well. I have had people feel like I have been ignoring them or not seeing their notes, and it turns out their messages are in my junk mail somehow.
The internet is quirky.
Being persistent can look as simple as a few sentences in an email. It can say something like, “Just checking in to see where we are at with everything”. Or it can say something like “Wanted to see if the timeline was still correct with when we will be starting the project”. These sorts of emails show that you care, show that you have some since of order and respect for time and deadlines and show that you want to be apart of a project.
Let me encourage you by saying, in the last eight years, I have never had anyone tell me to go screw off or stop emailing them. I have only gained clients.
I have never had anyone say, please stop being so persistent and caring about my project. This has never happened.
Often we project that people are somewhere in a studio getting heaps of emails, and just sitting there thinking.... “this person, so stupid, I never want to work with them, they are not good enough, they always bug me, they should stop”. This probably is not happening, yet it crosses everyone’s mind at least once or twice when we receive silence multiple times.
People want to know that you care, they want to know that you can communicate. I had a very wise man tell me when I first started, that if I kept up communication with all my clients, if I was persistent with every single one of them then I would never run out of work. Eight years later he is correct, and I still work with him. He has choices, he could go anywhere, but I have communicated with him over the years about music, life, and just seeing how he is doing. He is in his 70’s, a veteran in the industry. His wisdom is part of the reason why I have a career.
So learn from him and me. Follow up, be persistent and soon you will find yourself in more work then you know what to do with.
Peace
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