Sales Fails

Saturday May 15th, 2010 - Lake Villa, IL

Another Saturday night without a gig. I never enjoy that. It’s mostly my fault, as I’ve let my booking chops get rusty, but gigs have been coming in on their own so I’ve not had to be as aggressive as a young kid trying to get started. I’ve established a solid reputation for doing killer shows, and that’s why my phone keeps ringing. I’ve earned it the hard way.

That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be out there pounding the pavement selling myself every single week, and that’s exactly what I haven’t done. I don’t enjoy that, but now I’m seeing the direct result of my lapse by not working tonight, and if you don’t work - you don’t eat.

What comedy basically is is a sales route. My wares are my show, and I make rounds to buyers who can use what I’m selling. Some buy it for a night, others for a week, others do it for several weeks over and over again. It’s my job to line up more buyers, and also get a higher price from the ones who have bought me in the past. I’m letting my sources lapse.

I’ve been taking the easy way and just letting the phone ring at random. It’s been doing that, and that’s part of the reason I’ve been less than aggressive with the whole process. In a way, it’s good that I have some holes in my schedule as it will make me pay more mind and improve my habits. I’m off next Saturday too, though I am booked on Friday the 21st.

I used today to get a load of sports cards ready to take up to Milwaukee tomorrow to get the ball rolling in getting them sold. There’s the monthly card show at Gonzaga Hall up in West Allis, WI that’s been going on for years, and there’s a dealer from Michigan that has agreed to take my collection on consignment and sell it for me. It’s what I need right now.

Not only will it bring me some income, it will also help free some room in both my life and my home. I totally admit the timing isn’t right at the moment, and I want to overcome a big mistake I made by buying them in the first place. I did what I did at the time with as much information as I had then. Circumstances have changed, and I want to move ahead.

I also made some calls as to the possibility of trying to become a booker myself of some rooms. I’m not really looking to be a full time booking agent, but I know I could do a way better job than a lot of those who are doing it now. Plus, I could do it for a far lower price.

I know several people who used to be involved in the comedy business and could grasp the concept of getting the legwork done. If I had booking authority, I would hand choose individual shows with comedians who would work best in a particular venue. I’ve been at this my whole life, and I understand how it works. Chemistry is a major part of booking.

There’s much more to it than that though. There are a ton of possible headaches, and in no way do I think it would be easy. I just think it’s being so mangled now that somebody has to step in that has a clue and clean it up a little. This is business, and I resent the fact a bunch of incompetent no nothings were handed the keys to my immediate future by their father who never cared if we lived or died in the first place. This is totally about survival.