Getting Past "Corporate"........?

[obrienmagic]

You guys have been so helpful with my "New ways to advertise" post, I figured id ask another fun question.

Typically I book restaurants that are smaller chains or privately owned for my go to venues. They don't pay very well (sometimes not at all) but they are a great way to get out and work. Lately I have been approaching more corporate owned chains and have hit a wall when it comes to trying to get booked.

This is the line I hear most often: "Wow you are great and we would love to have you entertain here... BUUUUUUUT........ you have to talk to corporate first....."

From here it is a game of tag where I call and email constantly only to find out either the person i need to talk to is "in a meeting" or "on lunch" or "out for the day." Now I worked in sales so i know that this typically means "we are not interested but we won't say it straight out, instead we will just hope you stop calling...." lol however it still doesn't help my cause...

Anyone else have any luck with booking corporate work? Or at the very least getting to talk to a decision maker? I feel like once I get that far i am good to go and do my sales pitch, but even getting into the door is a real challenge....

 

[raymondsingson]

This advice is catered more toward private engagements, but it might be worth sharing. Have you tried marketing yourself toward event planners in your city? They're typically the ones with the appropriate connections to higher-ups. The more event planners know who you are, the more recommendations you can get to desired clientele. Executives listen to these individuals more than the actual talent, because they have eyes on the entire experience of the event. Entertainment, while important, is just a small piece of the puzzle, so "corporate" will rarely take the time to even hear a pitch when it could be more properly managed by hired event planners. Again, not sure if/how this translates to restaurant work... but I imagine the "It's all about who you know" probably fits really well.

RS.