How to do Business over the Phone - by John Essay

It has happened to all of us. Someone calls us on the phone and asks us to do something—a benefit concert, an acting job, attend an event—and before we know it, we say yes before we think carefully about whether or not we should do it. Sometimes we say yes before we learn all of the important details we need to know! After all, it is exciting and exhilarating to be sought after, and it feels like a confirmation of our self worth. We are so excited that we are barely listening, and all the while in our heads, we are hearing the same thing over and over again: Yes! Yes! Yes! We get off the phone and slowly dread begins to rear its ugly head. Thoughts begin to race through our heads: "What have I done? Have I accepted a job that, after some distance and contemplation, looks a lot less stellar than when I picked up the phone? Now what do I do? How can I prevent this from happening in the future?"

Preventing it from happening is really very simple. I tell my clients who are in the habit of accepting everything that comes to them on the phone, they better start using my little technique. Just follow these steps: Don't speak, don't commit, listen, and write down all that is being said. Then simply thank the caller and tell them that you will let them know as soon as possible. If you have a representative, this is particularly important. Remember that your representative needs to know all the information too, and if you have agreed to be in something then your rep has really no room to negotiate for you. (Not to mention that the non-paying gig you just agreed to do may prevent you from auditioning for and/or booking a conflicting paid job.)

I think it helps to put a sticker on your phone—yes a sticker. Any sticker would do—just make sure it is something that you will notice. Every time the phone rings, as you begin to answer it, the sticker you placed on your phone should trigger you to remember: Don't commit to anything. In the event the phone call is actually an offer to do something, you are prepared.

Here is another trick you can use when being pushed to commit to something. (Especially if it is someone you know, and they really want you to do this job for little or no pay.) Use an excuse to call them back later. This can be a little white lie—i.e. "an often trivial, diplomatic or well-intentioned untruth" that harms no one. You can say that you are crazy busy now, your significant other is on the other line, you need to check with your agent or manager to make sure the schedule works for you, or say that your apartment is on fire. (OK, this is a bit extreme, but I think you get the picture.) Just say you will call them back later. That way you can slowly and methodically process all the information that was presented to you.

This trick works with just about any phone call. A "friend" who you don't really like that calls to ask you to a party. Your mother calls to check up on you and wonders when you will be coming home to visit. Your "day" job wants you to cover a shift. Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes saying you won a million dollars. (OK people, this call you may take!)

So take control, get a sticker, place it on your phone, and never commit until you have all the information and are fully comfortable doing so.

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What Actors Can Learn From Door-to-Door Salesmen - by Robert Curtiss

One summer, during my college years, I was a door-to-door book salesman. I truly hated it — I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone! However, one thing has stuck in my mind from the days I spent in training for that job. Our trainer used to always say: “Every ‘no’ gets you closer to a ‘yes.’ ” The trainer acknowledged that we would have many doors slammed in our faces, and we would probably be intimidated, fearful, and discouraged. He said, though, that you could keep your spirits up and keep going if you just remembered the odds: Most people would not buy the product, but some would. That meant that you would mostly hear “no” and occasionally hear a “yes.” Every time someone said “no” you were to thank them, for they brought you one “no” closer to that “yes” you were definitely going to hear!

This is a great life lesson, for you as an actor and as a person for anything you set out to do in life. When you interview a representative, and they are not interested in working with you; when you keep auditioning and still do not get cast; when you invite industry people to your show and no one comes — these are all versions of hearing “no.” If you are persistent, if you keep at it, and if you make sure you are good at what you do, sooner or later you will get that “yes.” You will get the job, get that representative, etc. When you do something, don’t get discouraged each time you hit a roadblock, or hear someone say “no.” Keep at it, and all those no’s will lead you closer to getting a “yes”! 

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I Hate My Day Job But Need The Money, What Should I Do? -by Robert Curtiss

If you are an actor, chances are you also have a support job to bring in income while you pursue the business of show business (unless you are independently wealthy or have reached that enviable point in your acting career where you can survive solely on your earnings as an actor). Sometimes this means working at a job that you don’t like only because you need the money.

Most of us have, at one time or another, worked at a job that we did not like. Sometimes the boss seems stingy, or the coworkers are mean, or the pay is too low for the amount of work required, or we just don’t like the work itself. Here are some thoughts on dealing with this problem. Ask yourself the following questions:

What is it I don't like about this job? 

Is the thing I hate about this job fixable?

Would it be worth staying at the job if I could fix the problem?

Let's break it down:

What is it that you don't like about your job? Is it a personnel matter, i.e. you have a problem with people you work with, like the boss or a coworker? If so, possible solutions include asking for a private meeting with the person or persons, in which you make an effort to find out what they are thinking, and to make your feelings known. This can clear the air, and get the unspoken issues out in the open, with the hope that all those involved can adjust their behaviors accordingly. Remember to be professional and try to be respectful, because being disrespectful and angry will very likely sabotage any potential progress. Sometimes your coworkers and supervisors have no idea that their words or behaviors have upset you, and simply making them aware of your thoughts and feelings can be enough to bring them around.

Is the thing you hate about the job fixable? If your coworkers or your boss still make you miserable, or you can't seem to find a way around the thing you dislike, then it probably is time to look for employment elsewhere.

If you dislike the work itself, the best thing to do is to figure out what you would prefer to do, and then look for a job where you can do that instead. Sometimes this is simply looking at what jobs you can find, and then choosing the best out of the bunch (we can't always find the perfect job right away). In the meantime, since you need to keep your job until you can find another, try to make the best of it, and to take the path of least resistance. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to argue with people when you already know you can't win. Try just agreeing with them, and letting the conflicts just roll off your back, knowing that you will soon be gone from the unpleasant situation as soon as you can.

Remember ... communicate effectively. Use your friends and family as support systems & to help get the word out when looking for a new job.

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I hate my "day job" but I need the money - what should I do?

Most of us have, at one time or another, worked at a job that we did not like. Sometimes the boss seems penurious (my new favorite word - look it up), or the coworkers are mean, or the pay is too low for the amount of work required, or the work itself just does not appeal to us. Here are some thoughts about dealing with this problem.

To figure out how best to proceed, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is it I don't like about this job? 
• Is the thing I hate about this job fixable?
• Would it be worth staying at the job if I could fix the problem?

Let's break it down:

What is it that you don't like about your job? Is it a personnel matter, i.e. you have a problem with people you work with, like the boss or a coworker? If so, possible solutions include asking for a private meeting with the person or persons, in which you make an effort to find out what they are thinking, and to make your feelings known. This can clear the air, and get the unspoken issues out in the open, with the hope that all those involved can adjust their behaviors accordingly. Remember to be professional and try to be respectful, because being disrespectful and angry will very likely sabotage any potential progress. Sometimes our coworkers and supervisors have no idea that their words or behaviors have upset others, and simply making them aware of your thoughts and feelings can be enough to bring them around.

Is the thing you hate about the job fixable? If your coworkers or your boss still make you miserable, or you can't seem to find  a way around the thing you dislike, then it probably is time to look for employment elsewhere.

If you dislike the work itself, the best thing to do is to figure out what you would prefer to do, and then look for a job where you can do that instead. Sometimes this is simply looking at what jobs you can find, and then choosing the best out of the bunch (we can't always find the perfect job right away). In the meantime, since you need to keep your job until you can find another, try to make the best of it, and to take the path of least resistance. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to argue with people when you already know you can't win. Try just agreeing with them, and letting the conflicts just roll off your back, knowing that you will soon be gone from the unpleasant situation as soon as you can.

Remember ... communicate effectively. Use your friends and family as support systems & to help get the word out when looking for a new job.