In this 2 Part series, I am going tell you why being a Sales Representative as your day job, will help you as a music freelancer and/or an aspiring music business owner. From marketing your brand to building a powerful network to continuing to be mentally strong during difficult times. All while being a salesperson.
No Business degree? No problem.
Business School was and still is an option for me, but like a few folks, I’d rather learn as I go. Choosing this route isn’t a bad decision, it’s just a lot more dedication, discipline, and determination needed from ourselves to get where we want to be.
I knew I needed a job that would allow me to grow within the music business and learn a few skills about the business itself. So to my surprise finding a job at a music store as a sales representative was a complete game changer. My knowledge about business marketing, strategies, and networking grew tremendously while having a job in sales.
Illuminates an Entrepreneur Mentality
In a few words, salespeople can be tough, persistent, and most of the time way too confident. People see them as lions waiting for their prey, immediately devouring their meals the minute they can get their claws in them.
This is a bit dramatic and maybe not dramatic enough for some. But here’s the thing, if you researched the most successful, respected, and most remembered business owners in our history, that is exactly who they are. Lions.
Being a lion is of course only a figure of speech. I am merely speaking about the resilient mind of an entrepreneur. They are hungry for wisdom and absorb knowledge. Their ambition can seem intimidating because they consider challenges fun. And their desire to achieve what they set out to do is like a fire that never dies.
Having a job as a salesperson can illuminate an entrepreneurial mentality, shining light on the secrets of leadership, business, finance, work-life balance and so much more.
Throughout my lifetime, I never heard one good thing about having a job in sales. Whether it was because of the embarrassing cold emails, difficult closing strategies or just dealing with people in general, all were horror stories being told about the job.
The hard truth is, I was surrounded by people who didn’t understand what it meant to be a salesperson. And because I took their opinions to heart, I didn’t put much attention, let alone any effort, to see what it takes in having a job in sales.
It wasn’t until I got a job as a music sales representative that I realized a strength that musicians, audio engineers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs all need to succeed, resilience.
Before I move on, I encourage you to read this article if you want to learn more about a career in sales or yearning to improve your sales performance. What makes a good Salesman Harvard Business Review
Resilience
Have you ever wondered how the greatest athletes became…. well… great? It’s not just about being physically strong and enduring 100 push-ups a day and running 5 miles every morning. I’m talking about mental toughness. When things get difficult they continue to push through. When they fall they spring back up and continue to fight back. Athletes or what I like to call them, Gladiators, don’t let anything or anyone bring them down. They move their focus back on the task at hand.
As artists we want to be perfect and be the very best so when things don’t go our way we tend to let self-doubt strip away our creativity and identity.
My Hero: Black Mamba
In 1997 one of America’s greatest basketball players of all time was a big reason why his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, was eliminated from the NBA playoffs against the Utah Jazz. Kobe Bryant air-balled not one, not two, not three, but five airball shots.
For those of you not into basketball, an airball is an unblocked shot that misses the rim, backboard, and basket completely. This shot is one of the most embarrassing and amateur shots anyone in the NBA could do.
Imagine being the youngest rookie in a professional basketball league, ready to prove to the world the talents you have, and all of a sudden millions of eyes see the horrific mistake(s) that caused your team to lose a championship. How would you react? How did Kobe react?
In an interview with Patrick Bet-David, Kobe explains how he dealt with the situation. “Get over yourself.” says the 5 time NBA Champion. “You’re worried about how people may perceive you and your walking around and it’s embarrassing because you shot five airballs…. Get over yourself.”
Kobe instead focuses on WHY those airballs happened. Why did he miss those shots that cost him a championship title? Kobe realized he “needed to get stronger… and train differently.”
So many singer/songwriters, musicians, and anyone in the music business have gone through a point in their life where they made mistakes and cost their team or brand a loss.
How many times have you stopped pursuing your music goals because you feel like everyone else is better than you? How many times were you tossing and turning, getting no sleep because of failing to follow through on a music project, or causing a big mess during a performance?
MOVE ON. This is a time were resilience comes into play and callouses your mind to become stronger in difficult situations. When we focus so much on our mistakes we tend to relive those moments over and over and over in our heads like a never-ending movie. STOP IT. Get up and out of your head.
As artists, we want to be perfect and be the very best so when things don’t go our way we tend to let self-doubt strip away our creativity and identity.
Being a saleswoman showed me my resilience to keep away thoughts that were unnecessary for my creativity and business. Over time, my confidence grew and led me to ignore all the doubts I had for myself. Having a job as a salesperson can illuminate an entrepreneurial mentality, shining light on the secrets of leadership, business, finance, work-life balance and so much more.
Foundational Marketing Skills
Some tools help promote your brand and keep track of your social content. These tools include Metricool, Canva, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Semrush, and more.
These marketing tools are just that, tools. They are there to boost your music business and understand your competitors, but they don’t give you the important foundational marketing SKILLS you need to have a strong and consistent brand. What I am talking about is your persona and work ethic.
Persona and Work Ethics
Whoever you are; mother, daughter, nephew, etc.. Whatever you do; teacher, doctor, musician, ride attendant, etc… ; You are selling, or in other words, marketing yourself every day.
If you type in “What is marketing” on the Google search engine, this comes up.
the activity or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.
We sell or promote our desires, ideas, and thoughts to someone else 7 days a week. We post content on social media for our brand, we show up to court for a speeding ticket you don’t want to pay, and even convincing our children to eat vegetables for dinner is all a part of promoting our ideals and beliefs.
What does this have to do with being in sales and your music freelancing?
Unless music is just a hobby, you need to think like a salesperson to successfully promote your talent in the music industry. As a salesperson, you are the first impression of a product. The way you present yourself through manner, dress, and knowledge will determine how you run your business.
“It’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right.” -Mark Hunter
- If you are known as the musician who always shows up late to gigs with a bad attitude. That is what you are promoting, an unreliable musician who’s an a$$%@le.
- If you are the head honcho of your small band and they see you help them load and unload the truck after a show, you are selling yourself as someone humble and caring of your team. Not some egotistic diva who won’t lift a finger of gear.
- If you tend to complain to your producers about how much work it takes to release a song, why are you in this industry at all?
Show up to gigs earlier, practice your instrument every day, be open to always learning, and, most importantly, TAKE YOUR PROJECTS SERIOUSLY.Not taking a project seriously will give you a reputation as someone who doesn’t take their craft seriously.Take your show, recital, or mixing gig; no matter how big or small, free or paid; Take them all seriously, and work at it like your life depends on it.You’ll be surprised at how many gigs were put in front of me not because of my talent, but because they knew I got things done promptly and because I had a reputation for taking any project to heart.
In sales, you learn to earn your client’s trust by giving them attention and taking the purchases they are about to make a serious transaction. This can separate you from competitors who only care about money in their pockets instead of great customer service.
100% of the time, I focus on leaving a good impression on my customers. I advertise myself as a fun, knowledgeable, and easy-to-talk-to saleswoman who cares about finding the right product for the customer, always. If they don’t end up buying that same day, I would want them to always ask or reach out to me because they “ONLY want to work with someone who is like a friend.“
I do the same thing with my freelance clients, I make sure they always have a great experience working with me. I dedicate time and effort to their projects as well as crack jokes and be down to earth when we are collaborating at the studio. I also go out of my way to give them something extra like video recording their audition when it was only for an audio recording. Or even better, I connect them with someone that can help them with another project.
Your persona and work ethic are your marketing tools to promote your brand. Make sure you know how you want to be remembered by your clients and future collaborators.
So why should you work in Sales as an aspiring Music Freelancer?
Because it will build you a character that will separate you from your peers. And prepare a mindset for all the business-related struggles and teach you to be resilient. Are you a sales rep. at a music store? Want to share some insight? Comment down below! I would love to hear your story and how you got started as a music sales associate.