Just before Christmas this year, I was at a friend’s dinner party….OK it was more of a “come to my house and get drunk, but look nice” party…and as I walked through the door with my wife, I was almost literally knocked over by a random guy who was holding a drink (probably his 4^th or 5^th)  who opened with: “You’re an Agent with Feldman right?? I’m in a band…blah blah blah”

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YES! And I don’t even have my coat off yet! My wife, who has experienced this with me before, was telepathically sending me messages to not crush the hopes and dreams of this poor guy.

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Now, I know how exciting it can be to meet me given my sheer good looks and incredible wit, but trust me, I’m A LOT more friendly with a beer in my hand, some good hummous in front of me and some “normal” conversation. As a rule, being aggressive with me or any other agent or manager, doesn’t work!

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Here is the recipe that would have been actually really successful with me in this circumstance:

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1. Let me get my coat off. No matter what you say to me when I walk in the door, what I’m thinking is “Where’s the beer? Where’s the hummous? Who’s here?” – in that order.
2. Find a way to get into a conversation that we’re having that is unrelated to your career in any way.
3. One of 3 things will then happen: someone will introduce you, I will introduce myself or you can introduce yourself. DO NOT mention you’re in a band, that you’re a plate spinner, that you write poetry, that you’d like to get published and could use my help, etc.
4. Like in any normal social human communication at a party, I am likely to ask you what you do. Wait for it.
5. If I find out by asking, I’m far more interested in asking more questions. Don’t start asking me a million questions right away. Industry like to help; we won’t avoid talking to you, even if we’re not interested in repping you.
6. Your goal leaving shouldn’t be to walk away with a new agent. It should be to have the ability to send me an email that I will either respond to or forward on to someone else in the industry.

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The moral of the story is that if I uncover what you do, as I ask you questions and you give me some of your accomplishments and career highlights, I am 1000 times more likely to want to help you out. If you give me the hard pitch, especially in a social situation, I’m out. The hummous is calling my name!

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- Justin Sudds – Gigsmacked.com

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