First You Have to Get the Gig (part 1)
Updated: Dec 29, 2019
Leading up to my free White Paper, How to Make an Unforgettable
Impression on Stage, today’s VoCalling subject will be, well, that. Not to change who you are, but to utilize some of your own magic and magnetism to accomplish your goals.
Before you get on stage, you have to get the gig. And since you’re probably a singer, you’re probably the one getting the gig for the band; or auditioning for other opportunities. Or, as a voice teacher, you’re meeting potential new students.
Guess what? You’re in sales.
I know.
Eww.
You did not get into music to be in sales. But think about it; anybody who’s ever interviewed for a job, or gone on a date, or met their potential in-laws is in sales. Making it easy for people to like you can help you smooth your path and accomplish your goals.
EASY:
Make a great first impression so people like you right away.
HARD:
Make them like you after they’ve already decided they don’t.
Whether or not you like the idea, first impressions count for a lot. People make decisions – and will make decisions about you - based on how they feel, not what they think. If the feeling they have is one of not liking you, they won’t hire you. Or won’t hire you back. If they like you, they want to work with you.
"First impressions count for a lot."
You know yourself really well, but the person meeting you doesn’t know you at all. If it matters to you that they like you enough to give you a chance, you have to help them like you.
Once you set your mind to it, it’s really not difficult to make sure you’ve made a good first impression. It doesn’t mean you’re not being yourself. It just means you’re aware that how you look, your voice, the words you choose, and your conversational habits are going to have an effect on the person you’re meeting.
Singers are stereotypically obsessed with whether or not people like them. However, taking charge of that situation is something singers seldom do.
This isn’t the only thing involved in getting a gig, obviously. But it is the thing that is most often overlooked. Singers are stereotypically obsessed with whether or not people like them. However, taking charge of that, rather than imagining it’s entirely up to the other person (audience, auditioner, club owner, potential student) is something singers seldom do.
I’d like to see you get conscious about creating a great first impression; because it will make you more confident. And, ironically, being confident is something that can make a great first impression!
In Part 2 I’ll explain the LOVE ME acronym for creating a lovable, likeable, magnetic, confident first impression!