The 29% Solution: Week 1 (Set Networking Goals)

As a nightclub and radio DJ, almost all my jobs have come from referrals. Very rarely have I gone to a club, pitched my case, and got the gig. The only time that happens is when the person I'm talking to has already heard of me from being on the radio (and I'm not on the radio anymore). I have gotten only one radio job because of my presentation and persistence, which surprisingly was my biggest job to date, my position with Hot 97.7 in Boston. So I need 90% of my new business to come from word-of-mouth referrals by September 1st, 2009.

What I need to do is first go through this book, The 29% Solution, to learn the skills necessary to generate that word of mouth. Most of what I need to do is open my own mouth! Being comfortable and confident touting my own experience. Maybe be a little more arrogant? Hopefully this book teaches me how to network through my own natural abilities.

I think the main goal is to get to the point where my name is the first name thought of anytime a nightclub manager, owner or promoter is looking for a DJ. I need to know the people who influence those people. Sometimes a bouncer or bartender has the ear of management and can turn things in my favor. That's what happened at Pollyesthers in Boston. I was working on Thursday to nobody, but the bartenders, bouncers and waitresses all loved me and convinced the manager to move me to Saturdays, paying me more than all the other DJs in the club!

Since my currency is music, I need to spend that on the people around me. That means giving away mixtapes, but also making sure I'm giving mixtapes to people who influence the people who are decision makers. Kinda of shady, but remember… you talking about how good I am goes a lot farther than me talking about how good I am, because that's what I'm supposed to do! LOL

Continue with my podcasts, because they spread farther and wider than I ever could with mixtapes. Continue with publishing my playlists from the club, because I can show in black and white how wide my range is, rather than me telling you I can play everything.

So part of what I'm doing is public relations. Getting the word out to influential people. Getting enough influential people to really understand what it is about me as a DJ, and spread the word. I can see it already with my podcasts, how many people are feeling them and sharing them with their friends. Coming to my club night, telling people how much fun they had and coming back with more people.

I expect to get not only club gigs, but private parties and weddings also. As I build, my leverage will increase, allowing me to charge more because the demand is higher. Financial stability is key, because if you don't match my price, I'm not pressed to work for you, because I know someone else will match it. I do the gig not because I need the money, but because it is a good look for me and the club/promoter is paying me what I'm worth.

This is all about spinning at celebrity events and upscale clubs. I don't mind being the headliner, I don't mind spinning the whole night, and I don't mind being the opening DJ for a big name DJ. As I gain more leverage, I'll move more towards just being a headliner, but for right now, money is money. Pay me my price and I'll give you a stellar performance, whether to 10 people or 10,000.

Actual networking functions for DJs are almost nonexistent these days. Realistically, if I can make the major conferences like Radio and Records, South By Southwest and Winter Music Conference, plus any smaller conferences that escape me right now, that would be good enough. I'm always on the trade magazine websites, so I'll find out about more events in which I can network. This book will teach me the ways to effectively network once I'm there. I need to be sticky in the mind of as many people as possible (example: my roommate said "Save me money, Beasley!" and that sticks in my brain so I'm very conscious of saving electricity and gas).

I want to have as many referrals as it takes to have negotiation leverage with club owners, managers and promoters. It's not enough to get a gig; if I work for $150 I can work every night of the week, but that's not an effective use of my talents. But I also don't want to say I'm worth $3000 and nobody else is offering me a gig. But to work on a figure I'll say… 3 referrals a week, 10 a month. I will work at a pace that is not too demanding on me, so I don't rush through the book just so I can hurry up and hopefully generate referrals. So I'll work at the pace suggested by the book of one technique a week.

I've already created a 30 second elevator pitch. Actually, it's 35-40 seconds, but it has everything I do in it. A DJ elevator pitch would be 20-25 seconds. I'm going to rework my marketing materials around the phrase "The Unfair Advantage." My experience, DJ technique, music knowledge all play into that. Focus on placing my podcasts on various myspace, facebook and twitter pages of influential people. Create a CD that is my press kit, so I'm not giving someone a folder of stuff, I'm giving them a nice tight package. And I'm going to dress to play up my height, body and looks. If I'm Boston's #1 Upscale Event DJ, I have to look the part. That means everywhere I go I look the part of an upscale individual, so it's not so hard to see me in the position I claim to be in.

If all goes according to plan, I want to meet Puffy (I can't call him Diddy) because I want to do his White Party in the Hamptons; John Lyons of the Lyons Group; whomever is in charge of booking acts for the Essence Music Festival and the Winter Music Conference; Doug Banks; Herb Kent; Kid Capri; the program director for Choice FM in London, England; Kid Capri's manager; DJ Jazzy Jeff; President Barack Obama; Funkmaster Flex; and whomever can give me a 2009 Black Buick Enclave for free!

Once I really look into this book and absorb the teachings, I may have to create my own DJ networking group. We'll see…