Okay, I’m going to be brutally honest here. I hated creative bookings when I was in the business. I did everything in my power to avoid it if I could (that’s why I got so good at getting bookings at my parties). Sometimes, however, no matter how good you are at booking from your parties, you find yourself with open dates on your calendar and you’re facing the dreaded telephone. Let me share a secret with you – NO ONE likes to make phone calls to follow up or ask for bookings. I still have to do this as a part of my work as the C.E.O. of Outward Image, and it’s still not my favorite part of my job. What I have learned, however, is that once I really understood that most of my fear of picking up the phone came from the lies I was telling myself about the people on the other end, it got easier. The truth is, most people are happy to hear from you. If they don’t answer or return your call, it’s not because they hate you or you’re annoying them (even though that’s the lie you tell yourself, isn’t it?), it’s because, like you, they’re busy!
Once you understand that, you can let go of the worry and pick up the phone. And when you leave messages (which will be about 80% of the time), I recommend that you are deliberately vague about why you’re calling. Leave a message that’s short and sweet like, “Hey, Nancy, this is Julie Anne Jones. I have a quick question for you. Can you give me a call back when you get a chance?” That way, the person you’re calling is curious and will probably call you back. If you give them too many details, they might assume they already know what you’re going to say and decided not to call you back.
