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<a href="http://www.thearticlesense.com/article/ACTING-FOR-MONEY/" target="_blank">Get Paid to Submit Article like "ACTING FOR MONEY"</a><br /><br />ACTING FOR MONEY<br /> <br /> by Bob Fraser<br /> <br /> THE ACTOR'S TOOL KIT #1<br /> <br /> One of my hobbies, during my active career, was watching the<br /> results of other show biz folks. I kept journals for about<br /> 5 years, then I noticed that I didn't need to keep a journal<br /> because it was becoming redundant. The fact is, that all the<br /> successful people I met over 40 years, (and when I say ALL I<br /> mean 100%) were capitalists.<br /> <br /> I don't mean that in a political way - I'm talking about<br /> store-keeper capitalism. All the successful people I've known<br /> in the show business are successful because they are good<br /> business people. Good store-keepers.<br /> <br /> The other side of the coin is the unsuccessful actor, writer,<br /> director, producer, etc. Believe me, most of them are not<br /> untalented, or unlucky, or unconnected. Generally, their real<br /> problem is that they are just lackadaisical business people.<br /> <br /> The biggest mistake I see is the total time and energy the<br /> unsuccessful actor puts into the business. This amount of<br /> time can be described as: NOT ENOUGH.<br /> <br /> IMPROVE YOUR PRODUCT<br /> <br /> If we are not working at our business to keep things running<br /> smoothly on a daily basis, if we ever sit back and wait for<br /> things to happen, stop marketing and promoting, or quit<br /> trying new ideas to get people into our store (to buy our<br /> product) well, every business around us will say a big thank<br /> you - and grab our customers.<br /> <br /> If we don't devote enough time to our business, if we don't<br /> plan what we're doing, if we don't put in a lot of thought<br /> and energy, if we don't have vision, if we're not excited<br /> by it all, then, then the sad truth is that we're just not<br /> going to get very far. we're going to be crawling along,<br /> while all around us, sincere, hard working capitalists will<br /> be charging past.<br /> <br /> What can you do to become a better capitalist? A good start<br /> is to understand the difference between actually being in<br /> business and just having the store open.<br /> <br /> The number one way to improve your business is to improve<br /> your product. The best product is not always what the<br /> customer buys - but it's always the product the customer<br /> wants. Your odds improve as your product gets better.<br /> <br /> Be sure to advertise. If one kind of advertising isn't<br /> working - try something else. (Get new headshots until<br /> you get one that works.)<br /> <br /> It doesn't hurt to keep the store open 12 hours a day.<br /> <br /> Don't worry about hiring a salesman (An Agent) until you've<br /> done a lot of market testing and selling, yourself.<br /> <br /> You want a smart salesman and a smart salesman knows better<br /> than to try to sell an untested and unproven product. An<br /> agent cannot afford to sell one of his customers (studios<br /> and producers) a sub-par product. Keep in mind that your<br /> salesman will probably represent a lot of different "lines"<br /> and he will give more attention to the better ones.<br /> <br /> Always present your product (you) in the best possible way.<br /> <br /> The key to good business is to accentuate the benefits of<br /> the product and work hard to eliminate any reasons for the<br /> customer not to buy. This requires a lot of thought.<br /> <br /> After all, your product is a human being and we all have<br /> flaws - which sometimes (after some thought) - turn out to<br /> be benefits.<br /> <br /> WORKING HARD AND SMART<br /> <br /> That's what capitalism is: Taking your product out into the<br /> marketplace, defining your customer base, doing good product<br /> testing and research, hiring good salespeople, advertising<br /> well, and keeping the store open late.<br /> <br /> Watch the capitalists around you. You know, the folks who<br /> run their own dry cleaning store, sandwich shop, or quick<br /> print center. If they are successful, study them carefully<br /> and find out how they run their businesses. You will<br /> discover that most of them WORK VERY HARD.<br /> <br /> Is it worth working very hard?<br /> <br /> Well, their dream is probably just security. Our dream, on<br /> the other hand, is fame, fortune, respect and a bit of<br /> immortality.<br /> <br /> And security.<br /> <br /> Don't kid yourself, it's a capitalist's dream ... with a<br /> twist and a cherry on top.<br /> <br /> The question is - how hard are you willing to work to achieve<br /> your dream?<br /> <br /> Keep in mind that the number one benefit of capitalism is the<br /> money - and money equals freedom.<br /> <br /> I think that's a dream we can all get behind.<br /> <br /> "Reprinted from ACTOR'S TOOL KIT, the email course just for<br /> subscribers of Show Biz How-To, the free e-zine for actors.<br /> <br /> Get your own subscription at: www.showbizhowto.com<br /> <br /> © 2007 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved"<br>