Part Seven 

This the seventh of ten tips and chips I plan to impart for any interested listeners, starting out on his/her journey to work in the music industry. There are a lot of people providing access to joints that help to build your skills, and most do a great job. My goal there is not to try and compete them. I will stay in my lane. From time to time, I might suggest and recommend others, these tips and chips are aimed at your mindset, and behaviors that will either make you or break you. Whether you aspire to be a songwriter, an artist, a musician, and or producer, these tips and chips apply:

Some Chips To Dip Into:

1. You got to put in the time.
2. You can only do two or three things very well, so focus.
3. Once you are focused, decide on what value you offer to others.
4. Determine how you fit in.
5. Determine how you can market what you offer.
6. Develop a marketing strategy.
7. Provide quality service or products. (See Below)
8. Follow up and communicate with your customers.
9. Always try to anticipate what your customers, followers, or clients need.
10. Keep trying, you can always do it better.

PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICE OR PRODUCTS

What is the use of having a good marketing strategy, if the product or service being offered to your customers is a bunch of crap? The answer is the marketing of a bad product or service is useless. Per the New York Times, the Ford Motor Company replaced its 17-year old slogan, “Quality is job one”, for a new slogan, “ Better Ideas. Driven by you.” Believe me, “Quality and service is still job one.” Get in your mind that in order to be competitive, you must have a better product, or a service second to none, in order to make it in today’s market. Customers buy the best or better product that meets their needs. Customers respect a company that provides good or better service. Companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Uber, Cosco, Samsung, and Nvidia got to the top of the market by offering their customers a quality product, or a better more responsive service. Although of late problems with the supply chain has and is still impacting this provision.

So what does a better product or service mean in the entertainment industry? The answer to this question is dependent upon many variables. Oftentimes, the answer is specific to the talent of an individual, the skill that one possesses, the quality of people interacted with, the experience of an agent or agency, the process used to create the product or how representatives treat potential customers. The answer to the question eventually gets down to the personal level. Each person involved in the creation of delivery of a product or service must understand that what they produce or deliver is going to have personal meaning to someone, used by someone, consumed by someone, or will have a lasting affect on someone. A product or service that doesn’t consider the customer’s needs and behaviors as it relates to the product or service is bound to fail and not be very successful. This attention to detail is omnipresent and prominent in successful products or services and reap the rewards from customers who buy or use the product or service.
 
This act of providing quality products and services should not be taken lightly. The competitive landscape in the entertainment industry is huge and new competitors are getting into the business everyday. Make what you offer to your customers unique and standout from the crowd, and don’t let a little thing like a crappy product or non-responsive customer service take you out of the game. A very good read and great motivational self-help ebook that provides insights on the pursuit of any type of career, and not only songwriting is, “Don’t Keep Your Day Job” by Cathy Heller. This ebook focuses on how to turn your passion into a career.

The last three tips provided information to help identify the market specific to what you can offer, how to develop strategies for presenting your product or service, and crucial business characteristics that are basic to building a business. What is next? In Tip/Chip 8: Follow up and communicate with your customers, we will explore other aspects of conducting business that is crucial to the acquisition and retention of customers. So keep reading and stay tuned for more insights from MiJen Publishing.