The Mission Paradox Blog

The Aversion of Risk

To have a successful career in the arts you have to understand risk aversion.

Here's the best definition of risk aversion I have ever heard, it is particular to the performing arts:

Most people, when given the option to attend a performing arts event, are more scared that the performance is going to be disappointing then they are excited that the performance is going to be good.

When we approach the public with our work, they immediately ask themselves "is this worth my time and money?"

And the default answer to that question is "no" until we prove otherwise.

That means the burden of proof is on us.

Many of us don't understand this.

We think that simply coming out and declaring ourselves as artists automatically implies some sort of worth.

We think that if we just tell people what we are doing and when we are doing it that we have met our burden of proof.

But that isn't enough.

It isn't nearly enough.

-------------------------------

This is the thing we have to remember:

We are in the trust business.

Not the theatre business.

Not the museum business.

The trust business.

When you are dealing with a risk averse public the only way to get them to do a risky thing is by earning their trust.

How do you earn their trust?

By building a relationship with them.

My observation is that most of us in the arts are very good at putting up programming, but we aren't good at building relationships.

We aren't transparent enough about our process or our motives.  We struggle to get outside of ourselves and see the world from the perspective of those we would like to sit in our seats or stroll our galleries.

We continually talk to ourselves, about ourselves and then wonder why the other 95% of the world looks upon us with casual disinterest.

But this isn't about us. 

Maybe, back when there wasn't 1,000 entertainment options, it could be about us.

But the world has shifted.

Now a huge part of our job is building relationship.  Talking to people, sharing ourselves with people. 

Getting people to take the risk.

 

 

 

 

One after another

Imagine a boxing match.

During the first few rounds, a boxer is peppering his opponent with punches. 

Right hooks, left hooks, jabs.

Some punches hit.  Some miss.  The opponent is still standing.

Then, in the eight round, an uppercut land and *BAM* the opponent goes down for the count.

Did the uppercut knock him out?

Yes and no.

What really won the fight was the cumulative impact of all the punches, wearing the person down until finally something connected just right.

---------------------------

In a way, that's what marketing is.

It's cumulative.

It's never just the Facebook, or just the word or mouth, or just the show postcard that wins you an audience.

It's all those things working in concert with each other.

It can be hard for people to grasp that.  We all want to know the one thing we can do to improve our arts marketing.

But it is never just one thing.

It's everything.  You wear down a person's resistance to change, their resistance to getting off the couch and seeing some live art.  You wear it down one punch at a time until finally you land that one final solid blow and they give your work a try.

Remember, marketing is cumulative.

Good advice

Hugh on when your life in the world of creativity will become easier.

Need More Time

Issac over at Parabasis listed some of the "biggest problems in Indie Theatre."  One of the biggest problems he highlights applies to almost every performing art (not just theatre):

(2) Lack of adequate rehearsal time.  An off-broadway show rehearses for roughly 30-40 hours a week and rehearses during the day while previewing.  The show I'm directing right now will have 80 hours of rehearsal total.

I can't agree with this more.

-----------------------

I was talking with the Executive Director of a big fancy theatre.  He mentioned that a pivotal moment in the life of the theatre was when he was able to convince his donors and his Board of the importance of more rehearsal time and more preview performances.

Think about that.

He didn't say that it was pivotal to get an endowment.

He didn't say it was pivotal to get a building built.

He didn't say it was pivotal to hire more staff, though I'm sure all of that was important.

He said that the theatre took off when he got the money for more rehearsal time and more preview performances.

------------------------------

Having spent the early part of my career in the arts running a small theatre and now working at a larger one, I can't emphasize enough the difference between being able to rehearse for 60 hours versus being able to rehearse for 220 hours.

But then we encounter the rub.

More rehearsal time is an artistic decision that is closely tied to a financial decision.

So we can't really talk about your desire for more rehearsal time without talking about your marketing.

And your fundraising.

And your organizational structure.

And your Board.

This is why I also chuckle at those who feel like artistic decision should be kept in a pure bubble, free of business matters.

Some decisions you can't separate.

So let me be clear, I think the battle for more rehearsal time is a worthwhile battle to fight.  But you must have your organizational affairs in order before you fight it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disruption By

Markets are funny things.

They tend to embrace the status quo.

They embrace WalMart just like they embrace the large, well funded, dance organization in your town.

So, if you are an emerging arts organization and you want to have an impact in a crowded market you must disrupt it.

That's what great organizations do, regardless of their size.

They enter a market and change the rules.  They redefine what it means to do business in a particular field.

So before you take another step, ponder this:

What's your disruption strategy?

Some examples:

Disruption by product - Think Cirque Du Soliel.  Can you create a product that is so unique that people know it's you just by looking at it?

Disruption by customer service - Think Zappos or Nordstrom.  They sell products that you could buy anywhere, from anybody.  People buy from them because of their superior customer service.

Disruption by worldview - Think Sierra Club or Apple.  What does your art stand for?  Does it represent a worldview, a position, so strong that you could build a tribe around it?

Disruption by location - Think the Starbucks on every corner.  Is your art in a town, or a neighborhood where it is particularly needed?  Can you own a twelve block radius of turf and make sure everyone in those blocks knows about what you do?

There are many ways to disrupt a stable, stale market.  Which one are you going to choose?

Early Start

When my day job starts their next production, 70% of the tickets will be sold during the actual run of the show.

So why did I start marketing the play several weeks ago if people aren't going to make the decision to buy until the day before, maybe the day of, their selected performance?

It's because there is a huge difference between the act of buying, which only takes a few minutes . . . and the process which leads to that decision.

That process, of giving people the information they need to buy your work, can take quite a while.

Why?

Because for most people, going to a performing arts event is a major decision.

People need to not only get tickets, but make dinner arrangements, figure out baby sitting, figure out where to park, etc.

Those decisions take time.

So if you start marketing your work early, you are giving people the time they need to work through their own buying process.

State Your Case

I know I link to Seth Godin often but I think this link is particularly instructive to all of us.

In his post, he basically offers the case for support of the Acumen Fund, a nonprofit organization.

Normally I would just send you over to the post, but in this case I really want to break down how he lays out a strong case for support in a very concise manner.

Every case for support starts by laying out the problem, which Seth does for the Acumen Fund here:

About forty percent of the world lives on $2 or less a day.

We can all agree that isn't a good thing, but then he hammers the impact of that problem:

If you are bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito, you need to buy medicine and so there’s no money for food. If you need more water, you have to spend two hours walking to and from the nearest half-decent water spot, and those two hours are the two hours you were going to spend harvesting the food your kids need.

So again, we clearly have a problem.  Then Seth goes into how the group he supports, the Acumen Fund provides a solution to this problem.

But not just "a" solution . . . a solution that is fairly unique to the Acumen Fund.  That solution is a bit complex so I'll finally link to Seth's post.

-------------------------------

Let me be clear about this.  If you want to have a successful nonprofit organization you MUST be able to explain both the problem you are attempting to solve AND how your group solves that problem in a unique way.

If you can't, then your growth will be permanently capped.

Take a look at the post and I'll see you Monday.

 

The Clock is Ticking

On May 19, I posted An Open Letter to Arts Administrators.  In the post I suggested that you give yourself a year to do one of two things:

1.  Make at least one significant, positive, change within the organization or

2.  Find a new job.

A lot of you emailed me saying that you would use that year to make a change.

Consider this a friendly reminder:

You have nine months left.

I know, time flies.

------------------------------

Here's some things to consider if you are fighting for change within your organization:

1.  Pick a change worth fighting for - It doesn't need to be a big change, but it needs to be meaningful enough that you are willing to go to the wall for it.

2.  Be clear about what you want - As we are learning in our political environment, clarity about the change you are looking for is key.

3.  Stick to the timetable - 9 months.  Seriously.  Don't waver on this.  You can make something meaningful happen in 9 months.  You can find a new career in nine months.  Stay on your path.

 

 

 

Dropping the ball

I messed up.

A few weeks ago I was supposed to wrap up a project, but it totally slipped my mind.

No excuses, it just happened.

What happened next was important . . .

I was held accountable.

My boss, plus the people that report to me, all reminded me that this was something that needed to happen and ultimately I was responsible for seeing it through.

==========================

So . . . who holds you accountable?

Who has the capability to call you out if you mess up?

One of the biggest complains I hear from people who work in nonprofit arts orgs is lack of accountability.

They feel like if the major players within an arts org, the AD, the Board Chair, make a mistake their is no one able or willing to call them out on it.

Take some time today to consider the accountability question.  Because a place where no one is held accountable for their mistakes is a place where failure is inevitable.

 

Like

It's difficult to connect your art with people . . . if you don't like people.

Authentic marketing, the type that cuts through the tremendous amount of noise out there and actually resonates with people, requires that you hold your audience (and potential audience) in pretty high regard.

It means being honest with them, being transparent about your work . . . and always, always, trying to give them a remarkable experience.

But if you don't like people, if you seem them as a little bit stupid, a tad bit inferior, or not worth the effort, then it all falls apart and struggle is inevitable.