Sales
Workflow
Below is the step-by-step flow of our sales process. The items in bold are the steps for which you are responsible.
1st Call
Network List Call
Pre-Pledge Meeting
Budget + Agreement
Onboard Meeting (Campaign Prep Begins)
1st Call
The first step in the sales workflow takes place after an artist completes an application and schedules a time to speak with you on the phone.
In the morning, when you start work, review your calendar and make sure you have all the applications network lists you need for that day. For missing applications, please email sam@plaiddogrecording.com. If you are missing any network lists, still plan to make your call that day to check-in with the artist, but if their list is not available, please reschedule to give them more time.
From the artist’s application, open the 1st Call Pitch and Network Follow-Up Typeforms. You will have to highlight entire link, copy and paste into URL.
Project Manager only: Assign prospect to Bryan or Mike based on ratio listed on Monday.com. To find the ratio, click on the Sales Process board, then open the filter settings as shown below. For example, if the ratio is 50:50, you would assign half of the leads to Bryan, and the other half to Mike. To assign the lead, click on the Producer column and choose Bryan or Mike.
For training purposes, record your calls under further notice. To do this on a Mac, open QuickTime, select File/New Audio Recording and hit record.
Initiate call to prospect. If you’re calling a band or any international artist, the conference call will be on Google Meet (audio only). You can join by calling into the conference line or clicking the provided Google Meet. This link will be the same for every call. You may need to initiate by calling the primary contact and helping them join the call.
All band members must be present for the call. If you’re missing members, you can say, “Because this is such a unique program, we find it’s really important to have all band members on the line. Let’s find a time to reschedule.” If you’re unable to find a time on the phone, send the “Missing Members for the Call,” sequence in Gmelius.
Run the first call pitch provided in the Typeform. So long as you click the pitch link in the application, this will auto-fill with the artist’s info.
Note there are two different first call pitches, depending on the application type received:
These pitches are very similar. For training purposes, we will focus on the Rising Artist pitch first.
If you get asked a question you can’t answer, don’t be afraid to tell artist you actually aren’t sure how we would handle that situation, but you’ll ask Mike (the owner) and follow-up with an answer by email.
When time to schedule your next call, do your best to schedule the artist for that appointment while still on the phone with them. Open Acuity and schedule a follow-up for a week out, unless artist requests additional time. When scheduling, always offer two dates for the artist to choose from.
If the artist doesn’t answer: 1) send the Network Follow-Up - Artist Doesn’t Answer sequence; 2) Remove the producer assignment from Monday.com; 3) Update Lead Status on Monday.com to Reschedule.
1st Call FAQs: frequently asks questions on your first call.
Q: Who owns the music?
A: Artists maintain 100% of the master recording. We do not collect any royalties on the mechanical license. Instead, we're compensated with the funds raised by the campaign. It starts and stops there.
Q: Who owns the campaign?
A: The studio owns the campaign and is the campaign beneficiary, meaning the campaign funds are transferred directly to the studio. Any additional funding that goes beyond what's needed for the recording process is delivered from the studio to you. You also grant the studio the ability to manage campaign; however, you are able to change campaign content through before, during and after the campaign run.
Q: What does the studio charge?
A: The studio charges $600 per day, and 1 day of work equals 8 hours. Part of the next step is to create a project budget together, which is going to take song count, instrumentation, and the general production approach into consideration. We create this just like any other project quote, except in our case, we’d then be crowdfunding to cover all of the costs associated with your project. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves first. It’s best to go through the next steps to determine an appropriate funding goal, and then revisit things like project size, exact budget, etc. once we’ve answered the important questions regarding the crowdfunding process.
Q: What's in it for you guys?
A: Being able to raise the funds we need to execute a project properly is a huge plus for the studio. We are often working on projects that wouldn't have happened without this process. Since the studio switched to this model, our business has grown significantly, so there's a huge incentive for us to continue structuring projects this way and offering the services we offer.
Q: I'd like to see a project budget.
A: We always make a detailed project budget before moving forward with any artist; however, we're a little too far out to create a budget for your right now. Because we'd be crowdfunding to cover all of the costs going into the budget, we first need to determine an appropriate funding goal for you, and in order to do that, we'd need to review your Network List. So, that's the best next step, and once that's ready to go, I'll be scheduling your meeting with [Mike/Bryan], at which point, he'll be able to connect all of these dots and create an accurate project budget with you.
Q: How does the marketing work? Can you give me an example?
A: Riff and review off 3 points already stated:
Promotions: why are promotions important? Momentum
Messaging templates: talk about social media, timing for posts, quality of content
Infrastructure: campaigning is a full time job
Q: Who sends the emails?
A: The process of emailing is really a team effort which actually involves a pretty in-depth process that I’ll get to next. Can I tell you a little bit about the next step and circle back to this question? I think it’ll give you better context.
Q: What’s the timeline for a project?
A: (Ask them about timeline and then cater answer.)
If ASAP: Once we start preparing a campaign, it take about 5-6 weeks to launch and 36 days to run it. At that point, you can book time with your producer based on your availability. We can work at a pace that fits your timeline.
If longer term: Let’s move forward with the application process so we have all the information that we can use to move forward, and if you need *a few weeks* to get your ducks in a row, we can definitely give you some time before preparing your campaign. Once we finish this process, we can schedule times that will give you the appropriate amount of flexibility you need.
Q: How long does it take to finish the record?
A: (Ask when they’re looking to release.) Based on the availability of studio time, you can work with your producer to create a schedule that works for you. Theoretically, if you wanted to book an entire week, we could do that. If you have a crazy busy schedule and want to take your time with it, we can work with that as well.
Q: When are you booking studio time?
A: Once the campaign closes, we’ll know exactly what kind of budget we’re working with. You and your producer can hash out a detailed schedule and plan for the record and book time accordingly.
Q: How many campaigns do you do at one time?
A: Typically we have 4 or 5 campaigns running at a time. We have dedicate campaign management staff that keeps tabs on each campaign’s progress while Mike and Bryan can focus on the music. We schedule weekly check-ins to review progress so that no one falls behind.
COVID FAQ
Q: What health precautions is the studio taking?
A: All of our COVID procedures are up on our site. Given that they are pretty robust, it’s probably best to reach through those first and then let me know if you have further questions. Know that all of our staff is vaccinated, and ensure clients are either vaccinated or if not, have recently tested negative before coming into the studio. We also require masking in common areas of the studio regardless of vaccination status.
Q: What happens if there’s another wave and I’m unable to travel?
A: We have found over the past two years that flexibility is the name of the game. Timelines can be adjusted, or even workflow can be adapted. Since the pandemic hit, we've been recording a lot of project remotely. In the event that we're approaching your studio dates and you'd be more comfortable working from home ,we can absolutely meet you where you're at. The process remains collaborative, real-time, and we even send out quality equipment if artists need it. Would you be more comfortable with a model like this?
Q: With so much changing so quickly, it’s hard to know if I can make such a big time commitment.
A: I hear you - it's been quite a year, huh? I totally understand your hesitancy. I do want to let you know that we're absolutely capable of working at a pace appropriate to the times we're living in. With regards to timeline, we're not asking for any commitment at this point. Quite a bit of work goes into the preparation for the campaign, and you wouldn't be traveling to Boston for about 8 weeks after you sign on anyways. Should we need to adjust this timeline, we absolutely can.
Q: Which producer will I be working with?
A: We have 3 producers at the studio, Mike, Carter, and Bryan. While everyone has similar skill sets and can work on a wide range of styles with confidence, part of our goal here in this introductory process is to get to know you and your project better, so that I can then connect you with the producer who will be the best fit. Additionally, we want to ensure projects are divided up evenly amongst producers to ensure every artist gets the attention they deserve, and that’s something we account for when scheduling your first meeting with them. On our next call, we’ll be scheduling that meeting, so at that point, you’ll know who your producer is, you can check out their work, and get a better feel for their style before you talk.
1st Call Follow-Up
If a call is scheduled:
Click on the Network Follow-Up from the artist’s application. When the form auto-fills, you still need to complete each field manually -- but the form will tell you how to fill in each field. Complete and submit form to trigger follow-up automation. If you do not see the email in your inbox within 30 seconds, please notify Mike.
Schedule the Network Follow-Up appointment in Acuity.
Submit the pitch Typeform so I receive your notes from the call.
Update Monday when prompted by Typeform.
Upload the recording of the call to the Dropbox folder I shared with you.
If a call is not scheduled:
Send the artist an email using the No Follow-Up Scheduled After 1st Call sequence directly after call. Do not send Network List instructions.
Once they schedule that call, you can follow steps 1-5. If they use your booking calendar, you don't need to update Acuity.
Update status on Monday to “Follow Up” and add some notes about the call.
Network List Call
From the artist's application, click on the pledge pitch, Open the artist’s network list.
Please share Network List with Mike, Bryan, and Carter. When sharing, in notes, write: ATTN MIKE, BRYAN, or CARTER.
In QuickTime, select File/New Audio Recording and hit record.
Pull up the Pledge Pitch Typeform from the artist’s application and complete the first few fields before initiating the call. You will need their Network List(s) available.
Initiate call to prospect. If you’re calling a band, the conference call will be on Google Meet (audio only). You can join by calling into the conference line or clicking the provided Google Meet. This link will be the same for every call. You may need to initiate by calling the primary contact and helping them join the call.
All band members must be present for the call. If you’re missing members, you can say, “Because this is such a unique program, we find it’s really important to have all band members on the line. Let’s find a time to reschedule.” If you’re unable to find a time on the phone, send the “Missing Members for the Call,” sequence in Gmelius.
Run the pledge pitch provided in the Typeform.
If you get asked a question you can’t answer, don’t be afraid to tell artist you actually aren’t sure how we would handle that situation, but you’ll ask Mike and follow-up with an answer by email.
When time to schedule a video chat with Mike or Bryan, do your best to schedule the artist for that appointment while still on the phone with them. All meetings will be scheduled as video chats via FaceTime or Google Meet (artist preference). Please schedule this as a Video Chat in Acuity.
Following Up
If a video chat/meeting is scheduled:
Follow instructions at the end of the Pre-Pledge Pitch Typeform to create the artist’s pre-pledge page. Copy link to this page to your clipboard.
Click on the Pre-Pledge Follow-Up form from the artist’s application. You need to complete each field manually, but the form will tell you how to fill in each field. Complete and submit form to trigger follow-up automation. If you do not see the email in your inbox within 30 seconds, please notify Mike.
Schedule video chat/meeting in Acuity.
Submit the pitch Typeform so I receive your notes from the call.
Update Monday when prompted by Typeform.
Upload the recording of the call to the Dropbox folder I shared with you.
If a call is not scheduled:
Send the artist an email using the No Follow-Up Scheduled After Pledge Call snippet.
Once they schedule that call, you can follow steps 1-5. If they use your booking calendar, you don't need to update Acuity.
Update status on Monday to “Follow Up” and add some notes about the call.