Producer tips from an actor's playbook

Honing your craft helps close deals and build confidence.

The similarities between an actor’s approach to an audition and a producer prospecting are more similar than what you may think. (Photo: Shutterstock)

If a producer has a 90% retention on their book of business, they’ll lose roughly 10% of their revenue, through attrition, every year.

Even with a 95% retention rate, your book of business will drop by 25% in just five years. In order to grow your book, first, you need to learn how to maintain it, which can be extremely challenging if your retention starts to slide.

The actor’s audition

One way an actor stays sharp is to hit the street and go to as many auditions annually as possible. Auditions can be one of the most painful experiences you can imagine, but the upside is a deeper personal understanding of what makes you tick and, of course, having some success as an actor by actually landing gigs.

Think making cold calls is tough? Try showing up to an audition to put your whole self completely on the line. Trying to avail yourself emotionally, be vulnerable, and beat back with a stick that fight-or-flight response screaming at the top of its lungs in your head to take an express train anywhere but that audition room. All the while trying to keep your IQ from plummeting to a point that makes normal conversation virtually impossible. Oh, then there’s the actual acting part. Letting moments flow authentically while presenting your craft — showing a healthy (wide) emotional range and the ability to hold the attention of the director. In other words — totally stand out and be memorable.

For many actors, an audition is the only place they will have an audience for extended periods of time until they get a job. For a producer, sit-down meetings with prospects are their way to stay sharp while building a book of business. Closing deals requires a strong sense of confidence. Confidence isn’t a fruit you can pick from a tree; it grows from within at its own pace. Steady practice acts like Miracle-Gro; it helps the growth process, but you still need to plant the seed.

Tips from the actor’s audition toolbox to keep you producing on top of your game:

  1. Preparation. Know your character’s history. Know the background story. Do your research.
  2. Planning the arc of the scene. Have the whole scene planned from beginning to end, but be prepared (and open) to improvising. Welcome moments to stray from the plan if the scene isn’t working.
  3. Emotional intelligence. This seems to be the buzz phrase these days, but don’t let your little brain take over your big brain. More importantly, if it happens, have a plan to get through it without losing your mind. Show a healthy range. Be prepared to be tested. A good director will test an actor in an audition to see if they can take direction or if they are rigid. Rigidity is a threat to the show’s success.
  4. Using the space between the lines. Silence. Don’t be too eager to fill the conversation gap. Let your scene partner and the director have a moment to absorb your scene and, if working with a scene partner, let them respond in their own time. There is a power in stillness, but don’t let the scene lose all the momentum either.
  5. Listening. Listen to the other actors in your scene and play off their emotions, not the lines. Authentic communication is far more memorable than a cold, dull script reading.
  6. Making calculated emotional risks. Here’s where you can totally kill a scene or … kill a scene. Take a shot to leave a solid impression — a memorable one. Especially if there’s virtually nothing to lose.
  7. Connection. Find a personal connection to the character you’re playing. Dig deep. Be open to vulnerability. There is a certain strength in emotional honesty.

‘To thine own self be true’

Accepting that rejection is simply a part of the game and, most importantly, an opportunity to grow as a person is key to an actor’s success as well as a producer’s. Ah, the seeds from which wisdom blossoms….Ok, maybe that’s a bit much!

Take that risk. Fall. Get up. Dust yourself off and repeat. Again and again and again. As always — be honest, be genuine and live life.

Mark Rosalbo is a senior advisor at NFP in Montpelier, Vt. He has over 25 years of experience in financial services and insurance. He can be reached at Mark.Rosalbo@NFP.com or 802-489-7212.

This piece was first published on LinkedIn and is republished here with consent. Opinions expressed are the author’s own. 

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