The Santa News Journal

Many of us are feeling the effects of tighter finances this year and we need to remember that our customers are feeling the same struggle.  Santa’s all over the United States are reporting that while the calls are steady for booking this year….it is much slimmer than previous years.

Many of the repeat company parties that all of us have come to depend on are not booking this year.  The majority of companies that have thrown elaborate parties for their employees and their families are finding that there is no budget for frivolities.

The malls and photographers are being heavily affected as well.  A number of malls will not be hiring real bearded Santa’s this year but replacing them with fake bearded Santa’s at a lesser pay scale in order to make up some of the loss from the lack of picture sales.

While the calls are slow but steady there are still markets that need Santa’s.  Instead of getting a mall job….you may want to try soliciting a store (large department store) for a few days a week.  Be reasonable in your rate.  If you try to charge them for your lost business….they will find someone else.  Home parties are still out there but once again be reasonable in your pricing.  Customers that book home parties are feeling the economy pinch as well.

This season is not like any other that I have experienced in the past years.  All of us in the Santa business need to be realistic and flexible in our pricing to accommodate our customers who are struggling.  Be thankful for the jobs and customers that have contacted you.  Always remember that this crisis will soon pass and things will hopefully be better next year.

Agents, Agents, Agents!

They are everywhere….how do you know that you are getting the right one for you?

Below is a few things to look for in your agent.  However, let’s first determine what an agent does.

A good agent will get you exposure.  This can be done in many different and creative ways.  The easiest is with photo’s.  An agent will request that you have quality photo’s for them to present to a potential client.  These photo’s are the clients first impression.  That first impression will get your foot into the door.

Once you are in the door…..it is important for the agent to have great selling skills.  They need to convince that client that you are better than the others that are vying for the same job.  And lastly, the agent needs to be able to close the sale and get you the booking.

There are a number of different agencies out there and they fall into two categories;  Employment Agency and Talent Agency.  Both of them will get you exposure – but they will expose you to different clientele.  An employment agent will get you exposed to malls, home/corporate parties, overseas jobs, media advertisements and the occasional commercial.  A talent agent is more likely to expose you to the film industry and television.  Depending on what you want to do….getting the right agent is important. Some agents are very local and only work in a certain county or city while others have expanded out more and cover multiple countries and states.  And finally there is payment.  An employment agent will place a bid on a job and give the employee (Santa) a fixed amount.  A talent agent will place a bid on a job and give the actor (Santa) a fixed quote, and then subtract the agents commission from the quote given.

Now that we have an idea of what the agent does, how can we be sure that we are at the top of his list?

As stated earlier, the best form of advertisement is photo’s.  Lots and lots of photo’s in various Santa props.  Make sure that your agent has a new photo every year and an updated resume.  This should be a standard entry on your calendar every year to get this done.  The less time and money an agent has to spend following up on you the more likely you are to get first bid on a new job.  Mail, call or email your agent within a few days after a job and give feedback about your experience with the customer.  It is important for the agent to know how things transpired from both sides of the fence.  A good agent will always contact the paying customer to see how the job went.  The agent is YOUR paying customer and his/her satisfaction is important to getting new business.  The most successful Santa’s in the business treats his character as a business.  If you show up as paid talent you will get results of paid talent.  Although a Santa’s performance is his calling card with the children – it is what happens prior to the performance that will get you the jobs that are the most memorable.

If you should have any requests for articles that you would like to see written or have questions, please write Lesley@EliteSantas.com.  All inquiries are welcome and encouraged.