The Actor's Business Cycle – Brand Loyalty
Why Trust, Behavior and Consistency are so Important to Your Career
The concept of the Actor’s Business Cycle, or ABC™, has been adapted from the corporate world. Taken step by step, these easy to understand ideas will provide you with a powerful tool to realize your career goals. Many actors think that landing the part and working on that one project is the last step in their pursuit of having an acting career; they view each show in isolation from the one before and after it.
But this perspective will stand in the way of their gaining, and keeping, momentum in their career. Like the car salesman said, “You don’t sell a guy one car, one time. You sell him five cars over fifteen years.” And to do this you must achieve the most important goal for any business that sells a product/service.
The Real Brass Ring
This last step in the cycle comes about after you’ve worked on a project and demonstrated that your talent, attitude and efforts have been of the highest quality. So good, in fact, that the theatre, producer, director, etc., wants to work with you again in the future. You have become their “go-to” guy or gal…you have achieved Brand Loyalty. You now possess something truly precious because brand loyalty cannot be bought, it must be earned.
There are people who drink Coke and not Pepsi, who drive a Honda and not a Chevy, who shop at Whole Foods and not Safeway. Why? Because when the consumer tried out that company’s product/service it not only delivered on its promises, but exceeded the their expectations. So when the consumer is in need of that particular kind of product/service in the future, they will favor that brand over any other. That is how a career in show business is truly created and perpetuated.
Don’t Get Cocky, Kid
But the problem that many companies, and actors, have is that they grow complacent. They believe that their customers will always choose them over the other products/services out there and they start to let the quality of their product slip and their attention to service go out the window….this is called “becoming a Diva!” This creates the circumstance where a longtime customer has a bad experience or a series of bad experiences with that brand.
Now their loyalty to that brand, that’s you, is greatly diminished, if not gone altogether. That is the moment when the consumer is willing to try out another product/service based on the promises it makes to them…meaning that new actor on the scene. If they like the new product, then they switch…and you’re suddenly out of a job.
So Now What?!
Since you’re not in show business to grow smaller, and you don’t want to spend your life waiting tables, you must ask yourself these three questions.
- How do I maintain the consumer’s brand loyalty?
- How do I increase my share of this particular market?
- Is there any way that I can alter my product/service to appeal to a different consumer group, in a different market, and thereby grow my overall business?
Do you see where this is headed? That’s right. It goes all the way back to the very first step in the Actor’s Business Cycle; The Examination of the Market Place. For the committed, focused, energetic and curious actor this cycle never ends, but continues to spiral outward encompassing more and more opportunities for work and gathering momentum along the way. And after a while the brand loyalty that you’ve achieve begins to build on itself and aids in opening doors of opportunity that you never knew existed.
If people aren't going to talk about your product, then it's not good enough." - Jeffrey Kalmikoff
To understand the Actor’s Business Cycle, it’s best to start at the beginning. Go to: The Actor's Business Cycle - Getting Started: The Examination of the Marketplace
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