Hi everyone!

I need some advice. I got a call from someone I've been talking to about doing some basic marketing/advertising work for today, and he said he had this new project he wanted to talk to me about. He's a musician and he's working with someone who's making a workout dvd - he'll be providing the soundtrack. They want to talk to me about promoting, marketing and selling this new dvd. Initially it will just be promoting it to local fitness clubs, but eventually they want to promote it, market it and sell it on a much larger scale. I have never done this type of work per se, but I do have years and years of marketing, advertising and PR experience, and am going to the meeting. I need to get more information and will basically be doing a "needs analysis" to see how invovled it is. I definitely don't want to be an outside salesperson again, so I need to make sure they will have a staff in place. I was wondering if anyone has ever done anything like this, and how you would even charge for it. (up front deposit, then monthly retainer, strictly per hour, or some other type of arrangement that I'm just not thinking of?) It could be something that would be sold across the country eventually. Any thoughts, opinions, advice? Thanks everyone!

__________________
Yvone M. Kon
M.Y. Marketing & Design
Your Virtual Marketing Assistant - At Your Service!
www.mymarketingdesign.com

My first thought is that they'll ask you to do it for a commission, so you'd earn a percent of actual sales. I'm guessing this because it's unlikely that they can afford your hourly rate for that kind of business venture. Doing sales on spec is a good challenge if you're up for it - and potentially pretty lucrative. If you trust your skill as a salesperson, and really like the product, it may be worth the risk.

__________________
Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

I agree with Mary. I was approached last summer by someone wanting to pay commission only for marketing work. It was too much of a risk for me, since I still have bills to pay. I knew that I was accountable to myself, but I wasn't sure if they'd do everything they said they would do to make the project work. Apparently this company is doing quite well now, and I'm missing out. But I had to go with my comfort level.

Maybe after your meeting you'll have more information on which you can make an informed decision, and we can help you.

__________________
Bette Creek
http://bettecreek.blogspot.com/
www.ashbusinessservices.com