Contacting Tips for Professionals.
We are currently working on this section. The following was written for models, but it can be applied to any professional looking to book work on their own and establish a professional relationship with any contact.

How to book a model job.

How you present yourself to a business which has a model job that you want to be considered for makes a big difference, and will be a part of determining if you will be invited to their Go See for the consideration of booking the model job.
We are surprised at how many "models" don't have a clue about contacting companies for go see consideration. We have see models E-Mail huge image files of unprofessional pictures, one sentence introductions with poor format, spelling, and grammar, and form letters. If you do this, don't be surprised if you rarely book any work. Models who do not take the small time that it takes to learn how and pay attention to detail should not be on this web site. If you are not responsible or professional, let an agency put up with you, and let the model agency do all of your legwork for you.
To maximize consideration and to be viewed as a professional independent model who inspires confidence, read and follow these instructions.

Posting for a solicited job offer

1. Read the job post carefully

Details are very important. We might even say that details are critical, because, let's face it, they really are. Find out what the job is, who is doing it, and what the specifics and the pay are. Compare it to our RATE SHEET to make sure that the pay scale is industry competitive. Pay attention to who, why, how, what, and where. Use these details in your cover letter so that the person reading it realizes that you are not only professional, but that you took the time to get the details AND write to them and only them. We cannot begin to tell you how many models send THIS site silly, poorly written E-Mails wanting us to represent them and wanting to be considered for "our" jobs. If they actually took the time to READ, they would understand that we are not an agency, we are not a photography company with jobs, AND that the jobs on our job board are from many DIFFERENT companies. Guess what happens to those E-Mails? We either make fun of them in the mail bag, or get comfortable with certain well used actions called "delete" and "empty trash". Trust us when we say that not doing your homework and not showing that you have a clue about why you are contacting them is a waste of time, and may even hurt you for future consideration of other jobs, as they will remember who you are. The model MUST get all of their facts in order before taking any kind of action!

2. Write a cover letter

It is important not to send out a vague form letter. Don't let them feel that they were one of many recipients of the same letter, ESPECIALLY if they really were! Take the time to write a letter to them. Introduce yourself, be positive and let them know that you have an upbeat look that can benefit or make their project. Make sure you let them know in the cover letter, also known as a letter of introduction, about your experience which is relevant to their specific job. Tell them what you like about the specific job offer and what you like about their company, and feel free to ask questions. After you sign the letter, add a signature footer with your name, telephone number, your PO Box, E-Mail address, and web site address. NEVER put your physical mailing address in a letter to someone who you don't know.

3. Assemble your introduction package

Your package will include a cover letter, your resume, and a composite card. If you are going to be E-Mailing them, do not send large picture files! Use a digital version of your composite card under 200K in size or link to the location of the file on the Internet. Don't clog their E-Mail account! If you are inconsiderate and E-Mail them large files, they WILL delete your E-Mail without looking at it and considering you at all, and we don't blame them. Make it a simple and quick matter to go over your material, and make it easy to consider you. If you are going to be mailing the package, make sure that your cover letter and resume is printed on professional resume paper.

4. Send your package

Send them your package. If you are E-Mailing them, request verification that they have received your material. Note that many companies get a lot of E-Mail from a lot of models, and that they might only be able to contact you if they wish to consider you for the go see and a possible job booking. This is another reason that you must be as professional as possible- you have to compete with a LOT of other models who may have your kind of look, and you want to set yourself apart from them and get noticed in the crowd of submissions!

5. Check back with them

Give them a week, and then check back with them. They might be busy, but you now have a reason to call them. Ask to speak to someone in charge of booking for jobs or the person booking a specific job. Keep it short and polite, and verify that they got your information. If they are interested in you, they will either take the time to ask you a few questions, ask you to call back when they have more time to talk to you, or will offer you a go see appointment.

If you are not considered for the job Go See, or do not hear back from them, do not take it personally. Get ready to submit for the next model job go see, and keep them in mind. DO NOT TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY. It might be as simple as you not having the look that they need. A "no" at least means that they took the time to consider you and many "no"s lead to future "yes"'s if you are professional and polite about it. If you get the chance to talk to them, ask why you were not considered. Most people will be honest with you, and you can use that feedback in a positive way by addressing and correcting any issues that might come up.
IF YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL, RESPONSIBLE MODEL, YOU SHOULD NOT GET A BAD REFERENCE AND A LOW PMB SCORE FROM OUR PROFESSIONAL MODEL BUREAU, SO THIS SHOULD NOT BE A REASON THAT YOU WERE NOT CONSIDERED. IF THIS IS THE REASON, THEN YOU NEED TO LOOK AT YOUR CAREER CLOSELY, FIX YOUR ISSUES, AND WORK TOWARD IMPROVING YOUR PMB SCORE.

 

Generating leads through unsolicited contact

This is even harder than being considered for a solicited model job offer, simply because you cannot be sure if the company has a project in the works where they can utilize your look, and the company is not expecting to have a model contact them directly, although they are probably used to model agency bookers and ad agencies contacting them to see if they can send their information on models to them. Take a hint to how the bookers do unsolicited contacts, and do it this way. Speaking of ad agencies, they are even better targets for a model to contact because they are always looking for models, and may welcome the chance of booking a professional model directly into one of their client projects.
The first thing the model needs to do is make every attempt to SOFT SELL the prospect. Here's how to do that:

A. INVESTIGATE

RESEARCH THEM. You need to know WHO you are dealing with and WHAT kind of work that they do. The more that you know, the better prepared you will be, and the greater the advantage you will have when you compose your cover letter. You can find out about a company by contacting customer service and requesting information, by studying their web site, but Googling the names of their main people or the Owner/ President/ CEO, or by reading publications in their business field. Above all else, find out the NAME and the JOB TITLE of the person who is in charge of marketing or who deals with model agency bookers and advertising agencies (if this isn't an advertising agency that you are preparing to contact).

B. CONTACT THEM TO CONVERSE AND ASK QUESTIONS

Call them on the phone or E-Mail them and establish a dialogue. You will need to introduce yourself and establish who you are with the right person, but the first person that you talk to may be a receptionist who may be put out by an avalanche of information when they cannot or may not be in a position to assist you with. If you don't already know who you need to talk to by your research, ask to speak to the person in charge of marketing OR the company person who normally works with model agencies. If asked any questions, just be friendly and ask to be connected to the person who has that job. When you are connected and the person identifies themselves, then you may introduce yourself. Be friendly, professional, and to the point. The person that you have contacted may be annoyed at having to take the time to talk to someone on the phone, and the less of an impact that you have on their busy work day and their productivity, the better. In business, time is money! DO NOT STRAY from a professional conversation and the purpose of your call, and be short and concise with any answers that you give to their questions without volunteering a lot of information. The less information that you give the better. The call will be shorter, and they will remember more of the conversation. In the close of your conversation, ASK THEM IF YOU CAN MAIL THEM A PACKAGE with your composite card, your professional resume, and a letter of introduction. If they say "no", thank them and remind them that it is more cost effective if a model is booked without an agency involved. Don't get into a debate with them though, just refer them to the Independent Modeling web site so they can open their eyes to the possibilities that they might not be aware of. End the call and file their information away, and plan to contact them again in three months or if you become aware of a project that they are doing that you may have a look for. You never know, you might either get another person OR they might finally consider you. You will probably be wasting your time and may harm your chances of working with them at all if you send them something immediately after they have told you no, however; sometimes, being too persistent will annoy people. ON THE OTHER HAND, If you got this far and you've made a good impression, they will probably tell you "yes". Congratulations. You have soft sold yourself with an introduction, and IF a job comes up that you have a look for, you'll probably have an easier time booking it than if you sent your material to a solicited model job post!

B1. PUT TOGETHER YOUR MATERIAL

If the company gives you permission, OR you cannot reach them by phone or E-Mail and want to do this anyway, put together your material to mail to them. If you don't soften them up by communicating with them first, however, prepare for a hard sell, and you need to explain WHY you are mailing them a package and HOW your look and qualifications can benefit any projects that they may have now or in the future. SELL YOURSELF, but don't waste their time with a long letter and information that is not relevant. Make your point in a cover letter under a half page in length that can be read in under a minute, so they will file your information and keep it on file. Don't worry if you don't hear back from them, you'll get the chance to hear from them if they want to book you in a relevant project or when you follow up in a few weeks.

1. Read the job post carefully

Details are very important. We might even say that details are critical, because, let's face it, they really are. Find out what the job is, who is doing it, and what the specifics and the pay are. Compare it to our RATE SHEET to make sure that the pay scale is industry competitive. Pay attention to who, why, how, what, and where. Use these details in your cover letter so that the person reading it realizes that you are not only professional, but that you took the time to get the details AND write to them and only them. We cannot begin to tell you how many models send THIS site silly, poorly written E-Mails wanting us to represent them and wanting to be considered for "our" jobs. If they actually took the time to READ, they would understand that we are not an agency, we are not a photography company with jobs, AND that the jobs on our job board are from many DIFFERENT companies. Guess what happens to those E-Mails? We either make fun of them in the mail bag, or get comfortable with certain well used actions called "delete" and "empty trash". Trust us when we say that not doing your homework and not showing that you have a clue about why you are contacting them is a waste of time, and may even hurt you for future consideration of other jobs, as they will remember who you are. The model MUST get all of their facts in order before taking any kind of action!

2. Write a cover letter

It is important not to send out a vague form letter. Don't let them feel that they were one of many recipients of the same letter, ESPECIALLY if they really were! Take the time to write a letter to them. Introduce yourself, be positive and let them know that you have an upbeat look that can benefit or make their project. Make sure you let them know in the cover letter, also known as a letter of introduction, about your experience which is relevant to their specific job. Tell them what you like about the specific job offer and what you like about their company, and feel free to ask questions. After you sign the letter, add a signature footer with your name, telephone number, your PO Box, E-Mail address, and web site address. NEVER put your physical mailing address in a letter to someone who you don't know.

3. Assemble your introduction package

Your package will include a cover letter, your resume, and a composite card. If you are going to be E-Mailing them, do not send large picture files! Use a digital version of your composite card under 200K in size or link to the location of the file on the Internet. Don't clog their E-Mail account! If you are inconsiderate and E-Mail them large files, they WILL delete your E-Mail without looking at it and considering you at all, and we don't blame them. Make it a simple and quick matter to go over your material, and make it easy to consider you. If you are going to be mailing the package, make sure that your cover letter and resume is printed on professional resume paper.

4. Send your package

Send them your package. If you are E-Mailing them, request verification that they have received your material. Note that many companies get a lot of E-Mail from a lot of models, and that they might only be able to contact you if they wish to consider you for the go see and a possible job booking. This is another reason that you must be as professional as possible- you have to compete with a LOT of other models who may have your kind of look, and you want to set yourself apart from them and get noticed in the crowd of submissions!

5. Check back with them

Give them a week, and then check back with them. They might be busy, but you now have a reason to call them. Ask to speak to someone in charge of booking for jobs or the person booking a specific job. Keep it short and polite, and verify that they got your information. If they are interested in you, they will either take the time to ask you a few questions, ask you to call back when they have more time to talk to you, or will offer you a go see appointment.

If you are not considered for the job Go See, or do not hear back from them, do not take it personally. Get ready to submit for the next model job go see, and keep them in mind. DO NOT TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY. It might be as simple as you not having the look that they need. A "no" at least means that they took the time to consider you and many "no"s lead to future "yes"'s if you are professional and polite about it. If you get the chance to talk to them, ask why you were not considered. Most people will be honest with you, and you can use that feedback in a positive way by addressing and correcting any issues that might come up.

UPDATED 09/09/06