Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Management Overhaul?


            


My all time favorite artist is Fantasia.  I would love to get the opportunity to manage her. Even though I may not know much about managing an artist right now I feel that her team isn’t on their job when it comes to her career. I have followed her career since she was a contestant on American Idol and I feel that she should be more of a household name than she is right now; and for her talent, not for her mistakes.  For instance, if I were her manager I would start with an image overhaul. I mean, Fantasia is a superstar and she should start looking like one. I don’t know whether or not she has a stylist but if she does he or she needs to be fired. Also, the music that she puts out is not up to par as to what I know she is capable of. It’s not bad music, but it’s not great either. It’s not current enough. With her voice, she is able to take on any genre of music. I know she is a soul singer, but there’s definitely a way to bring her sound up to date without compromising the integrity of the music. I just want to take her to the next level and I’m going to learn as much as I can about managing an artist and this business so I can one day make this dream a reality. So, another artist that I want to speak on is Brandy. I absolutely love Brandy. Her voice is incomparable and she never disappoints when she puts out new music. I must say though that her team has kind of dropped the ball with her new project. It has been four years since the release of her last album and she has a new project that should be dropping in stores on October 16. The reason I say, “should be” is because the album has been pushed back twice already. That’s the first mistake. The second mistake was to drop the first single in May and then wait three whole months to drop the visual for it. I mean the fans are really rooting for her to come hard this go round since her last album didn’t do so well. Also, she dropped a second single one week after the visual for the first single premiered. Her team should have dropped the second single and on that same day released it to Itunes and radio with the visual for it not too far behind. That would have been a smart move.  I mean her team needs to constantly keep her name out there so that people don’t forget that she has an album coming out. She has done zero TV performances. I mean, what’s up with that? I hope that her team gets it together because she can’t afford to lose this time around and all of her fans, including myself, are rooting for her to win! Follow my girls on twitter Fantasia and Brandy!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Negotiation Tactics





Scott Landstrom, Negotiation Skills For Job Seekers

            This podcast identifies what to do when negotiating for a job. This type of negotiation involves a bilateral exchange. During this time you differentiate yourself from other candidates and go after the right opportunities. It also talks about how you should position yourself in a way that if you do get the opportunity you want it comes at the highest value to you. You should not pretend to know more than you do and make sure that you do your homework about the company. You have to convince yourself that you are the best person for the job and find a way to challenge the interviewer by asking the right questions. You should stay away from emotional outbursts and personal attacks and stick with factual data. You should never lead with neediness. Need is the enemy. It makes the interviewer lose respect for you and the price of compensation goes down when you show need. Lastly, you should be vague about compensation if possible. You do not want to cheat yourself when it comes to salary.


Dare to Ask: Negotiating When It Matters - Texas Enterprise Speaker Series,, UT Austin

            Emily Amanatullah’s speaks about the role of gender and how it plays in the negotiation process, specifically distributive negotiations. She suggests that women are less competitive and negotiate monetarily worse solutions than men do. This happens because of social biases. However, if a woman is negotiation on behalf of someone else, the results tend to differ. Women tend to feel more at ease negotiating for someone else. They also feel more comfortable because they don’t have that fear of backlash they normally would receive if they were negotiation for themselves.


Podcast: Negotiation Tactics & Strategies Everyone Can Use

            This podcast gave very useful tips on negotiation strategies and tactics. For instance, before entering a negotiation know exactly what you want, what the other party wants, what will occur if by chance you cannot get the outcome you seek and what to do if that happens. You should gather all the background information you can about the other party. That way you may be able to find out what you can get that the other party desperately needs or wants. You have to develop a plan of action and a way to execute that plan. By all means, do not put your emotions on display and never position yourself wrong. You should never appear desperate or needy. Pay close attention to detail and be aware of body language and mannerisms, yours as well as the other party’s. Do not stray from the topic at hand. Keep the other party engaged. If at all possible try to get the other party to negotiate against themselves, that way all possible solutions work in your favor.