Bryan Holten

Church Music Made Better

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Three Lessons Church Musicians Can Learn from Salespeople

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As you’ve heard me say before, selling is about much more than the “pitch.” It is a process, not a single action. Though most of us will never become salespeople, all of us would do well to learn as much as we can from the experts who sell for a living.

Today, instead of telling you how to think like a salesperson, I will give you three reasons why it is worth your time to learn as much as you can about selling. I will give you the “why” and leave it to the experts to show you the “how.” (To skip to the specific titles I recommend, click here.)

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Lessons from a Year of Freelance Work

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As a musician, I’ve done freelance work — a gig here, a gig there — for half my life already. Ever since I was old enough to be trusted with the work, I’ve been a “working musician” to some extent. However, the past year brought about a major change. I left my full-time “day job,” which was actually a music job in a church; it involved a lot of work in the evenings. Now, I hold a much smaller church music position, reserving most of my time (especially those coveted evenings) for freelance work and running my business. For the first time in my life, self-employment produces a significant portion of my income (about a third of it). I will probably never view my working life the same as I did before.

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