Anatomy Of A 5-Star Performer (Part 2)

Last month in part one of 'Anatomy Of A 5-Star Performer', I discussed what characteristics our 5-star performers have in common that might help explain their success on our site. To review, I noted the following:

• they always pay the booking fee on behalf on clients
• they accept online deposits
• they have video in their press kits
• they have a description that averages about 300 words.

This month, I’d like to continue the discussion by looking at some other similarities. 

5-Star Performers Respond Quickly To Gig Requests

The first thing I noticed is that 5-star performers respond much more quickly to gig requests than other performers on our site. In fact our statistics show they respond on average 24% faster than 4 star performers, 41% faster than 3-star performers, and 44% faster than 1-star performers. Clearly, its always a good habit to respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner, but its particular important on our site. Why? Because many gig requests turn into bookings within just a few days. Customers are often looking to secure their entertainment within days not weeks. So responding quickly could really help you get the gig.

5-Star Performers Are In The Right Categories

The next thing I discovered in this analysis is that
5-star performers have taken care to choose the correct
categories - not too few but also not too many. The average is 10
categories.

GigMasters Rating	Avg # of Categories
1 star	8
2.5 stars	7
3 stars	7
3.5 stars	7
4 stars	8
4.5 stars	8
5 stars	10

Obviously this wouldn’t apply to all performers. For example, a Bill Clinton impersonator might be hard pressed to find 10 categories that are right for him. And we certainly would not encourage performers to put themselves in irrelevant or inappropriate categories. But I think the safe conclusion to draw from this is that its important to be in all the categories that are relevant. If you're a Motown Band but have neglected to put yourself in the Oldies Band category, you could missing out. If you're a Salsa Dancer who hasn't added yourself to the Latin Dancer category, there could be some lost opportunities. Also, we are frequently adding new categories, so it's important to periodically go into your control panel and review your category selection to make sure there aren't any that you are missing out on. I would recommend reviewing your category selection once per month.

5-Star Performers Have Lots of Client Feedback

The third thing I noticed is that 5-star performers have more client feedback then other performers. Now, I realize this one might seem obvious since 1/3 of our rating system is based on client feedback. You might be saying to yourself "Of course 5 star performers have more feedback!" But there could be more to it than that.

GigMasters Rating	Avg # of Client Feedbacks
1 star	1
2.5 stars	1
3 stars	2
3.5 stars	3
4 stars	6
4.5 stars	10
5 stars	27

Yes, your rating is determined in part by your client feedback, but it may also be that having more feedback actually helps get you booked (which in turn helps your rating). Why? We believe that it's reassuring to customers to see a more substantial record of past client feedbacks. If there's only one or two feedbacks to read, the customer may not feel there's enough history to base their decision on. If, on the other hand, there are 10 or 20 client feedbacks, it's clear that you have a track record of satisfied customers. I'd even go so far as to say that its better to have 18 good feedbacks and 2 bad ones then to have just 2 or 3 good ones but that's another discussion for another day.

So there you have it - three more characteristics of 5-Star performers and three more things for all GigMasters performers to consider when trying to improve their rating. Let's summarize:

1. Respond quickly to gig requests. The early bird gets the worm. It’s best to respond within 24 hours. Do not wait 3 or 4 days to respond. You will likely lose the booking by that point.
   
   
2. Make sure you are in all the right categories. Check back periodically to make sure you aren’t missing out on any new categories that we’ve created. The right categories means the right exposure which means more potential bookings.
   
   
3. Strive for more client feedback.  We realize its difficult to get all clients to fill out feedback after an event has taken place. And certainly we don’t want you to harass them. But overall you should work toward a goal of having at least 10 client feedbacks on your account and it could really help you get booked.  And we know for sure it will help your rating.