🧙‍♂️ Brand's response to my $20k pitch

Hey there,

I came down with Covid for the very first time last week and it's been pretty brutal.

Luckily, April has made it slightly more bearable. 🥰

But I pulled myself out of bed because I owe you the conclusion to my story from last week about that $20K sponsorship fail.

So, you wanna know what the agency said after I shot my shot, right?

OK...here it is.

They said...

Drumroll please...

Nothing. 😬

See, the moment most creators hit send on a deal that big, they start refreshing their inboxes, anxiously waiting for a response.

And when they don't hear back right away, doubt starts to creep in.

"Did I charge too much?"

"Did I charge too little and now they're not taking me seriously?"

"Should I follow up to confirm they got it?"

"Did they already pick another creator?"

Hit reply to this email if you've ever been there. 😅

The most important thing to remember during this phase of the negotiation is that you have to lean into the silence.

Give it a little time.

Brands are busy.

Agencies are busy.

Both of which are run by people, just like you and me, who are also busy.

Yes, it would be nice if they replied and confirmed receipt, but there are a zillion reasons why a brand might be ghosting you that have nothing to do with you.

So, I gave it a few days and sure enough...

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Sweet! Back on track.

I quickly replied and said, "Thanks so much and sounds like a plan!"

And then...more silence lol.

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7 days of silence, in fact.

And what do most creators do at this point?

"Just following up on this!" 😬

Please. don't. do. that.

Very often, the reason no one has gotten back to you yet is because they're playing Tetris with the budget!​

Here's what you should say instead 👇

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Can you spot the difference?

Imagine for a second that every interaction you have with a brand or agency is like opening a completely new bank account with them.

And the currency...is value.

In the beginning, the balance is zero (they don't know you).

Your sole focus should be making as many incremental deposits into that account as possible that showcase your professionalism, timeliness, and dedication to this opportunity (+ future ones)!

If you never make a single deposit and instead try to make withdrawals immediately ("how much are you going to pay me?" "how much work are you gonna make me do?")...

...I'm sure you know how that's gonna play out.

At the very least, how annoyed do you think the bank teller is gonna be if you walk in every few days asking for the balance of your (empty) account? 😂

"Just following up...again!" 🙃

Instead, you should always be asking yourself...

"What new piece of information or value can I provide at this point that will help *strengthen* this relationship, not erode it?"

Now, mind you, it won't always work.

Case in point, when I sent that email above, I didn't hear from the agency again for 10 more days...followed by the rejection. 😂

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BUT...I didn't stop there.

See, most creators would just...not respond to the rejection and instantly turn inward thinking...

"I knew it, I suck."

"My proposal sucked."

"My rates were too high."

"I gotta find out which influencer they picked instead so I can secretly hold a grudge against them silently, forever." 😂

But that's not what you're going to do.

You're going to ask them this 👇

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Because when you do, you might learn something that helps you salvage the deal...

OR more likely, that the rejection had nothing to do with you.

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Understanding exactly what to say and when to say it during negotiations is just one of the many, many principles that I teach in my Brand Deal Wizard program, which is opening enrollment on Friday, June 10.

I only teach it 3x a year and the live session dates for this cohort are June 21, June 28, July 5, and July 12.

Note: replays are posted within 24 hours, if you have a conflict on any dates!

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I'll be sending you a lot more info about the program later this week but until then...

Talk soon!

---

Justin Moore | Creator Wizard

Twitter / YouTube / Book a 1-1