What do you do if your rates as a freelance theatrical sound engineer are not attracting clients?

After over 40 years in the recording/touring business I have had a lot of experience in this scenario. Stick to your guns. Do not lower your rate just for a client that may or may not continue to hire you. Word does get around about what you will “settle for”. I made this mistake years ago and have still not reached the level my touring salary was in 1996 despite still doing the same position and an early adopter of its breakthrough technology (IEM monitors). Know your worth. Management will always try to screw you. That’s their job, to get things done as cheaply as possible. You get what you pay for.

My experience of 52 years has been, that an independent theatrical audio engineer must employ a multifaceted approach to attract clients, just like in most fields/areas: “competitive rates”, an impressive portfolio, strategic networking, effective marketing, & continuous development. Conduct market analyses for rate formulation and diverse pricing. Curate high-caliber portfolio samples, and maintain an online presence. Network at events, engage communities, leverage social media, and create content. Gain experience through volunteering, seeking feedback/mentorship, and perpetual learning. Enhanced visibility, builds reputation, and draws clients. A holistic strategy yields flourishing clientele.

Just like every other business does, you have to know the market price for what you are offering. You don't want to be too high, and you don't want to be too low. You need to be in the Ballpark. If you find out that most of your competitors are charging a day rate of $450. charge $400. to get get yourself working. As they raise their rates, raise yours to just under that figure. Once you have established yourself with venues and production companies, you can periodically raise your rates in small increments until you match the majority of your competitors. While the clients do value good skill levels, and work ethics, we have to keep in mind that we are a line item in a budget.

You should understand the market you're playing in. Sometimes the problem is with the clients who come around because they do not have a large budget and sometimes, they also try to belittle your experience.

Sometimes this is hard to do. You should however try as much as possible to add some of your finished works to your CV/Portfolio/Profile, this gives some level of rating and credibility to your work.

Having any sort of testimonies from past clients is always great! It's word of mouth that & having the right connections that helps attract new clients. Take care of the clients you have now & new ones will come.

You could offer some packages that come with discount to some clients. Let's say you charge $5,000 for a full season of 13 episodes, You could say what if we work on 5 seasons and you'll charge $22,000 if you charge per episode, give them rates that make them seem like they're having some wins too. Everybody likes to feel on top even when it comes to pricing.

Improvement is not underrated and you should get as much gigs as possible. This helps you to have knowledge on different jobs and clients and also improves your portfolio.