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Last week, I let the folks who subscribe to our newsletter know that I was committing to doing a whole lot of “strategy sessions” with musicians this fall.

So what’s a strategy session?

A “strategy session” like the ones I facilitate is a really condensed form of scenario planning for musicians.

Using the exercises from Grow Your Band’s Audience as a jumping-off point, we gather a small group (usually 6-8 participants) into a “war room” setting. Usually, it’s a small conference room, where we can all see each other and jot notes on a big wall.

During the session, we talk about everyone’s perfect gig and perfect audience. And we look at pulling those visions into reality over the next two years. With that in mind, we use the power of the group to brainstorm the answer to this question:

“What are the things we will need to see happening in 6, 12, 18 months to know that we are on the way to seeing this vision become a reality?”

Once you have those tentpoles in place, you can pull out a list of tasks that need to get done and the order in which they have to happen in order for that success to become real. This is the kind of focused, organized planning and visioning that successful businesses (and, therefore, musicians) use to pull ahead of the pack.

I’ve done these in person and over the phone. But the in-person events are more fun and, I believe, more effective, since you can use lots of tools in the “war room” that you can’t do virtually (yet).

I’ve scheduled two of these sessions so far, in towns I will be visiting this fall:

* September 12, 2004 in Atlanta, GA
* September 19, 2004 in Nashville, TN

Each session lasts for four hours in the room, but also includes follow-up conference calls over the following six months so we can make sure you’re accountable for completing the goals you identify in each session. For only $79, it’s a superb investment in your future success!

[ P.S.: If you would like us to set up a strategy session in your town, contact us at 1-877-654-0409 and dial extension 7872 to reach our events coordinator. ]

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