A:
Although many people may think that there is a magic recipe for getting gratuities many times the best bet for a possible reward is to always do your job 100% no matter what the circumstances are. Yes, there are sometimes some things that you can do that create an opportunity for the customer to offer a gratuity but when all is said and done, sometimes it just depends upon the customer.
Several times I will conduct what I believe to be a spectacular performance and have (in my opinion) saved the day for the customers or covered for mistakes or shortcomings of other vendors. Unfortunately, most times there is no way that the customer will recognize what you have done since the day is usually a frantic endeavor on their part and they just don't notice. The bottom line is that if you are a true professional, you must know in your heart that you have done your best.
Sometimes there is no telling when a gratuity will be passed on and many times it is impossible to read what the customer is thinking. Many times they work in an industry that itself depends upon tips as part of their income and they truly believe that it is warranted. Other times customers are on a budget and have already over-extended themselves in trying to create a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Still other times I have even delivered an excellent performance and vendors are voicing their praise, thanks and giving me congratulations only to find that there was some small, slight thing that may have occurred (most times without knowing about it) that the customer did not agree with. This calls to mind the importance of thorough preparation and and complete planning to insure success. At one event, I performed where the customer also hired a jazz saxophonist to play live. This musician allowed for "dead air" or "silence" in between tracks that you would think most professional musicians and broadcasters would understand to be taboo. I saw it as very unprofessional and uncomfortable for the guests but the customer ended up defending the saxophonist when I tried to place quiet snippets of instrumental music within his periods of silence. It goes along with what I have known for years: In my opinion, about 95% of musicians are flakes and "wanna-bes." I can say this because I have spent decades as a professional musician, stage manager, concert promoter, engineer and producer and have experienced this phenomenon first hand. Just like with DJs, these non-professional make it that much more difficult for us professionals who try to be professional and to try to escape the stigma of these amateurs.
As is common in all service industries, you take the good customers with the bad and maintain your composure and professionalism by delivering performances that are always those that you are proud of. It all evens out in the end.
