What Should You Do if You Get Double Booked On the Same Day

I received a question on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/howtomodel) from Jeff. He wanted to know what I thought was the most professional way to tell one agent that he has to cancel a booking because a much higher paying job was also offered to him on the same day.

Here is my response to Jeff.

First of all Jeff, what a nice problem to have. Congratulations. The first thing I would do is be honest with the agent (of the smaller paying job) and tell her/him about your situation. Ask (and the other agent), if there  is any chance either booking date can change. If that does not work, I would see if the times of the shoots can be spread out enough so that you could do both on the same day.

In either case, I would not recommend canceling a booking once you agreed to accepting the job. I realize that you will lose money by keeping your word with the first booking, but I believe that it is a much better way to do business. You always want to think about the future and what is best for your career. Not necessarily what is best for you right now.

If you pull out of your commitment with the small paying job, why would that agent ever want to book you again in the future. He/she will always be concerned that you will drop out again if a better job comes along.

So, I would suggest that you have an honest discussion with your agent. Let her/him know that you are committed to doing the job, and see if there is any way of getting it changed.

About the Author: Aaron Marcus

Aaron Marcus has been a full-time actor and commercial model for over 33 years. His new book, How to Become a Successful Actor and Model is an Amazon Best Seller. Aaron has given his seminar: "Book the Job" over 700 times spanning 3 continents. He also offers online workshops. Aaron saves 5 days each month to give private on-line coaching sessions.