Brand Ambassadors work hard for their money. And if you’ve spent any amount of time in the event and promotions industry, you know that the “going rate” for this time fluctuates wildly. Rarely is there room for a Brand Ambassador to negotiate a pay rate because pay is typically budget-driven. As a Brand Ambassador your most valuable playing card is to say “no, thanks” to a promo job that pays less than what you feel your time is worth. That said, when we put our teams together for our clients, we usually find that we get what we pay for.
For the most part, it’ simple free enterprise at play here: the cream rises to the top in the Brand Ambassador world, and highly talented people receive the higher paying gigs. But money isn’t the only motivating factor for most Brand Ambassadors. Stability (totally relative), a positive work environment and gratitude go a long way as well. Don’t underestimate the value of these sorts of intangibles when you bring astreet team on-board.
On the other end of the spectrum, underpaying for Brand Ambassadors is a roll of the dice, and the risk is two-fold: 1.) just as the cream rises to the top, the opposite (whatever that adage might be) is also true; 2.) although money isn’t the only motivator, there are always bills to pay, and when a higher paying job comes along, you may lose your more talented team members. It doesn’t always happen this way (special thanks to all you loyal BA’s out there!), but it happens enough to consider the risk.
As with many industries, we see a correlation between what you have to offer a Brand Ambassador and the quality of work you will get in return. Take care of your people, and they will take care of you.