Business Methods for Aspiring Magicians (Continued - Final Segment)
Business cards are a must. Ensure these go to existing and potential customers. Giving existing customers a few extra business cards can pay dividends as they refer you to peers, friends, family, neighbors and other professionals in their industry. Never leave your home or office without a few business cards. Keep some in your vehicles and in your planner or portfolio. Business cards are inexpensive and can be printed nicely on a home or office printer. These are my most successful marketing tool.
When meeting someone for the first time, introduce yourself, and hand them a card. If time permits, do a card prediction, a simple pick a card and the card they selected is actually printed on the back of the business card. This will help the customer remember your magic when they see your card. If they tell you they already have someone, just ask them to hang onto your card in case their regular entertainer can’t perform for them. You don’t want other entertainers feeling as if you’re trying to poach their clients and you often have no idea what the relationship is between them and their client.
If a new customer calls and you’ve not actively prospected them, it’s a good idea to ask them if they have used anyone in the past. If so, ask a few questions, to find out why they’re interested in you. Where they unhappy with their previous entertainer? Did something go wrong in their performance? Was it just not the type of entertainment they thought it would be? This might help determine if your show is correct for the customer. A show for a local motorcycle club might not go over well if you perform the same act you did for a church group. Never disparage another magician’s act. It’s a good idea if you can determine who their last performer was, to give the entertainer a call before confirming a booking. Sometimes, the customer still owes their last entertainer for work they did. In cases like this, don’t commit unless the customer pays in full, in advance, in cash.
Asking questions of a new client can also assist in developing a show that is tailored to their needs. Is there a theme? What is the organization’s or groups mission, or purpose? What is the age of their participants? Is it a religious organization, if so what religion? Keep a record of every customer, and list the effects you perform in your show for them. This will be crucial when they call you to do another show. Change the act up so the audience doesn’t see the same act you performed before.
This hopefully provides some starting points for an aspiring magician to begin their professional career. When I was figuring these things out 50 years ago, there wasn’t a lot available for me to reference. Most things were done by trial and error. It is my hope to prevent some of the mistakes made by a young teenager who barely knew how to perform a few tricks, let alone run a business.