Archive for the ‘Step 5 - Get money for magic’ Category:
Selling your magic show
You have to understand what your prospect really wants.
If you think the prospects are looking for a magician think again. They really don’t care. Spectators JUST want to have a good time. They want to laugh and enjoy themselves. If you can give them a wonderful time with magic it is fantastic. Your job is to create unique moments of joy and pleasure.
If you succeed, then 30 minutes of entertainment will last in their minds for years. What I mean is: Small memories and situations created from your magic will pop up in their minds. For example when performing at family-parties your show will become a part of the family’s history. They look back and remember those feelings your magic show created. How much money do you think that is worth?
And how much do you think your magic shows can create in the future?
Understand the costumer’s mindset
You have to understand the costumer’s mindset in order to sell magic shows.
Perhaps you think you are selling card tricks, but you are not…
You are selling memories! Read on.
Selling live entertainment is not the same as selling any other kind of products. Your show or your service only exists for perhaps 30 minutes. It is a one-time shot.
If the customers are not satisfied, there is no refund. No second chance. And the magician cannot say: “Well I’ll give you another show for free.” It is too late.
It is a very special thing for a customer to buy entertainment because of the pure nature of it. A bad entertainer can destroy any party.
Imagine you have invited a magician to your wedding.
He is to perform close-up magic while the newlyweds are getting their photographs taken. And he just sucks. It could be he is an okay technical magician, but picture he is an arrogant and unpleasant person. He can do a lot of damage because he makes your guests feel so uncomfortable. The entire atmosphere of party could be destroyed. And the worse thing
is: It happens. And buyers know that.
You have to understand the customers’ worst fears and how to overcome them.
They are worried that a stranger could ruin the party of their life. If you want to sell yourself as an entertainer, you have to handle their worries. They have to be sure that you are worth having at their party. So your job is to convince them, that you are a serious and trustful magician. This, you do through your website, business card, brochure, e-mail and the way you handle them in the telephone. In every contact with your prospect you have to act trustful or you lose the job.
And you know what it all start with you own mindset. So be a nice guy and take you job as a salesman serious;-) Just like your magic.
How you find your fee
How much is your magic show worth?
The fee for your show has nothing to do with what kind of magic tricks you are doing. Professional magicians are probably doing the same magic tricks as you. But the value of their magic is higher.
The secret is emotional value.
What I mean is, the price is determined on the positive emotional impact you have on the spectator. The more ability you have to create a feel-good atmosphere in your show, the higher demand. The higher demand the higher fee.
You have to find your own price level - not the average magician’s level.
Here are a few hints to find your fee
- Most magicians charge ten to twenty times the average-hour salary. That is for one show.
- Another way to find your level is to know the other magicians’ fees and take it from there. But it is far more important to create a demand for your show than to look at the market’s supply of other magicians.
Remember that in the mind of the costumers: The higher fee - the better show.
So your task is to keep on experimenting with the fee until you find your own level. It is not that difficult. Your magic show is worth what the costumers want to pay.
Get paid for your magic talent
Yes, there is a huge demand for your magic tricks!
There is no demand for old vaudeville magic shows, but more for a down-to-earth, new kind of magic. It is more like a guerrilla; the magician comes in and performs but is all the time very close to the audience.
There is a huge market for magic at private parties, receptions, cooperate magic and all the places where people meet on special occasions.
Before you even dream of earning money, you need a strong magic show. Remember I wrote that nearly all professionals only do 7 tricks. And remember, the only way you really learn to perform magic is in front of an audience.
So you choose your 7 tricks and learn them. That is Step 1 to 4…
As soon as your skills grow people start asking you to perform for them. It almost happens by itself. I know some people have problems knowing when to charge money for their magic. I mean, you start up doing magic for friends, colleagues and strangers for fun and suddenly someone asks:
“Could you come to my place and do magic?”
Or, when you are invited somewhere, they ask you to bring your magic stuff.
At that point, there is a demand for you.
And as soon there is a demand for your magic, there is a market for you. I don’t say you should charge your friends money. No way. What I say is, when you are in demand, you have something of value.
And then it is time to make deals and get money for magic.