Marketing Tips: How to get Paid to Perform

[Benji Bruce]

Hey guys I've been watching these forums for awhile and noticed that there aren't too many topics on marketing for magicians.

A few years ago I had no idea how to make money performing as an entertainer and could only charge $300 max for shows. I was doing restaurant gigs and made money at it since I was 13 but I wanted corporate gigs.

Then I got experienced. I learned how to book high paying gigs (nothing under $1,000) and everything became second nature.

Soooooo....would you guys be interested in free tips on how to get paid to perform? I have a blog which gives several techniques on booking corporate gigs which can be applied to other markets (I don't do any kid shows but you can use some of these strategies).

If you would like to check out what I do, watch videos of me in action, etc then my website is http://www.benjibruce.com but the blog is not on that site. I will only post the magician blog with free marketing tips if you guys are interested....let me know

 

[Simon_Magic]

Interested

Simon_Magic

 

[SebaMan]

Im interested Mr charming mentalist

 

[Benji Bruce]

Ok the blog is http://www.paidtoperform.blogspot.com but I'll be posting specific topics on the forums so everyone can comment and ask questions

 

[Luis Vega]

Everybody that is interested to pursue a magic career and with profesionalism...must read his blog...he has helped me improve myself in many ways and now thanks to all his advice I charge what is fair for my show and I have a lot of gigs..

Good to see you here Benji!! I know you are going to rock this forums!!!

 

[Justin.Morris]

I enjoy your posts at the cafe, and the fantastic discussions that are stirred up because of them. Thank for wanting to share your experience.

 

[danielmontagne]

Hey guys I've been watching these forums for awhile and noticed that there aren't too many topics on marketing for magicians.

A few years ago I had no idea how to make money performing as an entertainer and could only charge $300 max for shows. I was doing restaurant gigs and made money at it since I was 13 but I wanted corporate gigs.

Then I got experienced. I learned how to book high paying gigs (nothing under $1,000) and everything became second nature.

Soooooo....would you guys be interested in free tips on how to get paid to perform? I have a blog which gives several techniques on booking corporate gigs which can be applied to other markets (I don't do any kid shows but you can use some of these strategies).

If you would like to check out what I do, watch videos of me in action, etc then my website is http://www.benjibruce.com but the blog is not on that site. I will only post the magician blog with free marketing tips if you guys are interested....let me know

I'm very interested !

 

[Benji Bruce]

Thanks everyone. I'll be posting on these forums more often about marketing

 

[Moore Majik]

Hi Benji, Love your videos, such great advice. You could charge hundreds for this type of info & it would be worth every penny. I was wondering, if you could give some advice on how to determine how much to charge a restaurant, & if you could answer a question that is often not mentioned by other restaurant pros that talk about the subject. They all explain how to get the gig, but leave out one important thing. Price objection. I've read several books on selling, so I know part of selling is building value & pointing out major benfits to them having you, doing a demo for them, etc. But what do you do if they truly do want you, they really do see the value in you, & you say you charge $50 per hour, & they either say "That's too much." or "Our budget won't allow it.", or worse, "Can't you just work for tips?" Any advice on this would be great.

 

[RickEverhart]

Great question Morre...looking forward to seeing what he has to say. I find myself in the same predicament sometimes.

 

[Benji Bruce]

Moore that's an interesting question. In any business...whether it is restaurant magic, corporate work, etc...if you get a price objection then you have done something wrong far in advance of the objection. But that doesn't help you. First, you need to learn how to create desire for your services.

To create desire, you have to create pain. You need to show them what they don't have and learn to manufacture the need you can fill.

If you ask the general manager what do they do when there is a 30min wait for seating and how they fill in the time when the kitchen is backed up, etc then you are showing the restaurant what they don't have. I'll create a blog post about this later but...

If you get a price objection you have to make a choice...
1. You can go lower
2. You can keep the price and find a different restaurant

I recommend the second option. If a restaurant (or anyone) doesn't value what you do then you should not perform for them because they won't be invested in you. You will have a hard time with simple things (like getting a free meal) and it isn't worth it.

By choosing the first option (lowering your price or doing it free) you not only lower your value in their eyes, but more importantly, you lower your value in your own eyes. If you walk like a king, you will be treated like one. When you lower your price, you are saying to yourself "I'm not worth my asking price" and you get into the habit of lowering your price when someone shows a little resistance.

NEVER lower your price unless you take something away. If for some reason the restaurant can't afford $50 and they want to pay $30 then tell them that instead of two hours, you will perform for only one hour and they have to give you a free meal. Do not lower your price and give them the same deal...take something away.

But once again, I don't recommend lowering your price for a restaurant. $50 is nothing to them (they spend more on toilet paper).

And lastly, it is hard to say how much you can charge a restaurant because they're all different. If you go to a restaurant and it is upscale then you can easily get $100 or more. If you live in New York or California where the cost of living is higher then you can charge more. If the average cost on the menu is $25 then you can easily get $100. So....EVERYTHING counts when it comes to charging.

$50 is a good starting point for most restaurants like Old Chicago but I recommend you find out how much other magicians in your area are charging....and then charge more than they do

 

[Moore Majik]

Wow, you really struck an emotional cord because I used to work at Old Chicago here in Brandon, but unfortunately they went out of business, which is really sad because not only was that a fun place to work, the food was AWESOME, so your lucky to still have one where you are! & I assume you also have read about persuasion techniques by Tony Robbins, as you mention creating pain & than creating a solution, which he goes in depth about how to do that. He also goes in depth about over coming price objections, so I've been drilling & rehearsing these techniques & I've read about it in other books, but I just wanted to hear how other magicians have dealt with price objections. & I've already come to the decision that I will NEVER work a restaurant for free.

You do seem to have alot of creativity when it comes to marketing, & it's refreshing to see some new ideas. So I was thinking you must have some creative ideas when it comes to the subject of upsells, add-ons, & B.O.R.S., (Back of the room sales.), all of those things that can get you hundreds, or even thousands more on top of your performance fees, & was wondering if you could tell us things you do or could recommend doing, or books you'd recommend on the subject.
.

 

[Benji Bruce]

I've never listened to Tony Robbins talk about persuasion...just motivation. But the "creating pain" technique is something that persuaders use because it works

I only do corporate work and there isn't much you can sell other than your show. There is no upsell other than asking if they want a strolling show along with the stage show and there are no BORS. If you're doing kid shows, etc then I'm sure you can sell shirts, magic kits and more but I don't know anything about it because it doesn't work in the corporate world.

The upsell to corporate gigs is to get spin-off gigs. Spin-off gigs are a lot more important than repeat gigs. When you get a repeat gig, they usually hire you for the same event next year and you probably perform for the same group. So not only do you have to change your show but you are performing in front of the same people and how are you going to "get your name out there" if you're performing for the same people?

You get spin-off gigs by "framing" your performance in a way that allows people to say, "hey we are having a cocktail event. Can we hire you?" If all you do is perform for a group then they have no idea what you can do. They don't know if they can hire you for cocktail parties, annual meetings, etc. But if you're performing and you drop hints that you "did a show for X company and at the cocktail reception you did this with a coin..." then this will remind them that you do cocktail events.

I actually planned on creating a video on how I book a lot of spin-off gigs by following a specific system (I didn't want to reveal it because I'm not sure how many people would appreciate it since it would be free).

But the basics is to frame your performance. Instead of performing like a magician, perform like a business man. Perform in a way that gets them to want what you have before you offer it to them.

Whenever you upsell, you must show them what they're not getting. Exclusion is the art of selling. When you tell people what they don't have, they begin to desire it more. If you are doing a show and throughout your entire show, you're talking about the single trick that baffled scientists, got you on television, and freaked out the most famous celebrities, then people will want to see that one trick. It doesn't matter what other tricks you perform. If you keep talking about the one trick that amazed all these people then everyone will want to see it.

So whenever you upsell, tell them what they don't have.

Book recommendations...
Dave Lakhani (all his books are great)
Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso
Michael Lee Persuasion (audio tapes)
Influence by Robert Cialdini

Those books give more than enough information about persuasion but I know a ton of guys who have read the books and don't apply it. It is useless to gain knowledge and not implement it.