I had my first birthday party scheduled for this Sat. The mom contacted me last month was very excited and wanted to hire me. I sent her a letter of confirmation and asking for a picture of the birthday child for one of the tricks I was going to perform.

The woman hasn't bothered to send the picture nor is she returning my calls or emails. I gave her a deadline to confirm the party by today and haven't heard from her either by email or phone.

My question is this would you bother to show up on Sat?

If I were C*********r L**e I would scream at her on the phone about how big a professional I am and how she was lucky to even be talking with me... ;O) (love ya C*********r, never change...)

Seriously, don't bother to show up. Call it a lesson learned. Next time, send a proper contract with a deadline for return. One cannot afford to give up other paid work for "vapor" work.

Sorry about your "lost" show, good luck on the next one!

Perhaps she decided it would be a bad idea to send the picture. Some people are paranoid like that. What I would do depends entirely on what you get when you try to call. Is she simply absent altogether because you're calling in office hours; do you have the right email address or is it possible you made a typo?

Unless you have another show to do, I would recommend showing up; it could be a fixable problem she's having.

Perhaps you need to perform something other than the picture trick. Maybe there was a family emergency that put the whole party plans on the back burner. Get to the bottom of it.

Get a non-refundable booking fee, and this won't be a problem. People will often shop around and book two or more entertainers, if they don't have put any money down, then they decide who they want.

If she isn't returning your calls or emails, don't waste your time.

If you are sure you have the correct email and phone # then tonight simply contact her reminding her what time you are arriving to set up the show and you are looking forward to the show. make it sound as though you will be there and simply ask her to call back to confirm you are correct.
this is will prompt her to call as if she is not going to use you she will not want you showing up at the same time the other entertainer is if indeed this is what has happened.

If you do not hear from her I still say if its not to far and you got nothing else to do -- show up.

Posted: Jan 14, 2010 9:12pm
Oh I forgot
You need to start using a contract not a letter of confirmation. you need to require a 20% deposit paid with in 12 days of receiving the contract.

Here's a thread from a while ago, with a similar question. Check out the answers there:

--> Magic Café thread titled... Non-responsive Clients

(This thread was in the Tricky Business area.)

- Donald

P.S. If you mailed her a confirmation letter for a birthday show, but you've decided to cancel because she hasn't returned your calls since then, you have a couple of choices. 1) Show up for the show, but be mentally prepared that it might be cancelled and you might not be paid. 2) Or, send her a letter letting her know that you've cancelled the booking because she isn't responding to your calls, so you've assumed that she's changed her mind.

I wouldn't just bail on her if you've sent a confirmation letter, unless she was supposed to sign and return something as a response to your letter. The confirmation letter is a promise that you'll be there.

P.P.S. I use a confirmation letter for my birthday shows, without a deposit, and rarely have problems. And it's the way I've been doing it for years. Others might have different experiences than me, but I don't think their advice is best for all.

Donald is correct, to be truly professional about it you should document the event by informing her why you are not coming. Of course you won't be able to physically mail it, but definitely email her about why you will not be coming. Who knows, she might respond if you are direct.

As your business grows, you will not want to be so open ended as you run the risk of turning down legitimate engagements for tentative ones. Protect yourself and the ones you support and elevate customer security by using (and enforcing) contracts that detail all the information and expectations of the event.

My "letter of agreement" requires a 50% deposit and has cancellation language.

I've *never* had a problem, and clients have expressed to me their delight and peace-of-mind they feel because of my being thorough and professional in all aspects of our agreement.

I agree ... don't show, you're not hired.

Forget asking for a picture, in the future. There are so many ways to find out who to call on.

I was a "professional maniac", I'd address the crowd while getting set up: "Is this Johnny's party? Well where's Johnny? 'JOHNNY, JOHNNY!'" (Johnny would say 'I'm Johnny') 'JOHNNY! JOHNNY!' (to Johnny:) 'Excuse me, kid, I'm looking for Johnny. (Yelling:) JOHNNY, JOHNNY!'

Alternatively, "For my next effect, I'm going to need some help ... I need a ... boy (hands go up) ... in a ... green shirt (several hands still wave) ... who is 10 years old (one or two hands still wave) ... named Johnny!"

It's a shame this happened on your first show. I wouldn't bother showing up - it certainly does appear that you are not booked.

You'll find this kind of thing is rare. I don't ask for a deposit (but I do send a confirmation letter) as 99% of customers don't mess you around like this.

Good luck for future shows and don't get too upset by this one "bad egg"

Best Wishes

Mark

No. But, if you're around the phone somewhere close to (or 30 minutes past) the time of the event, be sure to have someone (your "secretary") answer the phone and let the mom know you're out performing. Perhaps she'll realize she should've responded. I had this exact same thing happen once, but the guy never gave me a location/address for the party. Called his office (he was a lawyer) and his home. Left messages with real people. No returned call. I booked something else. Wife called my cell about the time the party was scheduled. Guy (a-hole) called here wanting to know why I wasn't there.

I don't kiss bu** at my regular job, I won't do it for people like that.

Steve

Thanks guys I did send a final email to her stating that I would not be able to perform the show on Sat. Hopefully that will jog her mind since all this week was a bust basically.

Ross and MacGyverMagic the reason I asked for the picture is because when I was explaining the show I stated that the finale I would make a picture of her child disappear and that I would need her to email the picture 5 days before the show in order to have the finale ready and she said ok. That is why I asked for the picture.

Thanks again for the advice.

George Patrick
As for the deposit I did ask for one both on the phone with her and in the confirmstion letter stating that it was to hold the date open. That was never sent either.

MacGyverMagic I did and call her after working hours when she is home so as not to disturb her at work.

How and when did you give her the deadline to confirm the party? Was it with the original confirmation letter you sent? Many moms forget to return the confirmation letter to me. It has NEVER been because they decided to cancel the party, always because they overlooked it, forgot it, or didn't even read the lette properly in the first place.
It's not uncommon for folks to go away for a vacation before a birthday party. Are you quite sure this family isn't away, and expecting you tomorrow? If it were me, I'd call today, tonight, and again tomorrow morning. If I still couldn't get hold of them, I wouldn't bother to turn up.
I always give my customers the benefit of the doubt - and remember that it will do your reputation no harm if you turn up to a party that isn't happening, but it could be much worse if you don't go, and she's left in the lurch.
By the way, I don't think it's a good idea to ask for a photo of the Birthday kid, whatever trick you may be planning to perform. Many parents really are suspicious about anyone who wants images of their kids, and tend to assume the worst.
Doug.

I'm with Doug on the photo. If you asked me for a photo of my child you would lose the booking right there.

I can't help with the original problem. You have got good (and sometimes contradictory) advice here and I would only be repeating things. I would make every attempt to contact the people, then leave them a message that I have to assume the party is off as they are not getting back to me. This covers me if the party is going ahead and they are expecting you. Not showing up without leaving a message would be bad business on your part.

Let us know how it works out. Tony.

I was talking to my wife about this post and told her about the photo and she said that she wouldn't be happy with that and wouldn't book anyone asking for a picture of our children even if it was meant for a trick!

I know making the kids dissapear is a good trick be and would go down well, it's just that a lot of paents would feel un easy about it, I know I would!

Try and contact them to cover your self and then at least you have tried your best to sort it out!

Louis

I do a personalized trick with the birthday child's photo. I have done this hundreds of times over the past 10+ years (not an exaggeration), and 99% of the parents are fine with it. (Before the past 10 years, I didn't do that trick in my show because I wasn't aware of the idea.)

Occassionally, parents forget and you talk about that when you make your confirmation call, and you substitute in another trick. I give them the option of emailing me the photo or snail-mailing me the photo. I mention the details about sending the photo / personalized trick in the show booking conversation and also when I send the confirmation letter.

I did a personalized trick in a show last weekend, and I'm doing it in my show tomorrow. It's normal, and most parents don't get stressed about it at all. Sometimes parents will send you several photos to choose from.

Yes, of course having the trick is optional, but most parents want it.

The people on this thread who dislike it aren't doing it for their own reasons and that's fine. But I like doing it, and my customers like it, too. And like I said, I've done it in hundreds of parties over the course of several years.

- Donald

P.S. re: deposits. If you have requested a deposit to hold a date and time, detailed in both your phone conversation and in your letter, then that is a different dynamic than just sending a confirmation letter. If they didn't pay by a deadline that you spelled out, then the date and time is no longer guaranteed.

If I was going to ask for a deposit, I would use a contract and not a show confirmation letter. A show confirmation letter is more informal.

Donald is exactly right. God stuff my friend.

I will always send out a contract agreement. Also, in every correspondence and email I send out, it talks about my cancelation policy in full. This way people know upfront and in advance what is expected of them and how I work.

If I do not hear back from a client after numerous emails and phone calls, then I do what Donald suggested. I simply let them know that they need to contact me by X date and x time otherwise the show will be considered canceled and the cancelation policy goes into effect.

This way I also cover and protect myself. It gives them a last chance to get a hold of me. If they do not, then they can not say that I did not warn them or try and make an attempt. Everything is spelled out for them in advance.

Kyle

First party scheduled?? I'd go with high hopes and low expectations. In the early stages of a developing professional career, I urge every entertainer to just get out there and DO IT. DO A SHOW. If you get there and get to do the show, then GREAT! If not, well, then at least you've had a "dry run" at preparing, rehearsing, packing, dressing, etc; for a show and it'll be that much easier next time. I'm sure you've already learned a few lessons and you're sure to learn a lot more along the way. If you had three, four or five other shows booked over the weekend and time was tight, then it might be a different story, but a first show effort.....I say go with high hopes and low expectations and let us know on Sunday how it went.

Good luck and best wishes!!

Another tip you might want to consider, if you are just beginning to do shows, is to start out with a basic fun magic show. Don't include the activity pages or magic kits or personalized tricks or floating person effect or balloon animals (etc.) to start with. Those are all fancy add-ons that performers work up to including.

- Donald

If you asked for a deposit in advance and they didn't send it... then you weren't booked.....

I experienced this once last year and unfortunately was so busy I didn't follow up to make sure the deposit arrived. (poor planning on my part) I called two days and then one day before the show to confirm and never actually spoke to anyone leaving messages on their answering machine. I didn't want to not show up just in case as I promised to be there.

Finally on the day of the party someone answered the phone.... I was between gigs and the husband of the woman who "booked me" rudely said "did we send you a deposit?" ..."did we send back the signed contract?".... "then I guess we didn't hire you!" ... I was floored and could only reply "well thank you for getting back to me, have a great day."

The only thing I can think of in my circumstance was that the wife booked me, very excitedly I must add (just as your client did), and when she told her husband and he objected for some reason and she was too embarrassed to call back and cancel or speak to me on the phone to cancel.

Either way, if you didn't get the deposit you asked for (and she agreed to give) then you didn't get booked...

Don't waste your time going

I'm the exception to the rule here. I don't require deposits or contracts. I take my birthday party bookings over the phone and call back to confirm a day or two before the party. I'm more formal with corporate bookings, but with birthday parties, this has worked fine for me for twenty years. In that time I have had only a handful of cancellations, and only a couple that cost me another booking. I have had one that was spurious from the outset where I was booked as a mean joke, but I figured it out ahead of time and never left the house. I did have one show where they just weren't there when I arrived, but I think this one had to do with an argument between estranged parents and the dad just cancelled the party without notice. Still, I just prefer to work in this 'honor system' way, and 4 or 5 incidents like this out of a couple of thousand parties doesn't seem bad. One thing though, I always tell the birthday mom that most performers do require deposits, and that I don't because I trust them not to cancel unless it's an emergency, and that I myself don't ever cancel. I think most people try to live up to the faith I put in them and don't just blow me off capriciously. Most of the legitimate cancellations I've had have been due to weather, and since I completely understand a mom not wanting 25 kids and their parents inside her little house on a rainy day, I don't begrudge them. Like I said, it hasn't happened much. People are mostly good and trustworthy.