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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Ed,
It is very hard for people to see and understand the "needs" and the "solutions provider" concept that I speak about. It is hard for folks cause they are not used to thinking in this way and there is nothing wrong with that. It is not a normal thing people do and for many it is a concept that is hard to grasp and understand. Let me try and dive into it a bit more from my own perspective and what it exactly means to me and the total difference it makes to my shows, my clients and my bottom line. I told myself long ago that I never wanted to be seen as 1) just added fluff and 2) just as another product people use, abuse and forget about. That was not for me and not the way I wanted to conduct my business of magic. Certainly prospects view magicians often in these ways, but that does not mean I have to keep them thinking this way. It is part of my job to change this attitude and perceived impression in their mind and I do it very well with every person I work for. Kelly and I spend a LOT of time making sure our show is the very best it can be. We spend additional time making sure that we deliver a show that goes above and beyond what any client expects of us. We are professionals in what we do and we want our clients and prospects to see us not as just another product. I want my clients and prospects to have a greater perceived value in their mind. I do not want them thinking of me as a product 1 or magician A,B or C. I want them knowing that by the time they are done talking with us or working with us at an event, that they call and remember us as The Magical Illusions of Kyle and Kelly. There is a big difference in that way of thinking. I want them to know exactly who we are and why we are so different and why we have created so much added value to them. This is important because my clients are not one time shoppers. My clients come back to me time and again because I solve problems for them that nobody else can. They come back to me because my value to them is higher then anyone else they have ever used. There is a difference between being a solutions provider and being a person who spams and hammers you to death with the hard sell. A solutions provider understands that it is NOT a solution if you are bothering and upsetting any prospect. A solutions provider understands this and goes about what he or she does in a smart way. They want to help the person and not cause them more problems. The solutions provider first must learn that in order to help and provide a solution they must first be willing to listen to the prospect in the first place. Many folks think that marketing is basically being a salesman that is out there like a blood thirsty vampire ready to suck the daylight out of anyone that comes near them. Certainly some people do market that way but that is not the way I do it and it is not the proper way of thinking or acting no matter what marketing methods you use. I am an active style marketer. That means that I understand that I can take direct action upon myself to be as successful as I want to be. That is a powerful way of thinking. I do not sit and wait for a phone to ring with someone wanting to pay me tons of money. It is not going to happen. I actively take part in my own success cause I know if I want to be successful then I need to get off my butt and do something about it. When I decided many years ago to really take my magic seriously and to really find the success I wanted for my wife and I, I was puzzled about many things. I wanted success, I dreamed about it and I even told myself what I would do if I ever became successful. I had all these great ideas and plans but I never did anything with it. I also thought that to be successful I had to be the most technically savvy magician and the BEST magician in my area. I felt I had to be perfect in order to find the success I wanted for myself. I realized that this was not entirely true at all. Now I know I am not the best magician out there nor do I feel I am the most technically skillful. But, I do know that to be successful I needed to provide for my client something a lot of other entertainers can’t or were not willing to deliver upon. Let me explain a bit more if I could. The service and product you give to your client must be up to their standards. You simply must be able to deliver on your promise and solve the needs of your client that books you. This is what I refer to as being a “solutions provider”. It is their standards you are going for and you must have them feeling that they have received great value from what you provided to them. If your client feels that you did not deliver on the services you promised to them, or if they feel you did not add value to their event, then no amount of marketing is going to help you in the long term. The key to success is taking direct action upon yourself to go out there and MAKE that success happen. Without the direct mind frame of taking action, then nothing else will come of it. You have to realize that to be successful with your magic, you need to get up off your butt and stop sitting there hoping the phone will ring. Success is also learning from failure. You might say that failure is only a stepping stone to success if one stops and learns from each failure one does. In other words do not look at failure as failure. Taking direct action to find your own success will certainly have you on a course where you will at times experience failure. The successful minded person is the one who will not give up so easily. A successful person is one who remembers that failure is only failure if you fail to learn from the experience. If you do learn even one thing from failing, then failure is really indeed a stepping stone to success. I might also mention that there is also a reason why they call it "show business". You can have the good magic product, but unless people know who you are and how to contact you, then having this product does not add up to a hill of beans. Yes, you must first have and provide a quality magical experience that your clients feel has value. That is a given. However, having that great service will not do you any good unless you take direct action to make people know who you are and the value you can give them. This is done through effective and target style marketing concepts. A successful minded entertainer will be one who strives at creating a great show experience and being able to sell this to a prospect by showing them directly how their show can BENEFIT the prospect. They also find success in not just being a product the prospect buys. I always strive never to be just a product. Products are meant to be used and abused and forgotten about. I want that prospect to become a client and then I want them to become a recurring client who will come back to me time and time again? So how do I change this perception of them seeing me as just a product? I go and make myself known to them not just as a magician, but as a total solutions provider. I simply strive to find solutions to any of my clients needs. By listening to them, I lock in on what needs they have and structure my show and offerings to meet these needs. As soon as I meet needs and solve needs for my client, my perceived value in their own eyes increases ten fold. Now I am no longer magician XY or Z. Now I am remembered as The Magical Illusions of Kyle and Kelly and they will come back to me time and again because I can offer them something others can not offer. I have added value to them. Another thing that success-minded people strive for is NEVER forgetting about the past client. Too many magicians do a show and leave and move on. That can be one of the single worst mistake one can make. Instead BUILD relationships with these folks. After all who knows more about what you do and how you do it and how you met a need, more than a person who has experienced what you have to offer. They are walking billboards and advertisement for you. Do not forget about them. You must nurture the relationship with them through out the year. By doing so, you can often not only get repeat bookings from them, but often times you get referrals from the person giving your name out to others they find might benefit from what you have to offer. Keep your name fresh in their minds at all times. Another point I will make here is that if you do any passive forms of advertising, and this is fine, you should always strive to track your results every single time. Too many people place an ad or place a flyer and then just sit and wait? Track where your gigs are coming from. How else will you learn what forms of marketing are working the best for you unless you track where they are coming from. If you do a passive form of marketing, track how many went out or how many calls you received and out of those, how many bookings did you receive. This information can be so valuable to any performer and just requires a bit of time to get used to doing it. No one said success would be easy. Successful minded thinking takes time to develop just as the skills do to be successful. But if you stick with it, you will find an amazing thing happening to you. You will find that successful-minded thinking and processes become a habit. Once they are a habit, then you just do them without even thinking about it. Strive to be successful as much as you want to be. Go out there and take action to make it happen. You can do anything you set your mind out to do. Do not let dreams just be dreams. Make those dreams reality. Just my 2 cents worth. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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Ed_Millis Inner circle Yuma, AZ 2292 Posts |
I think that was a whole lot more then 2 cents, Kyle! I’d probably have to pay 20 bucks for a book like that!
It all begins to make some very good sense, too; as a matter of fact, it closely parallels another "life journey" I'm currently on. (Maybe that's because it's all the same life?) Thanks for your time and energy to put that together, and your willingness to help. It is greatly appreciated, and time will tell - and demonstrate! - it's value. Ed |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Ed,
Thanks for the kind words. It is muich appreciated and I am glad that it may have made better sense to you. I often type exactly what is on my mind and sometimes it does not always make a lot of sense to people. lol It has taken me a long time to really learn what I just typed above. However I was determined to find my own success and I knew that sitting on my butt was not getting it done. I knew that I could take direct action upon myself to find success that I wanted. I knew it was up to ME to make it happen and so I started studying as much about marketing and the business side of magic as I could. It has made a world of difference to me and has changed the way I think and the way I conduct my magic business. If you or anyone would like further information on this topic of free advice, please let me know. I am always eager to help steer someone on the path to success. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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jlevey Inner circle Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2076 Posts |
Very valuable insights, suggestions and motivational inspirations Kyle.
The Café (and its members are much richer because of your (and others's) thought-filled writings. Keep up the great work! And from one magical couple to another.... best regards to you and your wife, from Max & Maxine.
Jonathan
Max & Maxine Entertainment Magicians with a touch of comedy! ___________________________________ www.maxmagician.com www.mindreadershow.com www.monsieurmagic.com |
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impossible man Elite user 403 Posts |
Okay, Kyle, I would like a little more. You say (please forgive me if I get it wrong) that you know you're not the best magician out there, but on the other hand you spend a lot of time making sure that your show is the best it can be.
Sooo...could it be said that you at least are keeping the show itself up to the level of your marketing, or that the show is the very best one you can offer, or maybe you're just a better magician than you think? If you work as hard at your show as you do at your marketing, I imagine I'd be verrrry entertained. I know someone who is mostly marketing, won't even send me a show he can't take without charging 20%, that kind of thing, but I don't think that's your style, is it? Dean |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Max:
Thank you my friend for your kind words and thoughts. I really am proud that my wife and I are magical partners and I am glad to see that you guys are as well. It is something special we can share together. Dean: You bring up a great question and some great food for thought. Thank you my friend. Let me try and dive into this a bit more if I can. My pleasure. What I mean is that I like to think that I am a but humble but also realistic. I know that out there there are other magicians that may be more technically savvy then me. There may be some that know more moves or more magic history. Certainly I am not the best of the best or a FISM caliber magician. BUT, that is ok. Because I can say that when it comes to my own markets that I work, the area that I work and the clients I serve... I am the best of the best. There is a difference here. being a great magician is only part of the total equation. I know that I simply MUST have a good show and provide a good service. I know that if I do not, then no amount of marketing is going to make and keep me a success for any length of time. I simply must provide a top quality show that is worth the investment my clients are putting into it. But there is more to it then just a good show alone. To me I must strive and excel in other areas as well. I must be a good listener and listen to my clients and hear what they are saying to me. Only when I listen can I really understand their needs and tailor my show to meet those needs. I also know that I must be a solutions provider to them if I want to be the best and if I want them to remember me. doing a great show is a starting point, but to give them a total solution, I must go above and beyond the show. For myself personally, being the best means being a professional. I also know that being a professional does NOT start when the curtains open. It starts way before that. You must strive to be the best and be professional in every aspect of your show both on and off stage. For my wife and I we excel in that area. We simply are the best at what we do when it comes to meeting the needs of every client we work with. We exceed their expectations of us time and again. We do indeed work just as hard on our show as we do our marketing. To my wife and I we work on both all the time. there is a need for them to remain equal. The marketing and the show are both important and one can not take on more power then the other. To make it work well for us, we must be willing to devote the time needed to work them both in tandem and constantly evaluate and work on the show and also work on the marketing to. The show can not remain fresh and of top quality if we do not rehearse and work on it and fix it and adjust it as we do. Like wise, we can not be proficient and maintain our client base if we do not work on and evaluate what we are doing from a marketing perspective as well. I know that to be a success I must be willing to work hard at it and to take action upon myself to make it happen. Success is not going to be simply handed to me. If I want it, I need to go out there and get it. My style is one where I like to help my clients and I also will always help my fellow magic brother. if that magician shows me that they are eager to learn and that they show respect and that they are eager to help themselves, then I will give them as much help as I can. It is the way I am. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
I would prefer to use it as an almost "pre qualification" process.
In other words, if they can't afford you, who wants them to call anyhow? Let the ones who can't afford it be scared off. So what? Saves you the time of selling on the phone and then not being able to close the sale. Actually long run you are saving huge time, and time is money.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Danny
Where have you been old friend? How come you can say in a couple sentences what others say in ten or more paragraphs? Al Angello
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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impossible man Elite user 403 Posts |
Danny:
Alternatively, the ones who don't have the budget for you now may decide to save for next time, or may realize the caliber of show you claim to provide. Some people may actually be scared off by a cheap price too. I guess I'm agreeing with you, but your post mentions that the client may be "scared off." I'm betting you don't mean that you want to make a bad impression or alienate someone, and sometimes, you will impress them - "Hey, he can earn that much for a show?" I like the pre-qualifier type things. I have a magician that will travel to my area for the right price, but refers other shows to me. That tells me what I can expect to charge, and I still get my price. But if he sends a show to me, I can guess the price range. The last client he sent to me told him her budget. It was slightly under my price. When I called her, I didn't mention that I knew her price, just gave her my quote. I got the booking with no quibbles. |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Julian Franklin talks about this topic in his articles. Basically, by putting your rates out there, you get only qualified people calling. When the phone rings, you either know it is someone calling to book a show, or family. It's nice to pre-qualify them in that way.
Of course, there are some that will think you are too expensive, no matter what. And they will call if your rates aren't out there. And then there are those who fall in between, who might have called if your rates weren't out there, and might not call because your rates are out there. They are the ones who will spend more money if convinced the value is there. But they have to be convinced of that, otherwise they might buy for the lowest price or even based on the budget in their mind. If you don't have your rates out front, these types are some of the people who call (note - not all of the people who call are this type... you will still get some who are totally unqualified and want everything for nothing). So, you spend time with them on the phone, building a relationship and also convincing them of your value. Then bam, then spend more than they expected to. But yet, some still walk away not convinced of the value, so they don't buy. And it will be because you didn't convince them of your value, not because they were the type that wanted to buy based on price. To understand more about the types of buyers you can encounter (what percentages of each type), a good book to read is Jeffrey Gitomer's "Little Red Book of Selling". Personally, my lean of late is to quote my rates in my mailings (and I also provide lots of sales evidence of my value). And I am still getting calls and booking shows from pre-qualified customers. A few questions to be sure, and it is done. Soon, my website will also have my rates, buried several pages in. - Donald P.S. If I remember right from Jeffrey's book, the percentages are like this: 30-40% buy on price, the other 60-70% buy on value. You can convince them of value through word of mouth, online sales evidence, etc. Talking with them on the phone is only one way to convince them of value.
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Impossible man
You have to understand Danny is a big time stage act that won't get off his couch for under $1,000, so his opinion doesn't really matter to us small time party magicians. Al Angello
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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