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Freak Prodigy Inner circle NYC & LA 1805 Posts |
And I was thinkin'
What could I sell to boost my net earnings? You know money I don't have to claim (the green kind)(the folding kind)(the kind that you use in a vending machine). I was thinking 1 inch buttons, I can get 100 for 20 bucks,and sell them for a "small donation" What do you folks think? Brett.
Blog:
http://www.bloudermilk.blogspot.com _________________________________________ E-mail: BrettELoudermilk@gmail.com |
handa Inner circle Pittsburgh, PA 1357 Posts |
If you have product, then you have inventory. If you have inventory, then income is trackable, especially you are only carrying a handful (or less) of items.
That being said, I personally believe in not denying the audience the opportunity to purchase a memento of their experience. Buttons are great because they are cheap, take up little space, and a kid can buy them. Downside is that even selling all 100 of them, you are only making $75-$80. (Assuming that the average donation is $1/button and you have other expenses such as sales tax and/or shipping.) T-shirts can be had relatively cheaply and have a much better dollar return, but they take up a boatload of space and are heavier. A good blow-off gets you there too, but I'm assuming that you already have something like this in mind. Another thing to consider is how you are using tangible items. We use t-shirts, plastic mugs, buttons, and bumper stickers as give-aways and thank-yous in the off-season. In a sense, they become loss leaders when we are not doing any type of concession/gift shop sales. At this point, we roll the inventory over into marketing and the expense of the remaining inventory becomes part of the advertising budget. Chris |
jeremysweiss Special user 742 Posts |
How about some photos (they pack flat)?---the world's only mermaid (Jenny Hanifer) or, if you really want big sales and the kids to buy them..."Photos of the "French" kind--if you know what I mean....people doing things you may never have seen with your own eyes or if you have, something I am sure you'd like to see them do again! I only ask that you don't tell your parents or your wife where you purchased them, as I don't want any trouble. Please, if you buy these photos, only take them out of the envelope once you have left the tent". Of course, your photos are postcards of people in France, visiting the Eiffel Tower, etc. Good laugh, probably won't get into too much troble, kids who buy them thinking they were porn will be too embarrased to tell their parents why they were buying them to begin with. Everybody wins.
Then again, there is always the little mouse on the invisible thread....
The Shock Doc
<BR>www.TheShockDocShow.com <BR> <BR> <BR>http://ballycast.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/ballycast-024-2009-03-21.mp3 <BR> <BR>"....Jeremy Weiss has the greatest card trick of ALL TIME!"--Jamie D. Grant. <BR>Start listening to iTricks 11/12/09 |
AntonDreaming Special user Gloucester by the sea 622 Posts |
What about other slum like 2 card monty sets? Another option could be a Short pitch book written by yourself teaching a thing or two. Just a thought.
Anton |
Danny Borneo Special user 722 Posts |
I'm surprised that no one has suggested the ever popular and traditional pitchcard, there are a bunch of online postcard places that you can buy in bulk from for super cheap prices
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Freak Prodigy Inner circle NYC & LA 1805 Posts |
I was also thinking going the post card/ pitch card route.
I really like the "french" photograph idea. I know Phil Morris, so I could get a truckload of 2 card monte sets for next to nothing. Hmmmmm..... Brett.
Blog:
http://www.bloudermilk.blogspot.com _________________________________________ E-mail: BrettELoudermilk@gmail.com |
Danny Borneo Special user 722 Posts |
I pmed you a link to the place I used for pitch cards, if you do decide to go that route. There are some cheaper places, but I haven't had any problems with these guys. They did good work and turnaround time wasn't too bad.
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CJRichard Special user Massachusetts 542 Posts |
The thing about postcards, Brett, is people would be paying a buck to buy your advertising. It also perpetuates a very, very old tradition.
And fifty years from now folks will be bidding on them on ebay.
"You know some of you are laughin', but there's people here tryin' to learn. . ." -Pop Haydn
"I know of no other art that proclaims itself 'easy to do.'" -Master Payne Ezekiel the Green |
jeremysweiss Special user 742 Posts |
All great ideas. Sell them all. They all pack flat. The French postcards is an old carney scam. (So you should feel good about that.) Pitchcards are great--they advertise YOU. They are great for collectors--all two of them if the both show up. You do want to get your advertising out there so I would include them for free in your packet of "French cards" or have the postcard on one side and the pitchcard on the other. The French cards will tempt most of the guys in the audience by appealing to their salacious nature (especially if you pitch it right). Putting your pitchcard on the back gives everyone who buys them an "out" when they are questioned by their friends and relatives.
2 card Monte sets (again, cheap and flat) covers the other 50% of the audience (because it appeals to the inherent desire for people to one up each other.) Everyone wants to learn a little flim flam "for entertainment purposes only. Now folks I am not suggesting that with these cards that you should use them to make your investment back tenfold--'cause that would be dishonest....."). Include your pitchcard in the packet as well. "Buy them both and get a discount. But it is only for those that get in line right now. Because for the next 2 minutes I am giving these collectors sets away for the low price of...." Voila. Everyone is covered. Sex and Money. Cheap. Flat. Advertising. Can't get any better.
The Shock Doc
<BR>www.TheShockDocShow.com <BR> <BR> <BR>http://ballycast.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/ballycast-024-2009-03-21.mp3 <BR> <BR>"....Jeremy Weiss has the greatest card trick of ALL TIME!"--Jamie D. Grant. <BR>Start listening to iTricks 11/12/09 |
handa Inner circle Pittsburgh, PA 1357 Posts |
You may want to price the cost of bulk 2-card monte sets vs. buying the right two decks of Haines cards, writing your own directions, and packaging them yourself. For our purposes, we found that it was cheaper to put together our own sets than to buy the pre-made sets. This may be the only time that I say something like this in regard to assembling a commercially-available magic effect. Most of the time, it is cheaper in the long run to let somebody else do the work.
To make something more collectable, offering multiple photos/buttons/etc. and numbering them (1 of 5, etc.) also allows for an upsell. Photos/pitch cards are also good as they can be signed "free of charge with purchase." Our 13-button set easily outsold individual pins. We're toying with the sports card sized pitch cards as an idea for our younger audiences as well. Chris P.S.--Brett, I guess congratulations are in order for your upcoming tour as well!!! |
DonDriver Inner circle 1790 Posts |
Brett,
Good going,you'll learn a lot as well as have a fun summer. I would go with both the post cards and the two card monte.Don't ask for a "small donation" Pitch them and ASK for money.I would go on the turn $3.00 each or both for $5.00.You'll sell more $5.00 than $3.00 because its an even amount,thats how pitching works. Do my two card monte pitch that's on my Svengali DVD.Its to the point and strong. Hope this helped. Don |
Harley Newman Inner circle 5117 Posts |
Can't get better advice on this than Don's!
Break a leg!
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain
www.bladewalker.com |
Freak Prodigy Inner circle NYC & LA 1805 Posts |
Thanks Don, I'll be in touch.
Thanks everyone! Brett.
Blog:
http://www.bloudermilk.blogspot.com _________________________________________ E-mail: BrettELoudermilk@gmail.com |
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