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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Kameron
He says those things to irritate you, and it seem to be working fine. I met a 15 year old boy who was doing a free show at a local church. I waited until after the show, introduced myself, gave him my card, offered him some free advise, and sold him some used props to improve his show, so I really don't get your point. I'm a juggler, and one of our motto's is "share the art"
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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Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
Kameron, I ran across the same thing several years ago. A woman called me to get a price and after I told her my rat she said that another magician would do it for $25. That just urinated me off so I said in a smart alek way "if it's a kid, good but you get what you pay for, if it's an adult, check him with the sherrif's office to see if he is safe to be with kids." Then hung up. Sher called me the next day to book me, but I had already filled the spot. She did thank me for suggesting to check out the guy. Harsh but anybody that undercuts that bad makes me wonder.
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Nash Inner circle Hong Kong ~ USA 1101 Posts |
If you can't compete with price (of course you can't, they are free), then compete in terms of value.
Let them know how much more value they are getting with a professional like you instead of hobbyists. If they still wanna go for the free show, then honestly they are not your client my man, don't sweat it
I teach leaders the magic of curiosity and empathetic communication. keynote Speaker | Seattle magician
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Dazzling Derek New user Fall River, MA 11 Posts |
I am new to this board and relatively new to the magic business as well however I have had experience with this type of situation in a former business of mine.
I owned and operated a small fleet of limousines and corporate vehicles. Back then anyone who had a few $ could buy a car and be in business. I had people undercutting me everyday. Most of the retail clients would decide strictly on price. It was amazing to see how many would call me because the guy they hired didn't show up or they couldn't contact them to confirm. I held my ground price wise because I knew I offered value and reliability. I would get these clients the second time around because of the bad service they got elsewhere. Ironically after several years of this pattern I built my business up up to a very successful level and one of the main under cutters was so desperate that he actually bought me out for a hefty sum! (He went out of business after six months) I had to get out of the business for marital reasons at that time anyway. I guess what I would recommend here is to hold your ground and continue offering a superior act. Word gets around and you will win the battle. This person is not your competition, he is only here to make you recognized as the professional. |
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SpellbinderEntertainment Inner circle West Coast 3519 Posts |
Kameron, don't fall into your old habit with other posts where you don't "get" what we are saying.. and instinctively go into "yes,but" mode so you can hang onto your opinion.
You ask good questions and get fantastic advice here on the Café. You just have to "let go" and trust what the people here are sharing, notice that we are almost all saying variations of the same advice. Re-read all the thread, trust the advice, and act on it, and you'll see this guy "vanish" in a few months. Walt |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-04-18 16:44, Kameron Messmer wrote: Most people know that the difference in price is generally an indication of a difference in quality. Surely life has taught them that basic lesson. Some might make the choice to pay less, and they may get burned. But they knew better. They might blame the other entertainer, but the real blame is upon themselves for making a poor decision when they knew better. Don't be worried about people making a poor decision, especially if you tried to help them by offering useful information. If necessary, point out some of the quality differences, to help the customer make an educated decision. Such as reliability, quality, customer satisfaction, cleanliness, etc. You can also do this without specifically attacking the other performer. - Donald P.S. A few weeks ago, I bought some new pillow cases from Walmart. They were falling apart at the seam right out of the package. Went back to exchange them. Same problem again with others on the shelf. So, I walked out with a refund. Even the person at customer service admitted that their products were inferior and that I'd be better off shopping elsewhere. Occassionally, people who know better still make a decision because of lower price and get burned. I knew I should have bought those pillow cases elsewhere in the first place, but I didn't bother looking around. You get what you pay for.
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-04-18 16:44, Kameron Messmer wrote: Yes your plan to worry yourself into an early grave seems the better way to go. Procede.
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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Mike Maturen Inner circle Michigan's Beautiful Sunrise Side 2726 Posts |
As all of your fellow magicians have stated, MOST people know that a guy charging $20 and a beer for a magic show is either NO GOOD, a useless drunk, or casing out the joint to rob it later. That being said, the folks that book this guy aren't looking for quality, they are looking for cheap...and that's precisely what they'll get.
Generally the folks that are looking for cheap are also the biggest pains in the butt. Don't wory about this guy. Send him a bar of soap and a thank you note for helping you build your professional reputation in town. Of course, to do that last thing would lower you to his level...so just daydream about THAT one!
Mike Maturen
World of Wonder Entertainment The Magic and Mayhem of Mike Maturen 989-335-1661 mikematuren@gmail.com AUTHOR OF "A NEW DAWN--Weekly Wisdom From Everyday Life" member: International Magician's Society |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
I had an interesting experience a long time ago with a client who wanted to do a magic promotion at a shopping mall and was looking for several amateur magicians, figuring they wouldn't cost him anything but would get good exposure on their way to becoming pros. That was his reasoning, and, from his viewpoint, it was valid.
Being all of 19 and totally ignorant about a lot of stuff, I proceeded to convince him that amateur magicians don't necessarily want to go pro -- they're hobbyists. And that's fine, but they don't necessarily put as much work into their material as those who do it for a living. I was very careful to NOT put down the amateurs, but just to "educate" him about his reasoning not being quite correct. The clincher was when I said that these people would represent his shopping center one way or another, and that it was in his best interest to get the best local pros he could afford. So that's what he did. I ended up producing the show and the center ended up being very happy. The moral: educating a client does work. Sometimes.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-04-18 21:05, Paddy wrote: I would not want to hear about your rat either. |
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Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
OK, Mike, you can read a lot better than I can write. Missed that one good catch.
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Vick Inner circle It's taken me 10+ years to make 1120 Posts |
http://www.cheapest-magician.com/
One of my favorite websites! ;-) and if a client doesn't know why they should book you after speaking with you on the telephone or in email, YOU NEED SOME HELP WITH YOUR MARKETING
Unique, Thought Provoking & Amazing Magical Entertainment Experiences
Illusions By Vick Blog of a real world working magician Magic would be great, if not for magicians |
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Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
I can’t believe how horrible the local magicians are in San Francisco.
I went to pier 39 yesterday for a day out; I saw this magician at the pier, on stage doing his show; it was a horrible routine, he did a rubber band trick on stage, two card tricks some really bad jokes and audience members tied him up and he got out by doing a dance while wiggling his body; bad music and then all through the show he reminded the audience about the basket on stage; he must have asked for donations about five times with a minimum of $5.00 for each person that stayed for the show; he even was kind enough to add the bill, telling the audience that a family of four should place $20.00 in the basket. I could do better than him blindfolded. |
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