I've done hundreds of shows for a shopping mall over the past five years and they now have a new marketing manager who sent me an email saying "To be honest with you we have moved towards the licenced shows for school hols"

licensed shows are those god awful cartoon/fast food tie in shows starring giant stuffed animals singing bad songs for five year olds.

:(

Any idea how I can get my turf back?

Find somebody that speaks Italian and his name is Guido. Tell him you are having problems with this new marketing manager and tell him to take care of it. That should get your turf back :>)

Martin

The problem is that your communication is an email

Set up a meeting 1 on 1 with you so you can talk with him

His initial perceptions of Magic might be in the toilet so you gotta demonstrate what you can do in person

To many relationships have died because of email.


TALK TO HIM IN PERSON

Dave

Nope...met with her many times at the last centre she worked out. She has a thing that local performers should only be roving around the centre and souless corporate entertainment should be on stage.

:(

That really bites Nick
But hey, there's always Martins idea.

kYLE

Nicholas,

Bide your time my friend. Back when I was doing mall shows on a regular basis, I found that the turn over rate was pretty high.

There will probably be a new marketing director there within a year or two who you can dazzle with your promo kit.

In the meanwhile, if this marketing director is into the licensed shows with the big lip-synching furry costumed critters - there's nothing you can do really to change her direction (based on what you wrote above). Just approach other venues or better yet (if you're out for revenge ) a competing mall!

Lyndel

Personally I would let the first licenced show come in. THEN, have all your friends and get their friends and so on to start calling the mall requesting you back! That they felt you were MORE personal with them and their children. I would ask everyone I came in contact with to do the same. Pretty soon I think the mall would start getting the picture.

Back handed? YES! But it will work! Like you said it's your turf.

Good Luck,

Robert Jones
MRJPRO.c

Does the mall have to pay for these licesnced shows or are they paid for by the corporate sponsor? If they are getting it for free, try getting a sponsor for your own show and be a corporate shill for that mall.
Edd

Just a simple thought here; have you ever thought of looking for a new venue for your act?

I understand that you probably market yourself around your area and I am sure that you do a great job at it but like the old saying goes when one door closes another opens. You just need to go find that open door and once you walk through it make sure that you send the Marketing Director a review of your show that you are doing in your new location, to let her know what she is missing out on. Think of it as an invetation.

You may want to pick up a copy of Spencer Johnson's book Who Moved My Cheese and give it a read. It will only take you 30 min to go through the book but it may just help you the next time something like this happens.

I always believe that it is better to spend energy keeping an old clients then get new ones.

Of course, losing this client isn't going to break the bank but I'd rather stay at a venue I LOVE then seek out new ones!

What you are missing is that the licenced shows PAY THE MALL to be there.

Years ago when I did malls with the Plymouth Voyager "magic wagon" tour; the dirty little secret was that Plymouth PAID the malls to put the shows in there.

I remember telling Walter Blaney that this was the end of mall shows because why should they pay us when others are going to pay them.

This is why local children's shows ended, Hasbro GAVE them the Cartoons for free ad spots. Remember GI Joe? 30 minute commercial for the toys.

Now, will you still be able to get in there? Yes, IF, you can answer the key question: "WHY are people going to drive past the dozens of strip malls and chain stores (K mart, Wal Mart) to come to their mall?"

IF you can answer that question for them, and they believe your answer, they will hire you. If not, they will stick with the people who pay them.

Mark Tripp

Did you only develop a relationship with the marketing director. They aren't the top of the pecking order. There are people above them. If you developed relationships with those above the marketing director over the past five years then I would try going that route. The title that comes to mind is Mall Manager who is usually the top dog and all take orders from that person down. Short of that I don't know what you would do about the situation.

Martin

Unfortunately, they also have new assistant marketing managers and a new store manager. Everyone I knew has left.

Perhaps I of the storeholders who like me should call centre management....

Mark - yes, some of the shows do that, but they also pay for some of the larger shows to come in still. They tend to mix up MacDonald's shows with Rugrats shows.

Nicholas

from reading your posts and a quick look at your website
you seem like just the person to put your own "big show" together.
You are used to booking other performers.
Find your own sponsor, book your own suit characters, put a show together.


I don't know the aussie market well, (having only done a few trade shows there some years back) but view this as an opportunity. Think big.

Is the centre part of a chain? Head up the food chain.

bb

Kill them with kindness. Build the current relationship by not hitting them over the head, but taking a simple step back for the time being but keeping your name still fresh in their mind through out the year though various ways such as a simple holiday card greeting etc. The kindness and the simple fact that you are still in their mind, will eventually work out for you in the long run.

I had the same situation happen to me trying to get into this one festival for the past 2 years. It was a perceived impression the lady had on who she hires. I still treated her like I did every prospect and kept in contact with her on a friendly basis every other month or so in some format.

I would send out invites to my prublic shows, send them holiday greetings throughout the year, newsletters of helpful information etc. Would you know it that my name got around, she looked at my website, was impressed and finally contacted me again for a booking. She even said to me that I was one of the only performers who stayed in touch with her and she appreciated the fact that I did so.

So do not forget your past clients even if their perception may have changed or they are going in new directions. If you are a solutions provider and if you can continue to build the relationship, they will come back to you.

Kyle

Kyle makes a great point!

Staying in contact with your prospects is perceived as kindness and eventually, they'll feel guilty for not hiring you back because you have killed them with kindness.

Good call Kyle!


Lyndel

KINDNESS! Man, I need a tissue to wipe the tear from my eye. LOL


Nicholas,
Kyle and Lyndel makes a good point. I know both of them and can tell you that their advice is gold.

Ray