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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
Hello folks
I have a problem -here goes. I recently joined this wedding web site- basically wedding suppliers list their businesses and people getting married look over what is available. When browsing you are asked to fill out an online form- detailing your name, address, phone, wedding date all this kind of data and then underneath that they are asked to tick box what they are interested in. This then gets sent via email to those people who have had their boxes ticked- (no they don't tick my box they tick the comedy Magic box. My problem is this. When I call them about 40 other companies are calling them too (venues, dress makers etc) so they are rude and usually try and get you off the phone and say no real fast The second problem is I have tried a sales letter to them x2 and then email- the problem is they are too bombarded with phone calls from sales people. My Main problem is I know of 70 weddings in Sydney but when I contact them they get ticked off. What should I do? |
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RobertBloor Inner circle The Socialist Republic of the USA. 1051 Posts |
IceMan,
Move to Sweden. Having just gotten married last year, I can relate to how your couples may be feeling. We do get bombarded. I can tell you, I rarely listened to any of the hype, but rather went with those people who I had previous connections with. Now, as for your situation, is there a way you can get that website to link to your website, or load a short promo video or anything that might get you out ahead of the pack? I'm just thinking if there is a way you can get yourself in front of them on THEIR terms, you might hit a hire success rate. Perhaps use the situation to your advantage - send an eMail like you do, (or perhaps this is a time for snail mail) and have the letter basically say, "We know you are getting SLAMMED with everyone and their dog trying to sell you something for your wedding, AND here's how we can help you...on your own time." Does that make sense? I give suggestions only from the stand point of how Sara and I picked what we used at our own wedding. I personally never bought the whole, "You have to have it video taped" bit for only "$3,000 a minute" ya know? Present your services in a non-intrusive, non-badgering way and I think you might make some headway. Good luck mate. Robert Bloor
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,"
-The Declaration of Independence |
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Owen Anderson Loyal user A sturdy fence needs at least 231 Posts |
Just a thought but try batting clean-up instead of lead-off.
What if you were to wait 48 hours before contact? Use Robert Bloor's idea of acknowledging that they are getting 'slammed' after all the other services have overwhelmed them.
Owen Anderson
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
The web site does have alink to my site
the problem is the tick box form they fill out. 1: They do not know that their form will be sent to 50 different companies 2: They don't even know of me- they mearly tick the Comedy Magic box, so they may be looking for a Comedian not a magician The only thing I have going for me is that there are very few comedians, magicians on the site Their is a link to my site but I have found that the peopke are not clicking through to the entertainment category. But here is my solution. I have designed a DVD which has a complete performance of my wedding stage show and Roving show witha very happy audience. I have also filmed myself just talking about the show and how it will work. I will bite the bullet and call up each wedding enquiry and ask If they would like a DVD- using the above - I know your getting slammed idea which is great. The DVD is great (not cheap) but it has my full performances and also has me making my case to them in a non pushy manner. The 48 hour before contact is what everyone else is doing too--remember there are about 50 people calling and the worst part is that people are leaving their mobile phones which means you can get them when it's not the best time |
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
All suspects are not prospects. It is much more efficient if you can rank them in a priority by quality of the prospect. Some of these are very simple using measures like location, age, occupation, etc. Then concentrate your efforts on the best.
However, the strongest is usually someone who already knows you or has had a friend recommend you. Referrals are priceless. Satisfied customers give the most convincing referrals. Can you arrange referrals? Do you know someone who can? It will be a giant step toward getting the gig. Good Luck! Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
Yes however I do not know these people and they do not know me so I can't give them referals that they would know- I do have wedding testimonials
essentially when I call up it's a cold call that they have received about 30 times I know when the wedding is, I know their contact details abd their email and address. I think the wedding web site sells on the fact that you'll get lots of enquires but they are not direct enquiries- they havn't looked at my section of the wedding web site to contact me. I'll be calling them up and buying a bottle of scotch for the night times when I cry myself to sleep from all the cold calling. |
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MrHyde Special user 810 Posts |
David
Just a reminder, ONE marketing method never works. It's the little bricks you place here and there that eventualy builds the tower. You know what I'm saying. The time and effort you put into one avenue, builds with everything else. Eventually they say, "oh , I've heard of him" but they never quite know from where. persistance Timothy "90% of success is showing up" W.A. |
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
If you can identify and contact friends or family of the couple, suggest that your services be the wedding gift!
Give them a "magic" start. Bob Magic By Sander |
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
No it is not possible to find out who their relatives are- I don't have that data.
Plus I would be in the same boat trying to sell to them as they have not seen me. Cold calling tragicallly is the way to go - as danny PM'ed me quotes- There is no way around it- you have to contact them and talk |
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
It looks to me like you may need to do some free shows. Who do you know tht would accept your magic show as a wedding gift?
Bob Magic By Sander |
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
Why would I need to do a free show for.
their are 70 contacts, do you think I should do 70 free shows? Also I am a little confused with the Magic Gift- who spends $1000 on a wedding present.- I would think the parents would spend the money on something else. and to have it be a surprise would be a mistake Imagine the look on the brides face when you turn up to HER reception (she didn't know about it of course)- that would be a surprise but not a good one. No, No free shows- I have a DVD filmed of my entire wedding- this will give them the info they need. I just have to get them to put it in their DVD player- cos once they do they will be blown away This is about education as well. Many people do not know what a wedding magicians is or for that matter any magician, so their is the education phase and then the sales phase. The DVD does both |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
How much do you want to stand out from the pack?
Instead of trying to cold call them, why not do a "purple cow" approach by mail? You do have their mail and other contact information, correct? How much are you willing to invest in converting a lead to a sale? Do you want to try this idea with a few at first, to check the success rate? I have an idea that I am willing to share with you via PM. It will cost you a bit for each prospect, however if you are charging a good rate per show, you will recover your investment easily (and probably get some word of mouth referrals as well). This idea might cost you $50 each time you impliment the mailing action, but if your fee is in the $1000+ range, you are going to easily recover your lead generation investment. You could also try a different version of this idea that might cost less, but will have less "purple cow" impact. I have not tested this idea personally, but it will work. It's a totally purple cow idea, based on something I have read that two other magicians have used successfully in their businesses. - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-02-14 21:55, icentertainment wrote: I don't really think a professional manager or agent would do you much good at this stage. Your exposure to the business needs more development first. It takes time and study. Professional entertainers do a lot of free shows. They consider them investments in their future. Yes, there are people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on a wedding present. They are apparently better prospects than you are working. Qualify your prospects. In better circles, you won't be allowed to just show up and surprise the bride with a magic show. You won't be allowed in! However, planned weddings are very common. Having entertainment is part of that plan. The surprise, if any, is that a friend pays for it as a gift. It certainly should be a very well known part of the plan before the event. A DVD is fine if it is requested. Otherwise, odds are it will never be viewed in time to get the gig. It is hardly as high a priority as getting the cars parked. Get real! You are applying for a job. You are not an honored guest. These people are busy. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Forget educating them. They go to professionals of their choice for that. As stated above, your problem already is that you have no credibility with them. A magician is one of hundreds of options to entertain guests. They don't owe you the time to see your DVD. They are buying and you are selling. They own the rights to all decisions. Once you recognize the rules of the game, the approach will become more consumer oriented if it stands a prayer of succeeding. It even works! How are free shows that move you from obscurity to a recognized and known commodity worse than not even being considered for employment? How smart is it to sit in prison and brag about the money saved in attorney fees? I’ve been in the professional entertainment industry for forty-seven years and I still do some free shows. (But my children live well. I think it’s working!) I’m still investing in my career. By the way, I haven’t auditioned for a show in over thirty-five years. I have never had a demo tape or DVD and I started out at age thirteen in the concert and recording industry. Consumer orientation is the key to getting booked on a regular basis. Give it a try. Good Luck! Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
So the with free show for a wedding
let me get this straight cos maby I have the wrong idea. You want me to do a free show and invite the potential customers to it to see me. so you think it's easier to get them to come along to an evening to see a show than to watch a DVD. hmmmm You may want to lose the attitude with some of your comments to- I'm not in the mood for it. now your quote- in better circles you can't turn up----try every circle The problem is in Australia- no one knows what magicians are- THEY DON"T KNOW I'll say it again THEY DON"T KNOW now you said they don't owe me the time to watch my DVD- well they certainly don't owe me the time to go out and watch me perform live- and the amazing part is- these weddings are all over NSW - that's New South Wales now even if I did 3 free shows in sydney- I woudn't have scatched the surface- I mean these people will have to travel for about and hour to an hour & a half to see me perform. The DVD however is something they can watch at their leasure. I don't care if you have been doing this for 100 years and that all your kids have been through University and have huge bank balances I don't care in the slightest and it makes no matter other than for you to big note your self. I understand the rules of the game- I just don't think you understand the initial question Read it again |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Maybe what Bob was suggesting was a performance at a Bridal Fair / Wedding Showcase?
In direct mail and on the phone, are you approaching the prospect as a magician offering your services, or as an entertainer (who happens to do magic) offering your services? Could make a difference in response rate, and the fee you can ask for. Also, what outcomes does your services offer to a customer in that market? Think about what wants and outcomes they desire, and align your services (and wording in your marketing) to meet those. - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Getting seen appears to be a big problem there. I certainly don't recommend doing hundreds of free shows. For years I owned a personal management and booking agency in the USA. Now I think it belongs to a little company called SONY. As a manager and booking agent I didn't get paid for free shows and they reduced my inventory of dates available for sale. However, they were considered marketing expenses for professional entertainers. They still are.
We don't invite people to other peoples' events. We do work centers of influence and referred leads from them. Therefore, the free shows are very targeted to the right market segment. Pick the free shows very carefully for the right audience. This is the difference in investing your resources in my recommended “better circles” to your desire to divide your resources with “all circles”. My suggestion gives you the advantage of positive borrowed image from your hosts. His connections with his guests are stronger than yours. But you could benefit from the connection. Otherwise, you will stay just another outside vendor to be kept outside. The focus on the customers' needs rather than your own will change a lot of your booking problems for you. Seeing your DVD is your "want list" not theirs. And it is their leisure, not yours. You can bet that they will plan how that is spent for themselves. Fortunately, I think our exchange here may help a lot of struggling entertainers. Hopefully, we can get some input from them. I'm sorry that the time to benefit you is not here yet. This is not a contest. I have absolutely nothing to gain here except to help those I can. Getting started as a successful professional entertainer isn't easy and most frankly fail for all of the right reasons. Magic still makes a fulfilling hobby. Enjoy! Bob Sanders Magic By Sander PS --- Donald, I think you are right on target. |
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
I am not sure what bridal fairs are like in the USA but they cost about $3000 to get a stand which will allow you to perform on stage.
And then you gotta get the women to stop and then do the show. I don't think you guys actualy have hit this market before- or if you have - The aussie market is different. You'd be performing for about 10 people max at the expo- simply because they don't stop. and many people are their not for a wedding but the dream of the wedding. Now, the problem as stated in my initial post is this: I recently joined this wedding web site- basically wedding suppliers list their businesses and people getting married look over what is available. When browsing you are asked to fill out an online form- detailing your name, address, phone, wedding date all this kind of data and then underneath that they are asked to tick box what they are interested in. This then gets sent via email to those people who have had their boxes ticked- (no they don't tick my box they tick the comedy Magic box. My problem is this. When I call them about 40 other companies are calling them too (venues, dress makers etc) so they are rude and usually try and get you off the phone and say no real fast The second problem is I have tried a sales letter to them x2 and then email- the problem is they are too bombarded with phone calls from sales people. My Main problem is I know of 70 weddings in Sydney but when I contact them they get ticked off. so as you can see- it is when I phone them they get annoyed because 30 other people have called them- this is the problem,- not in offering the solution or whatever it's the fact that 30 people have called them |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Why not find a different way of generating your leads, so that your approach will not be identically timed with all of the others given the same leads (from the same source)?
It sounds more like the source of the leads is causing you the problem, because they are sharing the information with everyone at the same moment. It sounds like the brides didn't realize they would be approached by this many vendors as a result of signing up on that website. They probably expected a couple of calls or letters, not 30 or 40! Example - if someone posted their name and address on the Café, as a potential customer looking for a magician, and then that prospect was bombarded with letters and calls offering services, I think they would be ticked (and rightly so), too. Does it clearly explain how many vendors will respond to their request for information? - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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icentertainment Inner circle 1429 Posts |
Your right- The web site is the problem and I do not believe that the customers get told that they are sending emails to people.
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RobertBloor Inner circle The Socialist Republic of the USA. 1051 Posts |
Iceman,
You said the bridal fair's there ding you about 3 large to get a spot. Here's an idea...it may not work in Aussieland, that's your call. But for what it's worth... Find out who IS paying to exhibit there. Then you present to them a way to attract potential customer to THEIR booth. (ie: trade show style) Tell them your fee but that you'd be willing to do 1 free hour representing THEM, provided they're willing to share their lead generation list from that bridal fair. Does that make sense? Just seems like a different way to get into the bridal show, get what you need out of it, and not have to pay 3 large. And as a sidenote - it does now seem that this website you're using may in fact be hindering your chances, more than helping. Good luck! Robert Bloor
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,"
-The Declaration of Independence |
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