I wonder... Would the American equivalent of Guy Fawkes Day be a Benedict Arnold Day? Better not start that tradition, or we'll be fighting the Revolution all over again...and you know what happened to the British in that one.

Spellbinder.....who is Benedict Arnold? I've heard of Pope Benedict and Thomas Arnold, but not Benedict Arnold. Maybe it's because I am British. By the way, Spellbinder, thanks for helping me get back on topic!

I'll just combine a couple post here from Donald.

O.K. - here's my last ditch effort to try and get this thread back on track ...

I've been reviewing some of JR's past threads to get an idea of his approach to magic and the marketing strategies he uses. From what I've read, JR has made a conscious decision to offer more than a magic show. He incorporates a variety of fun and games into it, as well as to provide a wider range of entertainment for the children. The added benefit with such a package is that it eliminates much of the stress and planning for the parents.

It also seems as though not many other magicians in JR's competitive market are offering such "Full Entertainment" packages. He has realized this and has pursued the opportunity to make his "product" truly unique. The product also seems to reflect JR's inherent belief that he is an Entertainer first and a Magician second.

As a result of the unique service JR offers, he seems to charge more for his Full Party Package. He seems to take pride in being able to make more money while doing fewer shows. I would infer from his previous thread that he probably charges on the upper end of the scale in this trading area, but he's able to justify it as a result of the extra value he brings to the show.

Given the upper-end pricing, I would also infer that the target market is probably upper-middle class, two-income families with 2 or more children. The parents are likely 35 to 45 years of age, with some post-secondary eduction. Admittedly, a lot of assumptions are made in setting this target market. Upper-middle class, two income families would likely be able to afford the higher-end pricing.

Such families (especially with 2 or more children) would likely have little to no spare time on their hands. As a result, the quality of time they have with their kids becomes more important than the cost of a party. This would not be as prevalent with a single-child family, since those types of parents tend to dote a little more upon their only child (especially at a younger age). The children would likely be in the age range from 4 to 8 years of age, since older children may not be as interested such games.

JR tends to go directly to the client's home to provide the games and the magic. While keeping his overhead down, it is the one weak point in the marketing strategy. JR's underlying objective is to reduce the workload and stress upon the parents who are organizing the party. Essentially, all they have to provide is the food. Yet, holding the party in the parent's home may necessitate moving furniture, risking breakage, making a mess, and causing after-party clean-up.

This could be avoided by offering the client the additional option of having the party in a venue outside the client's home. If JR is doing up to 6 shows a weekend, almost every weekend, he could certainly make some type of cost effective arrangement with a local party place or community hall. The cost of the rental could be included in the price.

That would make it a truly stress free, work free event for the parents. All they would need to do is bring the food. There would be no breakage or clean-up to worry about, and JR could literally book one party after another within the same facility. He could set up one show at the beginning of the day and not have to pack it away until the day is over. As a result, he may be in a better position to use larger props and more extravagant effects to even further differentiate himself from competing magicians in his trading area.

I may be way off base with some of my observations and inferences, but it seems as though JR may be able to tweak some of his strategies so as to further reinforce the underlying "stress-free" objective of his Full Party Experience. What I'm really interested in, however, is what JR does on a regular basis to promote a show such as this?

Kent

Once again, Kent, a wonderful post and 90 percent accurate. You will understand I live in Arizona, and 80 percent of the parties I do are outdoors, or in a clubhouse or similar. The parties I do in the person's home are always contained, although I do advise the client to move any Ming China or such if they have it. You are correct about me dealing mainly with the upper-end of the market, so they frequently do have valuables that need moving! I ask them to give give me as much space as possible for the party, but that usually only necessitates moving a sofa. There is no mess left at all after the games or the magic. The only possible mess is when the kids eat their food, but that would occur even if they booked just a magician as the kids have to eat.

There is so much to say about marketing birthday parties, but let me offer out some words of wisdom which are somewhat eclectic. Go for something which no one else in your area is doing. This actually becomes hard to go into greater detail on the Café, as it will then no longer be unique (if that makes sense). Let me give you an example, so you can see where I am coming from:

I moved to Arizona from England in 1992 with my wife and 3 children. I sold my agency in London, which as many of you know was the largest entertainment agency booking magicians and children's entertainers in that city. I arrived in Phoenix in July. It was 115 degrees. I had no work........nobody knew who I was. What did I do? After I had got over the jet lag, I call up the Arizona Republic and told them I had arrived. They said, "Who are you?"
I told the journalist about my life as one of the top children's entertainers in England. How I had entertained the young Prince William, the children of actor Bob Hoskins, the grandchildren of Michael York, Richard Attenborough, etc! In other words, I named-dropped. I also told him about my life travelling around the world, living in Italy, Australia, working on cruise ships, etc. He agreed to interview me, as he thought I had an interesting story.
We sat in a coffee shop for three hours talking about my life. He thought it was so interesting, he relayed it to the editors. They decided to make it a front page story. Within a couple of weeks, I was on local television. The phone never stopped ringing! I had only been a few days in the Desert, and all the wealthy yuppy mothers were wanting me to perform for their little darlings! Plus, I was offering 2-hour whole parties, had a British accent which the Americans love, and I was unique. They all were wanting to outdo their friends! And it had cost me nothing!
For giveaways, I was handing out three-dimensional origami puppets......and I still do. It is a fabulous giveaway. Those who attended my lecture in Blackpool received one with their lecture notes. I believe Supreme Magic originally put out the idea, which came from Tony Griffith. I picked it up from Smartie Artie...who everyone in the London area knows. There were 8 Smartie Arties, and Arthur Adolph, number one, retired to Lanzarotte with his millions! More shortly...........

This is a typical email I have had from a client......I have condensed it from the invitation she is sending out. JR

Sunday, November 26, 2006
12:30 to 2:30
Pecos Park (by Horizon school) 17010 S. 48th Street
We will be at a picnic table there.

Pizza and cake will be served.

A Magician will be coming to do all kinds of fun activities, and then a Magic Show with great magic tricks and illusions. You won’t believe the things he can do!

The party will end at 2:30. For anyone who wants to play basketball with Brandon, he will be staying to shoot hoops from 2:30 to 3:00.

In case of bad weather (very windy, very cold, or raining), the party will take place at Brandon’s house instead of the park. Directions are enclosed.

We hope to see you there!

So you mean if I go to the UK on a cold and foggy day, tell the editor of the London Times that I performed before President George W. Bush (was president), and that I know Puff Daddy personally and smoked pot with him, and that I traveled around the world (to get to England ... I took the wrong plane), they will fall in love with my genuine American accent, and I will get fabulously wealthy? I'm making the booking arrangements right now. Can I use you as a reference?

Now, let me get serious. JR is right when he says "be unique." Do not get this confused with being a eunuch. They are two different things. But when you finally figure out your style, just be you and have fun with it. Sort of like me!

Great post, Spellbinder! I would be delighted if you used my name as a reference!! You can even stay at the RRC (Rich man's Ravioli Castle), which is located in the pretty Cotswold village of Chipping Snobsbury! I will be your agent for your UK tour and take my customary 85 percent commission. However......you will still be very Rich, as the British aristocracy will pay a fortune for your services. Most of them are related to me, so when I put you forward as America's number-one Birthday Party entertainer of little Angels, they will fork out the lolly!

Lolly? I have to get paid in lolly? That's almost as bad as getting paid in ravioli! I may reconsider moving overseas.

Still waiting patiently...

...for Roger's answers.

I remain...

- Donald

Ok Roger, lets hear some of your marketing strategies. Kent,Thank you for the awesome response.
I know Donald, and he is an incredible source of info.
Donald asked a point blank question, now let us all hear a point blank answer.
Here is a question for you. You said somewhere that your name needs to be everywhere, or something along those lines. How Does Jolly Roger do that himself?
For other entertainers, how do you do that?

Hello Donald, Mr. Lucky. NJ and others! I do realise that although I was the one who started this thread, there have been a large number of interuptions, edits etc. and some of you may feel I have sofar contributed little in the way of marketing ideas. That has been part of my strategy! I have now reached the stage that a number of you are now so intriged to know what JR has to say, that you are almost slightly irritated with me. That was also part of the plan! The information that I have sofar hidden from you all, has become a desired commodoty! This is part of my rather avante-guard approach to marketing. I want everyone in Arizona to believe that I am the best entertainer in that state. To do this, I need to have a slight air of mystery about me. This is part of my USP(Unique selling point). I guess that what I have just said has probably gone way over many of your heads, in the same way the post I recently made about how I marketed myself in the desert when I arrived here in 1992 probably did not resonate with many of you. So, here a a few basic observations about how I market myself:

1) I have already answered Donald's question about givaways. I love the Supreme/Tony Griffith three dimensional origami puppet with my phone number and website on it, and I give it away to every child at all my parties.

2) I believe in this day and age it is vital to have a good website. I get nearly all my shows these days through referals, and most of the rest come through the web. I recommend Google ad-words or overture to get known out there, and make sure you are on all the search enjines. Try typing in Jolly Roger, Magician, Phoenix, Arizona, that sort of thing and I think you will find I come up all over the place.

3) Send confirmations to all your clients via email. Then you will get a database of clients. From time to time you can email them and let them know about public appearances etc. you will be making. Also remind them a few weeks before their child's next bithday to make sure they book you again.

There is lot's more, but it's my tea time!!

Well, in this regard, there has been some things I picked up on, only because of all the marketing stuff I have read.
#1 Roger keeps his name out here on this forum. There is a couple threads that keeps popping to the top of the Little Darlings section. There has probably been quite a few people check out his profile, then visit the web page to try and figure this cat out. Now he can go to sponsors, and say "I am getting XXX amount of hits weekly", which in turn could cause businesses to advetise on the web page.

#2 With any wisdom that come from this thread, it can easily be converted to a lecture, aka Quentin Reynolds, when he asked us a question last year, and used a lot of the info and made a quite outstanding lecture on it.

Roger, by the way, now give us all some of the ways you get your name out in Arizona. Other than by your web site and refferrals.

Hello Mr Lucky. I have just realised that this thread had been moved out of the little darlings. This is great! It opens it up to a whole new area of the Café where people have not been reading the wonderful posts.....especially those of Kent. Donald...where are you? Do I need to IM you so we can continue the dialogue?

I'm not sure this is the best move here, but I will add something brief. (I know, you'll believe it when you see it! Ha!)

Regardless of the “personalities” in this discussion, YES, "Curiosity" or intrigue (Even annoying) is a valid (though too often misused and abused!) marketing technique, too often used by folks who rely on "technique alone" rather than true "Solutions Providing" and real "Guest Relations SERVICE" and to that end it is ONLY as useful as "The Goods" being delivered. That’s right, the Pay-Off better be “That Good” or your prospects will be very upset and will work much to the reverse of it’s intended or desired outcome.

ANYONE can apply so-called 'magic bullet techniques' alone and call that marketing, (We’ve seen LOTS of that haven’t we?) unfortunately, it only serves to set back our art, our profession, our industry and individual business’ in the process.

THIS is the difference between just throwing out marketing techniques and seeing what sticks, (<= use any metaphor you like here) and the truly "EFFECTIVE Marketing" that serves all parties involved and produces life-long results!

If we think that marketing is to get our name out there alone, we are sadly mistaken. Our marketing, when well-done allows us the opportunity to SERVE, SUPPORT and Provide Real VALUE for those who choose to enter into a real, lasting trust relationship (se: Re-Elationship) with us... all the rest is simple trickery, and though it may produce some modest result, it too often is NOT the long-lasting result we REALLY want, need or desire for our industry or our families.

Just my opinion based on experience… take it, leave it, do with it what you will.

I am at your service and In HIS Service,
Dean
<><

PS
Not the shortest post ever, but certainly NOT the longest eh’? (Hehehehehehe!)

"If we think that marketing is to get our name out there alone, we are sadly mistaken."

You are absolutely correct, Dean. If you look at my original post of what has now got over 2500 hits, you will indeed see that those are the two things I focus on.........mass exposure and a good product!! Both as an entertainer, and more recently as a dealer and lecturer as well, I am confident that I have a good product/products. That confidence, combined with the good saleable product/products, has blessed me with success and happiness beyond my wildest dreams! I fear nothing, because there is nothing to fear! Roger

One of the other weaknesses of being mysterious, or holding back information when asked for it (and you have promised to deliver it), or giving incomplete answers, is that it can backfire, and cause you to lose trust with your customers and prospects.

You will build trust by doing the things you have promised to do, in the timeline you have promised to do them. And if you don't, it actually weakens your credibility as honest, reliable, and trustworthy.

Example, sending contracts, information kits, videos, tips books, etc., whatever you have promised. Or, returning phone calls in a timely fashion, etc.

Or posting complete answers to questions you promised to answer.

- Donald

Good point Dean, if you have a good enough sales pitch and marketing campaign you might be able to sell (ice cubes to Eskimo's) as the old saying goes, but should you? and the type of marketing and sales approach you have may make the initial sale but does it create a relationship with your client or just a sale.

JR, could you speak to the issue from the point of view of your marketing style?

Rich

Deano! Nice to see the marketing guru himself on this thread.
"Our marketing, when well-done allows us the opportunity to SERVE, SUPPORT and Provide Real VALUE for those who choose to enter into a real, lasting trust relationship (se: Re-Elationship) with us"
Could tyou please give some of your insight and experience on how to effectivley do this?