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MAGICBYTIM Special user Louisiana 531 Posts |
Is anyone using Ralph Metzler's ShowToolsPro software? http://www.showtoolspro.com If so, what do you think. I have just started trying to work with ACT but wonder if this would be better to get. I saw him show this at Kidabra last year and it looked good but I had already bought ACT.
Thanks for the review. |
jlevey Inner circle Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2076 Posts |
Just took a virtual tour of this software.
Still do not see much of an advantage over the normal Outlook express database system --which has the advantage of being compatible with my Palm Pilot. Regarding the Showprotools product ($349US), I am still left wondering if you are able to further customize the Client list category into sub-divisions: i.e.: Kid Show/prospects Corporate/Prospects, Kid Show /Clients, Corporate/clients If anyone uses this particular software, please advise. I have posed the same questions to the maker of this particular software, Ralph Metzler, and hope to have some further perspective on the advantages of this software over the normal Microsoft/Outlook database software. Jonathan
Jonathan
Max & Maxine Entertainment Magicians with a touch of comedy! ___________________________________ www.maxmagician.com www.mindreadershow.com www.monsieurmagic.com |
Christopher Starr Inner circle Heart of America 1850 Posts |
$349.00 seems a little pricey...
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jlevey Inner circle Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2076 Posts |
I bought the Act 1st database manager about 8 years ago and paid (I seem to recall) around $200-300. Now, it's worth (and sold for) very little (I believe).
These types of software seem to get outdated rather fast, and their original sale prices drop rapidly.
Jonathan
Max & Maxine Entertainment Magicians with a touch of comedy! ___________________________________ www.maxmagician.com www.mindreadershow.com www.monsieurmagic.com |
ralphthegreat New user 3 Posts |
What makes ShowTools Pro different from ACT, or other database programs that are "one size fits all", is that it was designed by a performer for performers.
I developed this program using the FileMaker Pro engine over several years to run my own business because there was nothing out there that could do everything I needed. After showing the program to several friends in the business, they convinced me to release it so that other performers could benefit from it. I haven't yet started advertising it, but I have sold dozens of copies on word-of mouth alone. It is version 1.0, but years of tweaking have made this a very good first version. In fact, one performer's secretary called me and said that they had tried several pieces of software over the years, including ACT, and ShowTools Pro "blows them all away! It is easy to learn and use, and does what we need to run our business. ShowTools Pro is the best!" Here's what Steve Cohen, The Millionaire's Magician, says about it: ShowTools Pro does just what I need it to do for my business. And what is great is that it is applicable to any area of magic; close-up, stage, corporate, kidshows; and it will work for performers of any level. ShowTools Pro is terrific! As far as the price being "a little steep", it is less than most performers charge for one show. Besides, you not only get the program, but you also have access to over 2 1/2 hours of video tutorials that will help you get up and running fast. Also, any Magic Café users who purchases it by the end of March will get $50 off. If you have any questions, call my cell at 703-626-8622. Ralph "the Great" Metzler |
jlevey Inner circle Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2076 Posts |
Hi Ralph,
Welcome to the Café. Please tell us if, with your software, ShowTools Pro, you can further customize the Client list category into sub-divisions: i.e.: Kid Show/prospects Corporate/Prospects, Kid Show /Clients, Corporate/clients Many thanks. Jonathan I have posed the same questions to the maker of this particular software, Ralph Metzler, and hope to have some further perspective on the advantages of this software over the normal Microsoft/Outlook database software.
Jonathan
Max & Maxine Entertainment Magicians with a touch of comedy! ___________________________________ www.maxmagician.com www.mindreadershow.com www.monsieurmagic.com |
ralphthegreat New user 3 Posts |
Jonathan,
Yes, you can specify what I call the "Contact Category". I personally use some of the following: Corporate, Public School, Private School, Restaurant, Library, Family/Person, Childcare, etc. But you can name these categories any way you want. And once you add one, it is permanently added to a pop-up list so you don't ever have to type it again, just click on it to select it. One you book a show or "Event", you can categorize those. For example, Event Categories may include: Birthday Show, Keynote, Educational Show, Library Show, Association Show, etc. You also have an "Event Type" which may include: Juggling, Close-up, Hypnosis, Workshop, Speech, Magic, etc. Again, you can customize these and name them any way that works for you. I use this to be able to generate lists for mailing to particular types of clients, or to find out how much income I have brought in from a particular type of show. I hope this helps! Ralph "the Great" Metzler http://www.showtoolspro.com http://www.ralphthegreat.com http://www.prokidsdc.com |
jlevey Inner circle Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2076 Posts |
Thanks for the added info, Ralph.
Jonathan
Jonathan
Max & Maxine Entertainment Magicians with a touch of comedy! ___________________________________ www.maxmagician.com www.mindreadershow.com www.monsieurmagic.com |
Rich B. Special user Philadelphia 632 Posts |
I just received ShowToolsPro this past Saturday. I found out about it on this thread and went to the site to look at the sample tutorial. It seemed very user-friendly, so I gave Ralph a call to help further make up my mind. He spent a lot of time with me on the phone, and I wound up purchasing it for $300 (the deal that he offered to Café members).
Prior to this, I was just using folders set up to hold confirmations, invoices, etc. that I designed on Microsoft Word. I never used a database before. I did purchase one other database software for entertainers, and after 2 months of trying to get it to work for me, I gave up. It was difficult for me to navigate, and I could not set it up to work for me. I expressed my feelings to the designer of the software, and he offered a complete refund (which I declined). Because of his customer service, I won't mention the software, and there are some other people using it with success. After working with ShowToolsPro for about 2 hours, I understood most everything. It's well thought out, and all the terms are related to our business. I sent my first packet (confirmation letter, invoice) to a client yesterday, and it looked very professional...down to the envelope, which is also printed with your logo on the return address. Because I'm only doing 4-6 shows a month, I like to personalize my confirmation letters. This was easy to do with this software. If you were cranking out shows, you could have generic-type letters made up as a template and just the added info from the database would complete it with one click. There is also an icon to merge with Word, so technically you can design your docs anyway you want and just export the data. I'll explore this in the future. One of the coolest features is the "print show list". This is a one page doc that has everything pertaining to the show you are performing...names, addresses, phone numbers, trick list, special notes about client, driving directions, deposits, balance due...everything! I'll be putting this one page as a hard copy in a binder and bring a copy to the show. I called Ralph Metzler one more time when I first started using this, and he took the time to answer every question...a great guy. He said he was going to continue to upgrade the software based on his customers needs. Some will be free download upgrades and some will involve a small cost. I, personally, would like to see the financial end goosed up to keep track of everything related to my magic business in this one program. Ralph designed this initially for himself and is very busy, so he has an accountant take care of his financials. But for a small guy like me, it would be great, as I currently keep track of all my expenses on an Excel spread sheet. It seems that $300 is expensive...but in just 3 days, I see the benefit of having this program...for me, it is money well spent. If you already have a database and are comfortable with your system...maybe you won't be as enthusiastic as me. But if you don't have one, this might be one of your best magic purchases of the year...it is for me. I highly recommend it. By the way, I don't know Ralph Metzler at all except talking to him on the phone twice regarding his product. Just trying to help my fellow magicians. Rich B. |
James Munton Inner circle Dallas, TX 1199 Posts |
He's literally spent years refining this so that he can expend the minimum effort on his office duties, allowing him more time to perform (he has a very busy schedule).
Ralph showed me this a while ago, and it looked absolutely awesome. I was quite jealous because, at that time, he wasn't offering this for sale, and I was trying to duplicate a lot of his features using another program with limited success and many hours pouring over the user manual. I didn't realize this was now for sale, otherwise I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat. I'm currently using DayLite on my Mac. I used to use Goldmine on a PC. Both are great programs, but I spent hours and hours on each one customizing them to do all the things Ralph has already done for you. Why didn't you tell me this was for sale, Ralph?! $300 is an absolute bargain for this software. If you don't already have a good computerized system, you'd be crazy to get anything else. |
ralphthegreat New user 3 Posts |
Thank you, both, for such glowing words about my software! It is very gratifying to see that all of that hard work is helping my fellow performers.
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