Customer Satisfaction and the Corporate Magician

Hectic doesn't begin to describe the past few days. As an independent businessman (that is what EVERY full time pro magician SHOULD be), you get to wear many hats. Marketing manager. Administrator. Bookkeeper. When you're being pulled in a million directions by a million different priorities, it's pretty easy to lose sight of something important...

Like many (or most) of you, I had a day job while doing my magic part time. Weekends. Evenings. Bank Holidays. But the majority of my workweek was spent just like everyone else making the daily commute to the office, trying to avoid office politics, and doing my best to make a few pennies. In my fantasies about working for myself, I imagined that my days would begin with a leisurely breakfast, maybe a brisk morning walk with my dog, hit the computer around 10AM, knock off early for lunch, do a couple of close-up gigs during the course of the week and then maybe an easy wedding reception on Saturday,

Was I dreaming or what!

As anyone who's run their own business realises, it can seem like a continuous mad dash from one project deadline to the next. There's always another confirmation contract to send, a thank you note to write, a bill to pay, marketing materials to create... And I'm not even going to go into the time you need to spend developing commercial routines and bespoke performances. (You do think about marketability BEFORE you develop a show, or purchase a trick don't you? Of course you do...)

The one thing that's easy to forget about, or to put off in all of this -- is your customer. You have to always think about them. You have to make sure, even amidst all the chaos of daily business operations, that you're continually striving to develop products and services that offer great benefits in their eyes. Even the little things count. Here's an example. Yesterday, I spent about an hour and a half writing thank you cards for the previous couple weeks worth of bookings. Now, normally I do this right after the fact. But I got busy and ... admittedly ... a bit lazy. I let them slide and pile up. Hey, it's a pain to write a thank you card, even if you have a system for what you say in it.

Nevertheless, it's really, really important.Not only for the results it produces, but also for the attitude that it demonstrates.
One of the keys to my system is to include three business cards and let them know that I really appreciate their business and their referrals. In addition, I also include a pre-paid envelope with a short satisfaction survey card that asks some questions on what they thought of my show. Nearly everyone returns the card. And by and large, the feedback is almost 100% positive. And I've used many of the comments as testimonials in my marketing materials.

Do I enjoy writing out the thank you notes? Of course not, like I said, it's a pain. But is it worth the effort? Absolutely.
It's a small thing, but sending a thank you note to EVERY customer positions yourself just a notch higher than the guy who just took the money and ran. It's a class thing. And class always pays off. Maybe not immediately, but over time you create a reputation that people will respect and appreciate.

Yesterday I booked a gig from a lady who said she had seen me at a little corporate event I did a few years ago. I didn't have to do any selling at all. 'Are you available?' and that was that.
Now, I do a pretty good job in front of an audience. But that alone would not create any where near the income that I want. To make the different I am meticulous about following up with a thank you and satisfaction survey. Did a thank you card get me my last referral? I don't know. But I do know the type of professionalism that causes you to write out thank you cards is the key to letting customers know how much you care about them and the way to out perform your competition.

And that is the bottom line: the professionalism that you show BEFORE and AFTER the event is what will really differentiate you from the other magicians in the book.