Marketing your magic business pt 2

Most magicians seem to believe that they are the "same" as the other magicians in their genre of magic - ie close-up or kids shows ect. The good news for you is that you can not possibly be the same as any other magician! Because in the world of magic YOU are the product NOT the tricks or the SHOW.

Now this is a double edged sword because it means that from a business growth perspective we have some real issues (but I will address these in a future blog). But from a marketing perspective this uniqueness is fabulous news.

Marketing is all about positioning and your confidence in your message. So step one is stop believing that you are the same as everyone else - even if your material is identical (lets face it we all do largely the same tricks).

Step two you need to position yourself as a busy and in demand performer. A real success. There is a common expression in business which is that "you should dress for the job you want to have not the one that you currently have". It's strange psychology, but people want what they can't have. The harder it is to get something, the more people want it.

You must make people believe that your diary is so full and so many people want to book you that they'll be lucky if you can squeeze them in. (Of course, it should go without saying that you need to do this without sounding like a plumber or used car sales man - you must sound authentic and professional, like you really do want to help to fit them in somehow.)

What do most magicians do when someone calls to inquire about booking them? They practically fall all over themselves to try and get the booking. Putting the customer first is one thing but sounding desperate is not appealing to the customer. Remember professional, polite - but BUSY!

When someone calls you, you need to put the basis of the discussion into terms that work for you. Turn the whole focus of the call from 'I'm calling to decide whether I want to hire him or her' to 'I hope this person is available to entertain at my event.'

Here is an example of what I mean:

'Mrs. Smith, I'm not quite sure that I'm the right entertainer for you. I may not be the magician that you need to book but let me ask you some questions and see if I can help you.'

Do you see how this works? Every other magician that she calls is going to be telling her how great their act is and will either be desperate to send her a promo DVD (you do have one don't you?) or else will be trying to close the gig. You do just the opposite, you put yourself into the position of deciding if this gig is for you NOT the prospect.

Then a later in the conversation, you can say; 'Before we go any further, let me check to see if that date is even still available.' Again, this implies that you are a busy, in demand professional.

When people perceive that you are very busy, they will also assume that you must be good and starts to condition them for the big fee you will be quoting. This may or may not be true but perception is reality in the world of sales and marketing. Ries and Trout point out that, 'Marketing is not a battle of products or services. Marketing is a battle of perceptions.'

Start developing the clients perception of you by developing the positioning that you are amongst the busiest and highest paid entertainers in the country. If you follow the advice of some others and try and be THE highest paid and busiest - you will fail. Why? You will not sound authentic!

So the second part to marketing your magic business is all about creating the illusion of success and that starts with understanding and believing that you are the product and you are UNIQUE!