Business Methods for the Aspiring Magician (Continued)
Everyone must find their way of growing a customer base. Schools, churches, clubs, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and organizations are common employers of magicians. Developing a contact at the local newspaper, television and radio station doesn’t hurt, publicity is your friend. Cultivate relationships with reporters, television and radio personalities, managers, owners and civic organization officers. Invite them to your shows whenever possible. Busking at other events such as fairs, markets and public streets is also a good way to gain clientele. Busking will help you hone your skills, giving you the ability to see what works or doesn’t, and you will make a few dollars while you hone your magic skills. Be sure to check with local governments prior to setting up to ensure you’re in compliance with their laws and ordinances.
A rule of sales is to concentrate on existing customers rather than searching for new customers. For beginning magicians this is not an option, until you’ve established yourself or found a niche. Once you start performing for paying customers, give them some of your cards and ask them to refer you to others. When you become established in a particular genre, exploit that, taking full advantage of it. Your reputation will grow within that genre more rapidly. Develop a known class of prospects whose addresses you can obtain from directories, web searches, and from satisfied clients. It’s important to keep a data base and reach out to repeat customers and event coordinators prior to their various events. Keep a record of which acts were performed and ensure the routine is different each year.
A mailing list and email list will be instrumental in building your business and retaining repeat customers. This is particularly true if you manage your own bookings, these lists will be an important asset. Keep the lists up to date. Add names from news articles or event flyers. Promptly make updates when changes are identified and most importantly ensure the spelling is correct. Keep notes in the customer’s file. Names of spouses, children, hobbies, and other things of interest that you can review before reaching out to a customer you may not have spoken with or seen in a year or more.
Draft an introductory letter describing your services, and how you might assist your customer in obtaining their goals. This might require tailoring to specific customer bases you intend to prospect. This letter may be sent via direct mail or e-mail to potential clients. Use a personally addressed envelope, this has proven to be more successful than preprinted ones. This same letter draft can be e-mailed to potential customers.
Design a pamphlet, this might be included in a letter, posted on bulletin boards, or attached to an e-mail. Plan your mail/e-mail campaigns around your travel plans, for example if you know you have a show to do in the southern part of the state or country, on a specific date, start reaching out to other potential customers in that immediate area, working your way outward from your initial booking. If this renders additional bookings in the area, this will increase income while reducing the travel expense ratio to income. Just ensure how you divvy travel and other expenses across multiple customers is done fairly.
Advertising in the phone directory is often a good thing, just don’t spend money needlessly. A one line advertisement with your name and number under entertainers or magicians is typically all that’s necessary. Advertising in magazines is expensive. Once you’ve established a niche, it might be worthwhile to look into advertising in a trade journal or professional magazine if one exists for your particular customer base, just ensure it’s worthwhile and doesn’t become an unnecessary expenditure.
Newspaper advertising can be less expensive and some papers will publish a business section where local businesses can advertise. Start advertising in your local paper, then if you find you’re traveling to a specific community often enough and wish to expand your customer base in that area, look at advertising in their local paper. Chambers of Commerce or other business organizations may be good resources for you to obtain new customers, it’s a good idea to stop in and check them out when you travel to a new area.