Podcast 008: Do You Really Need A Website?

HTBAPM008-do_you_really_need_a_website

How To Be A Professional Magician, Podcast 8

Do You Really Need A Website?

In this episode of the How To Be A Professional Magician Podcast we ask if you really need to have a website. It used to be essential; but with the dominance of social media platforms is spending money to design and host a website a worthwhile expense?In this episode we ask if having a website is necessary, especially with social media providing alternative platforms.

To answer in a single word: “Yes!”

Nowadays many magicians don’t actually have a website, relying primarily on using a Facebook business page (not their own personal Facebook page, though even then some do). However these magicians are often amateur magicians who wish to give the outwards appearance of looking professional, but don’t want to to invest either the time or money into creating a unique website.

With a website a potential customer will know you are more professional than a magician who links to a Facebook page. The website domain name should be used for your email address too, ‘free’ email addresses such as Gmail and Hotmail doesn’t look professional in the eyes of a prospect.

Remember that by relying on a third party social media platform you don’t have control. The format of the pages could change, or at a time in the future you may need to pay to continue using the service – or as least pay for even those following your page to see your posts. Essentially your business model is reliant on the business model of the social media platform’s business model, and that may not be in your interest.

Whilst researching you, your prospective clients may link from your business page to your personal page; and if you haven’t amended your privacy settings they may see things you would prefer they didn’t (such as political views, opinions, personal photographs and “banter” between your friends).

There’s the possibility that your social media account could get hacked or your account suspended. The worst case would be having your entire account deleted. This would mean you lose complete control, whereas with your own website you can upload a back-up and continue business.

Website are quick, cheap and easy to design, develop and host; and easy to update and expand as you and your business develops. You can continue to use social media, and link between your website and social media accounts to obtain clients and keep them engaged.

If you have any questions about building your magic business please email [email protected].

Please subscribe so you can get more weekly bite-size magic business lessons.

You can also listen to the Podcast on the following formats:

Apple Podcasts (iTunes):

https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician/id1513191973?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200&theme=dark

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician/id1513191973

YouTube:

Spotify:

Stitcher:

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician

Podcast 007: Should You Pack Small and Play Big?

HTBAPM007-should_you_pack_small_and_play_big

How To Be A Professional Magician, Podcast 7

Should You Pack Small and Play Big?

In this episode we ask why you should “pack small and play big”. It’s a common phrase that you’ve no doubt heard, and it is rooted in logic; but is sticking to this rule potentially compromising the show that you can provide? And would adapting the shows let to a better product for the client – and lead to more bookings?

To “pack small and play big” means creating a show that literally packs up small (and therefore easy to transport and carry), but can be performed on a stage and entertains the whole audience. However, this can lead to magicians packing small for the sake of it, even when there is no need to – and this can compromise the show as a trick and/or props that would be better suited will be left out.

Of course, if you are travelling on public transport then limitation will apply, but if you are travelling by a car and have plenty of room then there really is not need to make the size of the prop the primary deciding factor on whether it should be included in your show.

Compare your tricks – both what is in your current show, and what isn’t. Looks at what are ones that pack small, and compare to the ones that don’t. How do they compare on playing to the audience? Have you found that your show is made up of items that are easier to transport, even though they may not get as good a reaction as some of the larger tricks you don’t have in your show?

Size isn’t a determining factor. There are plenty of effects that DO fit the “pack small and play big” rule, such as mind-routines; or tricks that involve spectators. Conversely, there are plenty of tricks that large (and not just illusions) that may easily fill a stage but not get much of a reaction from the audience. And of course this is before scripting and presentation is allowed for.

Pick the material that gives you (and hence your client) the best possible show, not the material that takes the least room in your car.

Work out variations of the same trick that can be performed at different scales. You can then take the props that will fit the size of the gig you are working at.

If you regularly work at venues that require a show that will play large but you have restrictions on what you can take (perhaps because it’s a city centre location, or you are performing on a cruise ship and your luggage and your show must fit in a single suitcase) then have two different acts – a ‘small’ and a ‘big’ act.

You can use banner stands, flip-charts and projectors to make your show fill the stage and ensure your entire act can be seen and enjoyed by the whole audience; yet these also fold down and pack small for easy transport.

If you have any questions about building your magic business please email [email protected].

Please subscribe so you can get more weekly bite-size magic business lessons.

You can also listen to the Podcast on the following formats:

Apple Podcasts (iTunes):

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician/id1513191973

YouTube:

Spotify:

Stitcher:

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician

Podcast 004: What Should You Do At A Networking Meeting?

HTBAPM004-What_should_you_do_at_a_networking_meeting

How To Be A Professional Magician, Podcast 4

What Should You Do At A Networking Meeting?

In this episode we ask what the benefits of a networking meeting are, what you should do when you are there and how to prepare before you attend.

Networking meetings are events were people in different professions get together to explain what they do to other professions; with the view of exchanging business between each other.

Often at the meeting each attendee will be asked to stand up and give a short (often for one or two minutes) pitch. Therefore, if you are attending a networking meeting prepare in advance what you will say. This is sometimes known as an ‘elevator pitch’.

Ensure your pitch makes it clear why someone would want to book you; just saying you are a magician and list the type of events you work at isn’t enough.

Ensure you make clear the benefit to others – not just to those at the meeting. Often people will refer friends and family to others they met at a networking meeting.

Don’t just perform a trick in your pitch. It will be fun and entertaining, but it won’t give the benefits. You may not even want to introduce yourself as a magician at first, but explain the benefits first.

If people are interested in the service you offer they may come up to you at the end of the meeting, and this is then a good opportunity to show a demonstration.

Networking is a two-way street, and you will be expected refer business to the other attendees. If you turn up expecting people to give you business without giving any in return it’s likely they won’t.

Take plenty of business cards.

Some networking groups have membership fees, and you will need to be a member before you can take full advantage of the benefits of the group.

As well as membership costs there are costs for food and travel, as well as the time taken to attend. It’s likely that you won’t recoup these costs straight away, but as time goes on people will still remember you and pass you business years afterwards.

If you have any questions about building your magic business please email [email protected].

Please subscribe so you can get more weekly bite-size magic business lessons.

You can also listen to the Podcast on the following formats:

Apple Podcasts (iTunes):

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician/id1513191973

YouTube:

Spotify:

Stitcher:

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-magician

Sales Process – Video Business Lesson

HTBAPM Sales Process

In this business lesson we cover the subject of sales processes. This is the most famous sales process of them all – A. B. C.

If you have worked in sales (or seen the film Glenngary Glen Ross) it’s likely that you will have heard of this acronym before. It stands for Always Be Closing.

We discuss what this means, and how you can use it not only to move conversations forwards, but also in a way to generate interest and enquiries in your magic services.

Wedding Fairs – Video Business Lesson

HTBAPM Wedding Fairs

In this business lesson we cover the subject of wedding fairs.

Wedding fairs are a great way to meet brides and grooms, show them a demonstration of your magic and discuss how you can entertain them and their guests on their wedding day.

We look at the types of wedding fair and how you can choose the best one for you to attend. What you need, and what you should do whilst you are there. Most importantly, we discuss what information you need to collect from the bride and groom, and how to use that information to follow up afterwards to increase the chances of you getting booked.

New YouTube How To Be A Professional Magician Videos

I’m currently producing a range of How To Be A Professional Magician videos for the YouTube channels.

Each video is about 5 minutes long and is crammed with bite-sized actionable content to get you started. They are no fuss and throw you in at the deep end. No waffling, and no excuses for you not to take action right away!

Check out the videos already available, and subscribe to the YouTube channel to get updated as soon as new ones are released.

Click: The How To Be A Professional Magician YouTube Channel

Learning more

The How To Be A Professional Magician Courses cover everything you need to know to set up a business as a professional magician. The Full Course contains all the information (as well as 30 minute Skype consultation to help you get your business launched), and the abridged courses also cover business set-up.

What is a Professional Magician?

By definition a professional magician is someone makes their living performing magic. However, there’s more to it than that, a magician must also act professional, and be perceived as professional.

If you have tooth-ache you want to see a professional dentist, someone who has training, experience, the right tools for the job and a clean and hygienic room to operate in. You shouldn’t trust a dentist that doesn’t fulfil all these criteria.

Say you drive a nice car and the clutch goes on it, you could spend a weekend with a friend who has some tools attempting to jack up the car on your driveway, but it’s more likely you’ll take it to a qualified mechanic.

People are willing to pay for a professional service

From the first instant a potential client comes into contact with you, you must have an air of professionalism that gives people the confidence to book you.

The professionalism comes across as your tricks, props, patter, website, pictures, videos and marketing materials.

(The How To Be A Professional Magician courses cover all of this, and more!)

Being a full-time professional magician gives you freedom

You are your own boss, and you control your destiny.

Monday to Friday is not spent commuting in rush hour, to work for someone else. A professional magician with a smartphone can run the admin side of their business from anywhere. I have successfully operated the “business end” of my business whilst on a cruise-ship for ten days, only using my mobile for brief internet access when in port.

It does take hard work to set systems up and create the professional act, but once done you are only limited to the times and places you book into your diary.

You have direct control of your income too. Once you get established and your marketing is bringing in a constant flow of enquiries you can book as many, or as few, bookings as you wish.

Being a professional magician is a lifestyle career.

You still have to turn up and provide the shows; but you decide which ones you take, how much you charge, where they are, and when you do them.

Does this sound better than spending 40 hours a week in an office, directly trading your time for money, and ultimately using your skills, talents and resources (time is a resource, and you only have so much of it) to make money for someone else?

If you are going to make some changes to your life, or embark on a big project (such as becoming a professional magician) then you are going to be going outside your comfort zone. It won’t be easy.

Being successful has requirements, often taking you outside of your comfort zone

So now you know the advantages to being a professional magician, and why to need to act like a professional magician.

This article is a based on a lesson in the “Turning Professional” section of the How To Be A Professional Magician course, as well as the abridged versions

Learning more

The How To Be A Professional Magician Courses cover everything you need to know to set up a business as a professional magician. The Full Course contains all the information (as well as 30 minute Skype consultation to help you get your business launched), and the abridged courses also cover business set-up.

Making Your Magic Commercial

When I made the decision to turn professional I decided that I needed repertoire of commercial tricks that I could perform for my close-up act; but I realised that I couldn’t just do a pile of card tricks, or do tricks that I liked doing.

I shortlisted tricks, practiced those, and worked on the patter; knowing that as they got performed to real live paying customers they would evolve. As the tricks developed I could add new ones and remove those that weren’t so strong.

Then I looked at what I already performed, what I liked performing, my character and the way my magic had already naturally evolved since I started learning.

I mainly thought of myself as a mentalist, and started to pursue that direction and learnt mentalism tricks and routines (probably due to Derren Brown sparking my latent interest in the art). However, I had come to realise that it lacked commercial appeal for the type of events I was promoting myself for.

But then I didn’t want to go too far the other way. I didn’t want to be a “comedy magician”, or have a whacky/zany character.

Let’s look at an example. I’ve have sponge balls, I learnt a sponge ball routine and performed it, people actually LIKED my sponge ball routine’ but it just didn’t feel comfortable for me.

Creating Your Commercial Repertoire

So how do you do this, well, pick about six tricks that YOU feel comfortable doing and that others will like and practice them. Also come up with patter and script the trick. Each time you practice you perform like you are performing for an audience so you practice the lines, not just the moves. I personally chose tricks covering many styles of magic, so my style and short-listed tricks could be refined using the Darwinian principle of Survival of the Fittest.

I came up with a set of rules and criteria to help me shortlist my tricks:

  1. Have variety – not just card tricks
  2. Can be stored in a jacket pocket for close-up
  3. No re-set (or at least very quick)
  4. Something that doesn’t need lots of explaining
  5. Visual enough to be seen by everyone round a large table
  6. Multi-stage (ideally)
  7. Involve spectators

As time went on I found my style and dropped the material that didn’t fit the direction I was wanting to go in (such as sponge balls and rope tricks) but it gave me a solid foundation to build on with a repertoire that meant from the moment I turned professional I had good tricks that worked and got positive reactions.

I still perform many of the effects that went into this original set, and have added more that fits this criteria. Not all the trick in my repertoire fit the criteria, and are perhaps more artistic and aimed to illicit a more emotional connection.

Having a routine that is new, fresh, touches emotions, takes risks but may occasionally fall flat is not a good opener for a corporate audience. A solid routine that will even entertain those that have been at the free bar. These latter routines are normally the ‘workers’, tried and tested a million times by every working magician.

My aim is to have tricks and effects that fall into both criteria. This way I have some solid material to open with and engage everyone, but can have material that is more ‘artistic’ once a connection has been established.

Note, this article is based on the “Art Vs Entertainment” lesson in the Magic Theory and Presentation section of the course, as well as in some of the abridged courses.

Learning more

The How To Be A Professional Magician Courses cover everything you need to know to set up a business as a professional magician. The Full Course contains all the information (as well as 30 minute Skype consultation to help you get your business launched), and the abridged courses also cover business set-up.

Facebook Group

There is now a Facebook group for magicians to discuss the content of this site and offer assistance to each other.

The group can be accessed at www.facebook.com/groups/howtobeaprofessionalmagician/

You will need to apply to join this group because I want to keep away spammers, however, anyone will a passing interest and a desire to learn more is welcome – it’s not just for existing professionals.

Learning more

The How To Be A Professional Magician Courses cover everything you need to know to set up a business as a professional magician. The Full Course contains all the information (as well as 30 minute Skype consultation to help you get your business launched), and the abridged courses also cover business set-up.