I found the following on the blog of an individual performer with an aggressive internet presence.

I've left the typos, layout, etc. intact, but have obscured the name and contact info. of the individual.

***********************************************
COLLEGES & Students...

Need extra money? Want to experience
the finest in paranormal wonders?

(Name Obscured) will meet and beat
any other mentalists prices!

20
gents fee or

20FF the price of a show

Email
me: xxxxxxxx@gmail.com

or call

xxx.xxx.xxx


GET A FREE TV NEWS HYPE APPEARENCE
or PUBLICITY STUNT!
***********************************************

Elsewhere, the individual also claims that they have been performing 3 years longer than they have been alive.

I, and other professionals I know, do not do business this way. We have references, which can be verified; we have a fee, which is appropriate for our program, and we negotiate that fee with the client or agent.

Is blatant undercutting the new trend ?

Am I missing something?

I hope that this is the only guy doing this. It sure seems like a crazy way to do things. Undercutting will get you nowhere. Wait a minute, look at Wal-Mart!

I cannot think of anyway to fight this kind of cheap business practice. I only hope that our talent of being hard-working entertainers will win out on this below the belt attack.

Ray

This is, in fact, the future. It is also the past and present. You are looking at the seedy underside of the industry.

Not all customers buy because of low price. (In fact, it's less than 50%.)

Read Jeffrey' Gitomer's "Little Red Book of Selling" for more understanding of what percentages do buy because of price, and what to do for the rest that don't. Find out their answer for "why they buy." Just telling the rest your price, even though it is higher, does not assure a booking either.

Take the price issue off of the table, and focus on other issues. Each customer / prospect has a reason for "why they buy."

- Donald

P.S. I wouldn't worry about it. This "competition" doesn't understand the reasons all customers buy. He only understands the reasons HIS customers buy.

Thanks for the book info Donald. I'm always into expanding my knowledge base.

I'm not really disheartened or worried. It's just discouraging to see people passing themselves off as 'experienced performers' and furthering shoddy business practices (thereby taking a gig from a real professional).

I think it diminishes the profession and the art. At least that's been my experience.

I purchased the little red book of selling on Donald's recommendation some time ago. It is definitely worth the price - I second the recommendation.

I just recently got hired for a gig and I quote the buyer, "Out of the ten magicians that I spoke with, you are the most expensive one. But you seem much more professional in your correspondence with me over the last few days."

Price isn't everything as stated above.

Thanks for reading...

RDS

I don't work the college market and I don't do mentalism so excuse me if this is an ignorant question... but what does "20 gents fee or 20ff show" mean? Is it some hip lingo that I'm not down with?

foshizal my nizal,
Edd (onizal)

I'm betting 20 gents fee means men pay $20 ladies are free.

How did you find my site???


Just kidding.

This is normal in any business. I wouldn't let it worry you.

Edd -

I imagine what the person was saying, is that he will give $20 off (lower his price to $20 less than his competition), OR hand $20 under the table back to the booker after charging the company an equal price to his competition (I am guessing that's what is meant by "gents fee").

Not something I would do, but that's what he put out there as an offer.

- Donald

Price is one way to compete, but there are other methods.

Following the protocols,
Jordan

Price matching works at K Mart and other clothes shops when you sell a product like clothes or computer games- but the serious money out there (from the corporate market side of things) no event manager would really take this guy seriously- it sounds too cheap.

The main thing to do however is to analyze exactly what you offer- understand completly your product- and sell on these. For example a strolling magician or roving magician doesn't just do magic tricks, he breaks the ice, stimulates conversations and raises the energy level of the event. He creates excitement, surprise and laughter. Now, this guy who price matches is selling on price alone, so he is aiming at the bottom of the barrel. When you start selling on the benefits people don't look at your price first- they are looking for a solution.

Ken,

If the guy you cited scares you, you need to be more afraid of yourself than he. That guy's approach is a joke.

If I am the owner of a company and an employee hires this guy I will blacklist him from ever performing for me or any of the companies owned by friends and fire the employee for theft. Very easy to understand why. Backhanders or bribes are illegal for a reason. IT IS THEFT!

It is not my intention to insult the magicians or clowns that may read this post, but it sounds like the type of sales pitch in a parenting paper where there is a lot of competition and several of the acts use discount adjectives in their ad copy such as THE CHEAPEST CLOWN AROUND, THE DISCOUNT MAGICIAN, BUDGET ENTERTAINMENT....etc,.... ad nauseum.

I submit to you fine gentlemen that the type of client that would be attracted to this type of pitch is not the type of client that you want to appeal to if you are a professional mentalism act or any professional act for that matter.

I'm no spring chicken and I learned a long, long time ago that the higher my fees became the more respect I got from my clients.

Case in point: I recently ran into an old magi friend with whom I was in competition back in the mid 1980s when we where getting $100.00 a show and I asked what he's charging these days and his answer was $175.00.
You guessed it, he was one of the discount guys and he remained in that bargain mentality image in the mind of the consumer.

Incidentally he is hating on me now since I told him I don't get out of bed for less than $750.00.

Be true to yourself....it'll pay down the long road.


With Regard,
Beauregard