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JeffMac Veteran user Sudbury, ont 350 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-08-14 22:29, Bad to the Balloon wrote: Do you work all your restaurant gigs at the same venue or are you promoting another venue? I'm all for working multiple places but it's a little shady to promote someone elses restaurant while your getting paid by the current place. |
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derrick Inner circle I dug holes for 1044 Posts |
Drop the hints for private parties into your patter and use your business card.
If you don't already have poster at the front door about your performance times get one and stick your web address and/or contact number at the bottom. You may want to ask permission before you do this but I've never been turned down. In fact, by having it there it usually keeps the manager or seating hostess from having to look it up when they a call for me. Good luck, Derrick |
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Bad to the Balloon Inner circle Clearwater Florida 2116 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-08-15 21:59, JeffMac wrote: Clarification time: I work 7 engagements per week, 5 different restaurants. I tell all my restaurants that I will put them on my card. My card: http://markbyrne.balloonhq.com/complete.......p;idl=23 Like a newspaper that has many advertisements in it so does my card. All my managers have seen my card and none to date have had a problem. About 20% of Zero ....... if your not making money doing shows already it would be difficult at best to find an agent. Or even to have one attracted to you. Unless your are significantly cheaper than other or there is nothing else around. That was my point. Corporate vs family work. It really depends on what you want. I personally like being around my family so family shows pay the bill for the most part because they are close by and fairly easy to get.
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy As seen on the TODAY SHOW www.balloonguy.net Creator of Bad to the Balloon DVD series Go to my store: http://tinyurl.com/Bad2theBalloon |
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Josh Chaikin Inner circle Kansas City 1430 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-08-15 21:59, JeffMac wrote: I'm not sure how you got the impression that I promote different places at different restaurants. Right now, I only have the one restaurant; consequently, I only mention that one place. In the future, when I have other restaurants, I will only mention the place I'm currently at, unless asked otherwise. |
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RicHeka Inner circle 3999 Posts |
Hello Josh:There is some good advice here,however, please allow me to add my 2 cents.
Keep things simple.Sincerely smile.Make the guest's existence more important than your own.Make the guest's feel special[especially if you perform in Family venues...make the kids the stars.][The parent's and/or Grand Parent's will love you for making their kid's special]. Thank them for allowing you to visit.As you leave,tell them to enjoy their dinner,and express to them that you hope to see them again. If you do something along these lines...you will find that..over the long haul..you will get more 'SINCERE' requests for your card..and you will get more private gigs. Best. Rich |
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KeirRoyale Special user Denver, CO 550 Posts |
My best advice is to keep at it and don't worry about it. You will likely find that one restaurant will lead to many gigs while others turn up nothing. I have always recommended the same idea as Lyndel offered that you should throw in a line like "I did this at a private party the other day" to get them to ask for your card. I would absolutley never go into a restaurant and hand out my card to every one that I performed for. It makes you look like you are there to promote yourself and not to work. Also many of your cards will get left behind and become excess trash for the waitstaff to clean up. They don't let people go around their restaurant and leave advertisements while people are eating either and I think you just become one step closer to that when you "force" your business card on people.
DVD author of "The Master Prediction System Done Solo"
http://www.DenverMotivationalSpeaker.com http://www.DenverKidMagic.com http://www.LifeIsMagical.com http://www.WichitaComedyMagician.com |
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Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
Lots of good advice here. It is important to remember, with ANY service, that TIMING is the single biggest issue.
I used to sell and produce radio commercials. I remember one very excited new business owner practically BEGGING me to sell him some spots. I came up with an ad campaign he loved, and I told him when his first few commercials would air. THREE MINUTES after the first spot aired, I get a phone call. It's this guy and he's freaking out! "Dude, I haven't got ONE CALL yet!" That's not how it works, in radio or in restaurant magic. Assume your business is plumbing repair. You air a radio ad. here's the situation. Someone has to NEED plumbing repair. That someone can't already have a plumber they like. That person has to be listening to the radio, to precisely THAT station, at precisely THAT moment. They have to be focussed on listening--if they are in the middle of something else, they probably won't notice the ad. they have to be near a phone to make the call, because they probably won't remember the name of the company or the phone number after less than a minute. It is the regular and constant repetition of the ad that brings business. Which is why companies like Delta Airlines, McDonald's, Budweiser, and Coca-Cola continue to advertise regularly. Back to restaurant magic... You can give out your business card, mention that you do private shows, etc, etc. But what has to happen is someone who NEEDS entertainment for an event has to come in to THAT restaurant on THAT night at THAT time and see you work. And even then, odds are good they won't need you that week. This is why it is important that you are there for a while and that you give out your business cards. Maybe six months or a year down the road, someone will be put in charge of booking entertainment for the company banquet. THEN that person will remember you, pull out your card and give you a call. Patience and consistency wins the race!
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
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derrick Inner circle I dug holes for 1044 Posts |
So So right Scott,
I worked for 10-years at a regional chain restaurant that made a corporate decision to discontinue all entertainment on January 1, 2005. I still get telephone calls from my regulars there who not only ask if I can perform at their upcoming event but wonder what nights do I perform there now because they haven't seen me in a while. Somehow these people still have my card or hunt me down with a google search. That's just amazing to me, but it happens all the time. Derrick |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-08-16 14:38, Scott F. Guinn wrote: A couple of years ago I booked three (unrelated) shows in the space of a month. All three came from people to whom I had given business cards three years earlier! Scott knows whereof he speaks. |
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derrick Inner circle I dug holes for 1044 Posts |
Oh yea, well I booked six unrelated shows in the space of two weeks from people I gave cards to five years earlier
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Josh Chaikin Inner circle Kansas City 1430 Posts |
The last few posts have really shed light on this for me. It's just with all the hype I hear about how restaurants are the means, not the end and you should use them to try to get private shows, I was feeling something was amiss. I will continue to do things as normal, with a few business card effects here and there.
Thanks, Josh |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-08-16 16:13, derrick wrote: Well, I heard of a guy who knows someone whose uncle's neighbor's father-in-law booked 428 unrelated shows in a single afternoon from people who had gotten his business cards from other people to whom he had given them 137 years ago. ;) |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
Well, that's just amazing. Simply amazing.
Lucky guy!
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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