Benji,

Unfortunately, this is the way of the Café. If you do something totally different and people don't agree with it, it is automatically wrong.

If what you say works for you, more power to you and do it until YOU want to change it. That is the beauty of this business. We are all creative professionals (at least, I think I am), and we have the ability to change whatever we say/do/think about our businesses and performances.

Although, sometimes I think that not all magicians are as creative as their potential could allow.

Josh London

Hey Buddy,

You've already had several people respond, and it seems you didn't like their answers. What exactly are you expecting us to say? So far, most have not really gone along with your answers (at least, not so far) and have suggested alternatives, which others have thought were good for you. I hope someone can give you the answers that appeal to you.

Joshlondon said above that if you do something different, others here will criticize you. Tell you what. Why don't you list a bit more on how many actual shows and big gigs you get from the responses you give to customers at your restaurant? That would maybe help the others of us who haven't been getting what you've been sharing.

As you say, it's hard to put words across nicely in a forum. Hope you don't think I'm getting personal with you.

JoJo

Benji, I see your intent, AND I imagine the presentation and tone of voice element works for you at your age, or at least you think it does. (In other words, your intent is not to come off as smart-alecky. There are some communication models, though, that stress the meaning of any communication is the response we get.) In print, I too thought some of the replies sounded a bit terse, but again, print has no tone of voice or body language. My only bit of feedback is, why not ask a few business people you know what THEY think when they are speaking to an individual person who refers to themselves as "We"? Not trying to tinkle on your cornflakes with that, it is just a suggestion- it might not be coming off the way you intend, and then again, it might.

To follow YOUR suggestion, these would be my answers. (And I have worked in a restaurant doing readings in the same location for 16 years now.)

1. Do you get paid? "Yes." (Nod and smile.) If I wanted to transition in another direction and make a joke, I might add, "It's nice to do what you love and make a living! Did you ever do magic tricks when you were a kid?"


2. How much do they pay you? "I can't discuss that for privacy reasons, but if you have an event of your own you're asking about, we can talk at another time. What is your name?" (Again, transition into effect.)


3. Do you do other shows? "Yes, private parties and conventions. If you ever want information, here is my card. Are you from this area?" (Again, steering back into my routine.)


4. How much do you charge? "It depends on the venue, date, and show. We can exchange contact info later and talk in the next few days." If they pushed the issue: "Well, it can be anywhere from X to XXXXXX. It really depends, but it would be better if we talked tomorrow when I have my calendar available."


5. Where else can I see you perform? Either: "Here, here, and here." or "This is the only public venue I perform at right now, the rest are private events. Give me a call, and I can provide references."

I get asked all KINDS of questions. Usually if people ask about price and such, it means they have an event they were thinking about but really have no CLUE who to call or what to expect $ wise. So, it does happen.

Benji, don't take people's comments about your answers personally- weigh them, incorporate what works, and set the rest aside. You are at least THINKING about what to say and how to say it. You will probably find that the replies you might have given when you were 13 and starting out are different than the tone of voice and words you use at 20, and will be different again when you are 35. We grow.

Dean

JoJo,

I was asking for your response to the questions being asked, and not a response on what is best for me. I was looking for a response just like Dean's. He presented the question and the way he would answer that question.

Now, do you honestly think I would list how many actual shows and big gigs I get on here? lol Now, if I don't list them, everyone will think they are right and say that I don't get many gigs from the restaurant. But if I do list the number of gigs, then everyone will still think they are right because they will take that number, divide it in half...subtract 3...add 1...and then divide by 5 to get the "real" number of gigs. But like Danny said, I'm trying to come across as being smart, so maybe I should just give you the number of gigs I get and qualify myself for no reason.

Benji,

Please reread Dean's post. Specifically, the last paragraph. You're being defensive in the face of some great advice. Maybe YOU should address the answers to the questions that several of us have suggested, as per YOUR request.

All the best,

John

Benji,

I see where you are trying to go with your questions. They are nice responses, but you might have to add some flattery in some of the answers.... Some make you come off like a smart ---. You could increase your show bookings and fees from the proper reply and humor.
Also, at restaurants and other similar establishments, it can be hard to hear, and some of your replies one must think about it to get the humor, and they might miss a part of it if the establishment is noisy...

Wishing you the best...

Without bashing Benji anymore, I'll just throw my thoughts out there.

Personally, I don't worry that much about what guests think I'm making. If they want to think I make minimum wage or $100 an hour, either way is fine with me. I think it all comes down to how you present yourself, though. Are you some Joe-Blow that performs like a hack? Or is your magic rehearsed and smooth? Do you get repeat customers often? If so, you're going a halfway decent job at least.

Secondly, I've only been asked how much I make a few times...my response:

"Well, they take care of me pretty good, and I also do quite a few private gigs a month as well."

I don't worry about making it seem like I do 30 gigs a month because, before that question, they almost always ask how old I am and if I am in school, to which I reply, "Yes." And they're even more impressed at that point.

Thirdly, I don't care about impressing other magicians at this point. Up until a few months ago, I did. But now, I've come to realize that what most of them think about me, good and bad, has no bearing what-so-ever on what my audiences think about me. Magicians will always have a different opinion because they see different sides of us here. And of course, most people here have never met in real life, so they don't know my true personality.

But it is what it is....

Best.
Steve

Benji,

Best of luck with your pursuits. You have obviously put some thought into this and are proud of what you have come up with.

But please, read 'How To Win Friends and Influence People'. It is just as important, if not more so, than Zig and Joel. It will open your eyes and probably help your business.

And try to go back and read some of the advice given by the guys above. There is some great wisdom there, if you are willing to take it.

Woof...
The attack dogs have got the scent and are out!
I thought the guy had a point, just needs polish.
I'm staying in my cage for the rest of this one.

Walt

Yeah, well, Walt, coming out of the cage is so much more fun. LOL

Benji is young, and the BEST part of this condition is you grow out of it.

Benji, nobody is actually trying to tell you that you are a bad person, nobody is telling you that you're screwing things up. I, for one, really applaud your effort to try to have well thought out responses to things. I think it is much further than most guys who are in it twice as long as yourself have never considered.

You do need to put some polish on the responses, and try to realize that 7 is not really THAT many years.

Personally, and I have said this to our friend Steve many times, I would USE my age if I was you. Don't try to make it as if you are on their level, as it will seem presumptuous no matter HOW you say it. BUT if you can be youthful, fun, exuberant, and the life of their party, they will pay far more for THAT guy than some young guy who thinks of himself as their peer.

Just food for thought, and don't want you to think of this as an attack. Ask anyone who knows me, this is NOT an attack!

Urgh...Don't get all emo.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We read them and a lot of folks disagreed with them. (Yes...I am one who disagrees with your approach. I know that it would not work for a good percentage of the working folks in here. If it works for you- Awesome! Keep it up. If it doesn't- Awesome! Keep it up. More work for the rest of us!).
It is not that you are wrong. You are just wrong for everyone else but yourself.
Does that make sense?
Gwyd

"I bought some Emo grass for my lawn. The stuff is great...It cuts itself!"

Benji is my hero.

I thought that I'd have to work in an exclusive, upscale restaurant that requires reservations and has little tabletop sweepers to sweep up the crumbs between courses in order to quit my day job. I didn't know that you can do it at a burger and beer joint.

Gotta go. Time to type up my resignation letter.

Oh, and by the way, staff for your personal purposes and NOT for the purpose of the show at hand...I just don't see how that can be classified as staff. Posse, maybe, but not staff.

But then again, I'm totally wrong.

I like the guy on the phone during the trick. LOL

Benji, you have indeed reached the height of gracious guests!

Here's a question I could see being asked:

"Do you have full insurance to be lighting up huge flames in a restaurant with tons of wood everywhere?"

Me: "UGH, I...I'm not sure what you mean by that! Besides, this place has never caught on fire before, so (up close and personal) Hey, what's da big prob here?"

JoJo

P.S. I wouldn't last a second in Aussie land letting off huge flames from flash paper anywhere. I would have to be nuts to do that and not have a huge Public Liability Insurance policy, and I mean huge. (Which, by the way, is almost impossible to get.)

Hmm, maybe you didn't read my posts. I would like to know at what point I said that my answers are right for everyone else. I use these and they work perfect for me, and that is why I didn't ask for input on what I say. I asked for input on what other people say.

P.S. JoJo...if you were a GM, then would you risk letting a magician use huge flames without insurance? That should give you your answer...but then again, I might just be lying.

P.P.S. Danny...if you only knew WHY he was on the phone. LOL

I don't have time to contemplate answering questions. I'm too busy coveting "stickman". See what I did there?

From JoJo: That is what you said in your first post, Benji. Now you say:



From JoJo: Maybe I misunderstood your original posts main intention. "Feel free to give feedback on my post", I took to mean give you feedback on what you put out there as answers to typical questions that are asked at restaurants. I'm also reckoning that others here had the same impression. Sadly, (I guess) many have tried to share their differing answers, albeit it seems way off the mark to your particular situation. Although, I'd be surprised if you'd be getting corporate gigs from the younger set that featured in your promo video. Hey, I'm not against young folks. I've even got several children of my own who are older than you, Benji, and even my oldest son shares the same name. Lighten up, young man!

JoJo--> Still wouldn't take a risk with the huge flames from flash paper in a public restaurant. Even as a GM, the expenses for defending a lawsuit from someone who was burned by the young stud magician at my restaurant is a problem I would be overjoyed not to have to face or even think of facing.

I guess I should have clarified on what I meant by "feedback on my post." The only guys who have shared there answers were people like Dean, and that is more of what I expected instead of people thinking I'm coming off rude.

And once again, the assumptions keep rolling. The restaurant video is nothing more than a restaurant video and has never been sent out.

P.S. I've read and listened to 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'. And the fire is Hot Leads by Jim Pace, which doesn't use flash paper but is a good way to hand out business cards.

OK, I've got a question that might be asked by customers.

1. Benji, can you tell us more about you and your magic?
"Ladies, please, stop asking me for naked pictures I'm only here for friends. Be warned, it is very unlikely that we will meet in person because I know what you want from me. All you want is to have sex with me, and I'm not that easy...I have feelings to. You might have noticed that I am an Illusionist/Magician, which means I have a better job than you do. On a real note, I don't want to say that I'm busy (ask me and I'll tell you why I hate it when people say this) but I will tell you that I devote a lot of my time to magic. Don't get me wrong, I like meeting new people, and I do it all the time, but let's face it, how are you going to prove to me that you're not some old chubby guy with a mustache on your belly button? (If you are a old chubby guy with a mustache on your belly, then I'm sorry, no offense.) If you have read my entire profile, then *insert big hug here* send me a message with some creative content." - from The Official Benji Bruce Myspace Page

This implies that Benji likes Benji and let's the audience know that Benji is ________(fill in the blank). If you're going to portray a successful corporate minded professional, you need to do it in all facets of your life, not just when coming on here and pretending to be something else. I really think your answers do DOWNGRADE your value. They downgrade your value because they don't sound very "professional", the way they should if you are catering to the corporate market. You seem to be a good magician. That's maybe what you should concentrate on and stop pretending or trying to be something you're not....YET anyway.

All the best,

John

Good God, when will you guys stop beating Benji up?

It's getting to be really old. What I got from the original post was that Benji was asking for feedback and to start a good discussion of things we can say when people ask us pretty common questions.

While I don't totally agree 100% with Benji's answers, this is not the place to make all the condescending remarks...although, that's the way it seems to be here.

I will say this, Benji, from reading what your responses are word for word, they could be more tactful. But then again, I AM NOT THERE AND NOR IS ANYONE ELSE. Therefore, we don't know how you say it when it comes out.

Like I said earlier, Benji, if it works for you, use it. If not, change it.

Also, I think 7 years is an accomplishment to be proud of, and I would keep that in my promo/responses.

Seriously, guys, when will all the attacking and slander stop?

Josh London