I've just started playing with this after receiving a sample from a U.K supplier. This I think should sell well and I'm going to combine it with future Svengali pitches.
A thing I noticed when I first started messing around with it is that it is, through it's nature, a fiddly little thing and took a bit of time attaching on to what I was wearing. What I've now done is tie the I.T around one of my daughter's black elasticated hairbands. As I'm normally wearing jeans I just wrap this band around the top button at the waist, doubling it up as many times as necessary. This means I can attach and unattach a lot quicker and also helps seeing what's where. Nothing earthshattering here but it's something that makes life a bit simpler that I thought you could try for yourselves.
All the best
Mark

Just tape the IT to a small piece of cardboard and stick the cardboard in your pants at the belt buckle.I explan all this in my DVD...and so much more.


Later,Don

I tie the IT to a large paper clip, which I clip to my shirt right below my waist, out of sight. Easy to attach and detach, and very secure while in use.

If possible, I also clip it right below a shirt button, which helps to keep the clip from riding up. SETH

Don, have you ever seen a self operating Squirmel display? I have a friend who owns one of the last brick and mortar Magic Shops. After 30 years he may be closing. Anyway, he said he has a battery operated or plug in display that he got when he sold the item. He couldn't find it but did come across some old stock. It was called "Magic Snake" back then. I haven't opened the packaging but quality appears worse than even Wonder Worm. "Magic Snake", any idea when it was produced? If he finds the display he's going to set aside for me. How rare must that be? Probably from before Beta or VHS. If he finds it, I'll post it if interested.

Rick

I tried today pitching the worms with other stuff, and I could not sell one.

How do you hide the string? I found it impossible to do outdoors. Everyone saw the thread.

Matthew I read at another thread here at the Café that your show didn't do to good...my friend said he sent you 2 squirmles that you said you never got now you can't pitch. Maybe this isn't your nitch and you should find something else to get into.

Don

Question: had you sold any, where did you get worm stock to sell?

I got them from magic fuzzle, got 'em two days later.

I finally got the squirmles yesterday, postmarked september 15. I placed the order august 25. Wanna see a scan of the envelope it was sent in?

I simply could not wait any longer, so I asked on the Café how the fuzzles were, after finding out that they were equal quality and also almost half the price, I ordered them, I also got a pitch and instructions on how to close the sale for free.

I don't know what my other show has to do with this, but that was just a hot humid day and my fantastio canes and candles all stuck. Are you saying I shouldn't be doing magic?

All I asked was how to get the thread to be fully invisible.

P.S. have pitched magic many times before with other magicians, and always did good.

I know Pete that owns magic fuzzle,hes a good friend of mine,and hes a good guy.He just worked the fair in Knoxville Tn.He always makes good money pitching the fuzzle.

Seems like Petes instructions for closing a sale didn't work out to good.

Matthew the fuzzle isn't half price of the wholesale price of the squirmle,you must be thinking of the retail price of the squirmle.

Call Mary,Petes daughter that does all the wholesale business and buy a pitch demo package from them,about $40.There is some stuff in it that you can use so nobody sees the thread.

All the best
Don

The price I got for a squirmle in a box of 48, was $2.25, the fuzzle is $1.25, not half the price, but close.

My issue is not with the pitch but with the thread. The way I took it from the demos I have seen is the spectators are trying to figure out the way it moves, but It is still visible.

It may have been that the sun was shining behind me for a good part of the day, but I had a back wall on the tent, so I am not sure because at home, it works fine. In fact, at home, I cant even see it.

That's NOT wholesale for the squirmle.If you had my DVD the manuscrip tells you where to get them for way less.

Don

Either way, I like the quality of the fuzzle a lot more than the squirmle. The quirmle seems a lot stiffer and harder to manipulate.

How can I minimize the visibilty of the string?

They both come out of the same factory in China.Read my post above for the thread.

Don

You mean the extra "leashes" that come in the starter kit? I thought those were just the ones that come with one. Had I known I would have bought them. I will have to order them.

Thanks

Matt -- You need to use the "leashes" to demo the worm. IT takes some getting used to, and you will need to have at least six more worms pre-tied and ready to go in case the IT goes on you, which will happen. Dusting your hands with baby powder (the cornstarch-based kind) will also reduce friction and wear, and helps the IT last longer.

You also need to make sure your setup is right: no light-colored backdrop, no direct light, no sunlight, pitch in the shade under a tent. And wear a shirt that's real busy -- plaid or stripes -- be your own backdrop! SETH

There is some discussion in the above posts about wholesale prices for Magic Worms, for both the Magic Fuzzle and the Squirmle brands.

Without going into too much detail, I will say that Matt's wholesale figure for the Fuzzles is correct, but it was based upon the smallest minimum order (50 units) that can be made. The price does drop considerably when you order larger numbers of worms, and I'm sure the same is true for the Squirmles. Larger orders also save you money on shipping charges, which can eat you alive if you're not careful.

Remember, these companies are wholesale distributors, not retail magic stores. They are able to provide good wholesale prices because they sell in bulk (like Sam's Club and B.J.'s). What may seem like a lot of product to you is not a lot of product to them! If you insist upon a small (usually less than a gross) order, be prepared to pay for that convenience with higher prices. Also, remember that while pitching is great fun, it is also a business and you need a certain amount of investment in inventory in order to operate properly and efficiently. Fortunately, that investment is also much less than if you were to have a brick-and-mortar store open 7 days a week.

If you are really pitching these worms, there is no reason you shouldn't be getting at least 200 per order, which should only last you for 3-4 shows if you are in good locations and pitching them correctly. I can understand that Matt probably only wanted to buy 50 worms in order to "get his feet wet," but I wouldn't suggest buying that way in the normal course of business. SETH

The other thing s I have been doing sales for years and it comes down to the salesman "No one wanted to buy" is not an excuse. Try telling a General or District Manager that. I have seen goals exceeded by sales reps while traffic and buying patterns were down. Also IT needs to really be worked with carefully in humidity and sticky hands, etc.

First before you go out there and pitching buy the DVDS from Don Driver, Learn some basic Sales Techniques, Some presentational basics, and some basics about IT there is a lot of basic material out there on learning how to use IT.

You cans just buy a product and go out there and expect to sell it if you aren't 100% sure how to use it properly.

I started pitching the worms last year along with some other items. I'm looking to open up some carts in Las Vegas and do pitches at fairs in California. If anyone is interesting in working with me, let me know.

Regarding hook ups, I tried this last weekend and it worked well for me. I Had the thread wrapped on the card as normal but I added a spongeball into the mix. I just put a wind or two around a super soft spongeball. Then the whole set up was tucked in my waistband. It stayed secure for me all day.

Glenn