I'm having a problem with certain suppliers in the US at the moment - looking to purchase Magic Worms/Squirmles. I believe most of them to be the same item - apart from the Wonder Worm.
I've located a company in the Netherlands... which sells unde the name of Magic Twisty.
Is it good? Or not?
Part of my problem is that the main US supplier is reluctant to sell to me as the item doesn't have EEC clearance/cert.
So - I may have to buy from the Netherlands...

Anyone know anything about this? I'd ask Don - but he could be napping, after his recent close call!!!

Regards],

DCB

Hey DCB,

Its the very same.The owner and Carl that brings in Squirmle here in the U.S. are partners.His name is Mike.Don't have any contack info on him and I'm not talking with Carl,sorry.

Don

Don, Thanks for that heads up.
I've almost got my first pitching session set up for the Easter Weekend...and it looks like I'll just be doing the cards, and the 2 card monte..Unless I can get a good price on the worm... We'll see.

I have a meeting tomorrow with the organiser of the show - I think he wants to vet me, in order to check that I'm not an undesirable...

It's my job to make him think the entire show wouldn't work without me..

It's the second biggest event (Home and Garden Show) in the County, maybe even the biggest. I've been a few times, and it always seems to lack that edge that makes it interesting. Very few people over here know how to sell an item. Unless it's a horse, of course!
I've only ever seen one guy pitch stuff properly over here, and he was from the UK, pitching slicers.

I'll keep you updated. You seem to be doing ok after your spell.. great stuff!

In between other things, I'm watching the Whit Haydn Pitchmans Reunion DVD set.. Just got to the bit where the 3 of you are on, gabbing away..

Speak later...

DCB

DCB -- If the show organizers seem a little leery, I'd suggest explaining that you "demonstrate and sell classic magic tricks." That has worked well for me, because most people have no idea what a Svengali Pitch is anyway, and some people are turned off by the idea of a "pitchman."

Once you get the spot, you can of course do the Svengali Pitch anyway, and generate bigger crowds and profits than all the other stuffy "exhibitors." SETH

Seth and all - it's DONE! I got the pitch spot at a third of his standard price - (I promised him a free magic gig for his clients on wrap night) right opposite the chocolate stall. Inside a major hotel. Tells me he expects 20,000 punters through the door for 3 days, all paying to get in. In my book, that means around 7,000.
Between now and next Saturday, I have to learn the rest of the pitch, organise a pitch joint and banner, etc, get the Magic Worms (finally cracked THAT one) - problem has been the upheaval at SS Adams. So, I'll have to put the two card monte together with instructions myself..(no 2 card monte supplies in the UK either... had to buy double backers and double facers, bikes).
The show is fairly easy noon till 6pm for 3 days over Easter..

Looking forward to it.. can't begin to tell you!

Spik later...

DCB

Great news! Good luck to you, hope you make buckets of money. Wear comfortable shoes and don't forget to bring a few bottles of water to keep the 'ol vocal chords lubricated.

Please let us know how it goes. SETH

I have a contact who is importing the worms and am meeting with him in a couple weeks and might be able to hook you up. The shipping is going to kill you though.

For fair work I currently do a four item demo, worm, t.t., Svengali, and floating card. First 3 items are 6 each 2 for 10 or all 3 for 15. Or the floating card for 20 and get 1 item free. Works well for me. Gross over 1k per day when the crowds are good, but someone who has more experience said I could triple it if I just did one item.

HiWill,
I'm confused just reading your list and prices.You aren't doing a pitch you have a magic shop.

I'm not saying you're exaggerating your gross but I find it hard to believe you are taking in that much with a confusing pitch.

I pitched for over 30 years in state fairs from coast to coast.Anybody that I ever saw try to pitch that much in one pitch died a slow death.

Listen to the person that told you to stick to one item.He knows what hes talking about.

All the best to you,
Don

P.S. Gary Darwin gave me a copy of the tour of his magic collection you did.Thank you for that,Its been 15 years since I last saw Gary's collection.

I learned the hard way that what Don says is true.

Although it may be counter-intuitive, I have found that selling one or two items produces better results than selling a whole bunch of stuff. If you are selling 4 or 5 items, many people (especially kids) will want to see everything demoed before they decide what they want. You will also need to carry twice or three times as much stock around with you, and spend two or three times as much money buying your inventory. You will also make a lot fewer pitches because your "pitch" is now longer and includes multiple items.

A pitch is a focused effort to sell one or two things. With more than that, you become a mere demonstrator instead of a pitchman. I get kids who can't decide which color worm they want, when there are only two or three colors on the table. Imagine how long they would take to select between four different tricks!

In business there is something known as the Pareto Principle, or the "80/20 Rule," named after the Italian statistician who discovered it. It turns out that roughly 20% of your shows will produce 80% of your gross, and 20% of your patrons will produce 80% of your sales. Also, 20% of your product will produce about 80% of your sales, and so on. The 80/20 Rule is kind of like the Golden Mean -- a simple formula that seems to pop up again and again in business applications, and it's not just a coincidence. The successful business person discovers where and what the worthwhile 20% is, focuses on that, and ignores the unprofitable 80%.

In my case, I originally carried seven items, and found that two of them were generating over 80% of my business -- the Svengali Decks and the Magic Worms. Over time, I tried adding different items to entice repeat customers, but found that strategy was not very successful (what I needed was new spots and new customers).

So I finally dumped everything else and now concentrate on the decks and worms. I do carry a few Money Paddles as a backup if the light or wind conditions are NG for the worms, but do not routinely pitch them otherwise. I stuck with the big producers and dumped the rest, which saved me a lot of time, space and money, while still enabling me to increase my grosses even more.

I'm not saying it can't be done in other ways, but this is the result of my own experience. SETH

Seth,

I think you have it spot on. Don says it all on his tape (DVD).. but he doesn't stress the fact. Because, as a pitch man, he takes it as - "you sell one item - and you sell it well" - that is what makes his pitch SO POWERFULL.

The crowd is concentrated on the deck - and what it can do - and the rest is floss.

(as a magician) I'm tempted to expand the show, but I KNOW I'd be wasting my time, and losing revenue.

But - I'm looking into other items to pitch. I ALWAYS look ahead and keep an eye on the downturn...and hope I have the next move ready..
I'm looking forward to the Horse Shows - in spite of whatM arkLewis has said on one of the other boards.... about it..!

Regards,

DCB

DCB, if you are looking for other pitch items, you might want to take a look at the Money Paddle. It's a cute trick, packs flat and small, and it's cheap enough to be a good pitch item. If you can do a DL, you can certainly learn the Paddle Move. Money is always interesting to people, and the effect (creating money from nowhere) appeals to a basic desire of most people (getting something for nothing), a' la the Miser's Dream. The Money Paddle also has a nice kicker, the production of the dollar bill and then the "mirror" at the end.

The only downsides are that it is a real close-up trick, visible to perhaps a dozen folks at most, so it's hard to pull a big tip with it. Also, even though it's a good trick, it's just not as exciting or as big a seller as the Svengali Deck or the Magic Worms. Like I said, I always carry about 3-4 dozen in case the light or wind conditions are no good for the worm, but I don't regularly pitch it.

The only inexpensive Money Paddle I have found comes from FunTime in India, and is carried here in the States by D. Robbins. It's plastic, looks good, handles easily and has good instructions; click HERE to view. It's a little on the small side and will only take pennies, nickels and dimes, no quarters, but that's not a big deal. And in fact, these paddles are easier to work than some much more expensive wooden and metal paddles I have seen; the handle shape and design is much better.

Let us know how you do at those horse fairs, and keep an eye on those gypsies! SETH