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BIGmagiclV Veteran user 375 Posts |
You get a call, quote them a price and they tell you they need to check with (husband, wife, committee, etc) which we all know is code for doing a price comparison.
You follow up the next day and they tell you they found someone else to do a longer show for $100 less! How do you feel about this? Do you doubt yourself? Do you think about lowering your price, even though its already a competitive rate? Do you try to justify it by believing they will be getting a much more inferior show? Which, btw if true the client will not think "you get what you pay for". More likely they will think all magicians must be this bad. Thoughts? |
MagicB1S Inner circle Knoxville Tenn. 1039 Posts |
There is nothing you can do about this, There will always be someone else willing to do the show for less. All you can do is stick to your guns, Thank the client and let them know if there is anything you can do in the future to give you a call. You can again let her know that you have a quality show that will not leave them dissapointed but chances are if they are price shopping they will stick with the $100 less show.
"There are Tricks To All Trades.... My Trade is all Tricks"
"An amature practices until he gets it right. A Professional Practices until he can't get it wrong" www.Themagicchest.webs.com bobswislosky@yahoo.com |
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
If someone is a tenner less than me I will match the price. If it is a hundred less than me, he is welcome to the gig.
I was born arrogant, and there have been times I have told people that they can get someone cheaper than me, but they will never find someone better. It occasionally gets me the gig!
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
bowers Inner circle Oakboro N.C. 7024 Posts |
I price my shows fair and pretty much
competitived with the going rates.so if they find cheaper. let them have at it. todd |
Christopher Lyle Inner circle Dallas, Texas 5698 Posts |
Happened to me today! I was told that they found someone who will not only do magic and balloons for their party, but they show up dressed in a Super Hero Costume and they play Super Hero games...all for far cheaper than I quoted. I was then asked if I'd come down in my price. My response was if you can get all of that for what this guy quoted, then go for it, but just remember that you'll never be able to buy a steak for the same price as Spam.
I won't haggle with folks over my price. Those who want to haggle don't care about the quality of the entertainment...they're looking for someone to babysit the kids for an hour. They could care less if your act is awesome or if they book Homey the Clown paying his debt to society by performing for children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL-Ou-nD7YM One thing you must have to be successful in this business (and any business really...) is the power to turn down a gig. If you don't, then you'll get a reputation that you'll work for anything no matter how much the client tries to low ball you...
In Mystery,
Christopher Lyle Magician, Comic, Daredevil, and Balloon Twisting Genius For a Good Time...CLICK HERE! |
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
You will loose some gigs due to your rates, but stick to your guns. I only do about 2 discounted shows a year, and those are only because I'm personally involved with the group. I raised my rates last year, and I loose a few gigs over it, but I make up for it because I charge more. If you are loosing a lot of gigs over price then maybe you need to do a better sales job (prove your value, etc) and maybe you need to improve your website and other sales materials. My website does a lot of the selling for me so by the time they contact me they are kinda sold already.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
Howie Diddot Inner circle San Francisco & Los Angeles California 3288 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-02-15 21:12, MagicB1S wrote: Excellent Advice |
jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-02-15 22:28, Christopher Lyle wrote: A better word might be "Ham"
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
Bill Hilly Elite user 449 Posts |
According to the IRS I am in the same category as Jerry Seinfeld, Eric Clapton, and Zig Ziglar. According to some of my audiences I am too. So I do what they do when faced with this.
Granted, some venue managers/bookers think that I am way far from being in the same category as those guys. I'm cool with that. I don't seek to play those venues anyway. Here's a little exercise: Go to a real computer store and look at an HP laptop. Then go to Wal-Mart and look at the same model. You'll see that the Wal-Mart model number ends with "WM". The rest of the number is the same. Then compare the insides of the two computers - they are not the same. There will always be people who shop for Wal-Mart prices and Wal-Mart quality. I am in neither category and I don't compete with those that are. Express that thought to the price-shoppers, without being as arrogant as I sound right now, and you'll elevate your perception - unless you slip back into competing in that category. Now of course, there's a place for everyone and everyone has their place (mine just ain't been dug yet) so I mean no disrespect to anyone in any position. I'm simply saying that once a performer is ready and qualified to be in a higher level, that performer should stay in that higher level. Unless of course said performer has good reasons for holding him(her)self back. I'm Bill Hilly, and that's what I think. or if your prefer: That's my opinion and it should be yours. - B.H. |
tgs Regular user 142 Posts |
I'm always honest with my price-shopping customers - if they complain about my price, or tell me they found someone cheaper, I tell them that there are absolutely cheaper magicians out there - but not better ones. I let them know if they really want to save, they can almost certainly find a teenager willing to do it for less than anybody. (The idea is to sound helpful when I say this, not like an a-hole.) If price really is that big a deal to the client, I'm not going to book the show anyway. If they're just trying to negotiate or are still deciding whom to hire, this is a show of honest confidence in my abilities and is helpful in booking those shows.
I like Bill Hilly's plan, too, although I've never tried it. It seems like it could come off slightly contrived to potential clients, but I think it's probably worth trying once or twice and seeing how it works for you. |
MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts |
Quote: That's a great response! I simply tell them to visit my website and read my Clients Page and my Reviews Page. Then, as tgs suggested, I tell them, "There will always be cheaper entertainers available. I'm sure they know the value of their show better than I would." I'm always careful to leave them with, "I hope your event is a roaring success and I look forward to working with you on a future project, when your budget allows."On 2012-02-16 11:37, tgs wrote: I tell them that there are absolutely cheaper magicians out there - but not better ones. I let them know if they really want to save, they can almost certainly find a teenager willing to do it for less than anybody. |
LMLipman Elite user Falls Church, Va. 443 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-02-16 12:50, MichaelCGM wrote: I simply tell them to visit my website and read my Clients Page and my Reviews Page. Then, as tgs suggested, I tell them, "There will always be cheaper entertainers available. I'm sure they know the value of their show better than I would." I'm always careful to leave them with, "I hope your event is a roaring success and I look forward to working with you on a future project, when your budget allows." Excellent comments. You plant the doubt about the quality of the low-cost show without bad-mouthing the other entertainer or boasting about your abilities. And you leave them with a positive vibration in wishing them well and looking forward to working with you in the future. And that just may happen. The client may book the cheaper show and be left with buyer's remorse when it turns out to be a lousy performer. She'll be saying, "I should have gone with (you) even though he/she (you) was more expensive." Then, as often happens, when it's the sibling's birthday, she comes back to you because you left on good terms and she's now convinced its worth the extra bucks to hire a better entertainer. The other thing I've found is that rather than lowering your price (if you have a good show and think you are fairly priced in your market) RAISE your price. I just raised my price $20 in January and have not seen a drop off in bookings. No, of course I don't get every caller's show, but I didn't get them when I was $20 cheaper because some people are just looking for low price. For those looking for quality, sometimes being in the higher price level convinces them that you are worth it. If you exude the confidence that although you may be more expensive, but you are worth it, the clients will be attracted to that. |
TheGreatNancini Veteran user Ohio 373 Posts |
Last year we had a call from a client who said that our price was "a little high", and wondered if we would match one of our competitors who openly posted on his website that he had a sliding scale if price was an issue. We told the client our price was firm and that we could guarantee excellent quality and service. The client chose our competitor because they got him for much less than us.
A couple of months ago, we got a call from a client who was referred to us by the above price shopping client due to the fact that the cheaper guy was "downright awful" and that they wanted us no matter what the cost. By not reducing our cost we maintained our value, and our price shopping client found that they got what they paid for. As of today, we have now received 3 referrals from this client, so our under cutting competitor with a less than steller show has actually helped increase our business and we never had to say a bad thing about him. His show spoke for itself. ~Nanci |
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Two years ago I got a call from a company for their summer barbecue. I gave them the price, and there was a long pause. Then the guy said that the magician last summer was a hundred cheaper. So I asked why they were ringing me instead of going with the same guy. He just laughed, and booked me.
When it came to paying me, he said he could see why I was dearer than the guy the previous year. Sometimes it is good not to bargain. Having said that, Ireland went bankrupt last year, so everything is up for negotiation if you want to eat.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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