Tips On Tips (Part I)

Tips On Tips (Part I)
By Jeff Stone

This issue of No Stone Left Unturned just may spark controversy and debate. Just keep in mind that this is my opinion and my experience. So please keep an open mind as you read this article. The question at hand is should you take tips or not, and should you work for tips or not… these are two different questions.

First, “should you work for tips?” This question is asking if your method of payment for the gig should be tips or should be payment by the owner, planner, etc.

Second, “should you take tips?” This question is referring to someone who is working a paid-by-the-hour or flat-fee gig who is offered a tip by the spectator.

Let’s address the first question: Should you work for tips or for a fee?

My experience has been that each of these options have their place. However, they create a completely different dynamic between you and the spectator. For example, let’s take the person who works for tips only. Let’s say he works at a restaurant doing table-hopping. First of all, the relationship you have with the audience, subconsciously starts off as “I’m going to interrupt your meal and show you stuff, and you have to give me money.”

Of course I’m oversimplifying it, but the point is that once the audience realizes that you work for tips, so many things happen. First, they suddenly become your unwilling employer. Second, the relationship is not about “I’m trying to share an experience with you.” It becomes a business transaction. Now it may be the most fun, exiting and best business transaction that the audience members have ever experienced, but it’s still more of a business transaction and less of a moment of astonishment.

Back in the day, when I would approach a table, I would often be asked, “how much does it cost for the magic.” I was more of a solicitor than an entertainer, in their eyes. Now remember, as I mentioned in last month’s Roots and Branches, if one person speaks it, several thought it. This means that often, people were assuming that they had to pay me to see magic. So, in their eyes, I’m just there to make a buck. They may have fun and enjoy giving me that buck, but it’s still all about an exchange… 1 trick, 1 dollar please.

Take the person who is paid by the owner or manager of the restaurant. There is still a business transaction and an exchange of tricks for dollars, but it happens between the business people (the magician wearing the marketing hat and the business manager), not the patrons of the restaurant.

When approaching a table under this condition, the dynamic is different. Suddenly you are part of the meal, the experience of eating at this restaurant. It’s more like, “the cool thing about so and so restaurant is you get free soda, a cool atmosphere, and free entertainment.” You have an entirely different relationship dynamic with your spectators.

I feel that this rule applies for the most part to just about every venue where you are directly and intimately interacting with your audience. One exception, of course, is street magic (no, not David Blaine). I’m talking about busking. Do your show, then pass the hat… I still feel that the dynamic is more of a business transaction as I mentioned earlier, however, it’s one that feels more voluntary.

At a table with five people, “holding out your hand” for a tip can be a bit awkward for the spectators.  However, with the hat passing, you take a bit of the pressure off of the audience. It’s also a situation where the audience more or less came to you, whereas at a restaurant, you go up to them and they’re “trapped.”

Now, I’m not telling you that you should not work for tips. I’m just telling you that the magician-audience dynamic is different in each situation. One isn’t necessarily better or worse, although, you’ve probably guessed which one I prefer. The ultimate decision is up to you. Do you like one dynamic over the other?

Here’s one more thing to consider, however. I’ve had several occasions where I was at a restaurant and was approached by a balloon sculptor who was working for tips at the restaurant. A few things went through my mind:

1. I never carry cash, ever. period. So I can’t give him a tip.
2. I look like a jerk to my kids for turning him away.
3. I felt as though the restaurant was doing him a favor by letting him tap into their client-base to make some “sales.”

Remember if those thoughts came into my mind, they likely came into other people’s minds as well.

With paid-by-manager gigs, the mentality is that you are doing the restaurant a favor (rather than them doing you a favor) by improving their product, atmosphere, experience, etc. You are providing the restaurant a service for which they, not the patrons, pay you.

One other point about tips in a restaurant environment: you suddenly become competition for the servers. Remember, they work for tips too. The last thing you want to do is have the servers feel that you are cutting into their bottom line. You want them on your side. Also, think about it from the customer’s perspective… it’s like everything is ala carte:

• You sit down and order your food, and you pay for it.
• You then have some one serve it to you, and you pay for it.
• Then someone comes to your table and makes you watch a card trick, and you pay for it.
• I’m afraid to use the restroom; I’ll probably have to pay for it, especially if it’s a fancy place with the blind towel guy in the restrooms.

So when all is said and done, my view is do not take gigs that are strictly tips. You then can approach your guests and say, “Hi my name is Jeff. I’m the paid entertainment. How are you folks doing?” That’s my intro guys, and it works great. After I take a moment to “break the ice” I spend time connecting with the audience and then move in for the MAGIC!

(On the subject of approaching spectators, check out Jay Sankey’s (filling in for Jason Montoya) article this month about what to do after the first 30 seconds as a great next step)

Finally, this approach allows me to focus entirely on the audience. Much like when you have an effect that is overly technically demanding, sometimes it’s hard to focus on entertainment because your brain is distracted by the moves. My brain is distracted when I think about the fact that the audience might view me as “just a guy trying to make a ‘sale’.”

When I’m there truly to share astonishment, not do business, with the audience, I’m much more relaxed and therefore the chances of astonishment happening are drastically increased. Hopefully you’ve read this with an open mind. Think about this and what you want out of your relationship with your audience.

Remember, the whole point of No Stone Left Unturned is to help you improve your magic business. Part of doing that is knowing when to be the businessman and when to be the entertainer. Go back and read the first (The Beginning) and second (The Color of Business) articles in the No Stone Left Unturned column. This will help remind you of the purpose of this column along with what your role is with your business and the “hats” you wear.

Next month we’ll talk about what to do when you’re not working for tips and you get offered a tip. Until Next Month…

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