It’s 6:00 PM – Better Do a Card Trick

Why do you do magic? Are you doing magic because it’s 6:00 on a Friday night? Or do you do magic because you love it and have a passion for it? Or some other reason?

There are only a handful of things that I’m passionate about and can spend hours talking about. Magic is near the top of that list. What about you? What do you talk about when you’re not at work? What excites you? What do you think about before going to bed and immediately after waking up?

What topics do you find yourself gravitating toward during dinner conversations, hanging with friends conversations, etc.? If magic isn’t on the short list, maybe you’re in the wrong profession. If you’re doing magic because you were told to, and it that’s how you get your paycheck, and no other reason, you probably shouldn’t be doing magic.

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Meeting the Client

Whether you work restaurants, corporate gigs, children’s shows, stage, parlor, etc., somebody hired you. That means that likely you met someone representing the venue ahead of time. The question is, what did they think of you? Did they give you the best fee you could have gotten? Did they like you? Did they hire you? Obviously at various times in your career and at various venues, the answer will differ. But one thing is for sure. If they think your magic is weak they won’t hire you.

So the question is, should you do magic in an interview. Generally my answer is yes. However, there are exceptions. It depends on how things go and what the interview “vibe” is like.

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Some Dude: You’re a magician . . . do a trick.

You: Ok. See this magazine on your coffee table . . . Open it to any page you want. Then stare at the page while my back is turned . . . I see an image of fried chicken and another of Rachel Ray . . . then about half way down I see a headline . . . “The Perfect Mashed Potato Recipe.”

That sounds like an impossible effect, and maybe it is . . . but maybe it isn’t. After all, you’re a magician, and you shouldn’t be caught not being able to do magic. I’m not suggestion that everytime someone says jump monkey boy that you jump. You don’t have to perform magic everytime someone asks. However, your reason for saying no should NEVER be because you “don’t have anything on you” or that you aren’t “ready.” It should be simply because you choose not to, not because you’re forced not to due to the environment (or lack of it).

I’ve written about this in the past, and it seems to be a subject that people can relate to, so I thought I’d talk a bit more about it in this month’s Roots and Branches.

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I’m not gonna spend a lot of time convincing you that magic with business cards is critical. However, think of this: you meet someone on a plane or standing in line at the grocery store or at a networking meeting, etc. The guy asks you what you do for a living. You say that you’re a magician (or whatever you call yourself). Then you produce a business card from thin air (back palm or whatever method you choose).

You don’t need to say or do much more than that.

Of course, you don’t have to produce the card. You could use it to write down a quick prediction or you could use some of the Frixion pen ideas found on my Stone Frixion Fire DVD. The point is that as a magician if you’re going to hand out your business card, it better be in a magical way. I remember getting a business card from a guy who was a wood worker. The business card was actually printed on a super thin piece of wood. Perfect. No. That doesn’t mean that you should print your business card on a playing card.

First of all, you won’t be the first magician to do that. Secondly, that implies that a playing card encapsulates and is equal to “magician.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Think outside of the box. Meanwhile, check out a couple of other resources for tricks you can do with your business card:

Easy to Master Business Card Miracles By Michael Ammar

Additionally, Jay Sankey has a DVD called Miracles With Your Business Cards. However, good luck finding a copy of it. They’re hard to find.

There are plenty of others out there. Search your favorite magic store.

One final note: when you choose effects to do in the case of merely handing out your card, you’ll want to look for effects that are clear, quick, simple and possibly visual. The last thing you need to do is to break out a 9 phase routine while standing in line at Walmart.

If you want to make an impression on a potential client, perform something with your business card. Duh.

Until Next Month . . .

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Party Goer: “Hey Jeff, show us a magic trick!”

Jeff: “Oh . . . I can’t.”

Party Goer: “Why Not?”

Jeff: “Because. I don’t have my Svengali deck, my sponge balls or my thumb tip . . . duh!”

Party Goer: “Um . . . what are sponge balls? Is that anything like Tennis Elbow?”

Jeff: “Um . . . No”

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What, you may wonder, in the world is Jeff talking about. The above monologue is actually a quote from my 8 year old nephew. I was driving him over to our house, and he was sitting there in the front seat rambling on about a fish and a car, etc. I looked over at him and his eyes were closed.

I asked him what he was talking about. He told me that when he closes his eyes, he sees different shapes and images and that they just change shapes while he’s looking at them. Believe it or not, I’ve experienced this. I used to do it all the time, and I had totally forgotten about it.

When I was a kid and later when I was in the Navy, I would just lay there with my eyes closed and see crazy images. Since I’ve been reminded of this by my nephew, I’ve tried it again. It was a lot harder this time.

I want you to try it with me right now. You need to be in a dark room, and it sometimes helps if you’re a little bit tired. Just close your eyes and see what you see. When you’re done, write it down. In fact, better yet, post it as a comment below. I’m about to do it myself . . . here it goes:

I just did it, and only for a few seconds. Here are the images I saw in quick bullet-point descriptions:

• A super fast block (non-detailed) race car whiz by me from right to left in an arc
• A flash of blue light
• A bright pin point of a star
• Vibrating yellow light
• A white light popping up out of a huge toaster-like looking thing
• A number 7 in the form of a graphic where the 7 was extruding outward like a “perspective drawing.”
• The 7 turned, and it looked like I was looking at the side of an I-Beam or something
• Then I saw planks of wood next to each other. Each plank would rise like a see-saw. Then it would lower, and the next one would rise and so forth. It created a ripple like effect

That’s when I opened my eyes. After not having done this for a while, it was a bit interesting. I had to sort of look in the corners and outside of my peripheral vision to see things. The images sometimes were faint, but if I looked at them and drew my focus to them, they would become more clear. Keep trying this until you see something, even if it’s only one thing . . . write it down in the comments below.

What does this have to do with anything?

Root:
Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: Be creative. Inspire creativity in yourself. I’m often asked how to create tricks or how I come up with presentations that I have, etc. The answer is simple and complicated all in one.

It’s Simple: Open you mind and write everything down.

It’s Complicated: Have you ever tried opening your mind? It’s not easy. Have you ever tried to write down something that came into your head only to find that your writing hand can’t keep up with your brain? It’s not easy.

Here are a couple of simple ideas that have worked for me over the years:

• Read A LOT
• Think A LOT
• Play A LOT
• Write A LOT

There’s more, but those are the basics. I’ll give you a brief outline of what I mean by each.

Read A Lot:
I read every chance I get. I’ve always got at least one book with me everywhere I go. In the last month, I read the following books:

• Psychological Subtleties 1 (Banachek)
• Psychological Subtleties 2 (Banachek)
• Psychological Subtleties 3 (Banachek)
• Born Standing Up (Steve Martin)
• Mega ‘Wave (John Bannon)
• Showmanship for Magicians (Dariel Fitzke)
• Magic Matters (Robert Neale and Robert Hass) – Still Reading
• Characters and Viewpoint (Orson Scott Card) – Still Reading
• Magic and Meaning Expanded (Eugene Burger and Robert Neale) – Still Reading
• My Journals (always)
• Genii Magazine
• Magic Magazine
• Additionally, I’ve watched several hours of magic DVDs

When I read/watch, I’m inspired. Period. The majority of my entries in my current journal start with something like this, “I was reading page 43 of Psychological Studies, and I had this idea . . .” or “I was watching Max Maven’s Video Mind DVD #2 and I had this thought.” Sometimes it comes in this form: “I was watching Hannah Montana (yes I really watch that show) and I had the idea for this illusion . . . ”

Inspiration can come at any moment. Be prepared.

Think A Lot:

When reading, it’s hard to not think. But take it further. Read a section in a book; then pause and think about what you just read. Pause the DVD to think about what you just saw, heard, etc. Ask your friends bizarre questions and see where the discussion leads. For example, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians have a great tune called What I Am. One of the lines from that song is this: “Philosophy is a walk on the slippery rocks.” So when I heard that line, I posed this question:

Is she saying that walking on slippery rocks is a philosophical experience, or is she saying that walking on slippery rocks is a metaphor for philosophy (i.e. philosophy is dangerous). Or is she saying something else? Does it matter? No, but it led to a fascinating discussion with a friend of mine. It got me (and him) thinking. Ponder things. Wonder what might happen if (fill in the blank):

• If you had a million dollars handed to you right now . . . what would you do?
• If you could change one thing about the human race, what would it be?
• If you could really do magic, what would you do with your life?

These are three questions I just made up on the spot. Do it yourself. Make up questions and discuss them; answer them; think and ponder them.

These are all exercises to open your mind.

Play A Lot:

I constantly play with cards, coins, objects laying around. Whenever I got to Famous Dave’s restaurant, I practice various card moves with their square coasters. Often when I’m watching DVDs, I’ll have a deck of cards in my hand and practice moves that I never do in performance. I just fiddle with the cards sometimes . . . I came up with a really cool card control technique just by fiddling around. I’ve discovered various methods, moves, and techniques just by playing with props, cards, dice, coins, silly putty, anything handy. Dig through your junk drawer and pull out the first thing that you touch. Maybe it’s an old art erasers that’s been shredded up a bit. What can you do with it? Can you restore it magically to a new eraser?

Can you use its properties to double as something else? Can it be used as a gimmick? Maybe you can come up with an eraser matrix effect or a broken and restored eraser effect. Great for the office or for school. Whatever thoughts about it come into your head, write them down, even if they seem stupid or impossible.

Reading, Thinking and Playing all have to do with opening your mind as mentioned in “It’s Simple” above. Next is the final piece . . .

Write A Lot:

Write everything down. Always have scratch paper or something nearby. I carry my journal pretty much everywhere. When I filled up my black journal (the one in pencil in the video shown below), I stopped writing for a few months. I felt like I didn’t have any more ideas, so I quit writing. Then I decided to buy a new journal (a bunch since they were on sale for a quarter each at Walmart). The moment I designated a book as my journal, I had a ton of ideas. I couldn’t keep up with them as I wrote them. I think part of what makes journaling (I made that word up) work is the fact that you commit yourself to doing it. Suddenly the ideas flow.

Branch:
Let’s build our branches. The branch is simple . . . Open your Mind and Write Everything Down.

Go get a journal if you don’t already have one. You may want to consider re-reading Brad’s three journal articles:

• Journals Part 1
• Journals Part 2
• Journals Part 3

Next, read, think and play every chance you get. Journals inspire me. I’ve created a video of my journals that hopefully will inspire you: Journal Video. Hopefully that video will a) inspire you to start keeping a journal and b) inspire new ideas for effects or other ideas. As I mentioned above, just the act of having a journal inspires the thoughts to come. The very expectation of ideas brings them forth. Build the expectation; thus if you build it they will come.

No go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.

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The post How to Create Magic appeared first on Stone Cold Magic Magazine.

I wish you could hear Jim Snack’s voice. He’s so enthusiastic that he fills you with energy. His course (see the end of this paragraph) includes all these CDs which – literally – kept me awake and alert on a drive from Arizona to Missouri. It may be the first “covers-all-the-bases” course for magicians; it’s certainly the one which can lead you during the first decade of your career.

Throughout this interview, Jim got so excited about magic, about performing, that it seems he would climb right through the phone lines and shake me by the collar. He really believes that you can be a star of magic, and he’s shown a lot of people how to get there and be that.

Because his voice is so powerful, we have him in “normal” font and me in italics. Although Jim is one of the top working magicians today, he began his career in 1979 performing magic on the streets of New York City, Boston, and at fairs and festivals from Maine to Florida.

Today Jim works as a motivational speaker and entertainer, presenting over 100 programs annually for business, educational, healthcare and human service organizations. His programs mix magic with motivational messages about teamwork, change, creativity and communications.

Jim’s client list reads like the Fortune 500, and includes such companies as General Motors, Toyota Manufacturing, Astra Zeneca and more. In addition, Jim is the author of Success In Magic, a comprehensive business-building course for magicians.

This was originally slated to appear in Street Magic Magazine, but that magazine went defunct about the same time that I wearied of its use of obscenities. Looking for a healthy place to publish it, I spotted Stone Cold Magic Magazine and arm-twisted good old Jeff into running it.

So let’s talk to Jim . . .

That’s about what it is: the first five to ten years what you’re going to learn while building the groundwork for your business. Marketing is just one part of a business plan. I like understanding the entire career ladder for magicians, what the possibilities are, what you need at each level, in each different type of venue.

Take for example, the audience of this magazine: street magicians. Where do they go next? What’s the next step? You’re out performing on the boardwalk at Atlantic City, passing the hat and making $50 a pass if you’re lucky. Where do you go next? I mean, what’s the next level?

Well, the next level might be working at a comedy club. Or it might be working private parties. And the next level would be getting more corporate work, with the eventual goal of doing trade shows. My definition of trade shows is merely “street magic in a business suit.”

Jim spoke longer – twice as long as this interview would indicate. This printed interview gives you at least two invaluable pieces of advice which can advance your career significantly. But Jim and Stone Cold Magic Magazine doesn’t stop there.

Jim has cleaned up the audio file a bit, and has posted a free copy at Jim’s site – and your favorite magical Grandpa suggests you check out the rest of his site while you’re there to see just how powerful his course is. There’s even a free mini-course offered on the site, which will show you how to get to that elusive “next level.” I cannot say enough good about this man and this course he offers. Since my goal is that we have better magicians, I strongly recommend the Success-in-Magic course.

And, as always, I remain your faithful Grandpa – you can reach me via email and we’ll wish each other a merry Christmas and yahoo New Year! (Boy, is this interview old!)

Please take a moment to reply to and “like” this article

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Many of you know that I’m a database and web programmer besides a magician. That being said, I try to organize every aspect of my life in database tables. I know. I know. I’m nuts. However, there are some things that need to be captured in a database. The database can be anything from a sophisticated high-end database to a few stone-age sheets of paper in a file folder. The level of detail and sophistication will be up to you and your tolerance level, but one thing is for sure. If you want to be considered a professional, you need a database.

If you’re not a pro, that’s ok. I realize, of course, that many people who subscribe to this magazine are new or do magic as a hobby, etc. If you happen to fall into this category, then you may decide to skip this particular article. For those still here. You need to answer a few questions about your database:

• What information do you want to keep track of?
• Why do you want to keep track of it?
• How will you keep track of it?
• When will you keep track of it?
• Where will you keep track of it?

For me, personally, I keep track of my clients (those who book my show) and my customers (those who purchase my products). For the products, we’ll leave that discussion for another time. Basically, that’s all taken care of by my e-commerce website.

What?
For my clients, however, I keep track of the following:

• Basic Contact Info (name, number, address, email, etc)
• Date of each show performed
• Location
• Fee
• Notes

This, of course, mostly applies to set performances where you are hired to entertain for an event. If you are a regular performer in a strolling situation (like a restaurant magician), then you will likely have different needs. In your case, you’ll still want to keep some system of organized data because you will get contacts from the restaurant patrons that will ultimately lead to the type of gigs mentioned above. Also, the restaurant manager/owner is your client that should be in your database.

Why?
Although we each have our reasons, allow me to share mine. First, I collect data so that I can later contact the client for a few different reasons:

• To get testimonials
• To send a thank you gift
• Re-bookings
• Notes for reference during future phone calls

If I do a repeat performance, I want to know how much I charged, how well the show went, details about the venue, etc.

How?
For me, the geek, I build databases, so guess where I keep mine? However, all you need for yours is a sheet of paper with the customer’s basic information. Then add sheets of paper with notes as needed. It can really be that simple. Then just keep a file box storing the files alphabetically. You could also consider software like ACT or for those a little more savvy might want to consider some of the other open-source CRM (customer relationship management) software out there. Or a simple spreadsheet might do the trick. It all depends on how many clients you have and how many you plan on having.

When?
This is one of the most critical aspects of tracking data. The sooner you enter the data, the better. Don’t do a show today and make an entry in two weeks. While the information is fresh, enter it into your system. Do it as soon as the show is over. Depending on the information, some of it can be entered before the gig (client name, etc). However, any notes about the show, the venue, the client that comes later, enter it soon.

Where?
Finally, “where” closely relates to how. If you’re using a paper system, will it be in a file drawer, a file box? Will it be portable? Will you keep it on your computer? Will you keep back up copies? Where? Some of the databases I use (other than magic), I back up weekly to a disk which is then stored in a location different from the original current file. If you are using paper, make photo copies and keep them somewhere else.

Final thoughts:
My hope here is to inspire you to think about the business side of your business. We, all too often, get caught up in being the star of the show that our business gets neglected. We forget to go out and get new clients. We forget to keep track of the ones we have. We forget to treat the ones we have with the proper respect. Sure the business side of things is no fun, but it is a necessary evil. Ultimately, according to Maslov’s wisdom pyramid, data leads to information. Information leads to knowledge, and knowledge leads to wisdom.

Do You want wisdom? Then I must ask you this: Got Data?

Please take a moment to leave a reply and “like” this article:

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As magicians, and magical enthusiasts we have a unique advantage over others. Inside of many social situations or circumstances we are regarded by our peers as being able to do things that are quite special (magical). Having said that I am reminded of a time some ten years ago, that really stands out in my personal memory.

I found myself living and working in the Southern California area (Orange County to be precise), and my job at the time was located in Irvine. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend there and the people were quite amazing. Intellectually and socially some of the best people I’ve ever had the chance to meet and know where there in Irvine.

So of course I would often show magic tricks to my fellow employees, and what eventually happened was that a few of my co-workers would continually say things like: “Hey even the way you remove your wallet and take money out to pay for lunch is magical”.

This was the first time I had ever heard anything like that . I, of course, asked what they meant. Their explanation would be one of the strongest seeds planted in my personal psyche which has grown powerful roots inside of my life.

They explained to me that because of all the magic I had shown them, they were always on the look-out because at any given moment I might do something strange or pull out a deck of cards etc. Combined with their observations for how I would handle small objects (I think you all know what I am referring to).

Holding objects in such ways as to maximize its uniqueness or handling items in such a way as to make them visible to spectators at various angles. From that moment on I had become more aware of not just the tricks I perform but also the assumptions which people see or even expect.

It took me several years to really understand the importance of this memory/observation, and I began to make efforts to take advantage of the knowledge. I started to take note of what words and/or phrases would create magical feelings (either inside of me or as feedback from others), and I began to treat these things exactly as I would treat a magic trick.

If you have ever even performed one magic trick for friends, family, coworkers, etc, everything you say and do will have a little bit different feel and appeal to them.

For instance if a small group of people are aware of the fact that you do magic, and one day you decided to borrow a lighter, you proceed to light it and hold it in the air, it is safe to assume that those same people would wonder what kind of magic you will do with the lighter.

However, if you were not a magician this action would be considered sort of funny and humorous at best.

Allow me to share examples of what I have seen magicians do who are aware of this. The following examples assume that the individuals who are involved have prior knowledge of the fact that you are a magician.

1. When performing sleight of hand, I’ve seen magicians purposefully show there hands empty not to over-prove anything but to simply toy with the audience.
2. When a magician is sitting at a table playing with a deck of cards (fancy cuts and shuffles)- s/he is sort of begging for someone to ask him/her to do a trick.
3. Asking to borrow small objects from people who know you do magic will create wonder as to what you might do.
4. Sometimes when I offer a piece of gum to my friends they are hesitant because they are naturally suspicious/ wondering if something might happen with the gum.
5. Expressing little magical gestures with your hands will create instant wonder within those around you.
6. Touching a persons clothing or asking them to hold their hands or arms in specific positions will cause wonder as well.

These are just a few examples of the mixture of magic and assumption. Now let me address some things that I do or have done that are magical without the element of “it” being a trick, yet often having the same or similar impact.

A few years ago, I had been doing some extensive reading on the conscious mind  (reactive mind), and I often came across the fact that the conscious part of our brain often acts as a wall. If a random stranger walked up to you and said- “Hey you are a smart guy,” your conscious mind would sort of wonder what is going on (raising an eyebrow).

The conscious mind’s relationship with the ego might cause you to think “Huh, that’s cool but who does he think he is? He doesn’t even know me.” Defenses go straight up, and more often than not these types of statements will distance us from others.

I really wanted to figure out a way to tell people (especially women) how beautiful or neat they are or how good someone is at what s/he does. So instead of causing a persons protective/reactive mind to raise with a statement as in the above, why not create a moment of wonder and magic? At the very same time bypassing that “wall” making a real/ genuine impact on someone.

Here is what I came up with. In this example I will be speaking to a specific magician I admire.

“Dan, I can’t TELL you how awesome you are, I CAN’T tell you that, I can ONLY REMIND you of that which you already know. Do you remember? Perfect.”

You can see how effective this is as a tool for achieving my mentioned objective. I suggest trying this out for yourself to see what kind of reactions it elicits.

At first you will feel sort of robotic as this is a script, but it is NO different (in my opinion) than the scripting we use when performing. The more you use and practice this statement the more natural it will continue to feel.

You will also find that it is very disarming and even if at first this feels strange to the person you are speaking to there will be NO wall raised and will simply feel like a nice reminder for them to carry with them throughout the day.

The whole point that I am getting at with this little article is this: “We” as magicians do NOT always have to be doing tricks to be magical or to make a difference. We can apply all of the skills we have been working on for our personal effects and presentations  to other areas of communication and wonder.

The second example of something which can have a HUGE impact on another person is what I like to call Just Now.

Just now is a concept that I discovered a few years back. There is a little story which comes along with my discovery:

A few years ago I got pulled into the world of texting quite strongly, and I had many friends who also were texting frequently. The thing that struck me the strongest was how immediate the communication was. Our phones are often continuously being held in our hands these days, so the messaging arrives instantaneously.

When my friends would text me something to the effect of “Hey how are you doing, how are things going,” If felt strange to me because I knew that person just created that text and sent it to me just now. “RIGHT NOW” is what I thought, and I wondered what it would feel like if someone happened to send me a text which read- How are you feeling right now at this very moment? ”

As you can see by reading this phrase as if someone sent a text to YOU right now- it feels more important. It makes you sort of ground yourself and pull your brain out of the normal drudgery of the day. As this is no surprise I get the most positive responses and usually elicit wonderful feelings in others when I do this.

By adding anything you wish into the blank space this phrase can be practically anything you wish. “how amazing”, “how gifted”, “how talented”, “what an amazing soccer player”, “how beautiful”, “special”, “unique”

“Shelley, I can’t tell you how _______________ you are, I CAN’T tell you that, I can ONLY REMIND you of that which you already know. Do you remember? Perfect.”

“How are you feeling right now at this very moment?”

Obviously with the above phrase simply substitute “feeling” with “doing“, depending on the circumstances.

I hope that I have provided you with a few communication tools to not only add to your magical life but also your personal life. More importantly it is my continued goal to provide a perspective for others to peer from. Instead of saying “think outside the box” I more wish to say “hey there are an infinite number of boxes available to assist with our creative progress, it’s just a matter of finding and sharing them.”

Until next time

With Great Thanks

Brad “Scarnecky” Gordon

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This column is all about the business of being a magician. One of the most valuable business marketing concepts is repeat business. The best way to get repeat business is to let people know that you appreciate their initial business.

Let’s look at it from a few different perspectives based on venue:

• Steady Restaurant Work
• Kid’s Shows (Birthdays)
• Set Gigs (Receptions, Corporate, etc)

Restaurants:
The secret to success here is a happy wait staff and happy customers. There are plenty of ideas on keeping the customers happy that we could discuss, but that mostly is about your performance itself. Bottom line there is good magic, good presentation, and good people skills… That stuff is taught in Roots and Branches and The Full Montoya.

However, if you have regulars at the restaurant that you’ve connected with, over time, find out their birthdays and anniversaries, etc. This can easily be incorporated into an effect. Once you have the information, use it. Send them a birthday card or an anniversary card.

If management knows what you’re doing, they may be willing to give you a gift card that can be given to the repeat customers as a gift, or at the very least, you may be able to purchase one at half price.

As for the wait-staff, find out their birthdays and anniversaries. Send them cards as well. A gift certificate for the restaurant that they work at is definitely not the best idea. A simple card is enough, but if you’re feeling generous, a gift card to a store they like would be a nice touch. A $15.00 card is a nice gesture.

The other thing that this does for you is forces you to get to know your biggest allies, the wait staff.

Kid’s Birthday Shows:
This used to be a big chunk of my income back in the day. Not so much these days. However, if you’re doing a birthday party, you obviously have the birth date. Make sure each year you send a birthday card to the birthday boy/girl. Send it to the parents.

Make sure you insert any marketing material that may inspire them to hire you again. For example, if you’ve got a new routine or new show, mention it in the card. Make sure you send the card early enough that it won’t be too late to hire you because they’ve already made plans. In the birthday card, offer a discount as well.

Also, about a week after the show, make sure to send mom and dad a gift with a thank you card and a request for referrals. We’ll talk more about referrals in the March 2009 issue. What kind of gift do you send mom and dad? You guessed it. Fruit baskets, nut baskets, cheese and salami baskets, jam and bread baskets.

If you’re blessed with a culinary genius for a spouse like I am, then you can have your husband or wife make some home made bread and home made jam. You can get a nice looking basket from most dollar stores. A little ribbon, tissue/gift paper and a card go a long way to make the basket look nice, not to mention of course the bread and jam.

You want to make a real impression on mom and dad, hand deliver the basket yourself if the gig is close enough.  There are also plenty of local places that make baskets like this or flower bouquets, etc. They’ll make it and deliver it. You could end up with a permanent gig… you become part of the family. This is also a great way to inspire a junior magician. It could evolve into lessons and the sales of any magic products you may have.

However, the most important thing is that you are building a solid relationship with the parents.

Set Gigs – Receptions:
You know… people look at me and say, “He looks like he should do magic tricks at my wedding reception.” I don’t know what it is, but I get more reception gigs than anything else. I’ve got one this Friday (1/2/09). This one happens to be a repeat gig already.

The husband to be is an amateur magician, and for his birthday, his fiance hired me to perform at his party. I made darn sure I got a re-booking out of it. So I’ll be performing at their reception. Now I know their wedding date and his birthday. You can bet they’ll be getting a birthday card and an anniversary card from me.

Again, about a week later, send a gift. Of course if they’re taking a honeymoon, it may be best to wait about a month or so rather than a week.

Set Gigs – Corporate:
With corporate gigs, you’ve got two levels of gift giving. One for the person who hired you, and one for the rest of the staff. If you’re doing your job right, you’re getting a decent enough fee for your corporate gigs that you can splurge a little on a decent gift.

Get the party planner a nice gift card ($50 bucks or so). Then, yup, a fruit basket for the staff. This is a common thing that vendors do for businesses. They drop off some sort of edible gift that can placed in the employee break room. Make sure there is a card with it, and a few of business cards. The employees may want to take a card and hire you.

Again, it doesn’t have to be a fruit basket. There are plenty of other edible gifts that you can get. Gourmet cheese and cracker baskets are good; salami and cheese; again, the homemade jam and bread is a nice touch. There’s a company called Edible Arrangements that makes fruit baskets out of fruit carved to look like a flower bouquet.

Gourmet chocolates are another good one. This is a deal where it definitely is all about “the thought that counts.”

Custom Cards:
It’s very easy and very inexpensive to make custom holiday cards and business cards. One excellent resource for good quality at a killer price is Vista Print. They have business cards, letterhead, stationary, and more for very, very good prices.

Gift Budget:
It’s  a good idea to allocate a percentage of every (yes every) gig for gifts. Pick a number… 5%, 10%, whatever. Put that money in a separate account. It’s gift money, but it’s also marketing money. I’m not saying that the gift should cost 5% of the gig fee… sometimes it’ll be more, sometimes less.

For example:

• Gig 1 pays $500
• Gig 2 pays $400
• Gig 3 pays $1200
• Gig 4 pays $150

In that case, if you saved 5% of each gig, you’d have a total of  $112.50. That equals about $30 bucks per gig average. However, your $150 gig may only warrant a $15 dollar gift, but the $1200 dollar gig should be a $50 gift. Keep in mind that these numbers are just hypothetical. The numbers you use are up to you.

Summary:
Basically, here’s this issue in a nutshell:

• Get Birth dates and Anniversary dates
• Send Birthday Cards and Anniversary Cards
• Send Gourmet and/or homemade gift baskets to your clients
• Include a thank you card, business card, a discount on a future show and any info regarding new shows or products

Until Next Month…

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