Magicdude Marketing

Marketing Lessons From Magicians

How To Let Controversy Suck The Life Out Of Your Business

June 27th, 2011

Is controversy consuming your life?

We have all heard it before – Scandal, shocking news, and controversy is good for business. All press is good press, whether good or bad. Controversial topics are the most popular articles for bloggers. If someone disagrees with you it doesn’t mean they hate you, maybe they just have an opinion!

The lists of “truths” about controversy goes on and on. Is controversy really good for business? Maybe. It’s a way to spread ideas and sway opinions with healthy debate. How boring would it be if everyone agreed? No room for innovation when that happens. There are many ways to look at an issue.

But what about the motives behind controversy? Are there people who attack others just to get attention… at your expense? YES! If you happen to be the one being attacked, it’s easy to get pulled into the drama and have the life sucked right out of you or your business.

The Incident
On November 24, 1997, Fox Network in the U.S. aired a show Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed. It was the first of a four part series of TV shows that explained the methods behind magic tricks and illusions. The masked magician was supposedly a well-known magician who wore a mask to avoid the backlash from fellow magicians.

Within hours of airing the show, all hell broke loose within the magic community! I have been hanging around magicians and street performers for over 20 years and have NEVER seen such strong reaction from magicians. They were pissed off! The first rule of being a magician was broken – the promise of magicians to never reveal the secret workings of a magic trick or illusion.

The Motive
Fox saw an opportunity to get an increase in viewer ratings by creating controversy within the magic community. They counted on the fact that working magicians would protest. It worked like a charm for Fox. I’m sure the man behind the mask came out with a bundle of cash.

The Reaction
The magic forums exploded with activity. Everything from anger to disbelief to preaching right and wrong was covered. Outrage and disgust were at the forefront of the discussion. The major Magic organizations from around the world jumped
into the debate. There were a lot of pissed off people that wanted to have their way with the masked man. After all, he just destroyed the careers of top performing magicians. Bullshit!

The only “harm” he did to the performers was to successfully draw them into believing that trick methods were the real “secret” to their career success. That’s just not true. Showmanship is what sells tickets. An audience comes to a magic show to be entertained. Many magicians mistakenly believe they are successful because they utilize secret methods that no one in the audience could possibly do themselves. I challenge any magician to walk into a magic store, buy a new trick and put it into their show that night. It won’t work. Knowing the secret to the trick itself doesn’t make for a good performance. Stagecraft, practice, and presentation are what is most important.

The Result
Magicians screamed like never before. Hatred and outrage consumed them. Not everyone, but the vast majority did. Then the excuses came. There were countless stories of performers complaining their career was ruined. How could they possibly expect an audience to come to their show if they knew the methods? It was the end of the world! I wonder though, how many people actually saw the show, and did it really matter to them anyway?

New organizations were formed to protect the secrets of the craft. Magicians were encouraged to write the TV network with threats. Advertisers were asked to pull their ads from Fox. Self-proclaimed ‘protectors of the magical arts’ began preaching ethics and demanding all magi follow the rules. A new wave of policing the magic forums, hunting for people that supported exposure. It. Was. Wild!

Fox got exactly what they were looking for, and most magicians were none the wiser. Three more episodes aired over the next eight months. Now the ball was rolling! Fox was getting results at the expense of the magic community. In 2002, they cranked out another 13 episodes.

Magic careers were apparently being destroyed. And whose fault was it? It wasn’t Fox. It wasn’t the masked magician. Then who?

Magicians Were Letting Controversy Consume Their Life
It was their own damn fault. A large percentage of working magi spent most of their time whining when they could have been focusing their efforts on being the best they could be for their audience. Looking for new marketing. Developing new illusions instead of doing the same thing every other magician does. It’s always easier to blame someone else when something bad happens. Seemed like the complainers were possessed with being right. They wanted everyone to think just like them.

Did Fox destroy the art of magic? Did the masked magician kill the mystery of a good magic performance? Nope. David Copperfield still performs almost nightly to sell-out crowds. I still see magicians at convention booths gathering crowds for their clients. The prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood still sells tickets every night. Criss Angel is in his 5th season with his TV show on A&E. Most of my friends still book corporate work every week. Magic is alive and well. The people still getting work are the ones who decided not to get sucked into the controversy.

The Solution
If you are the target of controversy, you have two choices.

Debate the issue until you win. (which may never happen)
Debate the issue until you realize it’s better to agree to disagree and move on with your business.

It’s really not what happens to you when something goes wrong, it’s what you do about it to keep moving forward. Why not just learn from it?

Just so you know, when the masked wonder boy hit the scene, I was mad! I wanted to go after the guy and frankly, I thought I had a pretty good plan to do so. Then I realized I didn’t need to be the moral police that tried to stop something that could not be controlled. Instead, I got together with my close friends in magic to work out new ways to book gigs and improve my show. I let the haters hate, and the exposers expose… cause that’s what they do.

Hey, I may not always be right… but I’m never wrong!

Has this ever happened to you in your business or personal life? How did you choose to deal with it? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Why You Don’t Need A Website To Grow Your Business

February 10th, 2011

If you know nothing about building a website for your business, be prepared to spend up to several thousand dollars to have it professionally designed for you. Then, once in place, your business will explode with new customers… NOT. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Yet many business owners think a website is the magic bullet that will bring in tons of new business.

If no one knows the website exists, it’s a waste of time. It will cost you another several thousand dollars for a professional to drive visitors to your site. There’s nothing wrong with doing it that way, but there are easier, more cost effective ways to attract new customers without a website, especially if your business is new. One solution is email marketing.

I know a very successful magician who keeps in regular contact with his fans via email. He connects with over 3,500 fans once or twice a week. What’s really interesting is he does not have a website. He does not use Twitter. He uses Facebook, but rarely talks about his business. Yet, somehow, he has 3,500+ people on his email list. That may not seem like a lot, but for his entertainment business, that’s huge. About 90% of his gigs comes from people on that list. You’ve heard it before, the money is in the list!

His secret:

Anyone who knows you exist should be invited to hang out with you and your friends.

This is quite different from marketers who spend most of their time trying to let people know they exist. They spend too much time trying to get new customers and end up neglecting the customers they already have.

Your existing relationships should always be your top priority. If you’re new in business you may protest “But no one knows I have a business!” WRONG! That’s just an excuse. Someone, even if it’s one person, knows what you have to offer. That’s all it takes to get the ball rolling.

Here are some examples from different types of business. See if you can translate the ideas to your specific business.

A small cafe invites everyone who comes in to sign up for “customer only” specials. The waitress enters the customer’s email into the email list program for them. When the customer gets home, they see a welcome email with coupons.
A chiropractor asks every client if they would like to receive a free booklet of back strengthening exercises to reduce pain. The client gives them an email address to receive the booklet.
A hair salon offers each customer a free haircut with their upcoming “Bring a friend” promotion. They send an email with details. The customer is surprised to find several additional coupons for free services just for signing up.
An electronic game store invites everyone who walks in the door a chance to win a $50 gift certificate each month. Winners are notified by email. Just for signing up, they receive a 50% off coupon on their next single item purchase.
A magician invites everyone to meet him after the show to ask questions and find out how they can learn magic. They sign up to receive a free “trick of the month” by email. They receive a buy one, get one free coupon for upcoming shows just for signing up.
An online marketer hears one of his friends talk about how he hates his job and wants to find a way to escape the rat race. He has his friend sign up to receive a “how to make money online” mini course via email.

In each example, the business owner is now in a position to keep in regular contact with their customers. The key now is to provide valuable content on a regular basis. This does NOT mean you bombard them with a sales pitch in each email! In future articles, we’ll discuss what to put in the emails to ensure you’re providing value.

Are you using email to build your business? What ongoing value are you providing your customers? If you have a unique way to keep in touch with your customers, please let us know.

Selling Is A Waste Of Time

April 6th, 2010

Do you like being sold? I bet you don’t.

Do you like having someone tell you what you need? Probably not.

How do you feel when a salesperson tries to tell you what’s best for you? Most likely you will feel insulted.

Then why do so many business owners do this to their customers? Why do we do the very things that make us mad? Do you use the excuse “because it’s always been done that way”?

I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to selling, when instead, I should be finding out what people want and trying to get it for them.

Selling Is A Waste Of Time!

Fine. So what is the alternative? After all, you’ve always been told nothing happens in business until something is sold.

Here’s a formula I learned from my mentor when I was building my entertainment business. There was a joke around magicians that he was “the busiest magician that no one ever heard of”. He used these steps to quietly build his empire. It worked for me. I still use the principles today in an entirely different industry.

Find out “where” your prospect is today.
Determine where they would rather be.
Ask them what will happen if they don’t don’t change their situation.
Get a commitment that they are ready for a change.
Offer a solution to help make the change happen.

Now you’re not “selling”. This approach is more like an interview process. The key is that when they explain to you what their problem is and what the consequences are, they not only tell you, but they also convince themselves. Then you determine if you can help them. When you talk to a friend about a problem they’re having you ask a lot of questions, don’t you?

A veteran salesperson will say I’m wrong and likely accuse me of oversimplifying the sales process. They will tell me “You don’t understand my industry… it’s different”. Really? I’m ready to hear why.

It starts with a simple change in the way you look at the sales process. If you think sales is about twisting arms, poking eyes, and badgering people into buying your ideas, you may get a sale now and then. I doubt it will last. If, on the other hand you approach sales as an interview process to determine and then solve a problem, your prospect will believe you and be happy to “buy” your solution.

Do you sell your customers, or do they buy from you? As always, your comments are welcome.

Dominate Your Market In 4 Easy Steps

March 11th, 2010

Let’s keep it simple today. Here’s a formula for obtaining massive business success. It’s everything I learned from hanging around entertainers during the last 20 years.

Determine What Talent You Want To Use

What skill do you really want to use every day? Do you like to teach? Are you a writer? Do you like to solve problems? Maybe you like to build things, or speak in front of a group. Maybe you have a secret desire to act, or sing, or play music.

Decide Who You Want To Share Your Talent With

If you are a blogger, who do you want to read your blog? If you want to teach, who do you want to learn from your teaching? Do you like to solve business problems? What type of business person do want to seek you out? Imagine your ideal client/customer/audience.

Hang Out With Your Tribe And Find Out What They Want

Once you know who your ideal customer is, find out where they hang out and start building relationships with them. How do you find them? Look for forums on the internet. Are there clubs for your tribe? How about associations? You may find them on Twitter or Facebook. Wherever you find them, start interacting. Find out what their problems are, what keeps them up at night.

Deliver A Solution Using Your Talent

Once you know what they want, create a solution with your special skills. What if you can’t? No problem. You probably know someone who can. They will likely compensate you for the referral.

That’s it!

What do you think? Is this model oversimplified? Can it really be that simple? How would this model fit your business? As always, your comments are welcome.