6 Tips to Landing Trade Show Magic Gigs.
I’ve been performing at trade shows for quite a while and I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of how the market works. The hardest part is actually getting the job and so I’ve listed things that might help you. Some people are REALLY good at this part and it’s more important than being a great magician. If you want to be a better Trade Show magician then you need to sell your services well so you can gain experience on the Trade Show floor. It’s hard work and can be soul destroying but if you view it as an adventure rather than a necessary evil then maybe you’ll get more done. Good Luck.- Find the right show to target: Certain Trade Shows will appeal to you as an individual so why not focus on those to try and find clients. If you have an interest in the area that the show covers then maybe you can add an extra layer of value to an exhibitor. In time if you’re successful you could make this your niche market. If you are going to look more generally then find a show that has potential for magic, normally the more dull the show seems the more reason for having an on-stand presenter. Financial or Insurance Trade Shows are a good example, companies have little to differentiate themselves in the market place and no “visible” product to speak of. They often need a hook. Some companies however just won’t need a magician because there product can visibly sell itself. Be selective with who you target, this will mean you can spend more time on getting your message right and it will save you a lot of wasted phone calls.
- Look at the floorplan: Before you start emailing people check out the show floorplan. Every show has a URL and 90% list exhibitors and a give a floorplan. The size of a companies stand will give you a good idea of who can afford extras. Companies don’t alway invest heavily in every show even if they are big hitters in the industry. A really small stand will make it difficult for you to work well as you may just take up valuable space and a really large stand would suggest that this company has their exhibitions under complete control already. Some companies “tour” their stands and unless you get in with them at the beginning of their entire marketing strategy, (which is THE ideal), you will find it hard to persuade them to change their format and include magic.
- Learn about the company: It may seem like common sense but you should always read up on the prospect before you pitch to them about a particular Trade Show. A bit of background can make the difference between being filed in the bin and getting the all important meeting. Now that you’ve filtered out a smaller number of prospects you can take the time to make sure you know who they are and what they do. This is the point when you should make sure you are corresponding with the right person in the company. Sending an email to the Head of Marketing when they have a dedicated person dealing with exhibitions will ensure you’re ignored. Get your facts right.
- Snail mail, E-mail, Phone call: As a rule of thumb a hand signed letter, and even hand written envelope, will catch the attention of the person your trying to contact. They will get hundreds of mass mail-outs that they will probably ignore. The letter should be printed however. Follow this up with an e-mail, maybe a week later with a link to your website or a PDF file they can look at. In this e-mail tell them you’re going to call them unless they have any objections. Then call them! This is the point where most people give up, don’t. A phone call to arrange a meeting, (not to sell), is crucial. You’ve given them plenty of opportunity to tell you to get lost and they haven’t yet so persevere. This isn’t a cold call anymore, it’s a luke warm lead and you have something to say when you speak to them, “Did you get my letter / email?”
- Go to the Meeting Prepared: If you get the meeting then your 75% there, but don’t treat it as a foregone conclusion that you will get the job. Take your business cards with you and exchange them at the beginning, it’s a formality but it shows you’ve been here before. Do your homework and have a draft script and demonstration of magic that you might use. Make sure the company name is prominent in the demo, clients want to see how their brand fits in with magic. At the meeting offer to put together a full proposal based on the information they send you and make sure you do. Once you’ve done a few proposals you can run off a new one pretty quickly, but make sure it’s fully bespoke in their eyes. Don’t forget to introduce some tricks that they may want to use as Trade Show give-aways and if you can send samples, mock-ups or artwork even better. One last but really important point: KNOW WHAT YOUR FEES ARE! You should have a fixed figure in you mind before you start to discuss prices, and if you need to deviate from that make sure there’s proper justification.
- Develop a short term failure memory: You will experience more knock backs and refusals than bookings. It’s the reason only a really small percentage of magicians succeed in Trade Show Magic. Don’t let your ego get in the way, this is the business part of what you do and if it doesn’t work MOVE ON. You will get more bookings as a TRade Show Magician by being persistent than you will by being the guy with the best card flourishes.
So that’s the pre-show, I’ll post some tips on what to do during the show next week.
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