I've kept his name out of it, but thought it'd be good to share here - as this is the type of advice I generally give people in his situation of trying to get the ball rolling in this business of show.

10:21Facebook Friend

Hey C.J i sent you a email on Saturday with a question then i realized it was 4th of July weekend and I am an idiot

10:22amMe

I didn't get an e-mail. I just checked my spam file too. cj@cjjohnson.com

10:25amFacebook Friend

hmm, well my question was i just read more money more shows for the third time and I really like i learned so much .But I was wondering if you had an act but no money i am talking zero dollar what would be the first thing you would do.

10:27amMe

I'd suggest taking inventory of what you do have.

10:27amFacebook Friend

okay no problem

10:27amMe

Props. Contacts. Past clients (if any).

What market are you appropriate for?

Bootstrapping kids shows is much easier than trying it with high end corporate events.

Though you could do that with no props too - there are ways to create full shows with almost no props.

10:30amMe

Day Cares, Senior Centers and similar places are always looking for entertainment. Take the cheap gigs and use the money from those to start with the necessities.

You can get business cards for FREE from a lot of different online publishers.

Put them everywhere. You never know when one will turn into a gig - besides - they're free.

Get several different cards from several different companies - use them with different designs and different markets targeted.

If you don't have money - you probably have time.

10:31amFacebook Friend

yes

10:31amMe

Use that time to get on the phone and call day cares. Call festivals. You can search for festivals in your state - call the sponsor and get booked there.

Sell balloon animals after the show to get more money out of each of those gigs.

Websites can be free.

You don't have to have printed materials anymore - you just need a website.

Free - websites are really going to be about 8 bucks a month.

But there's always a place to find 8 bucks a month.

Use the website as a sales tool - not an ego piece.

If you don't know how to make a site - BARTER with someone who does.

Maybe magic lessons, maybe a free show - maybe that old couch in the garage.

A motivated person can find a way to make things happen.

10:34amFacebook Friend

yes very true

10:34amMe

Others sit around and talk about how slow things are - and those of us who work it are having the best year of our lives.

Be one of us.

10:34amFacebook Friend

thanks

10:34amMe

Figure out what you want to do and then ask "HOW CAN I MAKE THIS HAPPEN".

When you ask HOW - your brain figures out ways to make it happen.

I've been there.

10:35amFacebook Friend

i need that sometimes ...motivation when everyone else is screaming at me get a real job !!!

10:35amMe

This IS a real job - as long as you treat it that way.

10:36amFacebook Friend

yeah thats what i try to convey to them

10:36amMe

If you just take shows that happen to come your way - then you need a real job. The real job is in FINDING the work.

Creating the work.

Letting people know that they need you.

There's no shame in having a real job too, if that's an end to your means.

I recommend that people do this crazy stuff for a living if they are certain that nothing else in life would give them that fulfillment that an applauding audience does.

10:38amFacebook Friend

yeah thats me

10:38amMe

I know that was a lot of rhetorical talk - but seriously - take inventory of what you have right now - and I don't mean props. I mean the contacts, the people you went to school with that now own or manage businesses, the people your family knows, the people your kids go to school with.

Early in your career you need to be out there and working... A LOT.

Get a restaurant gig.

How?

Ask for it.

If the first one says no.

Ask another.

If that one says no.

Ask another.

If that one says no - then keep asking others until someone says yes.

Not asking anyone won't get you a gig.

If you get out there and go to restaurants (which are a great way to create BOTH cash flow and clients) for a full day (not during lunch or dinner rush), by the end of the day you'll have a restaurant gig.

Don't go to the restaurant you really want to work first. Go to that one 4th or 5th so you can learn from the mistakes you make in the presentation from the first ones.

The clients from the restaurant turn into your clients too, as you do tricks with business cards and leave them with everyone. Plus you're getting paid to promote yourself and getting flight time as well.

10:42amFacebook Friend

that is a very good idea

10:42amMe

When I needed work - I hit up the restaurants. I visited 15 of them and got a gig that lasted me 3 years.

15 years later, I still hear from some of the clients from that restaurant about their company meetings.

When I was broke I took a look at what was coming up on the calendar - it happened to be Easter. So I took inventory of what I had.

I needed money BADLY.

I called every Day Care in town and offered a magic show with the Easter Bunny. My wife dressed in a bunny costume (which we had) and I "assisted" her with the magic.

10:45amMe

We booked 15 shows at $125 each (it was 15 years ago) and in a month where we weren't sure if we were going to be able to pay rent, we added almost 2K to our accounts - plus we kept booking most of those day cares with other types of shows.

Take inventory... What can YOU do today that's going to get you a gig?

There is something. Then don't play a video game, or watch a movie, or chat on Facebook - get out there and do that something that's going to make things happen for you.

End of rant.

Cut. Paste. Save.

10:49amFacebook Friend

yeah i just need to go back to basics before College i had a few restaurant gigs ...After college I got a job I hated and a fiancee that eventually broke up with me because i was miserable. I have a mentalism and hypnosis act that I have wriiten I just don't have the money to market it ...but i guess if i go back to the basics i will have the money to do what i want. I needed that kick in the ass ...thank you

10:49amMe

I just saved this conversation. I may post it on my blog. I'd take your name out of it of course.

10:49amFacebook Friend

very cool

10:50amMe

For Hypnosis - call fraternal groups - like Moose and Elks lodges.

Offer fund-raisers on a split of ticket sales.

And of course - I almost forgot - develop a relationship with every entertainment agency and agent that you can so that they are thinking of YOU when their phone rings. Don't be a pest - but do stay in contact.

Gotta run. Hope I was of some help.

10:51amFacebook Friend

i just was thinking backwards ...thinking that I had to have crazy color promotional materials and stuff before i booked any shows

and I guess you dont

thank you very much I am saving this too

10:52amMe

I didn't.

Just gotta have the desire and the fire in the belly.

The crazy color promo came later. It's nice to have - but most people these days don't even look at it - they look online.

Don't tell anyone - magicians like to have a crappy online prescience.

Signing off now. Probably got better, more passionate advice from chat than from a thought out e-mail.

Later.

This is an old saying in life. It hints at elitism, but the more I think about this, the more it is true.

Most of the great "breaks" and great experiences I've gotten in business have come from people who I know, who I've become friends with and who I've kept in touch with.

Examples: (These are not ego strokes, they're real world examples of what I'm talking about.)

• The client I've performed over 50 shows a year for over the past 15 years came to me because they saw a friend perform and asked if he had a big magic show (Illusion Show). He didn't, but he recommended me. I've grossed done well over a million dollars worth of work with that one client!
• When I went on tour with Country Music Legends Brooks and Dunn, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley - they found out about me from a body paint artist who had a booth next to us at a trade show. I hadn't kept in touch, but my business partner had - the result - 39 concert dates over 4 months and an awesome summer.
• Each June I perform at high schools throughout California - all of them booked by a good friend of mine who literally has more business than he can handle during that time.
• My first high dollar corporate speaking gigs came from one of my best friends.
• My first international shows came from people I knew and had ongoing friendships with.
• My first National TV Appearance came as a result of dinner with my best friend and Teller.
• My first Internet TV appearances (podcasts) were all the result of my friendships.

Here's the key...

Not one of those relationships that I mentioned above were in place to get business. I was a friend to each of the people involved FIRST - then business came as a result.

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites are helping us keep in touch with each other easier and easier - but it's real life, personal relationships that pay off the most, and not  just in monetary ways.

The key to this NETWORKING is to honestly look out for others along the way. As a result, others will look out for you too. There's a saying that "What goes around, comes around" and I believe that to be mostly true - I even have an EXTREME personal example of this that I'll write about sometime soon.

Some tips on how to get the ball rolling in your own business:

1. Always help a potential client find what they need - even if you are not personally available for the event. They'll remember YOU the next time, and those who you refer them to will remember you as well. Also - be sure to capture that persons information so you can help them the next year - be sure to add them to your e-mail list!

2. Always pay a commission on referrals sent to you. If not in cash, then in some other meaningful way - a gift card for dinner out, a box of Omaha Steaks or a small gift. It's not required (in many cases), but I can tell you that I tend to think of the people who have "thanked" me before I think of those who haven't when I'm referring gigs.

3. To have a friend - BE a friend.

Finally, and I wish this went without saying, but if you are called in to cover an event for one of your friends clients - respect their relationship with that client in every way possible.

I have one magician that I send to cover my top client. If they ever call him directly he makes it clear that he was just filling in for me, and that before he can book anything with them, he needs to check with me. As a result - I know I can trust him and I send him 2-3 decent gigs a year.

I have a couple of hypnotists that I book regularly to cover my overflow of high school grad nights - they always refer the shows back to me - even if they get the calls directly.

This is the way that I personally treat people and I'm happy when I get the same treatment in return - your friends will appreciate it too.

I'd love to hear your comments - please leave them below.

C.J.

1:00 a.m., March 22, 2010



Anything you want can be a goal, but not everything should be a goal! The mere act of setting a goal is as close to real MAGIC as I have ever experienced. To be clear, I am NOT saying that simply putting something out there to the collective consciousness of the world will magically make your dreams come true. I don't roll that way. Anything WORTH having is going to take some work and effort on your part. Setting goals will simply give you a game plan to make those big dreams you have a reality.

The difference between goals and dreams is that dreams can be anything. Goals, for the most part, should fit a certain pattern.

A popular way of teaching goals for the past 10 years or so is as SMART Goals. Each letter of S-M-A-R-T is the first letter of what a goal should be.

S - SPECIFIC - when writing your goals be as specific as possible. "Financially secure" is too vague. "Having 6 months of living expenses in the bank by January 31, 2011" is specific. Answer the 5 "W's" when writing a specific goal (Who, What, When, Where, Why) whenever possible.

M - Measurable - Is there a concrete way to measure you progress towards goal attainment? Measuring your progress helps you stay on track and gives you motivation as you get closer to accomplishing your goals. How much? How many? How will I know when I can cross this goal off of my list as accomplished? If you cannot answer these questions then go back to "SPECIFIC" and make the goal more specific so you can answer these questions.

A - Attainable - In order for a goal to be a goal it MUST be attainable. Otherwise it's a dream. Let's face it, not everyone can grow up to be President of the United States. In fact, only 44 people in the history of the US have been elected President, so honestly, very few can grow up to become President... but anyone (who meets the Constitutional requirements) can RUN for President. However, these days anyone (who is physically qualified) can be an astronaut if he has enough money to pay for the trip. In fact, a friend of mine recently was! So if you goal is to be an astronaut, it could be that the way to get there is to become a multi-millionaire so you can go.

R - Relevant or Realistic - You goals needs to be one that you are BOTH WILLING and ABLE to work towards. High goals are frequently EASIER to attain than smaller goals as lower goals exert less motivational power than the higher ones. Your goal is probably realistic if you TRULY believe that it can be accomplished. This is very similar to attainable, but it's very important.

T - Timely - If there's not a timetable on a goal then it's just a dream. It's one thing to say you want to lose 10 lbs. It's another thing completely to lose 10 lbs by February 28th. Setting a timeline sets your unconscious mind on a path to attainment.

So... get out the pad and paper or open a new Word document on your computer and get busy writing your goals.

For my entertainer friends, who are probably the only ones reading this blog anyway, if your goal is to make $150,000 this year, do the math and figure out how many shows you'll have to do to make that money.

Take a look at the table above. Where do you fall in? If you are doing $125 birthday party shows (first of all raise your prices) then you'll have to do 1200 shows to make $150K. This is probably not physically possible, so this goal may not be reasonable.

If you are doing $15,000 speeches to the corporate market, and you ONLY want to make $150K then you'll only have to do one show a month, with two months off to make the same money. Though you'll probably have a higher goal that $150K, unless that's your goal for just ONE MARKET!

If you perform in several markets, then figure out what the potential is for each market and write your goals accordingly by making a map of how many shows, at what fee, you want to do in the coming year. Add those totals together for a final goal, then go about figuring out how you are going to attain those goals, in each market.

I hope you'll take an hour or two hours and map out where you're going in 2010, and I hope you'll do it this week. I know I already have.

This book is the cornerstone of almost all modern financial planning.

You can get it for only $1.00 (keep reading). Use the coupon code: BABYLON1BUCK (I suggest you cut and paste - credit will be applied when you check out) and get your copy for only $1.00 (plus shipping) when you order any other product off of this website.

No catches, no hitches. I just believe strongly in this book and have an extra 30 copies around. I guess, in order to have full disclosure, these books do have a sticker in the front of them that indicates they were given away at the 2008 TAOM Convention. I bought 300 copies and gave them to everyone who attended my lecture (no purchase needed then, there is one now). These are the copies that I still have left over, and they'll go fast. 

Remember this coupon does require a purchase of any other product from this website, but price does not matter. I assure you that you'll get value no matter what product you decide upon. Purchase a downloadable product and save even more on shipping!

Only 30 copies remain at this deal - so ACT NOW. The difference between successful people and those who do not succeed is that the successful consistently take action.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

C.J.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of calling myself stupid, but I've embraced the idea of keeping things as simple as possible, whenever possible.

However, this is not what I'm talking about - I'm talking about the Legendary Rock Band KISS! I got to see them in concert last week, on December 4th, in Austin, with my 15 year old son, and it was an awesome show! Though, if you followed me on Twitter, you'd already know that. :-)

Gene Simmons, for those who don't know it, is a marketing genius, and he doesn't really miss a step when it comes to marketing KISS. Here's what I learned from the concert that's appropriate to us as performers.

Even from the back of the room - even with the camera out of focus - you can still tell what band we went to see!

1. Branding. OMG - KISS is more than just a band of 50% original Rock God's, they are a BRAND, an institution! No one can replace KISS. People can dress up like them (and hundreds did at the concert), imitate them, mimic them and so on, but there is only one KISS - and the KISS brand is carried into and printed onto just about everything imaginable! They are irreplaceable and no substitute will do when you want to see KISS.         
                The exact same should be true for us as performers. If you are generic magician, ventriloquist, clown etc., and have done nothing to make your prospects want you specifically, then you have not created a strong enough brand for yourself.

Gene Simmons flew to the top of the light rig!2. Commit to your character! Gene Simmons is a tongue wagging, drooling and spitting demon of a Bass Guitar player on stage. He makes no apologies about it, in fact, if he wasn't, we'd all feel like we didn't get what we were expecting from him.
                Commit to your character as a performer in both your marketing materials and in your performance. The character of both should be intertwined and interchangeable. If you are a low key performer, and some of my favorites (Nate Staniforth) are, then your marketing materials should embrace that character, if you're loud and out there (Bizzaro or Brian Brushwood) then your marketing materials will be similar. If Bizarro's website and promo materials all said "Magic for any occassion" that would be incongruent with his character.

3. Give your customers what they want! For KISS this is easy - we want to hear their classic songs, we want outlandish costumes, make up, VERY music, amazing lighting and video productions. We want Gene Simmons to wag his tongue at everyone and be a beast. We want 6" tall platform boots. We want Paul Stanley to zip line to the back of the auditorium and play. We want Gene Simmons to play from the top of the lighting trusses after flying up there. We want full commitment to the us, the audience, and dammit... you better sing Detroit Rock City. They delivered ALL of these things!
                What are your customers expecting from you? Not sure? Ask them. When I get to an event (usually before then) I ask the question "What is it going to take for this to be a successful event for you?" Then I know, so that I can deliver exactly that. Your situation is probably different from mine and I trust that you'll figure out how to discover what it is that your customers want.

Money coming in hand over fist!4. Sell something! Throngs of people lined up to pay more than retail for t-shirts ($29.95 on their website, $40.00 at the concert), CD's, posters and more to help capture the moment that they were at the KISS concert. Tens of thousands of dollars were made, in addition to the fee the band generated at $125 per ticket (or more).
                Why were people willing to pay more than reasonable retail for the SWAG at the show? Because they LOVED the show and were looking for ways to extend that connection with the performers beyond the show.
                I feel that it's almost IRRESPONSIBLE for you to not offer your clients and FANS a way to further that connection with you by NOT offering something for sale after your shows. No one has to buy what you have, but you are taking away opportunity, in added income, advertising, brand building and credibility creating by not selling something that is related to YOU after your shows. Of course I offer an Instant Author Kit for those of you who perform for family audiences and I add $100-$600 or more at just about every show I do from selling these books. If you don't need extra income, I applaud you, but I'm pretty sure that Gene Simmons isn't hurting for money, but he still plasters his face on everything from dolls to Dr. Pepper Commercials and the reason he's not hurting for money... a lot of it has to do with BOR (Back Of the Room) sales or SWAG. I will write more about this in a future blog I'm sure, as it's one of my hot buttons for magicians/jugglers/vents etc.

5. Create great pictures! If you take a picture at a KISS concert, you're going to be able to look at just about ANY of those pictures and, even without recognizing the stars, you'll know you were seeing KISS because their logo, images and name were everywhere. But that's not all I mean by create great pictures - I mean slow down, take a few seconds and POSE so that people have an opportunity to take great pictures.

6. Love what you do and you can do it forever. To me, Gene Simmons is KISS. Sure I like Paul Stanley too, and those other guys who apparently found a better gig were fun too, but lose Gene and it's over for me. Watching him perform makes me realize how much he apparently loves doing what he does. The guy is 60 years old and stomping around on stage, flying to the top of the rigging and having a blast.
                If you love what you do, if it truly gets you excited to get up and get going in the morning, you'll never have to work a day in your life!

Long post, but I hope you've enjoyed it. Please leave your comments below, but limit them to marketing, and not to KISS talk (unless marketing related). :-)

C.J.



1. Create urgency. Every car dealership we visited had the same sign in it. This sign said "The car you found, and like today, that you are going to think about until tomorrow, may be the same car someone else looked at yesterday and is thinking about until today". They were selling the idea that you don't have time to think about your decision, or the car that you like may be gone. For the most part, this is crap. Just sales technique, but I still found myself, and my son, worrying that the vehicle may not be there when we go back.

As performers, we can use our calendars to create this urgency with phrases like "I've had other calls about that date, but nothing is in concrete yet, though that could change at any minute." For me this is true. I've had people call about a date, and need to get with a group of people to make a decision, then five minutes later someone who could make a decision called and booked the same date. Be honest, but stress to your prospects that, in most cases, there is only one YOU to fill a date, and once it's booked, they'll have to settle for less.

2. Give a reason for a discount. Every car we've looked at started at one price and then that price lowered during negotiation (not yet to a level we wanted it to be at or he'd be driving now), but there was always a reason given for a discount (repairs needed, title problems, been on the lot a while, end of the month closing out the books, haven't had it worked on yet... but if you take it now... and so on).

As performers, we can seldom raise our fees after one has been quoted, but you can always lower the fee if there is a need. However, there should be a reason . For me personally, the only reason is routing - for example, if I'm traveling across the country to do a show in California, I may be willing to give a discount to another client who's doing a show in California the next day or two days later because it saves me money and time on travel. The clients I work with understand the idea of coop buying. You can negotiate your price, but always get something in return - permission to videotape, a video testimonial, a letter of recommendation, something in barter (hotel room nights, meals, gift certificates etc.).

I personally prefer working from a published price list and not negotiating on price, but when I am flexible on price, there is always a reason given and there is always something either given up from the contract or an added perk given in return. I recommend the same.

3. Ask for the sale.  In my book More Shows! More Money! I tell a story about another car buying experience. It's reprinted here:

Ask for the Sale

Recently I was in the market for a new vehicle. I saw an SUV I really liked, the new Nissan Xterra. I checked out the vehicle on the Internet and discovered it was very reasonably priced and well within my budget. I went to my local dealer (actually to all three local Nissan dealers) and expressed an interest in the truck. Then I test drove one. And even though it was obvious I was interested in the vehicle and gave every signal I was ready to make the deal, the so-called salesmen never asked me to buy it. Zig Ziglar calls these people “Professional Visitors”, as they cannot, in good conscience, be called salesmen.

On a whim I stopped at the local Isuzu dealer to look at what they had. I noticed they had just dropped the price of the new Troopers by $5000 which made a vehicle I liked a lot more than the Xterra very close in price. I hadn't looked at them closely before because I didn't want to spend that much on a vehicle. This time the salesman recognized I was a serious shopper and helped me fall in love with the Trooper, took me inside and asked – “Do you want to fill out the papers and see if we can get it financed for you?” Why yes, I do, thanks for asking. He sold me a new SUV because he asked me to buy it, a mistake that the previous three tour guides (Oops, I mean incompetent salesmen) had not bothered to do. Had even one of these previous people asked me to buy an Xterra I'd be driving it today instead of the Trooper.

The point don't forget to ask for the sale, if you don't ask, someone else will and you’ll be wondering how they got so lucky.

END EXCERPT

I hope this makes sense and I hope it helps.

'Til next time... C.J.



I'm thankful that I have a "job" that I love so much that I can't wait to get out to the office and do some work on it. The quote "make a living doing what you love to do and you'll never have to "work" a day in your life" is so true. Seldom does what I do feel like work.

I'm thankful to have an awesome wife, 3 incredible children, amazing and talented friends, and a business that is having its best year ever, even when others are having hard times. I think it all comes back to being passionate about what I do for a living - it makes everything else easy.

If wealth is measured in friendships then I am the richest man alive. Thank you to all of my dear friends for your love and friendship. I know you're always there for me, and you know that I'm always here for you. And those are NOT just empty words as we've proven so many times.

Enjoy your Turkey and I've just got to add (as this is the only day I even remotely care about football) Gig 'Em Aggies! Beat the hell outta t.u.!

Today's listening nugget was from Marvin Roy. He just passed over this comment quickly, but it stuck with me; I'm paraphrasing him but he said "It doesn't matter how good you are in front of an audience if you're not good in front of the BUYER first. If you're not good in front of the buyer you'll never get in front of the audience.

Brilliant. Read that phrase over and over again and let it sink in.

BUT... this is very limited just to see how the coupons work and to make sure the new website works - so, this expires Thursday Night, 11/19/2009. AND, it's only good for the first five people, so there's no time to fool around - get your orders placed NOW! When it's over, it's over.

C.J.