Hiya Gang!
Well, this isn't one of my usual essays, but it might help those that have picked up a deck of Sentinels.
I have never really been a fan (get it? fan? cards, you know, fan, ahem. never mind) of custom decks. I'm not knocking people who love them- they've just never been for me. But I've done close to 25 gigs with them now (not to mention Magic Fridays and day to day use) and I can now say that they're the only cards I use. Why?
Well, they're cool. It's kind of hard to explain so let me just give you my pitch for when I bring them out...
"Word! You guys love card tricks, yeah? Who doesn't! Here...let me show you some things that will change your life forever. Prepare for mind blowage. Okay seriously, check these out. I just picked these cards up in New York City. They're called Sentinels and they're the most expensive cards in the world. You know why? Strangely enough, it's because they're black. And black cards are hard to find. That and the fact that these were designed by that design firm Hatch. I'm sure you've heard of it. Okay, enough name dropping. Do me a favour and shuffle them- BUT BE CAREFUL! For Pete's sake, they cost a fortune and I only bring them out for people I like..."
Analyzing patter:
"New York City" ~ This is always cool for someone in Canada. It also says that I've just been there and, as a result must be a high roller.
"most expensive cards in the world" ~ Further helping my high roller status.
"black cards are hard to find" ~ I must know secret places to buy cards that regular people can't. Exclusivity=cool.
"designed by Hatch" ~ blatant name dropping that I address with a laugh. Effective though as as it's an easy name to remember and can be Googleable.
"I only bring them out for people I like" ~ Flattery will get you everywhere.
Now what makes these work, believe it or not, is the box. If you have a deck you already know what I mean. It's because of the texture. Without fail, every time I hand the box to someone (I let them remove the cards) they all raise their eyebrows a smudge, because of the boxes feel. no kidding. It actually feels like they cost more. Once they're out of the box, you're golden as well, because the faces aren't some crazy color. They just look just slightly different enough to give the impression of exclusivity.
So there you go. Just a fun bit of fascinating reading by your truly, lol. Okay, well that probably gives you more insight into how much I analyze every single minute detail of my life, lol, but you need to trust me on this. They're awesome.
That's it!
All my best,
Jamie D. Grant
www.Professional-Magician.com
Further Reading~The Essays:
Rates FAQ 2.0 (how much to charge) by Jamie D. Grant Essay #1
The single most important thing you can do... Essay #2
How many tricks should you learn? Essay #3
Tips or Wage? ~more thoughts from JDG /Essay #4
How to design a business card~ Essay #5 by JDG
Who I am~ Magic Friday ~ by Jamie D. Grant
Developing Your Sets - Essay #6 from JDG
Do you need a stage show? Essay #7 by JDG
Crushing the Haters! Essay #8 by Jamie D. Grant
Well, this isn't one of my usual essays, but it might help those that have picked up a deck of Sentinels.
I have never really been a fan (get it? fan? cards, you know, fan, ahem. never mind) of custom decks. I'm not knocking people who love them- they've just never been for me. But I've done close to 25 gigs with them now (not to mention Magic Fridays and day to day use) and I can now say that they're the only cards I use. Why?
Well, they're cool. It's kind of hard to explain so let me just give you my pitch for when I bring them out...
"Word! You guys love card tricks, yeah? Who doesn't! Here...let me show you some things that will change your life forever. Prepare for mind blowage. Okay seriously, check these out. I just picked these cards up in New York City. They're called Sentinels and they're the most expensive cards in the world. You know why? Strangely enough, it's because they're black. And black cards are hard to find. That and the fact that these were designed by that design firm Hatch. I'm sure you've heard of it. Okay, enough name dropping. Do me a favour and shuffle them- BUT BE CAREFUL! For Pete's sake, they cost a fortune and I only bring them out for people I like..."
Analyzing patter:
"New York City" ~ This is always cool for someone in Canada. It also says that I've just been there and, as a result must be a high roller.
"most expensive cards in the world" ~ Further helping my high roller status.
"black cards are hard to find" ~ I must know secret places to buy cards that regular people can't. Exclusivity=cool.
"designed by Hatch" ~ blatant name dropping that I address with a laugh. Effective though as as it's an easy name to remember and can be Googleable.
"I only bring them out for people I like" ~ Flattery will get you everywhere.
Now what makes these work, believe it or not, is the box. If you have a deck you already know what I mean. It's because of the texture. Without fail, every time I hand the box to someone (I let them remove the cards) they all raise their eyebrows a smudge, because of the boxes feel. no kidding. It actually feels like they cost more. Once they're out of the box, you're golden as well, because the faces aren't some crazy color. They just look just slightly different enough to give the impression of exclusivity.
So there you go. Just a fun bit of fascinating reading by your truly, lol. Okay, well that probably gives you more insight into how much I analyze every single minute detail of my life, lol, but you need to trust me on this. They're awesome.
That's it!
All my best,
Jamie D. Grant
www.Professional-Magician.com
Further Reading~The Essays:
Rates FAQ 2.0 (how much to charge) by Jamie D. Grant Essay #1
The single most important thing you can do... Essay #2
How many tricks should you learn? Essay #3
Tips or Wage? ~more thoughts from JDG /Essay #4
How to design a business card~ Essay #5 by JDG
Who I am~ Magic Friday ~ by Jamie D. Grant
Developing Your Sets - Essay #6 from JDG
Do you need a stage show? Essay #7 by JDG
Crushing the Haters! Essay #8 by Jamie D. Grant
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