Getting Quotes and Sending Thank You Cards

[RickEverhart]

These Tips were Found in the May / June Voice magazine. For those of you not familiar with the Voice, it is the publication of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. Do not turn this into a religion bash thread. I'm simply passing on advice from a great article.

Article: Promoting Business By: Joey & Alexandra Evans

Getting Quotes
"Quotes sell your show. You can say whatever you want about your show, but when people hear their peers talking about it, it just means more."

People know that word of mouth advertising is the best way to go, but quotes are the next best things.
Don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for them.

One idea is to give the client a sheet that has some questions and is in a self addressed stamped envelope that they can just drop in the mail back to us.

You can also request a quote via email (which is what I do because it is easy for people just to type up a few kind words and fire back from their smart phone)

You can get video testimonial on your HD smart phone rather than carry a camcorder. Joey also mentions that he doesn't like the video approach as it feels a bit out of place to pull someone aside and get the video quote . Also he states that it is much more difficult for people to find the time to watch a video of quotes rather than read them. You can sparkle them in your promotional video as well.

At any rate...GET THESE QUOTES POSTED ON YOUR WEBSITE and PROMOTIONAL FLIERS.

Thank You Cards

Thank you cards are a vital part of any entertainer's business. Not only do they thank the person for having you, but keep you on their mind.

You can have postcards made with your picture on the front and blank on the back. Fill these out after the show and drop them in them in the mail. You can get thousands of these fairly cheaply.

Another way is through companies like www.Sendoutcards.com which allows you to really customize what your Thank you cards.

There is also an app called PostcardStar

It is a good idea to somehow use a picture from the show whether it was the CEO or the birthday child up helping with an effect. You an also make the post card even more personal by writing something from the show like, "John's reaction to the prediction was priceless" or something unique that happened in the show. This helps create a bond with the client and shows that their event was not just another show.

Sending out Thank You cards mean more to the people than you can imagine.


I hope this info helps some of you out as I know it was a fantastic article and I am definitely going to be looking into utilizing the Thank You Cards or an App that allows me to customize them.

 

[Jacob L]

Great advice! I'll definitely look into this. I don't have the personal address of the client from Saturday's show, but in the future this is definitely an option. Thanks!

 

[RickEverhart]

You should always have the personal address of your client. It should be on your contract agreement with them that they sign. If you aren't using contract agreements you should be. It locks them into paying you the booking fee, gives them a sense of you are a professional and is a great way for you to keep records for repeat bookings. I can send you a sample of mine later today.

 

[Jacob L]

I should definitely start doing that then. Sending me that would be great, thanks!

 

[RickEverhart]

Nobody else sends thank you cards? Or do we not have many performers here? I'm just curious because I thought this was a useful thread and not many people chimed in.

 

[zdogmagic]

Nobody else sends thank you cards? Or do we not have many performers here? I'm just curious because I thought this was a useful thread and not many people chimed in.

I actually never thought about doing thank you cards. Rick, it's an AMAZING idea and is definitely a nice thing to do. From now on after my performances i will send a thank you note to the party host for having me. What do you suggest saying?

-Zach

 

[Luis Vega]

I have never sent thak you cards...but on christmas I send custom decks from E or T11 to my more frecuent clients.... does that count?

 

[themontemaster]

awesome advice! it's something I would have never thought of doing.

 

[RickEverhart]

Luis, that is kind of a cool idea as well. Thanks for sharing.

As far as what to put on the thank you card, I would say any of the following would be great:

Thank them for hiring you
Tell them how much fun you had at their event
Give any specific details of a great reaction to one of your effects
Tell them to keep you in mind for future bookings
You could offer them some type of discount on their next gig that they hire you for

I'm sure you guys and gals could add to my list. The point is to make them see that you appreciated them spending their money on you and that you are thankful. It helps build a good working relationship and you better believe they will spread the positive word around town about you.

 

[Justin.Morris]

Nobody else sends thank you cards? Or do we not have many performers here? I'm just curious because I thought this was a useful thread and not many people chimed in.

Sorry Rick, I spend all my days at the hospital now. But I wanted to quickly say that is great advice, and admittedly an area that I need to start doing. When I made my website, I put in fake (humorous) quotes with the intension to replace them for real quotes as I got them. Clients comment often about them, so I’ve never done that. Although just recently I added a form (using WuFoo) to my website. I can send the link in my follow up emails to request quotes (to see it, go to the contact portion of my site). I do send thank you emails to follow up, but nothing beats a hand written card. Great advice!