How does one make tips

[D@n]

Hi guys, I'm sure there are plenty of topics on this already, in fact I'm pretty sure Benji made a video on this recently but I couldn't find it. After the third day in a row of making less than minimum wage in tips, I'm a little disheartened. What patter or tricks do you incorporate into your routine to get the idea of tips on the spectators minds? If you feel this post is redundant, could you please refer me to a previous thread on this topic?
Thanks,
Dan

 

[RickEverhart]

Well here are a few ideas that tend to work but I cannot guarantee you anything.

1.) Use Benji's advice on having a waiter bring money over to you as you are performing for a different table and have the waiter say, Benji...table 5 wanted you to have this...blah blah blah..."
2.) Borrow a 5 or 10 dollar bill and perform with it and then joke about keeping it or insert some other tip line.
3.) Go out of your way to be overly nice and stay at the table a little longer than you normally might.
4.) Most younger audiences that are in their teens or 20's aren't going to tip you. You generally get tips from the older people who are in their 40's and 50's who "have" the money to tip you. You tend to see this if you perform for a large table and you can tell who the guy is who is probably footing the entire bill. Sometimes he will slip you a $10 or $20 however this usually only happens at higher end restaurants.
5.) Show a general interest in the people at the table and call them by their name. Ask questions about their lives, jobs, etc. You are allowed to get to know them somewhat.

I will be honest and say that in 3 years of doing close up even I haven't received many tips. Some here and there but there is no way you can survive on just tips alone.

 

[Randy]

Well where exactly are you performing? Paid work at a good restaurant or is this just for people on the streets or friends?

If it's for people at school or whatever, then it's pretty much impossible to get tips.

If it's at a gig at a restaurant then this can depend on how good you are and if they like you. I think Benji just said that if they ask if you take tips or if they can tip you, you just respond with "If you want to, you can." or "If you liked the show, You can."

 

[Jacob L]

Going off what Randy said, it depends on where you are performing. School or random street performances = forget about it. However, a paid gig at a restaurant is something different. I don't get tipped a whole lot for magic, but I also make balloon animals for the kids, and I make BANK in tips from those. I sometimes also perform Sponge bunnies for the kids, and the adults love it too, so I get tipped from that too. If I perform for a couple in their mid 20's, however, I'm not really expecting a tip, but I do have a lot of fun performing for them.
Also, higher end places will probably generate more tips because, as Rick said, those people "have" the money to tip you and pay for a meal. At a more kid generated place, most parents aren't willing to shell out 5 or 10 extra bucks plus a meal when they have several kids. I know that kind of contradicts what I said earlier about me getting good tips with balloons, but that's because balloons are something physical, and the parents usually feel like they have to pay. If they ask me how much they are, I say "they're free if you want them to be" and I usually get a tip anyway. Granted it might be only 2 or 4 bucks, but those can add up. And the occasional larger tip always helps too.

Sorry I rambled a bit haha. Anyway, I hope that helps you out!

 

[visualartist]

I walk around in the middle of the place im performing. take a look around at the people. I'll have a coin roll or card spring going in my hands. Set down my hat of by the bar/greeting table/etc where the people can clearly see it. and then i begin to show magic around to the tables and people. at the end of the night I got a gangsters roll in my hat.

 

[Simon_Magic]

It depends what you want to mean as tips. I perform at a regular gig for tips (the venue covers my expenses) and to get tips I use a really simple line: "I am a PROFESSIONAL street performer". This shows them that you are not a beggar and this is how you make a living. Of course you have to build it up with more than that, so maybe saying that you need to help pay for your travel or something like that.

Also, ask them for the money you are looking for from them. As I perform close up at this venue I ask for a fiver, but if they can afford £2-£3 to get me a coffee on the train home that'd be brilliant. Those £2-£3 add up!

It also depends on what sort of enviroment you create for your audience. My good friend Chris Cross performed as a stage act at the gig I do, and although he was being paid quite a good wage packet for it, he performed twice his time, and made the audience feel happy and good about themselves. He is also a street performer and has about a 3-4 minute speal he uses which he doesn't necessarily say give me money, he creates the correct tone to ask for it. at the end of the gig that night he said "guys I've done at least twice my time and I've made you happy. If you could put some money in my hat for petrol money, That'd make me happy. You've been a wonderful audience and I'll see you soon". He made about £50 from 5 people.

There are loads of different ways and lots of it is just learning from experience. If you ask for a tip and put your hat out, people will pay it!

Simon_Magic

 

[D@n]

Thanks guys, this was very helpful. I will definitely try to apply these to my restaurant gig and see how it works out.
Dan

 

[Benji Bruce]

Hey Dan,

When it comes to tipping, you need to get people to think about the "idea of tipping" and not just about money. This is why a lot of magicians who do money tricks don't get tipped as much as they want. They perform a trick with money and the spectator says, "you're not going to run off with it are you?" They say that because they're thinking about how they want their money back, not how to tip. So everything you do should revolve around getting them to think about the idea of tipping.

Rick said it earlier...you can use the waiters. Basically, while you're performing for a table, a waiter comes over and hands you a bill saying, "Hey table 23 gave this to you." This tells the table in front of you that you accept tips and they are more inclined to give it to you.

I was talking with Danny Archer about my book and he has a GREAT line for tips. He finishes an effect and as he is leaving, as an afterthought, he says, "Would you guys like to see one more?" They say yes and Danny says, "We had a big tipper in here last night and he said to me, Danny, show me your best trick...and this is what I showed him."

With this line, you're guiding their thoughts towards tipping you and you're saying that you're going to show them one of your best tricks (which you planned on showing them anyways).


But no matter what you do, there will be times when you leave with very little tips. That is why it is important to perform in a way that allows you to book private gigs from the restaurant. Instead of focusing on the restaurant as your means of income...focus on using the restaurant to get gigs.

 

[William Draven]

I'm surprised Benji hasn't jumped all over this thread yet. This is usually the sort of thing he's attracted to on the forums.

Edit: Never mind, he did reply. For some reason my browser just wasn't displaying it.

 

[Benji Bruce]

I'm surprised Benji hasn't jumped all over this thread yet. This is usually the sort of thing he's attracted to on the forums.

Edit: Never mind, he did reply. For some reason my browser just wasn't displaying it.

I do a lot of marketing stuff during the day so sometimes it is hard to keep up with threads

 

[Josh Burch]

I will perform my set and close with a borrowed bill trick. If I've done well when I go to give it back they let me keep it. It works wonders.