A
word from Clayton
CAUTION! THERE ARE MANY
BAD MAGICIANS OUT THERE!
"There's only one thing worse than watching
a bad magician ... and that is being the person that hired him.
Don't take a chance, hire a
professional. Call Clayton and Company,
(410) 440-5200. Performing
professionally for more than 35 years."
I hate to see people get "tricked" into hiring a lousy magician. I
don't mean to say that I'm the only decent magician performing home based in
Maryland, so don't misunderstand me. But there are some performers who should
not be hiring out for money and there are others who will just try to take you
for as much money as they can. In other words, their prices are not
justified by what they deliver.
But there are some warning signs to watch out for:
• "I'm a personal friend of David Copperfield..." or "I do the
opening act for David Copperfield..."
- If a magician says that to you, Watch out! The magician is
trying to establish his reputation based on someone else's skills. Friends with
David Copperfield (or some other famous magician)? So what? That doesn't make
them any more skilled at performing. It shows that they feel they need to boost
their status because they can't do it on their own merits, perhaps...
• "I'm in the magic society hall of
fame!"
- This is a
meaningless claim since anyone can get in the "Hall of Fame" by
paying $1000. It is just a listing of contributors, and has nothing to do with
magical skills.
• "I used to perform in Vegas..."
- If someone is trying to indicate that
they have a "Vegas Quality" act, but they're willing to do a show for
$100, then this should be a warning sign. This is also an attempt to establish
credibility without demonstrating any skill.
• If the performer starts making any type of
grandiose claims, this is a warning that he may be trying to SELL THROUGH
EXAGGERATION.
• If the performer lowers his prices by 80%
while on the phone with you or if the magician's price is really high and then
he continues to lower it while talking to you, that means that he would have
charged you the higher price if you'd agreed. What does this say about the
VALUE of this act. There must be a justification for offering
"significantly reduced" rates.
How can you verify that you're getting a
good act?
Ask around. Ask for and check
references. This is the most important. Call some people to check a magician's
reputation. A good magician will have numerous references posted on the
website. You can check mine here... I'm continually
adding new references.
Are you shopping entirely based on price?
You can always find a cheaper performer if
you look hard enough. But don't. All magicians are not the same. There is a
reason that prices are different. If you have an event that HAPPENS ONCE A
YEAR, IS IT WORTH THE RISK in order to save a hundred bucks? That averages out
to only $8 a month.
Story: I heard from someone who had to sit through a lousy magic show at an
event. "It was almost embarrassing to even watch it." he said. So,
don't put your CUSTOMERS or EMPLOYEES through that. And don't put your good
name on the line by hiring a bad performer.
If you have any questions about
anything in this report, please call: Clayton and Company OR email: Clayton