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![]() ![]() We want to send a big thank you to all of those who participated in last month’s contest! It is time for a contest that I have personally been looking forward to all year long. In fact, this one is so BIG we will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes to give away! How about gift certificates to the T Myers Web-store! Now . . . that puts me into the holiday spirit. Keep sending in photos of your creations to post on our MySpace page to photos@tmyers.com. This is just one more way for you to share your passion and creativity with other twisters, and even potential clients. Also, while visiting our MySpace page, be sure to check out the Blog section where all past articles by Vicky Kimble and others are posted. These articles offer a multitude of valuable information meant for not only twisters, but entertainers in general. To view these past and present pictures, contest entries, read blogs and connect to other twisters and entertainers, be sure to visit www.myspace.com/tmyersmagic. ![]() ![]() Tips and Tricks from Tom and Gus Some in our industry
will work crowds of children for tips. Depending on a
few factors, this can be both painful and profitable.
First, you have to set the expectation that the balloons are
of value, and should be received as such. Just wearing a
“Tipping-It’s
Not Just for Cows” pin (or one similar) on your
apron, isn’t going to be beneficial enough to make up for the
time you were out with your balloons. However, having a few
different “gag” pins all suggesting
“tips” will help to hammer the idea home (see our
RF pins $3.15 – $4.25). Some entertainers will put
a tip bucket on their stool, while some even throw a couple of bucks in
it to get the ball rolling. This method can even be improved
by setting up a board behind you stating “Suggested price =
$1.00 per balloon”, and using lots of $$$$ signs around your
board. This instantly lets customers know you are there to make money,
and not to just hand your artwork or creations out for free.
Finally, use the family dynamics to your favor.
Kids do not provide the tip on their own - it comes from the
adults. By talking or including the parents in your
conversation while twisting for the kids, you are going straight to the
source. To the child, you provide laughter, entertainment,
excitement, choice, and a piece of art they will treasure. To
the adult you provide a show and a chance to see their child happy for
so little a cost . . . I also
want to talk about tips and restaurants. It is my opinion
that artists should never work at restaurants or
other venues solely for tips. By working
strictly for tips, you are sending out 2 major
signals that could work against you. First off,
people will think you work for the restaurant, but for free.
I know of a lot of experiences in the restaurant industry
where an entertainer was expected to follow the dress code, take
drinks, help with a backed up kitchen and in some cases take back wrong
orders! Your job is to be a novelty that puts the restaurant a
step above their competition, by keeping the customers happy and coming
back. Your job is NOT to be a free server
who only gets tipped for doing balloon art or table magic.
There is a saying we use at our summer magic camp,
“People do not respect something that is free”.
This concept is especially true in the ballooning industry.
You either make silly animals out of balloons as a novelty,
OR you decide that you are selling your skill as a twister and an
entertainer. The second signal you give off by working only
for tips is that you HAVE to hustle your clients to
get tips, i.e. make cash. There is nothing wrong with this if
it’s in an environment where they come to be hustled, like at
Faneuil Hall, but, if customers are at a restaurant to eat, they can be
put off by an entertainer trying to get a tip out of them. The best
way to avoid these particular pitfalls is to present yourself as, what
I like to call, “an entrepreneurial
entertainer”. Go to the restaurant with a portfolio
highlighting a variety of creations you make for this type of
work; tell the manager that for X number of dollars
you can increase there Tuesday night traffic sizably; and, you would
like a 6 week trial period which can be renegotiated after that time.
This tells the General Manager, or whom ever you are
interviewing with, that you will do everything you can as an
entertainer to help them increase their business. This would
also keep them from sidetracking you for other in-house jobs, as it
would hinder you from helping them accomplish their goals. Secondly, it
will give them a definitive time to decide if they feel your service is
working out or not. Nine out of ten times, the reason an
entertainer is asked to do servers and wait staffer jobs is the
restaurant wants to get the most for their money out of you.
You can prevent this by simply defining your role, from the
very beginning, as an entertainment and a draw for their business.
Lastly, by having a set salary, you no longer have to mark
each customer for a tip. In many ways, big tips usually come
when clients can tell you are there to entertain them - not just to get
money out of them. I am
very aware there are exceptions to every rule and, many people are able
to make a great living by going against conventional wisdom.
These are just tactics that have worked for me and
others in the past, as well as situations I have seen others get
themselves into. If you have any comments or tips you would
like to suggest, PLEASE email them to me at Gus@Tmyers.com. I will be
glad to add them to our Blog on www.myspace.com/tmyersmagic.com.I wish you all a safe, productive and Happy Holiday Season. As always ~ Happy Twisting. Gus Davis T Myers Magic By emailing your photo to photos@tmyers.com, you are agreeing that T Myers Magic Inc. has permission to post your picture(s) on their websites listed above. T Myers Magic Inc. will not use these photos for any other purpose without the written consent of the contestant(s). International customers are encouraged to participate, but they will be responsibility for all shipping costs on prizes awarded to them. ![]() |
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| All images and text copywrite 2007 T. Myers Magic Inc. Use of images and or text prohibited without permission. |
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