Negotiating Your Fee

How much do you charge? That’s a loaded question, is it not? I’m sure you’ve been asked that question dozens, even hundreds of times. In the past, we’ve talked about how to charge and how much:

When it comes to price, there are many things to consider. One is how to handle someone who can’t afford the fee that you quote. You’ve got to make sure that you don’t get frazzled when someone says no to your fee. Might I suggest re-reading these two articles:


Negotiating Your FeeThese will help you keep your cool under pressure. Next, make sure that you have the ability to lower the price without looking like you’re desperate. There are several ideas that you can do to take care of this. One way is to just have two different shows, one for X fee, and another for a lesser fee.

Other techniques depend on the type of show you’re doing. Let’s go with a stand up show first. My experience has been that when doing a stand up show, if there will be a mixer/mingler event before the show, doing some close up strolling magic first is always a great way to build rapport before the show. However, if someone can’t afford your fee, then you can cut this from the show.

Client on the phone: How much do you charge?

Mr. Wizard: $1200

Client: (phone drops) – Um . . . we can’t afford that.

Mr. Wizard: What kind of budget do you have?

Client: $900 tops

Mr. Wizard: Well, my fee of $1200 included 1 hour of strolling magic before the show. If I eliminate that, I could bring the price down to within your budget

If the gig was strictly a strolling gig, then you can adjust the hours for the gig to reduce the cost. If there’s travel involved, you may be able to get them to commit to covering your hotel or some of your food costs. This is especially true if your gig is for a hotel or restaurant. You may be able to negotiate part of your fee to be free service from the business you’re performing for.

For example, I have a friend who never has to pay for his chiropractor or dentist because he performed for their company Christmas party. He got a small fee plus, X number of visits to the doctor.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Just make sure you have a good show! That, of course, is the subject of each month’s Roots and Branches Article.

Until Next Month . . .