Referrals

Referrals
By Jeff Stone

This one, folks, is going to pretty much be a list of ideas when all is said and done. However, let me start with a reminder of this principle: Word of Mouth is THE best form of advertising. Think of it this way: what is the purpose of every single commercial, ad, billboard, etc? To get you to think of the company or product, right?

True. But that’s only part of it. First they want you to think of them so you’ll buy, but they also want you to think of them so that you’ll recommend them.

Friend: “Hey, I’m thinking of redoing my bathroom. Do you know a company you could recommend?”

Jeff: “I heard an ad for a company called ‘Three Day Kitchen and Bath.’ They claim to be the best price and only take three days.”

In that scenario, the customer (my friend) was led to the company by word of mouth, not by the ad. The ad I heard led me to use word of mouth. Suddenly, this Three Day Kitchen and Bath place is now much more credible because someone my friend knows (me) told her about it.

Next, consider this: Most people do not know the true potential of hiring a professional entertainer/magician at their function/party. However, anyone who has hired you does know that potential. Remember, this is the No Stone Left Unturned column. It’s about marketing yourself. It makes the assumption that you are good, and that you are worthy of being hired.

If you’re not quite there yet, that’s cool. We all started somewhere. However, if you’re not there, then you should be reading Roots and Branches first. That’s where you learn to improve your show and your skillset.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. There are many ways to get referrals, but it really comes down to two main categories:

  1. You’re so good that whenever people who have hired you hear about a party, they mention you.
  2. You ask for them.

Guess which one I rely on. Number 2, of course. Who does number 2 work for!!!!!! Sorry… I was having a flash back to when I was an “International Man of Mystery.”

I ask for referrals. Period. So how do you ask, and how do you inspire your clients to give? What’s in it for me? That is the question that people will want answered, so answer it before they ask it. Here’s that list of ideas I mentioned at the beginning of this article:

That’s it. That’s the list. The card’s not enough. You must inspire them to use the card(s). They must get something in return. So what is it? Well it depends on the client.

If you have a client who plans a lot of parties, you may treat them differently from the Mom who hired you to perform at her Daughter’s wedding reception. Let’s take a look:

Party Planner:
The best deal for a party planner might be to give her a discount for on your fee for every show you get based on her referral. For example, let’s say that your corporate fee is $1000. Here are some options:

  • For every 5 shows you get from her referral, you’ll do a free show for her.
  • For every show you get from her referral, you knock $50 bucks off the price of her next show (10 referrals resulting in a show means $500 bucks off for her).
  • Pay her a commission on the gig or a finder’s fee ($100 bucks cash to her if she gets you a gig).

These, again, are ideas better suited for a client who hires a lot of entertainers or plans a lot of parties. By the way, whether she gives you any referrals or not, it’s not a bad idea to give her a discount for future bookings. Maybe you offer 10% off for rebooks. However, if she sends a referral your way that results in a gig, you can offer her 20% off for her next show rather than 10%.

Non Party Planners:
Hey do you perform at weddings? Man I get asked that question a lot. Someone who hires you to perform for a family function, certainly has the potential of rehiring you for another family function. However, you’re more likely to get other business than repeat business in this scenario.

So when the bride’s mom convinces her friend to hire you for some event, pay mom some cash.

Non-Customers:
Ok, so I lied. There should be 2 items on the list above. One was to put referral cards/notes in the thank you notes. The second item on the list is to give referral cards to non-clients who might might be in contact with some of your potential clients. For example, in my case, a wedding planner, or a bride store. What about your local party store?

For the wedding planner or bride store, let the manager or owner know that you perform at wedding receptions, and that any gigs you get from his/her referral you’ll give him/her a $100 finder’s fee. The nice thing about this is that you can be very picky and specific.

In other words, you can let the wedding planner know what types of environments and situations are conducive to your type of entertainment. If you do strolling magic and there’s going to be a live band the whole time, it might not be a good fit. You can let the wedding planner know all these details. S/he’ll know what type of wedding it is. If it feeds your needs, then s/he calls you… otherwise, s/he doesn’t.

The exact same situation works for party stores. Try this: Go to your local party store (Zurchers, etc). Ask the people there who answer the phone how many times a week they get phone calls asking if they have magicians for hire. You’ll be quite surprised. Mostly, from this venue you’ll be getting kid shows, but if that’s your thang, then you’re set.

What about places that do kid shows for a living? Like Chuck E. Cheese. For the unfamiliar, Chuck E. Cheese is a pizza parlor with an arcade, kids games, live mechanical (scary) puppets, and mascots, etc. They have a birthday party package. You pay $100 bucks (or whatever) and you get X number of pizzas, X number of video game tokens for each kid at the party, and Chuck E. Cheese (The Rat Mascot) sings happy birthday to the birthday boy or girl.

So try this: contact the manager and work out an arrangement. When the manager talks to the parents on the phone, the various packages are explained to the parents: For 2 pizzas and 100 tokens, it’s X dollars. For 3 pizzas, it’s this much, etc… and for the magician it’s another $100 dollars.

For the smaller fees that you get in that scenario, it might be hard to give the manager a finder’s fee. However, you can work out deals. Do an occassional strolling gig at the restaurant for free. Do an employee party for a huge discount or even free, etc… use your imagination folks.

Again, these are just basic simple ideas, and you won’t get rich off of any one particular one, but if you have enough of these in place, the combination equals a steady stream of referrals. One other thing to keep in mind: for the businesses like Zurcher’s or the wedding stores, in addition to a finder’s fee, you can give them permission to offer a discount for hiring you through them.

Customer: “Hello, Zurcher’s? Do you guys have magicians who perform children’s birthday parties?”

Zurcher’s: “Actually we work on a contract basis with Jeff Stone, a local magician. He’s fee is $200 for a 40 minute show, plus $50 additional for balloon animals. However, if you book him through us, his fee is only $150 rather than $200.”

In that scenario, you can either offer a small finder’s fee or do the same thing as Chuck E. Cheese and do some trade work. Or… Every fifth show Zurcher’s gets you, you give them the fee. So basically you do every fifth show for free. This motivates them to get you multiple bookings.

Also consider giving the employee with the most bookings a special gift. Read December 2008’s No Stone Left Unturned for ideas on what to give. In these situations, the store is incentivized to book you; the employee is incentivized to book you, and the customer is incentivized to book you. Of course from these bookings, you get further referrals.

Final Thoughts:
When giving a referral card to someone in a thank you note, make sure you let that person know what types of venues your work. In the thank you letter, be specific about the event that you did. Thank them for letting them share that event with you, etc. Then mention that you have a referral program. Then explain what they get for rehiring you or for giving you a referral that results in a gig.

Then finally, mention that you perform at this venue, and that venue, etc. They may have never thought of hiring (or referring) you for a family reunion or someone’s 50th anniversary, etc. Take a minute and think of all the places you might do a show. Also, if your client hired you for a strolling gig, make sure you mention that you have a 40 minute stand up act too (assuming you do).

So, take these ideas and put them to use. Don’t limit yourself to the examples I’ve given. Also keep in mind that most of the dollar amounts, percentages, fees, etc, where just example numbers. Use what works for you and your situation.

Good luck… Until next month…

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