Just wanted to share something that happened to me tonight, how the situation was handled, and my thoughts on the issue:

I received a call yesterday from a lady inquiring about a birthday show for her 7 year old daughter. We spoke for about 20 minutes about my show, fees, and then small talk about the circus in town, social theory, etc...The lady ended the conversation by saying "I've got the name of another local magician (who happens to be an aquantence), and I'm going to call him and get a price, and see how I feel about him...I'll be sure to call and let you know my decision either way."

We Hung up.

Tonight, I received the call back from the lady who said "Okay, I called the other magician, and I really enjoyed talking to you a whole lot more, and after reviewing your website, I'd like to go with you, but he cut his price back to $50 less than yours for my husband...and since I liked you more, I decided to give you the opportunity to do the show for the same price that he quoted"

ok...this is RUDE on more levels than one.

1st- It's perfectly fine for a client to "shop around" for the entertainer she/he believes will be the best for her/his event...but it is RUDE to play price haggle games. It really irked me when she said she'd give me the "opportunity" to do the show for the same price he quoted. I have enough shows and calls to keep income flowing and shows moving...I don't need her pathetic "Opportunity"

2nd- It's rude for a fellow entertainer to undercut somebody else's price in desperation to make a quick buck and gain a show.

I simply followed up with "Well ma'am, I appreciate your conversation and inquiry, but I simply can't cut my price. I've been performing for years, I have a well developed and excellent quality show, and I don't feel that I should have to cut my price in order to gain this booking and your business. I hope the other guy does a great show for your event, and I wish your daughter a very happy birthday! Please feel free to call me if you need anything further."

Now, my message to you up an coming folks...DON'T cut prices of performers in your area in desperation to gain a show and a quick buck...it only causes hard feelings and burns bridges with people that can help you through referral and substitutions.

If anyone finds themselves in this situation, please don't get mad and piss off the person...be professional and kind in your response. Always make yourself esteem'd and don't haggle with tightwads! If you cut your price back, you are bowing down to the demands of the client and undercutting your own self. It is your duty to come across as professional as possible so that when they hang up that phone...they at least think to themselves "WOW...he was very confident about his show...maybe it would be best to go with him". It all boils down to "Quality vs Quantity" folks. Sure. they can always get somebody else for cheaper, but they're going to be missing out on something much better...all for a lousy $50...A professional shouldn't have to cut their prices in order to satisfy a potential client as long as they have something great to offer. "Don't negotiate with Terrorists"!!!

I saw this sign hanging in a local Sushi restaurant we like to visit:

Don't worry about the competition having lower prices. They know best what their product is worth.

Michael Ammar used to sell a booklet called "Negotiating Higher Performance Fees." I don't see that available anymore as a book, but he has a downloadable .MP3 available at:

http://store.ammarmagic.com/nehipefe.html

Well Put! And it's a true statement as well!

We've had people ask us that with our Catering... we usually reply with something similar to yours.

Kyle, I am really proud of you for taking the high road and behaving in a professional manner. I believe it is one of the reasons you have built up a client base at such an early age. You should be really proud of yourself too! Keep up the great work!

~ Kristen

P.S. I meant to tell you on the other post to be sure to take time for yourself too. Sounds like you've got 10 lbs of "stuff" in a 5 lb. bag between work and school. Be sure to take care of yourself so you don't burn out. Sending you all the best!

Nicely done, Kyle! So often many performer's first instinct is to fire back at a potential client, thus burning bridges. While the other guy might do a good job,(and I hope for the sake of the birthday child that he does) it all comes down to "You get what you pay for!" Because you handled the situation as a pro, that woman will remember you......especially if the other performer falls short, for her daughter's birthday next year.

When all else fails, kill 'em with kindness!

This has happened on more than one occasion to me. I am not the highest paid in the area but I am higher than at least 80%. Most people that I talk to see the value in what I do.There has still been at least 5 in the last year that have told me how much lower someone else is and try to get the show for cheaper.

I actually have you beat though. Someone called and booked my show because the performer they originally wanted was not available for some reason. So I go through my usually process which actually costs a fair bit of money in postage etc. On the Friday before the show I get a call and the parent tells me the party is cancelled due to the child being sick. All well and good, I wasn't requesting deposits at that time.

However since I was in the area because of an earlier party and now that I was free I drove by the house. Not only did I see a bunch of children going into the home but I also saw that same performer. This performer was aware that I had booked the show as I thanked him so he must have called saying that he was available now.

Needless to say I was more than tweaked off. For reasons such as this and others I no longer send anyone else any work unless it is a type of venue I do not perform at or an age that is very unlikely to come back to me next year.
You do have to be careful who you associate with because you may get burnt.

You do now, right?

that was the straw that broke the camels back in reference to deposits. I still don't require them if they're within 2 or 3 weeks (depending on how i feel). Anything further away than that I do require one. Its not a huge amount but it does provide some income in case of cancellation.

Okay guys...here's the UPDATE!

The lady called me back today and said that after thinking it all over, she had better vibes after talking to me and she's just going to go ahead and use me instead of the other guy...she BOOKED the show for the original quoted price! I win!

Everything worked out in the end!

Kristen, I try and take some time for myself when I can! It's about time to start choosing priorities and cutting other things!

I'm not surprised--- congratulations on the gig and for holding your ground while maintaining a good businessman attitude. I'm also really happy that you are finding some time for yourself so you can stay grounded.

Hope to hear more good news from you soon!

~ Kristen

The lady probably didn't mean to be rude, simply a misunderstanding on her part about our business. But at the same time, your response, Kyle, was most appropriate and it probably led you to getting the show booked after all.