Yesterday, I had a call from someone asking me to perform at an event this weekend.
Why was the call so last minute? It was because another magician had just let her down.
I get calls like this every couple of months.
Usually, I am already booked but can help by finding someone who is still available from my network of trusted magicians.
Occasionally, I am still available myself.
What’s consistent, is that I’m always more expensive than the guy they had hired originally.
“But the other magician was only going to charge £250”.
I remain polite and resist the urge to say,
“That’s because you were paying for the sort of magician who would leave you in the lurch at the last minute!”.
When you pay a full-time professional, whether that’s a magician, a builder or a web designer, you will be that professional’s priority. Their livelihood depends on the quality of the service that they provide for you. They know that their reputation is in your hands.
If you hire a semi-professional, or an amateur, you come fairly low on their list of priorities. They may know some good magic tricks and have the best intentions, but if their day job has a last-minute emergency, or one of their friends has a party or the cat dies, you could be left in the lurch.
Don’t get me wrong, I know ‘things happen’. And although I’ve never had to pull out of an event at the last minute myself, I perform at so many events that it’s bound to happen at some point.
BUT…
If it happens to me, I will be the one finding a replacement magician for the client who is being let down! I’d consider it my job to solve the problem for the client, not give them a headache.
You’ll have no last minute panic when you hire a professional.
