When did you last check out your image? How do people – your audience – perceive you? Image is sometimes the difference between success and  failure. Show business, products, fashion, pop, sport all thrive on it. But it’s just as important to the working magician. There is a marketing adage that says if people don’t like you, they won’t buy what you’re selling. And it’s true in magic. You have to sell yourself. You first – secrets second.

I’ve seen some outstanding sleight of hand performers who don’t always raise much emotion in their audience. But they revel in their self-created technique. It’s self-entertainment and I believe that that’s not magic is really about. David Nixon, hugely successful TV magician of years gone by freely admitted that he only knew about a dozen tricks. But his personality and the ability to sell himself made him one of the most successful magicians on TV.

So step back and take a look at yourself from an objective viewpoint. For the last few years at magic clubs I have presented my lecture K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple stupid. It’s about how to sell yourself as a person and simplify your magic in order to heighten your performance. It’s all based on my experience in advertising in winning big name accounts against some big agencies. And I did. Nikon, Olympic Airways, Garrard The Crown Jewellers and many others.

It works. Some time ago I gave a lecture at a magic club in the South of England. A magician spoke to me afterwards and said he had printed some publicity matter but that he wasn’t getting any interest at all. I won’t name him of course but he was an elderly gentleman, short, slightly balding with grey hair and his Christian name was Arthur. His appearance and name made him very 1950’s.

I tried to help him without giving offence. The colour photograph on his publicity card showed him full length  and  went some way to disguising his years but I suggested he remove from the picture all the busy, extraneous text. You know the kind of thing. Close-up, cabaret, children’s games, balloons, stilts, Polish weddings a speciality etc. etc. I then suggested he change his Christian name from Arthur to Art which is timeless and more show biz. He said he did general magic with some funny patter. And so I wrote him a byline “Art – The Amusing Amazer” Not original but an improvement on the earlier selling copy.

All the business details, descriptions, address, telephone numbers etc. were on the reverse side in a modern typeface. I then suggested that he take any booking he could get whatever the fee, even some freebies. As many as possible in his area and start building up a network. All this happened a few months ago. He rang me last week and said that he had recently got nine bookings and a stream of enquiries. And because of his constant appearances, his magic performance was improving. He had improved his image.

His age didn’t matter – he was an entertainer. Proof of that is confirmed when you see Paul Potassy, one of the greatest octogenarian magicians in the business. So take a look at yourself or get your best friend to tell you the truth. It’ll pay big dividends.

Filed under: Magic Ideas, Magic Thoughts