Dan & Dave Buck Trilogy Review and Preparing for Q1/09 Marketing
Good morning readers. Steve Schneiderman here with a
quick review and some more end-of-year recommendations to
help position you for greater success in 2009.
First, the review. OK, I admit it. I used to think I was
pretty good at flourishes and manipulation. I remember when
I was 16 seeing Jeff McBride billed at a Larry Weeks
convention in New York as "Manipulationist Supreme". OK, I
give Larry Weeks credit for coming up with new ways to bill
performers.
But in those days I could do a coin roll-out with silver
dollars with relative ease, coin rolls in both hands like
Gosh, split fans, card springs, spinning and shooting cards,
pressure fans, arm spreads and catches, billiard ball rolls. I was
pretty good. Maybe no Manipulationist Supreme like Jeff,
but I was pretty good for my age.
Like Dan and Dave Buck, I practiced magic incessantly. I
had no life except for magic. Not necessarily a good thing.
I hope Dan and Dave have a life and occasionally are not so
serious and do goofy things like sneak up on each other and
give each other wedgies. Somehow I doubt it though. These
guys never ever smile.
But magic has changed. We no longer speak of manipulation
and flourishes. Now is is XCM: Extreme Card Magic with a
million swivel cuts, kick cuts, spins, flips and other
extreme combinations. It is referred to as "cardistry" which
is actually a pretty cool term but you can't call yourself
a cardist, can you?
Dan and Dave sent me their first lecture notes and a very
rough VHS tape back when they were around 15 or so. I
thought they were very creative and did some amazing and
new things. I also thought they were very strange young
men. They ran through their series of moves with very
little thought on performance. They were like zombies
running through moves without thought -- like robots
pre-programmed to run through complex series of moves over
and over again. They spoke monotone. Their direction was
poor and almost impossible to learn from. Every sentence was
punctuated with the words "like" and "cool". Like cool, OK?
Now Dan and Dave have grown up and not long ago they
released a trilogy of DVDs that includes flourishes and
tricks and over 20 basic moves. Having watched their demo
reel on Theory 11 one too many times I decided to go for
it -- an early Christmas gift to myself. I also purchased a
deck of their cards.
I have to say I really like their deck design. The backs
come in either black or white with a design based around
their DD monogram. The Ace of Spades and the Jokers have
unique designs and the court cards are simplified in design
with less details and brighter colors, making them more
easily seen from a distance. I found the card stock softer
and fanned better even fresh out of the box. They went to
some expense here and they are not cheap. Like Theory 11's
Guardian cards, they come packaged with a double backer
which is a nice added touch. I am also becoming a fan of
black backed card designs. Don't know why there haven't
been more of these.
As for the DVDs, I have only watched the performances on
the Flourishes DVD so far. There are at least two moves
that I like and want to learn to add to my repertoire. Much
of the other flourishes are comprised of an insane number of
fast running swivel cuts in the hands. I'm sorry, this does
not look like magic to me or even juggling. I don't even
find it entertaining. I like Daniel Madison's stuff better
from the XCM2 DVD. At least he breaks up the cuts with some
throws and other movements.
I'm anxious to get through the other DVDs, and I'll fill
you in as I watch them. Thus far, I would say the
production value is high, but if you are looking for
detailed explanations -- forget it. I am assuming that Dan and
Dave still don't talk much. These DVDs use slow motion, stop
motion and animation with textual subtitles to break down
and explain moves. I'm not sure the vast majority of people
out there can learn this way without some form of verbal
explanation and interview like the L&L DVDs.
I have additional concerns because other than seeing D&D
perform this crap on the side of the road or in the dessert
(in a break dancing - can you top this style), they don't
offer any tips on performance at all. Like when and where
is the best way to integrate this type of cardistry into
your own routines? In walk-around? On stage? On the street?
I'd like to know what to do with my new skills once I hone
them. Without a reason, this becomes a form of masturbation
with cards.
I remember Johnny Hart catching my attention on the Tonight
Show when I was 15 with his ability to spin cards from one
hand into a hat held in the other hand. I learn this technique
from Jackie Flosso. I mastered it and added it to
my act. Later, I taught Jeff McBride and he added it to his
act in a bigger way. His card spinning is a major highlight
of his act. It works for him and he knows how to sell it.
But where does this XCM D&D stuff come into play? I'm not
sure. Jeff may be the only one who can sell it.
--------------
OK, so January 2009 is around the corner and you need to be
preparing for the next quarter. Competition is going to get
tough as people get tighter with their funds. There will be
less cash to spend on parties and events. People will become
very selective of who they hire for entertainment. How can
you survive?
The most important thing you can do is to work on improving
your relationship with prospects and customers. The majority
of people out there who you will be competing against do a
crappy job of this. They do not understand the value of
building and deepening relationships. You do the opposite.
Reach and touch people repeatedly -- at least monthly -- if
not bi-weekly. Let them know what you are doing, where you
are appearing, what's changed in in your act, new
testimonials (critical), new photos and videos of you in
action, funny stories, party and event planning tips, etc.
Now the best way to do this is to use software or services
to send personalized emails to your entire list on a
scheduled interval. Lots of tools to choose from here.
For those who prefer to do it themselves, check out
GroupMail:
http://www.emailmarketingassistance.com/groupmail.htm
For those who prefer greater automation and scheduling,
check out Get Response:
http://www.getresponse.com/index/35884
Once you have the system in place to deliver your
personalized emails, you need to write the series. I advise
a minimum of 20 touches these days. I used to use the direct
mail approach that said 7-10 messages were required to warm
up a prospect to the point where they would either contact
you or buy from you, but I believe in highly competitive
times like these that you need to touch them longer so your
name becomes second nature to them. You want them to think
of you, and only you, when they think of "entertainment".
I can write a series of 10 emails for $500.00 or a series
of 20 emails for $1000.00. You can break that into two
payments by PayPal. Send the first payment to
info@schneiderman.net to reserve your space in my schedule,
please. Do it now. I'm getting very busy.
Why pay me to write these messages for you? I write for a
living and understand your world better than any other
copywriter out there. I'll study your site and talk to you
to get the info I'll need to produce a custom series of
messages just for you.
I strongly suggest you add a newsletter subscription form
to your site. Every visitor should become a subscriber. You
need to provide a compelling reason to subscribe. Just
adding a form is not effective marketing and will do little
to grow your database. Offer a bribe, whether it's a free
report, a downloadable trick, or a discount coupon. If you
need help creating these things, I can help you with this,
too. Check out the way Michael Kett does it on his Amazing
Flea Circus site:
http://www.amazingfleacircus.com
Yes, we designed this site for Michael about 2 years ago.
We also designed his corporate site:
http://www.michaelkett.com
We'll be updating this subscribe form later today with the
same free report offer.
You need to tell people to subscribe to your newsletter on
every page.
You need to tell people to use your contact form to get
info on every page.
If you don't tell them, they won't do it.
If you don't ask for the sale, they won't buy.
We recently completed a new site for Eric DeCamps but it's
not public yet. We've added some pretty slick stuff to his
site including slide shows of performances, videos of his
new show and one-on-one performances, too. And we added a
blog so he can interact with his visitors, clients and
fans. The second we launch it, I'll show it to you. It does
everything right.
And it is focused on building relationships.
The more your prospects and customers think of you as a
close and trusted friend, the more business you will get.
Want to discuss your site? Call me at 918-298-9531 or email
me at info@schneiderman.net.
All my best,
Steven Schneiderman
quick review and some more end-of-year recommendations to
help position you for greater success in 2009.
First, the review. OK, I admit it. I used to think I was
pretty good at flourishes and manipulation. I remember when
I was 16 seeing Jeff McBride billed at a Larry Weeks
convention in New York as "Manipulationist Supreme". OK, I
give Larry Weeks credit for coming up with new ways to bill
performers.
But in those days I could do a coin roll-out with silver
dollars with relative ease, coin rolls in both hands like
Gosh, split fans, card springs, spinning and shooting cards,
pressure fans, arm spreads and catches, billiard ball rolls. I was
pretty good. Maybe no Manipulationist Supreme like Jeff,
but I was pretty good for my age.
Like Dan and Dave Buck, I practiced magic incessantly. I
had no life except for magic. Not necessarily a good thing.
I hope Dan and Dave have a life and occasionally are not so
serious and do goofy things like sneak up on each other and
give each other wedgies. Somehow I doubt it though. These
guys never ever smile.
But magic has changed. We no longer speak of manipulation
and flourishes. Now is is XCM: Extreme Card Magic with a
million swivel cuts, kick cuts, spins, flips and other
extreme combinations. It is referred to as "cardistry" which
is actually a pretty cool term but you can't call yourself
a cardist, can you?
Dan and Dave sent me their first lecture notes and a very
rough VHS tape back when they were around 15 or so. I
thought they were very creative and did some amazing and
new things. I also thought they were very strange young
men. They ran through their series of moves with very
little thought on performance. They were like zombies
running through moves without thought -- like robots
pre-programmed to run through complex series of moves over
and over again. They spoke monotone. Their direction was
poor and almost impossible to learn from. Every sentence was
punctuated with the words "like" and "cool". Like cool, OK?
Now Dan and Dave have grown up and not long ago they
released a trilogy of DVDs that includes flourishes and
tricks and over 20 basic moves. Having watched their demo
reel on Theory 11 one too many times I decided to go for
it -- an early Christmas gift to myself. I also purchased a
deck of their cards.
I have to say I really like their deck design. The backs
come in either black or white with a design based around
their DD monogram. The Ace of Spades and the Jokers have
unique designs and the court cards are simplified in design
with less details and brighter colors, making them more
easily seen from a distance. I found the card stock softer
and fanned better even fresh out of the box. They went to
some expense here and they are not cheap. Like Theory 11's
Guardian cards, they come packaged with a double backer
which is a nice added touch. I am also becoming a fan of
black backed card designs. Don't know why there haven't
been more of these.
As for the DVDs, I have only watched the performances on
the Flourishes DVD so far. There are at least two moves
that I like and want to learn to add to my repertoire. Much
of the other flourishes are comprised of an insane number of
fast running swivel cuts in the hands. I'm sorry, this does
not look like magic to me or even juggling. I don't even
find it entertaining. I like Daniel Madison's stuff better
from the XCM2 DVD. At least he breaks up the cuts with some
throws and other movements.
I'm anxious to get through the other DVDs, and I'll fill
you in as I watch them. Thus far, I would say the
production value is high, but if you are looking for
detailed explanations -- forget it. I am assuming that Dan and
Dave still don't talk much. These DVDs use slow motion, stop
motion and animation with textual subtitles to break down
and explain moves. I'm not sure the vast majority of people
out there can learn this way without some form of verbal
explanation and interview like the L&L DVDs.
I have additional concerns because other than seeing D&D
perform this crap on the side of the road or in the dessert
(in a break dancing - can you top this style), they don't
offer any tips on performance at all. Like when and where
is the best way to integrate this type of cardistry into
your own routines? In walk-around? On stage? On the street?
I'd like to know what to do with my new skills once I hone
them. Without a reason, this becomes a form of masturbation
with cards.
I remember Johnny Hart catching my attention on the Tonight
Show when I was 15 with his ability to spin cards from one
hand into a hat held in the other hand. I learn this technique
from Jackie Flosso. I mastered it and added it to
my act. Later, I taught Jeff McBride and he added it to his
act in a bigger way. His card spinning is a major highlight
of his act. It works for him and he knows how to sell it.
But where does this XCM D&D stuff come into play? I'm not
sure. Jeff may be the only one who can sell it.
--------------
OK, so January 2009 is around the corner and you need to be
preparing for the next quarter. Competition is going to get
tough as people get tighter with their funds. There will be
less cash to spend on parties and events. People will become
very selective of who they hire for entertainment. How can
you survive?
The most important thing you can do is to work on improving
your relationship with prospects and customers. The majority
of people out there who you will be competing against do a
crappy job of this. They do not understand the value of
building and deepening relationships. You do the opposite.
Reach and touch people repeatedly -- at least monthly -- if
not bi-weekly. Let them know what you are doing, where you
are appearing, what's changed in in your act, new
testimonials (critical), new photos and videos of you in
action, funny stories, party and event planning tips, etc.
Now the best way to do this is to use software or services
to send personalized emails to your entire list on a
scheduled interval. Lots of tools to choose from here.
For those who prefer to do it themselves, check out
GroupMail:
http://www.emailmarketingassistance.com/groupmail.htm
For those who prefer greater automation and scheduling,
check out Get Response:
http://www.getresponse.com/index/35884
Once you have the system in place to deliver your
personalized emails, you need to write the series. I advise
a minimum of 20 touches these days. I used to use the direct
mail approach that said 7-10 messages were required to warm
up a prospect to the point where they would either contact
you or buy from you, but I believe in highly competitive
times like these that you need to touch them longer so your
name becomes second nature to them. You want them to think
of you, and only you, when they think of "entertainment".
I can write a series of 10 emails for $500.00 or a series
of 20 emails for $1000.00. You can break that into two
payments by PayPal. Send the first payment to
info@schneiderman.net to reserve your space in my schedule,
please. Do it now. I'm getting very busy.
Why pay me to write these messages for you? I write for a
living and understand your world better than any other
copywriter out there. I'll study your site and talk to you
to get the info I'll need to produce a custom series of
messages just for you.
I strongly suggest you add a newsletter subscription form
to your site. Every visitor should become a subscriber. You
need to provide a compelling reason to subscribe. Just
adding a form is not effective marketing and will do little
to grow your database. Offer a bribe, whether it's a free
report, a downloadable trick, or a discount coupon. If you
need help creating these things, I can help you with this,
too. Check out the way Michael Kett does it on his Amazing
Flea Circus site:
http://www.amazingfleacircus.com
Yes, we designed this site for Michael about 2 years ago.
We also designed his corporate site:
http://www.michaelkett.com
We'll be updating this subscribe form later today with the
same free report offer.
You need to tell people to subscribe to your newsletter on
every page.
You need to tell people to use your contact form to get
info on every page.
If you don't tell them, they won't do it.
If you don't ask for the sale, they won't buy.
We recently completed a new site for Eric DeCamps but it's
not public yet. We've added some pretty slick stuff to his
site including slide shows of performances, videos of his
new show and one-on-one performances, too. And we added a
blog so he can interact with his visitors, clients and
fans. The second we launch it, I'll show it to you. It does
everything right.
And it is focused on building relationships.
The more your prospects and customers think of you as a
close and trusted friend, the more business you will get.
Want to discuss your site? Call me at 918-298-9531 or email
me at info@schneiderman.net.
All my best,
Steven Schneiderman
posted by Steven at
7:41 AM
