Profitable Performance$

It's time to move: The End of This Blog

2010-11-28T00:28:00.000-06:00

I've found a more versatile platform for my blog. So I'm moving it, effective immediately.

The new blog is: www.PrestiDigiNATION.com

When you get there, be sure to read the "First Post" for an explanation of my switching to use a WordPress format.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Miller, Nov. 28 2010

Low Prices

2010-11-11T07:37:00.000-06:00

Tonight my wife and I went to rent a movie from the new, and only, video store in Rochester, MN.

The prices are unbelievably low. We rented two movies: total price 0.53! We had a 2 for $1 coupon. Since we were new members, our half price bonus was still in effect. But even when that bonus time expires, we will still be able to rent some older movies at the 2 for 1 rate.

You may wonder, like me, how Family Video can make any money. But they must be because they've opened 400 stores in the US.

Is there a lesson for us performers? The obvious one that you'll probably get more shows if you lower your prices. But will you make more money? Will you have to turn down a higher paying gig because you're already booked? Maybe. But you don't know.

This fall, I got booked at a Pumpkin Patch entertainment farm. I did 29 shows in 8 days. I had to charge just a fraction of my regular price to get the job. But, as a result, Oct was my highest paying (for performing ) month this year.

But, on my last day at the Pumpkin Patch, I had to turn down a $400 show. But I was able to sub-contract a different performer for the gig and so I still made some $ from it.

So, what's the lesson?
Well, my wife and I are going to rent more movies. They've got us hooked. I hooked a big fish with low prices too. Maybe, sometimes, there is a place for low prices. It doesn't mean that you are a low quality performer. It means that you can flex when necessary. And the end result may be that you DO make more money.

Wishing you Profitable Performance$!

- Bob Miller

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Managing Contacts

2010-08-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

What do you use to keep track of your customers?

The answer to that question will tell a lot about your views on marketing...

For example, if you say, "Nothing." then that says that you don't market to your past customers. How could you?

If you say, "Index cards in a file box." then that says something else. You may save contact info but it will be difficult to market to them since you'd have to hand write everything.

Maybe you keep track of contact information with a computer, but you only market by email. Then you are missing out on the benefits that you can get from direct mail marketing. Don't just market by email. If you're going to go to the trouble of collecting and storing contact information, then do yourself a favor and get all the info that you need to market effectively.

Use a dedicated program for marketing.

What not to do: Use one system for emails, and a different program for printing contracts and letters, and a different program for tracking shows and events, and something else to plan your shows.

For example, are you exporting names and addresses and them doing a mail-merge in order to print labels? This is a time- waster.

Instead, a better way is to use one program created for performers that will do all of the above (and more!). That program is MagicBase Pro (magicbasepro.com). It will make your life easier and it will make money for you.

In the next post, I'll describe three targets to aim for in your marketing.

iPhone CHUCKLEhead Schumer

2010-07-15T21:36:00.000-05:00

What? A U.S. Senator is now trying to put himself into the iPhone 4 antennae controversy?
Reference: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/07/15/us_sen_schumer_writes_letter_to_apple_ceo_over_iphone_4_antenna.html

This is nuts! For a multitude of reasons:

1. The "problem" is easily fixable:
   For anyone who bought the phone early and didn't know about the reception problem and had issues with the antennae on their recently purchased iPhone 4, could have returned it within a few weeks and got their money back. END OF PROBLEM.
   OR
   For anyone who who did know about the problem, and bought it anyway, could either "hold it right" or buy the plastic "bumper" for the phone, OR as one news anchor demonstrated, put a piece of "iTape" over that section of the phone. END OF PROBLEM.

2. But it is more ridiculous for a U.S. Senator to send a letter to Apple to tell them to fix the issue:
- This assumes the worst about Apple. Like they don't care about their customers and the company needs someone else to tell them what to do. "Thanks Chuck! We never thought of that!"
- It also assumes that Apple doesn't care about the customer either. Anyone who has used Apple products for any time knows that they are very concerned about the customer experience.
- This assumes the worst about the consumer. Like we are too stupid to deal with the issue ourselves. Like we need protection from the big, bad company. "Help! We need Super-Schumer!"
- What right does a U.S. Senator have sticking his nose into the issue anyway? Is that what he was hired to do? To tell companies to make their products better?
   Maybe Schumer should open a Product Consulting office. He could tell McDonald's not to make their coffee so hot, and he could tell Microsoft to stop hackers from messing with all the Windows computers out there. And he could tell BP that most people don't like swimming in oil.
- And it is obviously just a political staging move. If he really thought that he could help ol' Steve out, then he would have sent the letter privately instead of as a "look I'm helping complain too" publicity stunt.

OK. that's 2 posts in a row about the iPhone. What do you think?

Smart phones and Magic

2010-06-18T14:39:00.001-05:00

With all the hype surrounding the release of the iPhone 4, it got me wondering how you performers use your smart phones in your business.

Sure I've downloaded magic tricks for my iPhone but I've only demo'd those apps to friends and family. Are there magi out there that are actually using their phones to show tricks to customers?

But what other ways are u using your smart phones in your business? (Other than, you know, as a phone )

Tell me what u use your smart phone for in your biz. Reply to this blog!

Bob Miller

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

45 Issues so far!

2010-03-08T09:52:00.000-06:00

Hello Performer,

I've been publishing my free Profitable Performance$ eNewsletter for almost 4 years now. This blog represents issue #45. I'm getting so much content online that I had to figure out another way to manage it all.

You see, once I've sent out my text-based email, then I copied it to html format and published it on my Profitable Performances site. That way, any readers can refer back to earlier issues. And I could also put some links to earlier issues on my BobMillerMagic.biz website.

But it just wasn't providing all of the interactivity that I wanted. And it was time-consuming.

So, I'm going to try this format for awhile. So, what do you think? Would you rather read my newsletters in a text-based format in your in-box, or just get an email that says that another blog is ready, and you click on the email link to go to the blog? Or would you rather just have an html based email sent to you? Or should I skip this and only communicate to you with Facebook?

You get to choose. So, please vote!