How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Post topics about the business side of magic.
Rick Kirkes
Posts: 24
Joined: April 27th, 2016, 12:06 am
Favorite Magician: Bob Cassidy, Richard Osterlind, John Riggs, Kreskin and Enrique Enriquez
Location: Near Sacramento CA

How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby Rick Kirkes » April 27th, 2016, 8:47 pm

This is a great resource for making sales calls if you have a show to promote, or if you have the fear of promoting anything that needs to be sold. This book will make you $$..I don't want to give away the info in the book, this book will help you find a state of mind that allows you to take action. This book will turn you into a master prospector.

It's called How I Conquered Call Reluctance, Fear Of Self Promotion & Increased My Prospecting by Sidney C. Walker..You can find it on Amazon.

I just started using the methods in this book to market my gambling show/demo and didn't experience any problems on my sales calls.

If you know of any other business books that you could recommend, I would love to read your suggestions.

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » April 27th, 2016, 10:21 pm

I have done a lot of telephone selling in my time and have hated every minute of it. It can certainly be very effective but I refuse to indulge in it any more. I see no reason for torturing myself. One disadvantage is that you are in a position of weakness because you are the hunter. You are in a far stronger position when they come to you so that is the way I market myself nowadays.

But don't get me wrong. Telephone prospecting can be very powerful if you have the mindset necessary. And the skill to do it. My own personal favourite is direct mail marketing. I seem to have garnered a bit of a knack for it.

But you ask for favourite business books. I most certainly have one. It probably won't get you any shows but I read it avidly again and again because I can relate to the absolute scoundrel of an author. He became one of the richest men in Britain. Richard will be interested to know his business was magazines!

The title of the book is appropriately "How to Get Rich" and the author is Felix Dennis. Here is some info about him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dennis

Here is Felix at his worst. But despite this I can enthusiastically endorse his wonderful book. You will never read a better book on business. At least I haven't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX-FLXP1i_c

Rick Kirkes
Posts: 24
Joined: April 27th, 2016, 12:06 am
Favorite Magician: Bob Cassidy, Richard Osterlind, John Riggs, Kreskin and Enrique Enriquez
Location: Near Sacramento CA

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby Rick Kirkes » April 28th, 2016, 2:13 pm

Mark,.

I will check out the Felix Dennis book..thanks.

I am at the point, where I don't dread making the calls. It's something I need and want to do. I also know that if I don't make the calls...its going to cost me money. I have found out that it takes more energy NOT to prospect than is done to actually make the calls. It's the ego that tells you not to prospect, i.e:
-I am not ready to make these calls.
-I am not sure what to say to this person.
-I can make these calls tomorrow. There are more important things to do.
- This probably isn't the best time to make these calls.
-This person probably doesn't need what I have to offer.
-This list of prospects isn't any good.
-There has to be an easier way.

And so on. The above book I recommended is about over coming call reluctance. I live in a small town and have made personal visits to the local groups and clubs & called by phone into a larger market base ( SF bay area ).

It's the ego that wants to protect you from harm or perceived potential danger.

http://www.amazon.com/Conquered-Relucta ... +C.+Walker

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » April 28th, 2016, 2:48 pm

None of the above reasons you state are what makes me not want to call people on the phone. The REAL reason is that they don't want to speak to me and I don't want to speak to them so I have decided that it would be of mutual benefit for us not to talk to each other.

I have sold vacuum cleaners door to door and carbon paper both by phone and personal visits. So I am very familiar with selling techniques. However, these situations are one to one conversations. I don't like speaking to individuals on the grounds that I disapprove of humanity at large. However, if there is a crowd in front of me I can remove their money in a twinkling. I have to do it en masse with 20 or so people in front of me. I have sold flower holders, eyeglass cleaners, knives, bar accessories etc;. I have even been known to sell the odd svengali deck in this manner.

One to one though is far too terrifying for me. I have read extracts from the book you mention and alas they have not imbued me with great courage in these matters. I am very odd in that I only get nervous when I am talking to one person. If I have a crowd in front of me I can remove money from their pockets with perfect equanimity.

Rick Kirkes
Posts: 24
Joined: April 27th, 2016, 12:06 am
Favorite Magician: Bob Cassidy, Richard Osterlind, John Riggs, Kreskin and Enrique Enriquez
Location: Near Sacramento CA

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby Rick Kirkes » April 30th, 2016, 1:05 am

I hear you.

My other jobs that were in sales, were working as a sales assistant making cold calls for a local stockbroker. I did that job for a year and a half...I got tired of the commute, got into local real estate when I passed the real estate exam test. I did that job for 4 years. When the real estate market went bust nobody was buying my listings..and my leads for sellers dried up. I went 4 months without a commission check..so I had to get a real job to pay the bills.

During my time selling real estate, I knocked on doors, I did fairly well, finding sellers who were interested in moving or getting into a bigger home. I was looking for gold, not rocks, nor was trying to turn rocks into gold.

Working with the cards was for me a nice hobby. I did some free shows to get my feet wet. So I am looking to get some paid shows with my prospecting ( doors & phone ) efforts, and the above book really helped me to want to get back in sales and do it right this time.

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » April 30th, 2016, 6:44 am

You know, by an odd coincidence I was thinking about this very subject 5 minutes ago. Then I came here and found your response and this topic is top of the list. There is definitely some psychic correlation to this matter. However, this is what occurred to me. One disadvantage of cold calling people is that when they say no, (and I am sure you will agree they will do this more often than not) you are done with them. If you keep calling them you would be regarded as a pest. It is rare that a repeat call will show any results unless they have expressed some mild interest in the first call. But by and large you are probably better off calling someone else.

This is not the case with direct mail. It is far less embarrassing to send them repeat literature and eventually wear them down. Here the repetition helps. If they are annoyed with the repeat mailings you will never see it. And nowadays direct mail is stronger than it used to be because with the internet people don't see it so much. Now some people combine direct mail with the sales call. I did that at one time but decided not to do it any more as it takes up far too much time and I don't like calling people. Furthermore nowadays it is much harder to get through to them especially if you are calling a business. Voice mail gets in the way and is actually a far stronger gatekeeper than secretaries. I would rather spend my time sending another mailing. Sure it costs money but if you know what you are doing it can work very well.

Again I am not making a case against cold calling. I think it is very powerful but you have to have the type of personality that can make the calls without discomfort. And it has not gone unnoticed by me that even the people who write those books about it admit they don't particularly like doing it. There are a tiny few people on this earth who actually enjoy it but they are exceedingly rare.

When I was younger I got a lot of work in the best London night clubs by making in person visits. I didn't like doing it but oddly enough it was far easier and effective than calling people on the phone. More time consuming too but it worked. I once got a job for a whole month selling carbon paper on the phone. I can't tell you what a relief it was to finish it and immediately go to an exhibition, gather a crowd and sell eye glass cleaners. I still remember selling the product to the Great Masoni (Eric Mason of Masoni and Shan). I never told him I did magic too.

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » November 12th, 2019, 7:51 pm

I am bringing this old thread back to inform the multitude that I am rereading an old book on selling. I purchased it in Belfast around 50 or so years ago and it is one of the greatest books on selling I have ever read. Interestingly enough it was written by an amateur magician and in fact he makes a tiny few references to magic here and there throughout the book. His name is John Wolfe and his name came up in passing on another thread somewhere and I immediately recognised it as the author of this marvellous book. It is called "Sell Like an Ace--Like a King". There are literally dozens of great tips on selling throughout the book. It is one of the best books I have ever read on salesmanship. And yet I have never heard it mentioned even once by anyone over the last 50 years that I have owned it.

Get it while you have the chance.

https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/ ... p1-_-PLP18

Stever Cobb
Posts: 55
Joined: October 21st, 2015, 12:08 pm
Favorite Magician: John Calvert

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby Stever Cobb » November 13th, 2019, 10:06 pm

Got it on order, big Bucks! $4.08
Thank you!

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » November 14th, 2019, 6:26 am

I am amazed it is even obtainable any more. It must have been out of print for years and years! The price is right when you consider it can earn you thousands of dollars. I learned a lot from it.

Mind you, I will never understand the internet. The price of the book ranges from $2.35 to over $104!

Jack Shalom
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Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby Jack Shalom » November 14th, 2019, 9:29 am

The ones charging $104 read his book...

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » November 14th, 2019, 2:10 pm

The price printed on the front cover on my own book is nine shillings and sixpence! I purchased it in the days before decimalisation was introduced in the UK. However, the American price is on there too. 95 cents!

User avatar
chetday
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Joined: March 13th, 2008, 1:45 pm
Favorite Magician: Jon Racherbaumer
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Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby chetday » November 14th, 2019, 3:40 pm

Mark, internet prices are just plain nuts. Used paperback versions of two of my novels regularly are offered for sale on amazon for anywhere from 38 cents to hundreds of dollars. Since I don't ever see a cut on used paperback sales, I can't say for sure how many individuals have dropped Ben Franklins on my books, though I speculate the number is less than one. Anyone who wants to examine the truthfulness of this post can do so at http://amazon.com/author/chetday -- 8-)

performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: How To Increase Your Prospecting...

Postby performer » November 14th, 2019, 4:21 pm

I see examples of this all the time. I can't figure out why it happens. I suspect it is something to do with computer algorithms or something.

I really detest all this computer marketing nonsense mainly of course because it is beyond my comprehension. Oddly enough however, I have recently started to do MP4 (if that is the correct term) psychic readings for people all over the world. I send them a file download which lasts around 30 minutes or so. The details are on my psychic website. Not that I am going to get any money out of this bunch of heathen unbelievers here of course. I have not yet learned to sell like an ace and live like a king and I have had the damn book for 50 years.
Anyway, here are the details:
www.marklewispsychic.com


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