Dear Reader,
Simple price-comparison may be natural when shopping for a mere commodity like frozen corn, but it is a very poor technique for choosing "that special entertainer" for your very special event.
Instead of focusing on price to the exclusion of value, please allow me to show you what I am worth, and to also explain the business math that makes my pricing sensible and fair.
——
They say that if you want to sell something to somebody, you should appeal to emotions, not logic — but I'd like to appeal to both at the same time.
Please watch this video, and see for yourself, both emotionally and logically, why I am worth every penny:
Quiz question: Are these people expressing deep thoughts and crying actual tears of gratitude (watch!) merely because I showed them a few magic tricks? Not a chance.
Here is the biggest secret in magic: The tricks don't matter.
That's why I don't sell the tricks; I sell the guy doing the tricks.
More specifically, I sell how audiences react to the ideas and emotions I convey, regardless of what I'm ostensibly "doing." Here's an example:
Does this intelligent grown woman really think I can read her mind, or is she perhaps reacting to something else that cannot be acquired so easily from a book or magic shop? Something like a personality?
And I don't just aim for tears of gratitude and amazement; I also aim for laughter. For example, here is a clip that features no magic at all — only spontaneous humor:
Okay, so maybe you're thinking, "Fine, but I have a mixed-ages audience. How are you with kids?"
That's not even my specialty, and I'm still good at it:
"Okay, but can you pull this off online, like during an otherwise painfully boring Zoom meeting for my team at work?
You should know better than to challenge me:
"Yeah, but can you handle a lot of pressure, like on live television?"
I don't even break a sweat:
So yes, I am good at what I do — but unlike most entertainers, I'm not just a one-trick pony. I've also taught high school in Japan; earned degrees in philosophy and rhetoric, taught composition at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University; worked as a freelance writer, and worked as a tour guide.
When you hire me, an entire person shows up — not just "a magician," but a man with a vision for what magic can and should be. That vision is informed by a lot of deep reading, a lot of human-to-human interaction, and a lot of life experience.
When you buy a magic trick, none of that comes with the instructions — so don't hire someone who just "does tricks."
I've done a lot of living and learning in order to become THE magician I am, so let's think about what that might be worth in dollar terms.
Consider first the costs associated with some premium entertainment experiences you may feel at least somewhat familiar with, and whose prices you have probably never seriously questioned:
• Parasailing in Florida, 10-15 minutes:
— $80-$120 per person. That's $480-720 per person, per prorated hour. If I charged on the same basis for an audience of only 20 people, my fee would be $9,600-$14,400 per hour.
• Two Tickets to a See a Popular Stand-up Comic:
— Once again, $80-$120 per person, or $9600-$14,400 for a group of only 20, to see someone in a t-shirt, on a bare stage, talk into a microphone for an hour.
• One Ticket for the Cyclone Roller Coaster at Coney Island in New York City:
— $10 per person. The ride lasts maybe two minutes, so that's $5.00 per minute, per person — or $300 per person, per prorated hour. At that rate, one hour of my time for only 20 people would cost $6,000.
In a world where people gladly pay $15 for a bag of movie theater popcorn ($200 per pound), or $3.00 for a small bottle of water ($35 per gallon), it is a wonder of human psychology that so many scrape the bottom of the bargain bin only when it comes to deliberately planning the main entertainment for the most special occasions in their lives.
If you don't easily agree that the memories you will create with me are worth at least as much as any of the experiences listed above, then you needn't read any further.
But if you do agree with me, then $10,000+ is the number to keep in mind, because that is the average cost, per hour, of purchasing the experiences listed above for only 20 people.
Fortunately, my minimum fee is nowhere near that high.
The point is simply this: If you really care about entertaining a group of discerning people with something truly unique, funny, dramatic, and intelligent, then you'll immediately understand why I compete on value, not price.
But a lot of people do compete on price. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that you know of someone who charges less than I do. I can assure you that this person is an amateur:
I know this because of basic business math.
——
I hope this has persuaded you of my value, but if I still seem expensive, just remember:
There is always someone who charges less.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Gentry
P.S. — Do you need more proof? I have hours and hours of footage to remove all doubt. Just ask. Or better yet, why not call me right now and ask me to blow your mind right over the phone? All you need is a pack of cards.