Many people ask me for availability and a price and then say they have had a “more competitive quote” or say they’ve had cheaper quotes from other magicians. I don’t doubt it. So why not just go with the cheapest?
Well, unlike buying say, a coffee machine from different suppliers, hiring a magician is not the same as buying electrical goods (unbelievable I know, but true). You can compare the price of the same coffee machine with a few different suppliers as long as it’s exactly the same model. If it’s a different model from a different company it would be ludicrous to say you’ve seen one cheaper – however, that’s exactly what people do when it comes to hiring magicians…. “the other guy only charges this much….”.
Magicians will charge according to their desirability, talent, TV appearances, credibility, experience etc. The range of prices could be huge.
Now, if you can’t afford the most expensive coffee machine then you could consider the cheaper one – as long as it will do the job. It might look terrible but will still make coffee. The coffee might leave a nasty taste in your mouth, but will still be coffee. Some are fancy, glossy and make exceptional coffee with some heating the milk for a latte – some turn out a brown, gooey slush. It all depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for something that is adequate for the lowest cost or are you willing to pay a reasonable price for quality.
So, what should you look for when you hire a quality magician?
The main thing to look for is this – is this person a safe bet and would this magician be suitable for my event? A lot of magicians have terrible websites. If they look like they don’t care about their image online and look unwashed on their site, the chances are they spend little time on how they look in real life too and might not be the ideal person for your most special day of your entire life. Think about the desired effect on your friends, family or special guests – is the magician going to be considered cool and amazing or a figure of fun? Many a time I’ve seen a completely unaware magician perform his little tricks thinking he’d stormed it, only for the group to mock him as soon as he left on his way to annoy more people.
What are the other main things to look at apart from price?
How long have they been performing?
Do they have lots of photos of them at different events?
Do they get booked all over the world for big companies or just at local village halls and at Vodka Revolution?
Have they got a great video that actually shows some tricks and not just people reacting?
Can they actually engage with the guests and make everyone feel like they are having a special experience – or are they showing them a crappy card trick with grubby cards?
A lot of it comes down to personal judgement and how much you willing to risk. You might be able to save a bit by scrimping on the cost of a magician, but if you want something that people will talk about long after the day (for the right reasons!), maybe spending that little bit more might just be the best money you ever spent.
Also, I have a second hand coffee machine for sale. If you are interested, get in touch. But I must warn you, it is terrible. I won’t make that mistake again.
