In our previous post, Make More Money with an Upsell at Checkout, we discussed how to make more money by upselling at checkout and a bit about back of room sales. Today, we are talking to Roman LePree who owns CustomMagicKits.com. He specializes in helping entertainers maximize their income with back of room sales. Roman discusses how to get started selling and how much extra money you can make. We hope you enjoy our interview!
Hello Roman! Can you tell us about your company?
We are CustomMagicKits.com and we help magicians and other entertainers like jugglers and mentalists make more money with personalized promotional products.
Who are your “typical clients?”
We typically have two types of clients, one is the professional who really understands back of the room sales and buys our customized magic kits in huge quantities. Our other client is entertainers who want to get started selling products. We help folks who have never tried or haven’t had luck with back of room sales. We make it easy for them to get started by doing most of the heavy lifting like using their artwork to create the kits. It’s funny that some of our biggest clients didn’t do any back of room sales when they started entertaining. They heard about us and wanted to see if they could make extra money. They sent us a promotional picture by email and ordered our branded magic wand packs. Now they are some of our biggest customers!
How does someone get started with back of room sales?
We make it very easy by to get started by keeping our minimums low so you can try it out. Most people buy our magic kits with their branding on them, others try our packaged magic wand kits that may have a few tricks with them. Try to sell a few different items and see what works best for you.
How can custom promotional items help performers and theatres?
Audiences love to take home a souvenir to remember the show! People want to take home a souvenir, just like they would want a musician’s CD, after seeing him / her in concert. This is a great way to increase your income with very little effort. We feel if you inspire your audience in your show and they want to learn more about your skill, you should provide them with ways to learn more.
What are the most common products that people giveaway or sell?
We sell magic wands, magic kits, bulk items, and promo products. Even if you are not a magician, you can still benefit. A juggler can have a beginners juggling set or DVD. You can also sell autographed posters, promo pics, and more.
How much money can actually be made with back of room sales?
We have customers making as little as $100 for a birthday party add-on while others make an extra $20,000+ a year working theater shows and festivals.
What are ways to sell products at shows without being pushy?
You can simply let the audience know that if they enjoyed the show, you have souvenirs available. You can also have a short commercial where you explain how they can learn magic and it’s positive effects. I don’t think you are being pushy if someone is inspired and wants to try magic. You are giving your audience the resources to help them start. That’s how we grow our passion.
Do you have any “secret” techniques to improve back of room sales?
A quick demonstration of a magic kit trick or item definitely increases sales. Also, many performers offer a free signed picture or autograph the product as well.
Do you have anything else you would like to say?
Entertainment is a business, and we want to help people maximize their income. If you are not selling after your shows or upselling your current shows, you may be leaving money on the table.
Thanks Roman for letting us know more about back of room sales. If you are interested in learning more about custom promotional items you can visit www.CustomMagicKits.com. If you have any questions for Roman, post them in the comments below.
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