Do You Know What You Need to Know?

Let’s talk about knowledge.

In last week’s newsletter, I started this mini-series with some goalsetting tips. But setting goals is worthless unless you have a way to find out what you need to achieve those goals.

We live in an unprecedented time in human history! We can grab our phones and find out pretty much anything we want in seconds.

This is amazing, but this ability is also riddled with potholes.

While it’s easier than ever before to get information, it’s just as easy to get incorrect or outdated information.

The Internet is still, for the most part, unregulated.

If I wanted to, I could launch a website tomorrow proclaiming myself as the Smartest Guy in The Universe.

I could advertise coaching services for literally anything.

Just out of law school and want to find out how to best get clients for the latest Roundup product liability litigation? I’m your guy.

Want to find out who really shot JFK? Yup, I got ya covered.

(By the way, JFK was shot by Bigfoot and Elvis working together in a Burger King. But don’t tell anyone. Shhhhh.)

So, this amazing ability to find out what we want comes with a price. You must do your best to verify you are getting up-to-date and accurate information.

Let’s say you want to book more shows.

(If you need this, call me. I know a guy.)

You do some research online and find a magician selling a course on how to do this. But his website is atrocious. And there are no reviews.

To me, this doesn’t pass the sniff test. And yes, this was a real guy. No, I’m not going to say who. But he advertises all kinds of courses to help professional magicians, but his stuff looks very out of date to me.

Then you decide to read some reviews. You find an in-depth article promising an impartial review of the course. The article is long. Really loooooong.

At first, you’re thrilled but then realize there’s a link to the course at the bottom of this webpage. And in tiny type, there’s a notification that the person who wrote the review gets a commission for any sales for the course stemming from clicks off this page.

By the way, in copywriting terms, it’s called an “advertorial.” It’s a special kind of sales page. Nothing wrong with that, but hardly impartial.

So, you decide to find other reviews. You head over to the trusty Magic Café.

(Cue up sounds of evil laughter, ominous music, anguished screams, and copious amounts of whipping.)

Yeah, I’m not a fan.

In the Café, you find a thread about the course. Three people have bought it, but no one has used it yet.

Then the thread devolves into the usual collection of insults, harsh words, and personal attacks.

Finally, you find another course offering similar information. And the website has reviews on it.

The reviews list in-depth thoughts written by the reviewers, complete with their names, cities, and states.

Phew, you feel comfortable buying the course. Happy ending!

The point of all this? Just a cautionary tale on the kind of trouble you may run into when looking for valuable information to buy.

“But there’s so much free information online,” I can hear some of you thinking.

(Yeah, I’m a mentalist so I can do that. As long as you write it down first on a piece of paper that’s folded into quarters.)

The problem with most free information is that it’s just a data dump. It takes a long time to comb through data and assemble it into anything resembling a coherent form of training.

Want to give yourself a massive coronary? Try researching anything about the law. I swear, every lawyer’s website copy is written like it was intended for other lawyers and not for, you know, people looking for legal help.

(Trust me, I know. Up until yesterday, I wrote copy for several attorney websites. But no more! I quit! Rejoice.)

There’s nothing wrong with paying for knowledge if you get the right stuff.

But what kind of knowledge do you need?

It depends on your goals as a magician. Maybe you want to be a full-time performer earning a six-figure income like me before the pandemic. Or maybe you are content doing a few extra shows to supplement your income.

There is NO wrong answer here.

These days I earn my living helping other magicians achieve their goals while performing part-time.

But the kind of knowledge you need will also depend on where you are in our magical journey.

And that requires a hard look at your show. If you want to become a full-time magician, not only do you need to market yourself effectively, but you also need an exceptional show.

Back in the late 1990s, I invested in marketing materials by Dave Dee. That man could market his butt off. To a guy like me hungering for that full-time status, his stuff was gold. It completely changed how I approached my magic.

But he sucked as a magician.

I bought two of his “shows.” One was a reading show, and the other was an anti-drug show. Both were astoundingly and jaw-droppingly bad. To be fair, I wasn’t very good either back then.

But I wasn’t marketing myself as the expert to other magicians. Dave was.

His anti-drug show was so bad that a friend of mine was essentially run out of the school market after using Dee’s show pretty much word for word.

My point is not just to bash Dave Dee. It’s to point out something important. For long-term success, you need three kinds of knowledge.

First, your shows need to be awesome. And awesome in a way that satisfies the goals of your target market.

Second, you need the knowledge of how to sell yourself to that target market.

Third, you need to know how to run your show business like a BUSINESS.

Six years before the pandemic hit, I was insanely busy working the school market for close to ten months out of the year.

During the summer when school was out, I’d fill my calendar with a few college shows, daycare shows, and whatever happened my way. Summers were sort of hit and miss.

I decided to jump into the library market.

I knew libraries booked plenty of performers to promote their summer reading programs. In my first year, I booked around 12 or so shows. Each year I kept doubling my bookings until I was performing 40 or so summer library shows. I was told early on by many of my clients that they loved my professionalism.

Most of the other library performers in my market are complete flakes and don’t know how to run a business. My clients tell me each year they are so relieved when they book me because they know they don’t have to worry about whether I’ll actually show up.

Apparently, that’s a thing.

So, to wrap this up, you need to acquire the knowledge you need to accomplish your goals. Next week, I’ll tackle the next phase of this 5-step process, which is to take action.

P.S. By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you grow your magic business to book more shows at higher fees:


1. Grab my FREE report for professional working magicians.



This report reveals a strategy that almost NO magicians are using (and the ones who are don’t use it correctly). Get your free copy by clicking HERE.


2. Get my website video training for under $10:


In this 2-hour video training, I’ll reveal exactly what your website needs if you want to succeed as a professional entertainer in the 21st century. Get all the details by clicking HERE.


3. Get a complete business-building plan handed to you on a silver platter.


Not sure how to move your magic business forward? I’ll analyze your complete magic business (website, market, competition, and more) and give you a complete game plan for getting your performing business to the next level. Find out how by clicking HERE.


4. Work with me privately.


Need help in multiple areas? I can help you with your website, direct mail, email, or other marketing strategies. I also offer consulting services for crafting magic routines or even entire shows. Want to find out more? Shoot me an email at cris@theprofessionalmagicianclubpro.com.

To find out more how I can help you book more shows at higher fees, click the button below to see my list of services.

© Copyright Cris Johnson, Inc.