Taking Action

Let’s get right to it, shall we? Isn’t that what taking action is all about?

Well, yes and no. I’ll come back to the ‘no’ in a little bit.

Two weeks ago (before I interrupted myself) I covered the ‘acquiring knowledge’ part of my 5-Step Success Formula. (By the way, when I finish the 5-Step Formula, I will then cover USPs…and how to actually create them.)

The old saying ‘knowledge is power’ is only partially true. Knowledge is only potential power. All the knowledge in the world is useless unless you actually do something.

Maybe you’ve never heard this before. Or maybe you’ve been around the block with this whole marketing for magicians thing and you have heard of it. I first heard it back in the late 1990s when I bought Dave Dee’s course.

The way to sum up the concept of taking action is to model Nike’s old slogan:

Just do it.

That’s it.

But here’s the thing most people don’t get into when they talk about taking action. The reason why most people DON’T take action?

Fear.

Fear they will try something and fail.

Well, I’ve got news for you. You WILL fail.

Not what you were expecting? Well, I believe in being honest. I love magic and everything that it has given me. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished. I rarely fail, but I too have indeed fallen on my face.

And you will, too. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not next year. But it will happen.

It’s how you choose to deal with that failure that will define your success in this field.

Embrace your failure. Learn from it. Use it.

In my career, a prime example of when I embrace failure and my mindset is when I do a trick and screw it up. Maybe it’s a trick I’m rusty with because I haven’t done it in a while. So, I screw it up. It happens.

Afterward, I’m angry and frustrated with myself. Usually, I know exactly what I did wrong. Most of my stuff is pretty easy to perform. So, when I screw something up, it’s usually simply a brain fart on my part.

And later, I have this intense, burning desire inside to do the trick again. I can’t wait to book the same show and perform that trick. It’s almost an obsession.

In marketing, I confess I haven’t had too many failures. Maybe some direct mail campaigns or email blasts didn’t perform as well as I thought. But none have ever failed. Some I’ve broken even on and others I’ve had a high level of success.

That comes from preparation. Of knowing the wants and needs of my market.

But one area where I have often failed?

Technology. I used to be bad at learning new technology! The past two years have seen me learn sooooo much new tech.

I don’t know if that counts as ‘failure,’ but I do know one area I can improve. That’s finding the right software to solve a problem. Often, I look for the cheapest version possible. And I struggle mightily to learn this software.

Then later I discover a better version that costs more but does a way better job with half the learning curve. So, in terms of technology, I have most certainly failed.

But I get up, dust myself off, and keep going.

In terms of taking action, I’m about to reveal probably my greatest strength. And it’s something I highly recommend you adopt, too.

Become a Borg.

Don’t know who the Borg are? They are half-machine, half organic beings in Star Trek. They’re usually portrayed as mindless, unstoppable villains. But they have one really cool attribute I love.

They assimilate information quickly. And they act on it.

That’s me. I’ve built my business by being a Borg.

I didn’t even realize it for ten years or so. Then my good friend Rodney from Texas pointed out to me how I was like a Borg. I’d learn a new marketing concept and put it into action.

The Professional Magician podcast is a great example of this. I decided I wanted to launch a podcast. So, I bought a course on how to do it. Two weeks later, I was uploading my first episode. So many magicians buy courses and never take action. That’s not my style.

Now, all of this ‘take action and embrace your failures’ comes with a big fat caveat. There are times when you DON’T want to take action. (See? I told you I’d return to this thread.)

The biggest time you don’t want to take action? When it comes with a steep learning curve and does not play to your strengths.

There are some things I am just not good at. Graphic design is the biggest. While I did cobble together my first couple of websites, they were OK at best and kind of gruesome at worst. Thankfully, these days, I have learned how to design a pretty good website with a lot of drag and drop platforms out there. (I highly recommend both Elementor Pro and Optimize Press.)

But if I have to have something designed from scratch (like a show logo or branding, like the logo for the Professional Magician Podcast), I don’t do it myself. Because I know it’s going to turn out like crap. I know I could learn graphic design, but I’m trying to take the quickest path possible to achieve a given goal. And it’s easier and faster if I hire someone to do it for me.

So instead of taking action…I hire someone to take action for me.

There are times when I have been forced to go slower and learn things instead of hiring out talent. The pandemic forced me to learn a lot of things I normally would not have. I had a lot of extra time on my hands and limited funds. So, I took action and upped my skillsets dramatically in the last two years.

Now, I eagerly learn a lot of new software. That’s been a huge change for me in the last two years.

But that leads me to another time when you don’t want to take action.

When money is so tight and the slightest hiccup could put you into a financial tailspin.

I remember almost 15 years ago. I was just hitting my stride as a successful full-time performer. Another entertainer I knew was doubling down on another ‘guru’s’ direct marketing strategy. It hadn’t worked, so instead of cutting bait, this guy decided to spend more money.

He took out a second mortgage on his house to try to make that guru’s marketing strategy work.

It didn’t.

For the record, the guru was hypnotist Geoff Ronning. His yellow postcard strategy was supposed to be the ultimate way to generate leads for the post-prom market.

I tried it and saw minimal results. Geoff told me to ramp up my efforts. I decided not to because when something fails, to me the answer is not to do more of it.

My point with this story? If you’re struggling financially, be very strategic about the actions you take.

Yes, chase your dreams. But keep one foot planted in reality, too. There are always other things you can do to take action at a lower risk.

The other time when you don’t want to take action? When your gut tells you it doesn’t feel right.

Back in 2018, I was referred to another marketer who was teaching his breakthrough method to book high-dollar fundraising shows. The system was designed to make you a lot of money.

The guy had decades of success and loads of testimonials to back him. I talked to him, and he was a super nice guy.

The problem? His method relied in part on approaching people to act as sponsors for these events. While it was not cold calling in the strictest sense, it was not something I felt comfortable doing.

I know the system was proven. He was asking a fair price and even offered a payment program. I told him the fee wasn’t the problem and I could have paid the whole thing immediately.

My problem was I knew I simply would not take action on his proven plan. I knew what he taught was viable and sound. And I knew it would have made me a ton of money.

But my gut told me not to take action. Not to buy it because I’d never use the system.

My goal is NOT to bash that system. I think it’s great. (If you’re interested, drop me a line and I’ll send you his contact info.) I just knew it wasn’t right for me because of my intense shyness.

So that’s it.

Take action. Don’t let fear stop you. But take the right action. And keep yourself grounded in reality. Know that you’re going to fail. And it’s up to you to dust yourself off and keep going.

Now you know my biggest secret! Be a Borg for success!

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 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 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.

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