Hello everyone!
Today’s topics are: Thank-You Letter; Automatic Placement Force; Happy Holidays!
These are The Magic Memories 208, gone online Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 0:07h sharp.
All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, and 2023, including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.
Thank-You Letter
A few Memories back, I mentioned thank-you-letters and that I would briefly discuss the topic if anyone was interested.
Meanwhile, a few wrote in, so, here are a few thoughts on the subject of writing a thank-you note after a booking.
Before, During, and After
The impression of professionalism isn’t confined to the performance itself. While the “show” is undeniably the essence of it all, your interaction with the client before and after the event is equally important.
I’ve previously discussed how vital the “pre-show” phase is—not the mentalist’s pre-show, but the time spent contacting and discussing the event’s execution with your client, from start to finish.
Based on what the client shares, you can recommend the type of performance that would best suit their function.
As I explained earlier, I manage this process with the help of a single call and a contact sheet. If you’re new to The Magic Memories, you can download the one-page PDF by CLICKING HERE.
After the Event
Today, let’s focus on closing the circle of interaction with your client after the (hopefully) successful event has concluded.
Over five decades of performing, my approach to this has evolved, but the essence has remained consistent: I write a thank-you letter (or, more recently, an email).
In the early years, I always wrote handwritten letters, which aligned with my style of living, performing, and the expectations of my generation. (For context, I began performing at around 15, became semi-professional at 18, turned professional at 28, and am now 65.)
When the internet arrived, email became the standard communication method. However, over the past decade or so, I’ve returned to sending handwritten cards featuring designs related to magic—most often playing card motifs.
In Hidden Agenda, entry for July 13th, I have briefly mentioned this subject. (For better readability CLICK HERE.)
When performing for private parties, I would always send a hand-written card, but for corporate events that require an invoice, I still resort to email and attach the invoice as a PDF.
Below you can see an example of such a letter. The [numbers in square brackets] refer to my comments below the letter, if you are interested.
Dear Mrs. xy
Thank you very much for kindly booking me on the occasion of your event. [1]
I am delighted that you and the guests in attendance enjoyed my magic so much, and I hope that some will occasionally remember it when reflecting on the event.[2]
As agreed, I am attaching the invoice as a PDF file and kindly request payment within 10 days. [3]
Please send me a brief confirmation that you have received this email (email can unfortunately be unreliable at times). [4]
I would be happy to hear from you again on another occasion and, until then, I wish you all the best. [5]
With my warmest regards to you and the entire team! [6]
Roberto Giobbi
Comments on Thank-You Letter
[1] I always address the email to the person who booked me, repeating the name of the event and its location. I usually add a comment about the beauty or originality of the venue. While this detail isn’t included in the example email, I mention it here because it adds a personal touch. Over the years, I’ve performed in some truly strange and unusual locations. Before GPS, part of the adventure was simply finding the place!
[2] I include a positive statement about my performance, subtly reminding the client how well the show was received and emphasizing its memorability. More often than not, my clients are repeat customers. During our conversations, they often mention seeing me at a past event—perhaps five years ago. I’ll jokingly respond that I sell memories, and that my fee isn’t just for the 40-minute show but for the years they’ll remember it. Of course, that’s not entirely a joke—it’s the truth! Feel free to use this approach if it resonates with you.
[3] I tactfully address the “necessary evil” of payment, weaving it into compliments and kind words. For many years—and still occasionally today—I’ve preferred being paid in cash after the show, providing a legal receipt or a pre-prepared invoice. In some parts of Europe, there has been a tradition (perhaps still alive) of paying theater actors and opera singers in cash during intermissions. I often mention this custom, even if it’s no longer prevalent, as most clients are unaware and usually accept the suggestion. Of course, if they prefer another payment method, I have a “no-hassle guarantee.” As I state during negotiations, I’ll accommodate their requests—within reason.
[4] A key subtext of my email is a request for an endorsement. Clients rarely reply without also mentioning how well the event went, how much they enjoyed the performance, and how happy they were to have me. In the days of snail mail, I used to include a “PS” asking for a short endorsement if they were pleased with my work. To encourage a response, I enclosed a self-addressed, elegant envelope featuring a rare stamp—making it hard to ignore or discard. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a binder full of glowing endorsements, many of which I featured in my brochures.
[5] Asking for repeat business is essential. For years, I included a second “PS”—a “PPS”—highlighting my additional offerings. I mentioned my talks on the psychology of deception, creativity, and communication, as well as my ability to create tailored presentations for kick-off meetings, product launches, and trade shows. This is a subject we can explore further if you’re interested.
[6] This final step is vital and must align with your personality and the relationship you’ve built with the client. I believe I’m a good communicator because I genuinely enjoy people and love what I do. When I sign off with “warm regards,” it’s a sincere and authentic sentiment. As in magic, the same principle applies to personal and business relationships: Be natural and be yourself, as Dai Vernon famously advised. A little exaggeration is permissible, but don’t overdo it.
There’s much more to be said on this subject and its related topics, but if even one idea from this discourse resonates with you, I trust your time reading it has been well spent.
Automatic Placement Force
Here is a technical concept with which you can play around during the holidays (among other things, I hope…), and if you manage to meet the challenge at the end of its description, let me know, so we can share your insight with the rest of the readership.
The “Automatic Placement Force” is a very old mathematical Force. I will first describe the “standard” handling of the principle, then comment on a few ideas of mine that could be used to make the proceedings more natural and interesting, and finally formulate problem you might be able to solve.
Here is, first, the standard handling:
Place the card to be forced at position twenty-one from the top of the face-down deck. One way of achieving this result, is to glimpse the top card (force card), bring five x-cards on top with an Overhand Shuffle or a Riffle Shuffle, and then perform two Slough-off Faros, shuttling the force card to position twenty-one. Or gain knowledge of the twenty-first card in the course of a previous trick (see “The Circus Card Trick” in Card College Light, p. ).
Explain that you need a number, but in order not to take advantage that people keep saying the same number, like seven or three, ask a spectator to cut off a small packet from the top of the deck and to count it under the table to herself, e.g., nine.
Meanwhile deal twenty cards face down from left to right in a ribbon-spread configuration on the table.
Count from right to left, i.e., from the top of the ribbon-spread, to the ninth card: This will be the force card.
Now let me raise a few issues.
The forcing procedure just described has three problems:
First, a technical problem, i.e., how do you bring a known card to be forced to the twenty-first position from the top of the deck. In the explanation above I already gave you two solutions (there are more, of course).
Second, a dramatic problem, i.e., how do you motivate the procedural part of having to cut off a packet, counting the cards, etc., and make this interesting. I gave you one solution.
Third, a dramatic and psychological problem, i.e., why are you counting off a reduced number of cards (twenty). I did not give you a solution for this problem…
One solution is to find a presentational way of staging the twenty cards so that it makes sense, e.g., “Today is the 20th of the month, so I’ll count off twenty cards…”, or, “Since it is your twentieth birthday, I’ll count off twenty cards…”, or, “It is right now twenty past seven, so I’ll count off twenty cards…”.
Possible, but not that good…
Maybe, “According to a little-known theory, twenty is a magic number. The theory, by the way, is my own, and I have not yet been able to scientifically prove it…” Acceptable; at least that would work for my performance style.
However, would it not make more sense to use the complete balance of the deck, rather than counting off a specific amount of cards? However, the mathematical principle requires that the top twenty cards (general formula: x-1, x=21) be reverse counted, in which case you could indeed use the complete balance. But how do you reverse the order of the top twenty cards (running twenty cards during an Overhand Shuffle is lengthy… and risky)?
If you can come up with a solution, you will have contributed something original to this age-old force.
An excellent application of this force, by the way, is Paul Harris’ “Overkill” from his Art of Astonishment 2 (p. 183), originally published in Close-up Fantasies 1.
Happy Holidays!
For all of you who celebrate Christmas I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas, and for all others Happy Holidays!
PS: Regardless of what you do believe or do not believe, it is simply nice and useful to take a little break, to get together with family and friends, and to have a special lunch and dinner, which you don’t have everyday, and to spend time together with uplifting conversations. (By all means try the “Sicilian-Blood-Orange Salad” described on December 24th in the Unexpected Agenda, p. 371, as this will please virtually every palate.)
Wish you all a successful and happy week,
Roberto Giobbi
