Abra-CARD-Abra - The concept, background and credentials
and what's in the future for this unique marketing tool...

Welcome to my passion! Here is an idea that has consumed countless hours of thought, consideration, and effort over the past several years. It came about as a simple idea that combined several skill sets and experiences and ballooned into a major project, which I have worked on with laser-like focus for months on end. It wakes me up in the middle of the night with new ideas to explore, and it gets me out of bed early each morning to continue working on its development and refinement. It is my contribution to the magic fraternity, and perhaps may even become the legacy I leave to the world of magic.

“Abra-CARD-Abra” is a unique marketing tool for magicians and family entertainers, unlike any other of which I have seen or heard, at least to the level and extent that I plan to take it. It has made a very significant impact on my entertainment business. It has opened the door to many exciting new opportunities and created a sense of anticipation for what new possibilities may lie ahead. To date, I have discovered at least 13 different ways in which this single, simple marketing tool may be used to promote your services and bring multiple related streams of income to your entertainment business. Chances are, once you implement them, you will come up with even more great ideas by which you will benefit from this unique marketing concept.

The Origin of the Idea - Abra-CARD-Abra is the result of combining experiences from two different opportunities into an idea with seemingly unlimited possibilities. Several years ago, I was presented with an opportunity to produce six one-hour magic workshops to be taught at a community center over a six-week period of time. The 120 hours that I invested in the research and presentations taught me a great deal about what kids responded well to and how to produce quality magic tricks that are inexpensive to produce, easy to learn, and, most of all, fun for kids to perform. Magic workshops have since become a very lucrative element of my business.

Another opportunity - to present walk-around magic on a weekly basis for a local restaurant’s “family night” - sparked an idea. One challenge I faced was to come up with new material to offer regular customers who came in week after week. A second challenge was to find a creative and effective way to use that opportunity to market my services to every one of those guests.

As my target market has always been children’s and family audiences, I realized that each family that visited the restaurant represented potential new business. I wanted to make sure that everyone left with my contact information. Giving a child a business card just doesn’t cut it; however, giving a child a nicely packaged magic trick that includes a colorful, easy-to-understand, professionally designed instruction card -- which just happens to have your business card printed on the opposite side -- is a winning combination! Being able to produce and distribute these materials for just pennies apiece is a huge bonus.

When I work in restaurants, a 3-5 minute visit to a table includes performing a brief magic routine, making a balloon animal for each child, and then presenting and teaching a magic trick which each child is able to take home with them. Half of my time is spent presenting and distributing custom magic tricks that market my services… and they love it!

A win, win, win proposition - The “Free Magic Tricks” brought families back week after week. Kids loved them, parents appreciated the extra value, tips increased, and the restaurant owner loved the additional business...a win, win, win proposition! I took advantage of an opportunity to use my skills in magic, graphic design, and marketing to create a lucrative new market, and I had only begun to scratch the surface. Seeing a whole new area of business to explore, I began creating these custom magical giveaways to promote my business.

Multiple ways to generate business and income - With the creation of each new piece, I discovered additional ways in which these unique promotional materials could be used. They have become the #1, most effective tool in my marketing arsenal. A few examples of their effectiveness include:

• a unique twist in restaurant work that makes me the "obvious" entertainment choice and nets me 50% more over the average local rate for restaurant performers
• a simple idea that adds an additional $30.00 upsell to 70-75% of my birthday party shows
• a goody bag add-on that generates additional income to about one-third of my parties
• some great incentive ideas that have been responsible for booking large blocks of shows for certain groups...and more.

The “Products & Prices” page of this website will introduce you to three packages that are currently available. My four-year plan includes the introduction of a new piece each quarter, for a total of 24 unique “magical giveaways” that will produce a huge marketing edge to anyone who uses them.

Not for everyone - The Abra-CARD-Abra materials are designed for the working pros and serious performers who are interested in elevating their marketing to a whole new level. I have given a great deal of thought to the pricing of these materials, and while they are not cheap, they are an exceptional value for those savvy performers who are able to recognize their many benefits. The good news is that these items will most likely be used by just a few of your smartest and most serious competitors. Bringing these materials to your market first, or using them most creatively in your business, will give you the added edge that will help you to monopolize the magic market in your area.

The benefit of expert experience - Most of us don’t have the luxury of being able to hire a graphic artist and marketing professional who understands both the magic business and the business of advertising and marketing. You can waste thousands of dollars on promotional materials that are beautiful to look at but may not be the least bit effective. That’s where I come in. Abra-CARD-Abra combines three of my strongest skillsets…Magic, Graphic Design and Marketing. I have devoted 49 years to the performance of magic, over 50 years to the study of art and graphic design, and 20 years educating myself in many areas of marketing.

It is not unusual for me to spend 50 hours or more in the research, development, and creation of a single Abra-CARD-Abra item. Considering the cost of hiring a graphic artist for a similar amount of time and the numerous valuable ideas I am offering in this program, I believe that the materials you are about to discover will bring a return on your investment exponentially greater than any magic trick you hold in your repertoire. These are the materials that will help you to fill your engagement calendar and pad your savings account by promoting your entertainment services in a manner in which you will absolutely love.

Tried, Tested and Proven - These are the exact same materials that I am using. My goal is, and always will be, to create high quality, professional products and promotional materials that both you and I would be proud to put our names on. After all, the materials you hand out should be a reflection of the services you offer. Abra-CARD-Abra gives you the unique opportunity to produce and distribute exceptional promotional materials for just pennies per piece. I am absolutely confident that this will quickly become your #1, favorite marketing tool, once you put it into action. The sooner you act, the sooner you will be reaping the many rewards that this remarkable program will bring to your business.

On a lighter note...

I love reading the "7 Things You May Not Have Known About..." segment from the cover story of MAGIC Magazine. As I do not expect to be appearing on the cover anytime soon, here are 7 things you may not know about me... Funny thing...a year after I wrote this, the following profile story appeared in the June, 2014 issue of MAGIC magazine. You may click here to read the story. It is posted with permission of MAGIC Magazine, © MAGIC Magazine 2014.