304 – October 31
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”—Mark Twain
Dwayne Garman is an upbeat, enthusiastic young magician. Everyone in class cheered the day he shared with us that he had accomplished a major lifetime goal: He auditioned for and was accepted as a member of Los Angeles’ famed magician’s club, the Magic Castle.
After accepting his accolades from the group, he shared with us how testimonials had helped him keep working when many other magicians were struggling. Several years before, he was working under contract with a local restaurant to provide close-up magic for their diners. He would move from table to table, performing various sleight-of-hand and card tricks to the amusement and delight of the restaurant’s patrons.
The engagement was going well, but it was difficult for the restaurant owner to track the effectiveness of the entertainment on the bottom line. Was it really a draw to keep customers coming back? Did the act have a measurable impact on the dining experience? Dwayne could see that the restaurant managers were unsure.
So Dwayne created some “Feedback” cards to leave with the diners after he finished each performance, and asked them to fill them out. He would collect the cards from the tables later.
That’s not what was so original about his idea—many people ask for feedback input on cards or forms. It’s what he did next that made all the difference.
Dwayne made photocopies of the quotes from all the testimonial cards, by lining them up on the copier so that just quote after quote showed through. He then presented this list to restaurant management along with his bill at the end of each week.
Not only did he get paid promptly and happily, he worked for this restaurant chain until the parent company canceled the national program.
Send your testimonials along with your invoices—great idea! If you’re on salary, you can still send updates on accomplishments and testimonials to your managers, along with “thank you” for your paychecks. Where else can testimonials work in your life?
Today’s Affirmation:
“I am wonderful—and I have proof!”
I believe in magic! As Glinda the Good Witch said, “You had the power all along, my dear.”
That reminds me of one of my favorite birthday cards:
On the front, it had a picture of the ruby slippers, and said, “There’s no place like Paris!” There’s no place like Paris!”
On the inside it said, “Yeah, like if you had magic shoes you’d go to Kansas.”
Hee. Happy Halloween everyone!!
