Dear Don,

After re-reading my question I noticed it was quite vauge. So alow me to elaborate.

You spoke of taking decks of your 24 like cards to a printer to have him shave the 1/8 off those cards to make them your short cards. My question is, is there an effective way to remove that 1/8 from the cards in an effective manner. (i.e. not using sisors) Thanks agian for re-reading this question and I hope it makes sence now! lol So any ideas or advice would be great!

Thanking you all in advance.

Anton James

Anton,
When I used to make my own Svengali's I would make up 96 decks at a time.This means I would have 48 decks cut at a printer.I would go to any printer and he would charge me NO more than $3.00.I have had them cut as cheap as $1.00.Even if it goes as high as $5.00 today,look at the time you'll save let alone getting a "clean cut" on them.
I really don't know of a way to cut thim without using sisors and your never get them cut the same size.
Hope this answered your question.Have a good one,
Don

Yes, I guess the forum is made up mostly of Svengali pitchmen, so I'll retract my harsh comments. I also agree that the Svengali might bring some new potential magicians into our fold and therefore would benefit the art of magic. On the other hand, should a novice magician ask me for guidance, I don't think I would direct him or her to the Svengali. I imagine that we all agree on that.

Jim Mullen

Jim, I might add that as part of my own Svengali pitch, I incorporate a DL, based in part on info I have learned from Don Driver and others.

The combination of the gaff and a good card sleight produces a powerful result that you could not easily obtain with either one alone. Furthermore, it usually fries people who ARE familiar with Marshall Brodien's "Magic Cards" and other Svengali Decks, etc., and who say, "Gee, I thought this was a gimmicked deck, but I guess not!"

I do a two- or three-phase routine in which we deal with the spec's "chosen" card, so it is possible to do 2 or 3 effects naturally for the same person with the same card. To avoid forcing the same card over and over again all day for different people, I just rotate a couple of decks in and out of play.

So I think with a little thought and careful handling, there's still some life in the old girl yet, although I agree that your options are limited. When they discover this, that's when I suggest they head to the nearest public library for a copy of "Modern Magic" or "The Royal Road to Card Magic." SETHB

Keep it simple sethb.

The beauty of the pitch is that you are selling a tool that the average guy can use and create miracles. You are changing the card so that you can fool the repeat spectator. If he sees the same card on repeat performances the 'tool' idea will be reinforced.

Please remember that you are always giving away the secret to the deck during the pitch. It is the point of the pitch.

If you are pitching, think salesman. If you are performing magic, think of your character and such. Magicians try to prove that something very special is happening....usually under the control of the Magic man. Pitchmen prove that they have a product that you want and can EASILY use.

Don's dvd is easily the best deal I have purchased in over 25 years of buying magic. Talk about lots of USEFUL information.

Well, yes and no. I don't explain how the deck actually works, they have to buy it to figure that out. I do change the entire deck to their chosen card and back again. To me, that's more of a "kicker" than an explanation. Maybe it's just the magician in me, I don't like to expose a secret!

I do tell the folks that while the tricks look amazing, they are actually easy to do. I also say that the secret is "built" right into the deck, and that almost anyone can duplicate what I do with a little bit of practice. That seems to do the trick.

I also agree that simple is best. I began with Don's 3-phase routine but often cut out the middle and just do a 2-phase, because many people's attention span can't seem to hack it. They want a sound bite and a fast trick, and that's it. No long drawn-out stuff for them, they've got places to go and other things to see! Not only is the shorter routine more effective, but then I get to do more demos to more people in the same amount of time. SETHB

Good work.

I can see why you would want to have a different card for each pitch.

I am sticking to the script that Don provides. I only changed one thing. I never call a boy 'young man'. There isn't enough of an age gap between me and any 'young man', so from me it sounds unnatural.

Otherwise, I stick to the script.

"almost anyone can duplicate" - take out the almost. A pitchman would sell it as something anyone can use with ease. What do you think veteran pitchmen?

Seth--
How well are you selling the decks, if you don't mind my asking?

Well, I say "almost" because there is always some clod who can't manage to riffle the deck in one direction, and then in the other direction. <grin>

Seriously, it is one thing to know how the deck works, and another to handle it gracefully and naturally. After I got Don's tape, it took a good 2-3 months of work for me to learn and present the routine smoothly. Then it was another 6 months of performing and polishing the routine before I finally got it the way I like it.

Anyway, from a sales perspective, you are probably right -- why raise any doubts in the buyer's mind? Besides, they might be the next David Copperfield! SETHB

Ryan -- I have PM'd you about this. SETHB

I would add that one thing I'd like to improve this coming season would be the ability to draw and sell to a larger crowd. That's what Don does on his video, and it's much more efficient and profitable to sell a bunch of decks to a group of people.

I always try to play "big" and attract passers-by, but sometimes end up demoing/pitching one-on-one or just a few folks. That's OK, because I will often make multiple sales to one person. But I believe a larger crowd often feeds on itself; the bigger it is the more people it attracts, and when the first person buys a deck, then everyone else ponys up, too. That's the way I'd like to sell these decks, a dozen at a time!

So I'm also looking forward to Don's new video, and to improving my skills in this particular area. SETHB

If any of you are IMB members and get the Linking Ring magazine.In this months issue(Feb 2006) Bev Bergeron's column "Cutting up Jackpots" he writed "The History of the Svengali Pitch" Great story.
I would like to get contact info on Bev and let David Walker get intouch with him.David hasn't seen Bev in many years.So if anybody here knows Bev contact info please email me or PM me,Thanks.
The new DVD "Building a tip" is being burned as I type and will be ready in a week,email me and I'll put on my list to inform when its ready for shipping.
Thanks Guys...and have a good one,
Don