Hello everyone!

So after reading all the threads in this forum for the last few months, I finally plucked up the courage to decide to pitch Sven decks!

Bought 240 for £1.16 per unit (that's $1.65 in US - I know, they're expensive over here!)

Also bought some magic wands, Don Drivers's BAT and the Sven Pitch downloads, and the necessary bits to make up 100 or so TCMs as kickers.

Fortune telling fish, rattlesnake eggs and Worms on order, but they haven't arrived yet.

So today was a nice sunny day on the South Coast of the UK so I went a long to the local Car Boot Sale (these are a UK thing - the closest thing in the US to them is outdoor flea markets) and set up my joint. I pitched Sven decks for £5 each, wands at £2, TCM at £3, but they got a free wand and TCM with every Sven deck purchased

in US money that's $7.26 for everything.

I realise that's less than the tried and tested advice of $10 per pack, but a) that would be a funny amount in GBP (£6.89) and b) the customers at car boot sales are expecting to buy second hand goods at second hand prices... So I wanted to get it right.

I'm very happy to report that I sold 21 decks, working pretty much solid from 7am till 11.30 am. By that point, the event was starting to wind down , and it was roasting hot, with no shade, so I figured it was best to stop there.

I'm looking for fairs, festivals and better pitch areas now as I think I can pitch the cards at £10 each ($14.50 US) by giving a Worm, a wand and a TCM as a kicker.

Also bought some cheap D Lites to pitch at evening fairs and at the beach nearby.

Anyway, thanks to everyone that's posted here for all the advice, to Don for the brilliant pitch tips.

I'll post a video below to let you see the pitch in action, but thanks again and I just wanted to share how excited I was,

Congratulations and keep it up!

Good going Phil.But you are pitching too many items.Get rid of everything except the Svengali deck,TCM and the worm.Pitch the deck for $10 with the TCM as a kicker and the worm $6.00 each or 2 for $10.00.That is if you can buy the worm for $1.00.

Try to get the decks cheaper even if you have to buy from china.I have this wholesaler name for Svengali cards in England.Funny Man Products.Phone number 0208 5543131. This is old info so I'm not sure if they are still in business anymore.But give it a shot.

All the best to you.

Don

Thanks for the encouragement Mark and Don!

I've got to say, I had so much fun, I really caught the bug!

Thanks for the advice Don, unfortunately I had already paid for the fish, wands and rattlesnake eggs so I'm going to throw them in as kickers and prizes / free gifts to help sell the decks until they run out.

I figure if I give out a couple of fish and a pack of rattlesnake eggs to the 'helpers' in every pitch it'll help sell more, using the 'reciprocity' principle of sales.

Also, I'm going to hand each helper a magic wand to hold - A) as a 'lock-in' prop so they can't walk away and b) to demonstrate trust - again hoping that will help sales.

Thanks VERY much for telling me about funny man products, they are still in business and sell Sven decks for half the price I paid before, so when the first 20 doz go, I'll be re-ordering from them.

Managed to find a Worm supplier in the UK that does them for £0.61 each (that's about 90c) so I've ordered a batch of them too.

Looking forward to the next pitch day - I'm going to offer a 'Mega Magic Bundle' for £15 (about $22) for a deck, a TCM and a worm (and I'll throw one of each of the other cheap things in while they last as additional kickers),

I'll let you know how it goes!

Oh, I'll post those videos in a minute, just uploading them as private YouTube videos now...

THANKS AGAIN GUYS!

Way to go Phil! 21 decks is great for your first day out! The hardest part was taking the dive! You'll see things will just get better and better... Don Drivers videos is the best way to learn to pitch magic. The second book and video you should learn from and it gets deeper in the pitch mentality is: EXPERT AT THE PITCH TABLE. You can even learn to make your own sven decks from the instructions in that book and save shipping etc.. Its still better to just buy them cause you'll make more money spending your time pitching them than the money you save from making them yourself, but its worth knowing in case you sell out and need some right away or your supplier is out of stock (and it does happen often!).... I'll post a link to where you can buy Expert At The Pitch Table (by David Walker) in a just a bit...
But stick to Dons pitch. Its better for today since most wont stay for a long pitch, but there are exceptions... Good Luck! I'll take it back! LUCK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! Best!

Here's the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-EXPERT-AT-TH......EOxXPlxX

I had purchased this set on VHS with book back in the mid 90's from D Robbins as it was the suppler I first started with. (Back then you could get up to 6 samples per order at wholesale cost which was an added benefit from pitching!). While going through the catalogs I saw this set and ordered it as a sample (D Robbins had no website back then so they would send you a thick stack of catalogs with price sheets and then you had to call in the order by phone!). I have to say it was well worth every penny spent in gold! At first I mainly viewed the video and scanned the pages in the book...thought it was good and then threw it aside. As time passed, I went back and fully read the book from cover to cover and have to say I wish I would of took the book more seriously! There is pure GOLD in the book! The video is good but the true gold is in the book! Though it might take time for someone just starting out to fully understand it, but the more you pitch the clearer the book gets! Anyways, Just wanted to post the link here! Best!

I just bought a copy of that on DVD with the book. I have not got it yet but I am very interested to see what it's advice is.
Who knows maybe ill give it a go sometime.

This has probably been asked 1000 times but is there any places that are better for getting decks than another?
I have found a couple but what I cannot find are the pre-packaged "squirmles" or worms.

Here in the US it seems that the only place is the Dollar Store and I have wondered if I bought them there if I could mark them up and sell them elsewhere.



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Hey bigfoot, I believe your going to enjoy the set. The book is especially good but so is the video. Kim Dixon's mouse pitch (in the video) and the way he's rolling them tips over is a lesson in itself! If you look through the book, I believe there is a list of suppliers given as well. Some are already gone but others are still standing. A quick google search and you'll get their info. The best place to buy decks IMO is Loftus. They are a little under a buck and are of good quality. I get them for much less because I make them myself but I also buy them from Loftus when I'm too busy to make'em! Best!

I have made decks up but only when there was NO other way.Its too time time consuming and a general pain in the aris.You could stand on a street cornor with sun glasses and a tin cup and make better use of the time it takes to make Svengali decks.

Loftus is the only place to buy Svengali decks.Get the deck collated with a color sleeve and extra directions.Be sure to buy a case of 2 gross (288)catalog number SV 0001.Don't buy the bulk to save a few bucks!!!

For worms go to my friend Carl. http://www.toysontv.com/squirmles.htm Carl is the guy doing the pitch in the video. Be sure to let who ever answers the phone you're a pitchman.Also only get the single package.

Here is my friend Alex that talked me into going with him to the 2009 New York State fair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoNpBPGTD0
He was only 15 and grossed $14,500.00 in 11 days.He never took a break except for a one hour break that I made him take.He is now 22 and the sole owner of Vante Brands .com and a millionair many times over.

The reason I talk about Alex is to let you know if you want to be successful nothing will get in your way.Here is a wise story on success:

"
I young boy would fellow a Guru to the beach everyday.He asked the Guru the same question everyday. "Mr Guru what is the secret to success" But the Guru would ingor him like he wasn't even there. This went on for weeks.Than one day the Guru showed up at the becah...there was the same young boy asking the same question " Mr Guru what is the secret to success " only this time the Guru started to walk out into the ocean...the young boy right by his side asking the question over and over.Soon the Guru is in water up to his waist...the young boy is in water up to his neck. The guru reaches over and puts his hand on the youngs boys head and pushes him underwater.The young boy's head is totaly underwater and he can't breath. The young boy can see he'll die if he dosen't do something,so the young boy digs his finger nails into the Gurus hand and begains to scrach the Guru till he draws blood.
It hurts the Guru so much he has to let go of the boys head.

The young boy comes up and gasps for a breath of air.Than he starts to breath again.The guru looks at the young boy and says:

" When you want to succeed in life as bad as you just wanted to breath,you'll find a way "

Don

Hey I just want to say thank you guys so very much for taking the time to answer my questions.
I have been a magician for many years and have done pretty well with it and my first love in this world, except my children, is sleight of hand.

My interest with pitching has just recently been peeked as I am semi retired from magic and I am thinking of trying this during my retirement years.

You guys seem to be a bit more relaxed, if that's the right word, than some of the other people in other sections of the Café.
I do really appreciate your time, effort, and understanding answering questions I'm sure you have already answered a million times.




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Hello Don! I agree with you 100%! Making your decks yourself is working backwards as you can purchase them so cheap and use your time better... I actually enjoy making them as I have free time during the week. I've been making them for a few years now and can make around a 144 decks a day while watching some good movies... and that includes sorting them out, cutting them, rounding corners, collating them and packaging them with sleeve and instructions all in the comfort of my home... By the time I'm done they've cost me a days work and about 50 bucks for a gross of Svengali... Compare that to paying 133.20 for a gross of svens from Loftus plus around $20.00 for shipping... (A total of 153.20). It save me around 100 bucks but I do use up a whole day to make'em. It works for me for now but to make the real money, making them yourself is a waste of time!

Your welcome bigfoot! My advice is simply what I've learned so far but the one we really must learn from is Don! He's been in the game for many years behind a pitch joint (As pitchmen say, "standing on the box"). He really knows what he's talking about and when he speaks I listen....
Have a good one!

Frosty,If making up svens works for you go for it.You know you don't have to round the corners.Hanes House of Cards never rounded their sven decks nor did I when I HAD to make them up.

Don

Well if what everyone says it true no one will get that far to examine them.
Don't most people just open them read the directions and toss them aside for the next thing that comes along?
Or maybe I'm speaking a bit out of context?

I think most decks are looked at and played with for a day or so before they wind up in the land fill.Maybe your local land fill would be a good place to look for stock.

Don

Hey Don, I was out this weekend at a Flea market in Austin Texas. That story kept ringing on my head all day while I was on the joint! Makes me want to push harder..... Just wanted to say thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed it and it really got me thinking!

I was set up right next to the Jehovah's Witness this weekend and had weird looks from them all day... Sometimes my tips would cover half of their front table but they wouldn't say a thing. It was kinda awkward but that same situation happened at Flea markets in San Antonio and Poteet Texas... This is the third time right next to them (not the same people but a Jehovah's group). Seems like they are at every flea market here. I'm sure you all know how they feel about magic! They all gave me crazy looks but one lady there seemed all good about it, smiled at me and said I was very "EXTROVERTED" or something like that! I had no idea what that word meant so I asked her what it meant. She couldn't believe I had never heard of that word (hey, I dropped out from school in 8th grade!). She then told me it was the opposite of being shy.... I then told her many years ago when I first started selling my tricks I was extremely shy. I couldn't look at anybody straight in their eyes. I would even try to avoid people or looking their way cause I was that shy. She was very surprised! We then talked a little, laughed at a few jokes then she gave me a pamphlet before leaving home for the day with the rest...

The moral of this story is that I know I'm still kinda shy deep inside but when I first started, I knew I had to push or I would of starved! When I first started, I would wait for someone to ask me to demo those tricks (Which is the wrong way to do it!). After the day was over, I would usually make my nut and a little profit, sometimes barely, but other times I would not! Pitching has taught me that you need to push hard and try to make those sales or you'll be out of business quick (and that means calling them in and working your tip as soon as you get a few to front your joint! It has made me forget how shy I was and now I pitch to all no matter what their age, race, gender or.... (I now don't wait for them to ask) I just start my pitch as if its the coolest thing they will ever see!

I know I'm going too long with this but just wanted to throw this in for those just starting out so you can see how we all started and pushed even though we felt all weird inside... Don's story has really got me thinking and I know I need to step it up some more (and I will)!

Anyways, I'll stop for now and want to wish you all the very best!

Frosty your story hit my heart.I quite school in the 8th grade as well...but didn't leave school till the 10th grade when I turned 16.You said "I knew I had to push or I would of starved" They say a hungry pitchman makes the best pitchman....LOL.

Keep up the good work...
Don

Hey Don, you just put a smile on my face! Thanks!

Only thing I can add is add a sunshade on hot days - for a small stand just attach a big golf umbrella - available in great colors, too!

What is TCM? Sorry for my ignorance. Thanks. db