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One
of
the
things
I
hear
most
often
from
fellow
clown
locally,
and
around
the
world
on
the
net,
is
how
to
deal
with
the
booking
phone
call.
As
most
of
our
bookings
will
come
over
the
phone,
it
is
important
how
we
handle
those
calls.
First
of
all,
I
think
the
most
important
thing
is
not
to
fall
into
the
trap
of
answering
that
first
question
“How
much?”.
That
is
almost
always
the
first
question
I
get
asked,
and
I
always
say,
“Well,
each
show
is
custom
tailored
to
the
audience
so
let
me
get
some
information
from
you
first”.
This
tells
the
client
that
you
aren’t
any
old
clown,
doing
the
same
old
show.
They
are
going
to
get
a
custom
tailored
show,
so
you
must
be
a
real
professional.
The
next
thing
is
that
it
allows
you
to
find
out
the
who,
what,
where,
and
when
of
the
party.
This
will
help
you
plan
in
your
head
what
you
will
do
so
you
can
explain
to
the
parent
what
you
will
do.
I
always
try
to
keep
a
pen
and
pad
by
the
phone
to
get
the
particulars
so
I
can
refer
to
them
during
the
conversation.
I
usually
ask
how
old
is
the
birthday
child,
what
age
range
of
guests,
how
many
etc.
then
I
tell
them
about
my
show.
For
example,
“Oh
Billy
will
be
six.
That’s
a
great
age
for
a
clown
show.
The
show
itself
is
a
mix
of
magic
tricks
and
clown
silliness
with
lots
of
audience
participation.
There
is
also
an
appearance
by
Binky
the
Bunny
who
is
my
rabbit
puppet.
The
kids
will
really
laugh
as
poor
Binky
tries
to
do
magic
but
doesn’t
always
succeed.
In
fact,
the
kids
end
up
helping
him
to
do
the
magic.
For
the
grand
finale
Billy
becomes
my
special
magical
clown
assistant
for
the
Super
Duper
Birthday
trick
and
in
the
end,
he
magically
produces
a
birthday
gift
for
himself
which
is
the
Professor
Pickles
Coloring
Book
and
Crayons.
The
show
runs
about
40
minutes,
and
the
cost
is
XXX.
For
XX
more
you
can
get
the
Deluxe
Party,
in
which
Professor
Pickles
will
also
make
a
balloon
animal
for
each
child
to
take
home
and
the
Magic
Birthday
Present
is
a
real
set
of
magic
tricks
.
So
would
you
like
to
book
a
regular
party
or
the
deluxe
party
with
the
balloons
and
special
magic
kit?”
The
last
question
follows
the
number
one
rule
in
sales,
ask
for
the
sale.
If
they
still
hesitate,
tell
them
you
have
a
website
(if
you
do)
and
refer
them
there.
My
website
has
pictures
of
me
performing,
lots
more
information
and
most
importantly,
it
has
quotes
from
previous
clients.
One
other
thing
about
the
phone
call
is
how
your
phone
is
answered.
I
have
my
answering
machine
all
at
all
times,
but
I
also
have
teenagers
who
genetically
are
conditioned
to
automatically
answer
a
ringing
phone,
so
I
have
coached
them
on
how
to
take
a
message
so
I
can
call
them.
You
want
to
make
a
good
first
impression,
and
no
matter
how
cute
they
are,
a
three
year
old
answering
your
phone
doesn’t
do
that.
The
biggest
thing
with
phone
calls
is
be
prepared,
know
what
it
is
you
offer
and
what
makes
you
special.
In
my
case
they
are
not
just
getting
any
old
clown,
they
are
getting
Professor
Pickles. Neale Bacon Related Articles:
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