Your Business is Magic!
26th of January, 2021
The Magic Circle was established in 1905. Twenty-three magicians gathered at Pinoli’s Restaurant in London, and went on to form their society. In 1906, Nevil Maskelyne edited the first issue of ‘The Magic Circular’ and on the front cover was the motto: ‘Indocilis Privata Loqui’. This is roughly translated as ‘not apt to disclose secrets’, and famously, any member who discloses the secrets of their magic is subject to expulsion from the Society.
When we see a magician perform, the magic is not in how they do it. The magic is in amazing their audience with the spectacular reveal at the end, prompting them to ask themselves, “how did they do that?”! While we in the audience are wondering in amazement, the magician moves onto the next trick, and the audience is held in rapt attention. And that’s magic. We have no idea what they are doing nor how they do it, but we keep coming back for more.
Now imagine the magician stopped after the first trick and told us all how they had just fooled us. Or imagine if there was a full explanation on their website and marketing materials of all the tricks they did, how they did them, and special mention of how long they had been doing each one. Rather than creating intrigue and curiosity, this is likely to prompt the audience to think, “Is that it?”. We are not likely to stay for the next trick, nor to book the magician for our own event.
If you look at your own business, which of the above paragraphs describes you?
Imagine you were listening to a friend tell a story of an amazing Magician you had seen. Your conversation might include phrases like:
- “It was unbelievable!”
- “I don’t know how they did it!”
- “One minute they were locked in and about to drown, the next they appeared in the audience!”
Your story is made more engaging for your audience. It is likely that they will want to know more and see the trick for themselves. A quick search online will show the video, and they too can be amazed. We know it is an illusion, we are curious about how it is done, but what we all want is the experience of being amazed, not the detail of how the trick was done.
Here is how I sum this up:
“It’s not what you do. It’s the difference you make.”
I encourage all of you to think like magicians. When your clients and customers use your services or products, they notice a difference afterwards. That difference is your magic, and that is what people want. Promote your magic on your website and marketing, and people will engage and be curious. Your network will share stories of how you helped. These stories will make people curious, will encourage engagement, and that will lead to more enquiries and more referrals. Magic!