How to Approach Literally Anyone… In Any Scenario

The biggest hurdle to overcome in magic isn’t learning the trick, it’s the execution of that trick to an audience.

Most people practice by showing their family first - but the first time you show magic to a stranger is a daunting task.

Here are tried and tested lines I’ve used/still use to approach groups of strangers.

Weddings

Learn the Bride & Groom's names.

Let’s say the bride is called ‘Kate’.

I would say

“Hey everyone, Kate asked me to come over here and show you something epic.”

The connection to us all is the bride - and by saying no to me, they’ll be saying no to Kate by extension.

I also don’t use the word ‘magic’ - I just say something epic and proceed with an opener. Whether it’s Pot of Jam (which we teach on Ellusionist) or Two Card Monte (that you can learn for free here) - both of my openers are framed as proposition bets.

This lowers expectations and makes the magic hit harder in the first trick.

It's also important to note that I would never say that I was ‘a hired magician’ for the evening. That frames you as outside of the celebration. 

You want to frame yourself as part of the celebration instead. 

Bars

During my residencies at many bars, I always approached with the same line…

“Hey everyone, sorry to interrupt. The manager has sent me over to see if you’d like to win some free drinks?"

Again, I’m using the manager as the authority figure, because they don’t know me - and I’m not saying the word magic. I’m saying to win some free drinks.

Who doesn’t want to win some free drinks at the bar?

Now you know what I know, which is they have no f*cking chance of winning those free drinks, as I’m about to blow their mind with magic.

Have Props

Let’s say you’ve not been hired at all. You’re just out casually and want to practice your magic for people.

In Amsterdam last year, I was shocked at how disarming a ‘cup of tea’ was when approaching a group of strangers.

I’m 6ft 2 inches tall, a big guy. So sometimes that is alarming for people.

Holding a cup of tea I was able to casually approach tables and they seemed a lot more receptive. I tested it with holding something vs. not holding something - and got a greater ‘yes’ percentage with the tea.

It doesn’t have to be tea, but I’m assuming it worked because it doesn’t look like you’re there for them. It looks like you’re doing your own thing and happen to just speak to them.

Holding a beer could be too aggressive. Holding a deck of cards is not.

Try it, I think you'll be as shocked as I was at how a prop can disarm strangers to your approach. 

Street

Street Magic is like fishing. You put bait on the line and little fish take the hook themselves.

You’ll get more noes than yeses when performing on the street, so you need to get over that. Don’t take it personally.

But here are 3 tactics for you.

That was our bait and the spectators came to us.

2. Another way is to ‘card spring’ and flick yourself silly. People see you doing awesome stuff with a deck of cards and often ask you “are you a magician or something?” Then you can go into your opening effect.

The card spring is the bait - and it gets them on the hook.

3. The last tactic is the cold approach. People walking fast are heading places, they are very unlikely to stop. But big groups meandering down the street, on their way to the next bar, or people sitting on a park bench are perfect.

Make sure you say something like “Hey guys, don’t worry, I’m not selling anything. I’m just out here doing magic tricks and wondered if you wanted to see something. No cost, no tips. You’ll just be helping me practice.”

It needs to be clear that it won’t cost them any money, or there is no expectation for tips.

Controlling Arrogance

The last piece of advice I want to give you is that being rejected is natural. It’s not personal to you or your magic.

People’s time is their own - and they choose how they want to spend it.

It’s arrogant to expect strangers to give their time to you, just because you can do magic.

If someone is closed off and unwilling to see magic, it’s okay… Move on.

Even if you did work hard to convince them, they probably wouldn’t give you a good reaction anyway. Which would knock your confidence more than just being rejected & walking away.

The people you want to show magic to should be open & excited by your offer. Those people are present and will give you the best reactions.

And as we’ve covered in the confidence blog, you need those wins to help give you the confidence to approach more groups in future. 

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