How To Be A Successful Working Psychic: Expos

Large or small, a psychic expo is a great place to meet new clients.

For every Hollywood Medium and Lisa Williams garnering seven-figure salaries with fame, fortune and all that hoorah, there are those of us the mundane world would call “working stiffs.” We may never be famous or drive a Bentley. But we’re good at what we do, we make a decent living, and we’re glad to be in the business.

And now you want to join us. Well, I say, “welcome aboard!” Because there is always room for a good reader, healer or metaphysical vendor.

So how do you choose the best venues?

When you’ve been a professional intuitive as long as I have, you generally know which shows are good and which ones to pass by. Starting out, you may have to investigate every possibility. How do you do this?

Like any other start up business, you need to do your Internet research.

Surf the web using relevant keywords:

· psychic fair

· spiritual expo

· metaphysical expo

· holistic expo

If you have certain states you want to concentrate on, add them in the keyword search.

Another way to search is by visiting certain Web sites that list these types of shows. Body Mind Spirit Directory (bodymindspiritdirectory.com) is a good one.

First things first!

But before you boot up the computer, you need to set your parameters:

· How far will you travel?

· Will you go by car, or are you willing to fly?

· If you fly, can you afford to ship all your show gear?

· If you are driving, what’s your radius? (Mine’s about 10 hours one way from my home in upstate NY.)

· Will you only do shows longer than one day? If you’re willing to do a one-day show, what’s the radius for that? (For me, it’s two hours one way.)

· Where is the show located: a hotel, a fire hall, an exhibition center, a casino?

· What is the breakdown of readers vs. healers vs. vendors (those who solely sell product)?

· How long has the show been going on?

· Is this the first year, or does the show have a track record?

· Does the promoter require you do to a lecture?

· What about door prizes: are you responsible for supplying one?

Read the show contract carefully, so there are no surprises.

Once you decide to do a show, there’s usually a contract to sign and up-front money to pay. Expect to pay a minimum of $125 per day for your booth; for the very big venues, it can be up to $500 per day. (You may want to get established before you tackle one of the big behemoths.) Most places will include electricity, though the very large ones will charge extra.

It’s vital to remember deadlines for getting money in to the promoter! Some folks expect it all up front, especially if you haven’t worked with them before. Others may take partial payments.

Be sure you check with the promoter and get your money in AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE IT IS DUE! When you’re an unknown quantity to the promoter, on-time payments go a long way in demonstrating your professionalism and honoring commitments.

Talk to a reader or vendor who’s already done that show. What did they think of it?

Before you sign that contract and send in your money, I highly advise you to get the names of a few people who have done the show and pick their brains. Why? Because promoters can promise the moon — and often do — but it’s the readers, healers and vendors who know whether the moon gets delivered.

Some questions to ask those who have done the show:

· How well do the promoters promote?

· How easy is setup and breakdown?

· Is there enough parking for people to attend? (Trust me, if people have to fight for a parking space or walk blocks, they won’t show up.)

· How many people usually come through the door? If this show has been going for a few years, have the door numbers gone up or down?

· Does everyone play fair, watch out for each other, and treat each other like respected colleagues/family?

· If there’s a problem, is the promoter willing to step up and solve the problem or do they look the other way?

· What kind of people (rookies, people who know their stuff, people looking for bargains, people who just collect the freebies) are usually in attendance?

· Is it the kind of show where you NEED a front person, or is it optional?

· What’s the quality/level of the other readers?

Is the show full of veteran readers — or is there room for new folks like you, still learning?

This last question isn’t as snobbish as it sounds. There are some shows where beginning readers are welcome. A long-running fair I do every February has “reader’s row,” where newer folk have a card table and read for $25. The rest of us, called “wall psychics” because we have full booths around the perimeter, can charge as we like. The promoter does such a fabulous job that the aisles are packed from open to close, and there’s plenty of clientele for everyone at every level.

However, some fairs have beginners in the majority. Because they charge a lot less than seasoned psychics, it can be problematical for the A-listers — especially if they’ve been reading for a long time and their prices reflect that. Make sure that the promoter understands that and doesn’t put a $20 reader next to an $80 reader!

Good luck and welcome to the show circuit!

So, once you’ve decided which shows you want to do…checked out the location and the promoters…made sure that the readers are ones you’ll want to share your business world with…made sure you can afford the booth fee and all the peripherals and get the money in on time…it’s time to plan your future in the world of fairs and expos.