5 Marketing Tactics For Getting New Customers How one magician finds his customers

When John Dudley turned his weekend magic into a full-time business more than a decade ago, he had to contend with an ego-deflating question: "What do you really do for a living?"

"No one believed magic was my job," laments Dudley, who lives in Grand Junction, Michigan. That misperception hurt more than just his ego, he says.

Like any entrepreneur building a client base, Dudley depended on referrals to bring in business. And in order to land the children's parties or adult functions that are staples of a magician's livelihood, Dudley had to be thought of as the guy who does magic for a living, the guy to call when you need an entertainer for your gathering.