The Marketing Magic Man
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I received a phone call the other day from an old friend in Pittsburgh who has been a fantastic resource for my company over the last 15 years. His name is Paul Gertner. You may not be familiar with his name but I would hazard a guess that there are hundreds of thousands of business people who are familiar with his brand of corporate magic. You might even be one of them and not know it! Let me tell you about Paul and what he's done for my company. I'll start with how we met the first time – and no, he was not dressed in drag and sat on my lap at a nightclub (see last months newsletter if you do not understand that reference).
The story begins in Dallas in the late 80's where I was attending a meeting of independent sales consultants. During dinner the final evening of the meeting, one of the consultants, by the name of David Richardson, did an impromptu magic act. I've always had an interest in magic and had thought about adding some to my workshops for entertainment purposes. By coincidence, while I was waiting for a cab to take me to the airport the next morning, out of the hotel walked Dave also leaves for the airport. We decided to share the ride and on the way, I expressed my interest in adding magic to my speaking. Upon learning that I lived in Pittsburgh, Dave said there is a "really good magician" by the name of Paul Gertner who is also a member of the National Speakers' Association (Dave and I were both members) who I should call. Dave thought Paul would be happy to give a fellow NSA member some pointsers.
Upon returning home, I went to a magic store and bought a few tricks thinking I could incorporate them into my speaking. Occasionally, I became frustrated with learning them and decided to call Paul Gertner. He was very cordial and invited me to come to his home office and said we'd talk and he would give me some ideas. Upon arriving at Paul's home, we just sat down when his assistant said that he had an important phone call he needed to take. Paul apologized and grabbed a big scrapbook nearby and said, "Here, you can look at this while I'm on this call." I started thumbing through the pages and suddenly I felt the blood drain from my face and I began looking for the exit.
The pages were crammed full of stories on Paul and how he is one of the top professional magicians in the WORLD! There were articles and photos of him teaching magicians that anyone would recognize by name. There were photos of him on hit TV shows and with one celebrity after another, including Johnny Carson. I thought, "My God, what have I done?" This guy must think I'm crazy to ask him to "show me a few tricks." And, then I started thinking he's a top professional – he's going to send me a bill for thousands of dollars and he'll be justified in doing so.
It was about that time that Paul returned. I immediately started apologizing for being there and told him I had no idea of his celebrity and standing in the world of professional magic. I offered to leave and not waste any more of his time. He laughed and asked me to sit down. He then mentioned that the call he just took was from Johnny Carson. Paul was on his show several times and Johnny, who loved magic, used to have Paul "show him a few tricks" too.
And, so I relaxed – for about 30 seconds – when Paul said, "Show me a couple of the tricks that you've been practicing." The only trick I wanted to show him at that point was "The Disappearing Man" – and I was going to be the subject. But, never one to back down from a challenge, I began doing my one and only "good trick." Paul watched me and with some words of encouragement, he began to show me a better way to do the trick. Then he sent the next hour or so giving me other ideas and we ended the meeting by agreeing to stay in touch. I left knowing he was not only a fine gentleman but also the epitome of a professional.
The fact is that Paul Gertner is recognized by his peers as one of the finest sleight-of-hand magicians in the world today – many would say the best ever. His first place awards in international competitions in Las Vegas, Madrid and Miami confirm this status. Even David Copperfield has called upon Paul to consult on his TV specials. Paul has performed for more than 500 corporations in more than 20 different countries, has lectured at MIT and has been featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal … twice. A frequent guest on the Tonight Show, Paul has also appeared on NBC's World's Greatest Magic, HBO specials, That's Incredible and more. In 1998 he wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed one-man theatrical production … "Paul Gertner-Ten Fingers."
Why is not his name as familiar to you as Copperfield or Blaine? Paul took a different different approach to magic. Instead of focusing on the lights of Vegas and the lure of TV, he decided to be a Corporate Presenter and specialize in delivering corporate sales and marketing messages. I first engaged Paul to help us at trade shows and conventions where we were premiering a new software application and competing against giant corporations. I knew in order to attract people to our small booth; we had to have something special – something magical. Paul Gertner was the solution. He met with us and learned as much about our product as any sales or marketing person in the company. He created a custom magic show that used audience participation. Our booth was always swamped with people. We ended up using large screen monitors so people could watch. And, while they were being entertained Paul was delivering our sales message. We were always the hit of every show where Paul was our corporate spokesperson and I know we got more sales leads than any of the other vendors.
Paul is one of the most creative people I have had the pleasure of knowing. He continues to innovate with things like brain storming techniques using the principles behind magic for sales teams, training, and sales meetings. He even manufactures sales and marketing magic tools that are customized to your particular product, service or message. And, he always focuses on delivering more value than your investment. I am a very satisfied client. We have no other business relationship. I'm just pleased to tell my friends and clients about him.
I recommend that you go to his website at Gertner.com if you want to see Paul in action and if you want to put magic into your company's sales and marketing message!