Every day, parents hire kid entertainers that they should not be hiring. Performers, entertainers, and entertainment agencies sometimes exaggerate about their qualifications, charge you a LOT more than they should, end up turning your kid's birthday party into an embarrassing and lame event.

Organizing a birthday party can be a DIFFICULT and STRESSFUL job. There are so many details that must be attended to.

But here is the undeniable truth:

I realize that you might not believe that right now but think about it for a minute. When is the last time you remembered going to a kid's party, (yours or another) and the party was a bust because there was no entertainment, or a performer who wasn't right for the party and the birthday mom was running around totally stressed out trying to figure out what to do with a dozen or more out of control kids? Did the cake alone make the party memorable and successful? When is the last time you attended a birthday party when the games alone made it successful?

Probably never.

The entertainer 'is' the key to a successful birthday party, but here's the problem...

Hire the wrong person and your kid's birthday will be a flop. Hire someone who shouldn't be in front of an audience, (not to mention a kids audience) and it is your reputation on the line. Overpay for an entertainer who delivers a sub-par performance and all eyes (your spouse and other parents) will be looking at you.

The party tips in this report are going to give you the inside-scoop on what some party performers and do to unsuspecting parents.

You will be armed with the party tips knowledge you need so you won't be 'taken' by these people.

In just a minute, I'm going to reveal what the 5 Biggest Mistakes are and how you can avoid them, but first let me answer a couple of questions that are probably on your mind:

My name is Franc Karpo, a full time professional party entertainer. For the past 25 years my unique birthday show consisting of magic, comedy and tons of audience participation has helped make over 2,000 birthday parties memorable, successful and fun.

I've performed at enough of birthday parties and accumulated enough party tips to know what makes a party truly special and what you need to avoid when booking entertainment for your kid’s party.

I’m revealing party tips and information that the birthday entertainment industry doesn't want you to know for two main reasons:

Party Tips #1: If you end up hiring a lousy entertainer this closes the field not only to me but other competent professionals.

Odds are, if the person you hire an unprofessional or incompetent, you'll be very reluctant to hire a similar type of performer in the future.

Party Tips #2: I HATE to see performers deliver an unprofessional show and make parents look bad. It puts a back eye on my profession.

Okay, now that you know who I am and why I'm doing this, let’s talk about the 'The 5 biggest mistakes birthday party parents make when hiring entertainers ...and how to avoid them.'

Testimonials are of the utmost importance when hiring any performer. In fact, they are of paramount importance. If a performer does not have a TON of great testimonials it means one of two things.

First, the performer is inexperienced and hasn't worked professionally long enough to get testimonials.

Or...

Second, the performer is not very good and can't get any testimonials from his/her customers. In either case, this is a performer you probably don’t want to hire.

Yes, testimonials are critical. In fact, I have an arsenal that I use in my marketing. What people say about a performer is infinitely more important than what a performer says about himself or herself.

The sad fact is that some entertainers make up their testimonials and totally lie about their credentials. As disgusting as this sounds, it is unfortunately common practice.

Discovering the truth is very easy. A dead giveaway on bogus testimonials is the infamous 'initials only' testimonial! I’m sure you’ve seen this before; a glowing testimonial followed by just a person’s initials, ie. 'J.P.' or 'R.D.', followed by a fake address. An honest testimonial should always include the person’s full name. Ask the performer to give you the contact phone number or email address of some of the actual testimonials they received. (I have a whole file of them that I send to my prospects upon request). If the entertainer is using just initials or can't produce contact info, you've caught them!

In addition to written testimonials on my web site, I also have a cool new feature: audio testimonials. Real live voice messages from actual birthday party parents!

Bottom Line: You should put a lot weight on performer's testimonials when making your decision. Just make sure you are dealing with someone who is honest and ethical.

Before I get on my soapbox, let me explain that there are a few part time entertainers who would do a great job for your kid’s party. However in most cases the full time pros are much better. Full time performers have to be good because entertaining at kids parties is what they do for a living. If they don't do a great job, they'll be out of business and won't be able to put food on the table, pay the mortgage etc. You can get lucky with a part timer, but do you really want the success of your child's birthday to depend on luck, when you can hire someone who does this for a living?

Bottom Line: Don’t make the birthday party more stressful than it has to be – I urge you to strongly consider hiring a full time professional.

Of course, price is a factor when hiring a performer. If you only have a $300-$400 budget, you’re not going to be able to hire David Copperfield or David Blaine to come and entertain at your kid's party! However, many parents place too much emphasis on price and not enough emphasis on the overall impact the performer will have on their party.

Is the highest priced performer always the best?

Absolutely not! In fact, in a marketing course put out for entertainers, the author tells his readers to dramatically raise their fees because a lot of event planners equate the value of a performer by how much they charge. He says that it is all 'perception'.

Well, it certainly won't be just 'perception' if you hire someone who charges you an outrageous fee for a show that is, in reality, only worth a few hundred dollars and they 'bomb'!

On the other hand, hiring the least expensive entertainer is not always the best way to go either. Many times if not most times you get what you pay for.

The fact is that each performer is unique and, like in any other profession, there are entertainers who are great, some who are good, some mediocre, and some who should never be allowed on stage!

You need to base your decision on the performer who will best fulfill your needs and help you to achieve your desired outcomes.

One way you can know whether an entertainer is going to meet your needs is by whether or not he or she asks you what your needs are and what outcomes you want to achieve with your event. When you call them, do they just tell you how great their show is without finding out what you want and need?

How would you feel if you went to a doctor because you weren't feeling well and the doctor instantly prescribed some medicine without first finding out what was wrong with you?

It's the same with entertainers. They should find out what you want and need first and see if they have a birthday party show that can fulfill those needs.

Many performers are so desperate for work that they will say anything to get hired. They will tell you that they do things that they don't, won't, or can't do. We will be talking about how to spot out these phonies and avoid them like the plague in just a few minutes.

Bottom line: Decide what your budget range is, check out a number of performers in that budget range, and choose the best person regardless of price. If your budget is so small that you cannot find an excellent performer, DO NOT HIRE ANYONE.

It is far, far better to have no entertainer than it is to hire someone who is not good. Save your money and wait until you can afford someone who is outstanding.

Generally speaking in the New England birthday party market, most birthday party performers will be in the $250 to $400 range. If you find someone for under $250 dollars – that should put up a 'red flag'. Buyer beware!

Some entertainers are great when working with older kids and adults, but would totally bomb when working with young kids. Since most birthday party entertainers work for kids age 3-12, you want a show that appropriate for your age group. Some performers are excellent for family events and others can only work the preschool age.

I know some truly great magicians who normally perform for adults, would fall apart if asked to perform for kids.

How do you find out if the performer has experience for your age group? Simply ask them to provide references and testimonials from parents whose birthday party age group is similar to yours. If they can't or won't, then you should check out some other entertainer.

Bottom line: You want the best possible entertainment for your child's birthday party. I strongly urge you to consider these party tips when looking for someone who has experience working for the age group of your party. Your kid's birthday is the second most important day of the year for them. (Next to Christmas of course :o) Our kid's deserve the best!

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Over the years I've accumulated a bunch of party tips to help parents throw a great birthday party for their child. You can check them out at:
Birthday Party Tips

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In most cases, you can avoid falling prey to a bad entertainer by insisting that they give you a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their presentation.

This is the ultimate test as to whether someone really believes in what they are offering or if they are just full of hot air. If a performer really believes in the quality of their show, they shouldn't hesitate to guarantee it.

Bottom line: Some performers may argue that people will take advantage of them if they offer a guarantee. This is a bunch of crap. In the 10 years that I have offered a guarantee and over the thousands of performances, no one has EVER requested their money back. In fact many people have me back year after year.

If the performer you’re considering for your party won't back up their presentation with a guarantee...WATCH OUT!

1. Why should I hire you instead of any other entertainer?

Listen carefully to their answer. If they seem vague or unsure, then they probably aren't the best choice for your kid's party. You want someone who can confidently explain to you why you should hire them and how they can help you make your kid's party fun and memorable.

2. Do you have any references?

See Big Mistake #1 above

3. Some of the invited kid's parents might show up for the show. Are they going to be bored?

If you are expecting parents to attend the party, look for an entertainer who can entertain adults as well as kids. Some performers as long as they know ahead of time, can adapt their performance so that it appeals to BOTH kids and adults.

4. Do you provide goody bags?

In this day and age, many party entertainers will supply the goody bags. Usually there is an additional cost to do this.

Most birthday parents love it when the entertainer provides the goody bags because it saves them the time and hassle of going to the party store to buy them. Some entertainers (like myself) will even offer a limited number of free goody bags in their top party package. I buy the bags, toys etc. in bulk so I can offer them to parents at a great price which saves them money. (Not to mention the hassle of going out and getting them at the party store).

5. Do you have a money back guarantee?

See BIG MISTAKE #5 above. Basically if they don't guarantee their show – look elsewhere!

… simply read this report over again.:-) In fact you should print this out so that you can have it ready to refer to when you call or email your possible entertainer!

If you know of any other parents who could use these party tips for their kids birthday party, please send them this web link - they'll thank you for it!

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Here's a valuable kid party tip: if you live in the New England area and are looking for entertainment for your kids birthday party, fill out the following on-line form.

It's real easy to do and you'll and you'll receive link to a web page about Bonaparte, our featured performer that will include details about our party packages, including the investment and testimonials from some of our clients.

If you'd like, you can also call our office directly at 978-274-5613.

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*Important Note: Your email address will never be sold and given out to any anyone else. That's a promise!