It may seem counter-capitalist but I semi-regularly talk us OUT of an opportunity.
It’s a conversation that I have hundreds of times every year - BUT I do it because I need to have a clear conscience. It should also speak to our heart and our values as a company when we really want to keep the best interests of the customer in mind.
Examples of conversations have included: “I would like to arrange “X” character for our event for a one year-old birthday party.
A one year-old is not going to know what’s going on.
A one year-old is going to play with the boxes, not the presents. A one year-old is going to smash the cake on their head, poop their pants and fall asleep. You are wasting your money!
So who exactly are we are arranging in an entertainment for? Keeping up with the Joneses and vying for parent of the year. Watch out for escalation - what will you do when they turn 16? Yikes.
Of course anybody can be our customer and it’s an honor to be of service but inevitably it doesn’t go as envisioned and we end up being the scapegoats because the one year-old wasn’t interested - as predicted.
This happened recently - a mom really wanted a mime - for a one year old's party. Great, something that can't talk to "entertain" someone who can't talk. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Needless to say, we had that 1-star "review" removed.
I’m not trying to be an expert or an authority on child raising, but I have raised four children myself, have been a teacher for decades, and have a pretty good understanding of human nature after 27 years in business. People are people and will act like they will.
But still we try, don't we? A tad insane are we?
Another example: Face painting for certain ages that don’t want any stranger coming close to them much less touching their face - pretty much anyone under the age of 4.
Let’s try something else please?
Coupled with the parent who NOW asks while the artist is essentially trying to paint on a balloon , "DOES IT TICKLE?" Gee, mom it didn't until you CALLED ATTENTION TO IT!
And then there's the quintessential "chaos" request. This is a trap that hungry artists fail to recognize and fall for all too often:
The customer that wants to arrange everything for their event not realizing that “cool thing 1” will compete with “cool thing 2.”
Granted, sometimes the space is huge and the customer wants to fill it. Cue Billy Madison's dad. However, more often than not, the space is WAY too small, It will be is a great big, confusing, noisy mess instead of a schedule of events that can ensure that the customer won’t overpay and there’s a nice flow of options.
We become the scapegoat for the chaos that we should have warned them against in the first place.
If you call TAG Art, please rest assured that we will listen to what you want, give you guidance based on tens of thousands of events and experiences, and guide you from a strong understanding of human nature and what specific ages of guests will enjoy consistently.
If we’re not a good fit, we will be the first to talk you out of working with us so that after all is vetted, it will be a wonderful fit, a wonderful solution, wonderful memories made, and you will work with us many other times because you will know we will truly have your best interests at heart.