If you've done everything right, you're left with the final and most difficult part of all. You need to get money from the audience to pay for your work. Most performers will tell you that they do their jobs because they enjoy them. That is by far the best reason to do any job. However, don't forget that it is a job and you need to be rewarded for your efforts. Don't be ashamed of asking for money. As I indicated earlier, a busker isn't a panhandler. Making people smile is a noble profession. You aren't likely to get rich doing it, but if you put a lot of time and energy into it, you deserve at least a few good meals.
No matter how entertaining you are, you aren't going to make money if you ask for it, or pass the hat, badly. I've been told how gentle some audiences are compared to others. That may be true, but they still have to be reminded in a very direct manner to pay. Few will do it without being told to give. No one wants to part with their money unless they have a good reason to do so. Your job, the business part of all of this, is to give them a good reason to pay you.
I always deliver the hat line at a convenient point after starting the final bit but before it's over. In my magic show, it may be after I'm already in a straight jacket. In my balloon show I've set up a challenging test to prove my skills. Stopping to deliver an amusing hat line only helps to build suspense. They don't want to leave as long as they know something bigger than they've seen so far is already on the way and I have time to get my message out.
A real important note about timing that I learned recently is that when it's over, the hat, or other container for their money has to be presented immediately. Any more banter after the big finale just gives people an excuse to walk away without paying. I was really disappointed with my hats, given the size of my crowds. Then when it was suggested to me (by Jeff Collins, a busker from Nova Scotia) that I take my hat off faster, I went from 10% of my crowd paying to nearly all. Not everyone gave a lot, and my crowds weren't always very big, but just about everyone that stayed for my whole show started coming up to me with something, even if just a smile and a thank you. That means a lot. If you haven't tried it, you really don't know how great a feeling it is to have everyone wanting to come up and say 'hi'.
My favorite hat line from years ago that used to do wonders for me went something like this:
"Some people ask why anyone in their right mind would perform feats like this in front of all of you. I can't answer that question. I can only tell you why I do it. I do it for your entertainment and amusement only. That means that for me to be satisfied, I have to know that you have in fact been entertained and amused. Since I don't have comment cards with me we're going to use a simple rating system.
"Most of you have small pieces of paper in your pockets with numbers pre-printed on them. What I'd like is for you to place one of those pieces of paper in my hat at the end of the show with a number that represents how much you've enjoyed the time we've spent together. The higher the number, the more you've liked what you've seen. If you like what you've seen, you might want to give a rating of 10. If, after standing and watching for 40 minutes, you feel you've wasted your time, place only a 1 in the hat."
That didn't work at all in Canada (changing 1 for 5). Silly me, since I used to have a great response to that (including additional comments written onto bills for me to read later) I was convinced I could make it work. Finally, the same Canadian busker suggested to me that it sounded just a bit too pushy for my personality since I'm suggesting now that only paper money is acceptable to me. (There is no paper money smaller than $5 in Canada.)
For a while, I was going with the simpler:
"In the traditional busker fashion, I do need to remind you all that this is how I make my living. I'm not being paid to be here by anyone other than those of you that have stayed and watched my whole show. Therefore, I encourage all of you that have been watching for a while to come forward with something to place in my hat. No amount of money is too large or too small. Even a smile and a thank you is appreciated, but please don't walk away until you've given me something."
I think one of the things that works with that pitch is that I haven't said, "I get paid by those of you that liked the show". I say, "I get paid by those of you that watched the show." I let them know what's expected and not that it's their choice. Of course it is their choice and I'm not being pushy, but I let them know what I want from them. Sometimes I'd even remind them of what they had seen if something early in the show got an especially good response. That seemed to remind them of how much fun they had and for how long. Note that very few people will walk forward to say thanks without putting something in the hat. I got coins, bills, candy, business cards with notes on them, and even random phone numbers.
The last day of the Halifax festival this summer, when everyone was being just a bit goofy in their own way, I delivered the above pitch and then while holding the hat out continued:
Since I am a US citizen I will need to change all of this Canadian money. Unfortunately, it's a Sunday, the banks here are closed, and the banks at home won't take Candian coins from me. You can simplify my problem of changing money by providing only paper in the hat.
Since the first pitch, I was told, was too pushy, I didn't expect this to work. But it did. It was just that point in the festival that I felt like playing. I'm glad I did. I got almost all paper money that last day.
In almost every situation I've been in I've noticed that people pay buskers when they see others giving money to buskers. However, they don't want to walk forward in front of a crowd while a show is going on to drop something in the hat. You have to tell them that now is the time you're supposed to pay. For that reason, you need to pass the hat at the end. You can't simply leave the hat in a convenient place during the show hoping people will walk by and drop money in. Although, "pass" is a funny word. The hat never leaves your hands. It's your hat. They should want to give money to you. They should want to come up and say "hi". Part of the experience of paying a busker is meeting him face to face. It's kind of like the reason many people collect autographs. It's not about a piece of paper. It's about having a reason to meet the star. And yes, you are a star to them. You have to think of yourself that way. You have to set yourself apart -- while in your performance character. You also have to make sure to thank each person for their tip as they come up.
Additionally, you don't want to leave your spot because someone in the back is waving a large bill. Others have already started working their way up to you. You don't want to offend someone that's just gotten to where you were. Stand your ground. They know where you are. You don't know where the big tippers are.
The last point I can think of right now on passing the hat is that you should keep your amplifier on while you thank people for their money. The show isn't over until the last person has dropped money in the hat.
Now, the one situation where I do have a hat or bucket or other thing out for money is when I do the form of show I referred to earlier where I'm making things to audience challenges and getting a lot of balloons out into the crowd. The show in this case is the balloon twisting and random banter out of my mouth. If I'm not in the middle of a more formal show, I don't know how many people will stay for the hour I'm on stage and how many will walk away. Anyone in the crowd should be able to tip for each unusual creation they see. In that case, since the bucket is out, after I finish each thing, I pause and chat for a moment so that they can drop something in. If I turn out a lot of sculptures in a shorter time, I make less money than if I make really awesome creations and give them a chance to tip for each thing. Also, make sure that the hat isn't on the ground. It should be at a height where everyone can see it at all times.
I'm often questioned by other balloon artists when I mention that I prefer to do large sculptures for everyone to enjoy than to make small things so that each person can walk away with their own balloon. It's the children that most often ask for their own creations to take home. Being a balloon artist, I'm regularly called a childrens' entertainer. Some people will say that I need to focus on the kids. I do a lot of childrens' entertainment, and I really enjoy it. Unfortunately, busking for children is not at all condusive to making money. Kids don't have money. It's their parents that need to pay. Don't be surprised when you make the same amount of money from a family of five that you make from a single person that's standing in the back of the crowd, not even interested in getting a balloon. Families with kids don't have, proportionately for the size of the family, as much disposable income. That's not to suggest I ignore the kids. In almost all cases, it's the kids that get the creations I make. I just can't concern myself with each one getting something to carry. I ask families to share and focus on the entertainment for everyone in the crowd.
Just because you've passed the hat and given your best heartfelt request for funding doesn't mean you've done everyting you can to make a few bucks. I'm convinced that the reason so many people ask for balloons to take home is that they like walking away with souvenirs. Without belittling your artwork and turning your balloon animals into a commodity you can still make money off of sales. Many musicians sell recordings of their work. There's no reason a balloon artist can't do a similar thing. I happen to have a book of my own that I sell, but any book or kit on beginning balloon art that you can offer for your audience is an opportunity to make a little more money and still provide them with the souvenir they desire. I have a line that I deliver for the person that insists that they need something to carry home, even if it's just a dog. "If you like the sculptures I've made here in front of you, you'll appreciate your own artwork even more. With the instructions in this book, you can go home and make some of your own figures."