Lesson Learned

Barleywine

As I work my way back into professional reading, I've come to the realization that my favorite spread, the Celtic Cross, is just a bit too elaborate to shoehorn into a 30-minute reading session. With a 5 minute introduction, that leaves about 2.5 minutes per card, which seems like short shrift for a sitter who is looking for some depth. When I arranged with the shop owner to do readings there, I told her that my experience with the CC is that they average around 45 minutes, and that has been holding true. But charging $45 instead of $30 is a bit more than the local market for readings can bear. So I'm going to switch to my seven-card stripped-down version of the CC that I consider a "personal destiny" spread without all the time-line embellishments.

For those who read "on-the-clock" in public, how many cards can you comfortably cover in a half hour and still give fair coverage to the essential details? Do you have any "tricks" that speed things up without getting too shallow? It's the card-by-card and combined analysis that's the issue, since ten cards is a lot, even if some only require brief mention in the narrative.
 

Apollonia

As I work my way back into professional reading, I've come to the realization that my favorite spread, the Celtic Cross, is just a bit too elaborate to shoehorn into a 30-minute reading session. With a 5 minute introduction, that leaves about 2.5 minutes per card, which seems like short shrift for a sitter who is looking for some depth. When I arranged with the shop owner to do readings there, I told her that my experience with the CC is that they average around 45 minutes, and that has been holding true. But charging $45 instead of $30 is a bit more than the local market for readings can bear. So I'm going to switch to my seven-card stripped-down version of the CC that I consider a "personal destiny" spread without all the time-line embellishments.

For those who read "on-the-clock" in public, how many cards can you comfortably cover in a half hour and still give fair coverage to the essential details? Do you have any "tricks" that speed things up without getting too shallow? It's the card-by-card and combined analysis that's the issue, since ten cards is a lot, even if some only require brief mention in the narrative.
I'm not sure this has anything helpful, but for informational/comparison purposes, here goes.

The CC is my absolute favorite spread when reading for clients. I add an extra card right after position 2 because I like to see two aspects of what is crossing the situation, so my CC uses 11 cards (plus I use clarifiers freely). It takes me an average of ten minutes per CC, so in 30 minutes I can usually cover three topics.

I never do card by card, I look at the CC as a whole and read the story it is telling me. For example, if there are three Pages, I don't even look at their positions, I just see that all this Page energy is affecting the situation bigtime. Sometimes I see a particular card as just adding a tiny bit of color to the reading so I will hardly mention it. If a particular card is highly significant, of course I will pay extra attention to it, but really that only takes maybe 30 seconds longer. But I talk fast, too. It's stream of consciousness with me.

My sitters are not looking for deep insights into each card, they mostly want to know what is going to happen, their best option for how to handle a situation, etc.

But what you are charging seems utterly reasonable to me. For new clients, I charge $2.00/minute--but I am generous with the minutes and I'm my own boss now, so I might go over a minute or two (or five) without charging more, which keeps my clients happy. You may not have that type of freedom in the shop where you are going to read.

One question: what is the introduction? Is it an overview of the reading to come, or a briefing on what Tarot is, what they can expect from a reading, etc.?
 

Barleywine

I'm not sure this has anything helpful, but for informational/comparison purposes, here goes.

The CC is my absolute favorite spread when reading for clients. I add an extra card right after position 2 because I like to see two aspects of what is crossing the situation, so my CC uses 11 cards (plus I use clarifiers freely). It takes me an average of ten minutes per CC, so in 30 minutes I can usually cover three topics.

I never do card by card, I look at the CC as a whole and read the story it is telling me. For example, if there are three Pages, I don't even look at their positions, I just see that all this Page energy is affecting the situation bigtime. Sometimes I see a particular card as just adding a tiny bit of color to the reading so I will hardly mention it. If a particular card is highly significant, of course I will pay extra attention to it, but really that only takes maybe 30 seconds longer. But I talk fast, too. It's stream of consciousness with me.

My sitters are not looking for deep insights into each card, they mostly want to know what is going to happen, their best option for how to handle a situation, etc.

But what you are charging seems utterly reasonable to me. For new clients, I charge $2.00/minute--but I am generous with the minutes and I'm my own boss now, so I might go over a minute or two (or five) without charging more, which keeps my clients happy. You may not have that type of freedom in the shop where you are going to read.

One question: what is the introduction? Is it an overview of the reading to come, or a briefing on what Tarot is, what they can expect from a reading, etc.?

I just ask them if they've had a reading before so I can judge how much I have to "ease" them into it, and briefly explain the three ways to approach the inquiry: a specific question; a general focus area (work, love, family, etc.) or just a broad life-reading; I don't ask for a question in advance, which is the way I've been working for the last four decades. I give them a business card with my e-mail address in case they have any questions about the reading later (but not for ongoing, free consultation) and a copy of a brief write-up on my style of reading (to take home, not to read during the session). I find that the male sitters tend to want more detail, and ask more questions. My goal is to minimize counter-productive and time-consuming confusion by taking a couple of minutes up-front.

Thanks for your input!
 

FinoAllaFine

As a beginner, I've never read professionally and never on the clock, but this is something I have wondered about how the pros manage their clients' time.

In my readings for myself and the handful I have done for others it seems that the Celtic Cross is indeed a very involved spread to use and isn't always necessary for the information the client wants from the reading. In those cases I would try to organise a spread which gets to the heart of the matter, without the unnecessary frills, much as you said.

That being said, the Celtic Cross really is a comprehensive spread to use, you could spent 90 minutes on a single reading and still be finding links and narritive in the cards to enrich the message.

I liked what you (OP) said about cutting out the time consuming yet unhelpful chat by being prepared ahead of time, seems like you really care about the client getting the best service possible.
 

nisaba

As a beginner, I've never read professionally and never on the clock, but this is something I have wondered about how the pros manage their clients' time.

I have a sandtimer on the table, where I can see it out of hte corner of my eye. After a while you get used to where the sand-level should be when you're on different parts of the spread: I can just talk faster. :)