When is it that you're giving too much to a client for the price you quote them?

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Having the right music and knowing what to play for clients to make them and their guest happy isn't a big issue here. I just bought a Chauvet 250 spot along with a American DJ Galaxian 3D. It's about bringing something to the table that a lot of DJ's around here don't bring and to have some nice pictures and video to show to potential clients.

You are incorrect sir. Having the music and knowing what to play may or may not be the issue .. but lights is certainly beyond the issue. At a root level, if the guests are happy with you and your music, then why aren't they booking you? Hint, it's not because you don't have lights. It's not because you don't have video. Lights and video ADD to the cost of a show. If they're not booking you at whatever rate you are offering, do you really think they will want to spend even more? According to your inventory, you already have more than enough lighting for a typical event.

You are a Disc Jockey. You're not a light company or a video company. If you can't successfully land shows providing music only, then you're missing something somewhere at a basic level. You shouldn't have to offer anything for free to book events. This may mean that either you're asking too much or people are not confident in what they are hearing. Feel free to offer all you want - all that means is that you're losing money where others are making it. If you roll a light and video show for $200 but another guy rolls audio only for $200, then you're doing that much more work for the same price. If I recall, you always have someone with you as well - so cut whatever the profit is in half.

You're 'offering' to bring something to the table for free that others DO have and are getting paid for. Just because you don't "see" lights doesn't mean they don't have them. Maybe the customer didn't want to pay to have lights there. If lights were the selling point, every DJ would be using them all the time - and we'd all have truckloads to offer.

Also, you seem to want to do for free what others are charging for because you think people will hire you for it. If they're not hiring you for your musical talent, then they won't hire you because you have lights. Why don't you offer video to all your customers for free? Do you think this is a selling point? If you're looking for an excuse to go buy lights (which it sounds like you have), then go do it - you don't need our permission. The way you presented it was from a business perspective - and we're telling you that it won't work. You will not get the result you're looking for.

Would you buy a car just because it looks pretty?
 
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You are incorrect sir. Having the music and knowing what to play may or may not be the issue .. but lights is certainly beyond the issue. At a root level, if the guests are happy with you and your music, then why aren't they booking you? Hint, it's not because you don't have lights. It's not because you don't have video. Lights and video ADD to the cost of a show. If they're not booking you at whatever rate you are offering, do you really think they will want to spend even more? According to your inventory, you already have more than enough lighting for a typical event.

You are a Disc Jockey. You're not a light company or a video company. If you can't successfully land shows providing music only, then you're missing something somewhere at a basic level. You shouldn't have to offer anything for free to book events. This may mean that either you're asking too much or people are not confident in what they are hearing. Feel free to offer all you want - all that means is that you're losing money where others are making it. If you roll a light and video show for $200 but another guy rolls audio only for $200, then you're doing that much more work for the same price. If I recall, you always have someone with you as well - so cut whatever the profit is in half.

You're 'offering' to bring something to the table for free that others DO have and are getting paid for. Just because you don't "see" lights doesn't mean they don't have them. Maybe the customer didn't want to pay to have lights there. If lights were the selling point, every DJ would be using them all the time - and we'd all have truckloads to offer.

Also, you seem to want to do for free what others are charging for because you think people will hire you for it. If they're not hiring you for your musical talent, then they won't hire you because you have lights. Why don't you offer video to all your customers for free? Do you think this is a selling point? If you're looking for an excuse to go buy lights (which it sounds like you have), then go do it - you don't need our permission. The way you presented it was from a business perspective - and we're telling you that it won't work. You will not get the result you're looking for.

Would you buy a car just because it looks pretty?
Sir just so you will know we have a few jobs coming up. The issue has to do with what some people want to spend to get you to do a gig for them. Some gigs are just not worth it. Yes we could do them to say we're working but the pay is so low it's not worth it. Why keep doing the same old thing that won't raise the bar? I could continue down that road but it leads to a dead end.

Get the point. Not trying to bust your chops but when is the price a person wants to pay not good enough for you? I posted in another thread about standing my ground instead of giving in. That's where I'm at with part of the business plan. Having a price point that I won't go below. That's far from what I would do in the past. I would make the mistake of letting my decision to do a gig for a ridiculously low price because of my financial condition at that time. Which ultimately I would still be broke after doing the gig because the pay is so low. I used to do gigs where I had to struggle to have gas money to get there or have money to buy the battery for the cordless mic. Not today. Not here.

Let me put it in another way. We would give them great service using top of the line gear for a very cheap price. So why should they pay much more if we were willing to do that? Bottom line some times it's best to say no then do the gig to hurt yourself. If you want me to I can give you a list of what we would bring to s gig and what we would do it for.
 
Sir just so you will know we have a few jobs coming up.

A few jobs coming up - did they ask for / pay for lighting? If not, then you shouldn't be bringing / offering it with the forethought that it will help bring in business. Investing in something of your own will is one thing. Expecting more business because of it is another.

The issue has to do with what some people want to spend to get you to do a gig for them. Some gigs are just not worth it. Yes we could do them to say we're working but the pay is so low it's not worth it. Why keep doing the same old thing that won't raise the bar? I could continue down that road but it leads to a dead end.

I totally agree with you. Again, at a very basic level, if they're not hiring you for the price your asking .. then either you're asking too much or they're not convinced that you're worth it. Adding lights or video does not change this for the better - it actually makes it worse.

Get the point. Not trying to bust your chops but when is the price a person wants to pay not good enough for you? I posted in another thread about standing my ground instead of giving in. That's where I'm at with part of the business plan. Having a price point that I won't go below. That's far from what I would do in the past. I would make the mistake of letting my decision to do a gig for a ridiculously low price because of my financial condition at that time.

Understood - so before, let's say that you would do a show for 100 bucks. As of now, you have all this stuff and are trying to add lights for free. At the end of the day, you might profit even less .. because while your price may now be 200 bucks, you still have these helpers that you have to pay for and now you have the additional expense of more equipment and time to set it up / take it down. You've put yourself in a worse position financially.

Some simple math (obviously not using all factors):
4 hour audio only show at $200 = 50 bucks an hour. Add 30 minutes to each side for setup and tear down. Now you're at 5 hours and 40 an hour. Let's not forget the other business costs.

Same show with lights for free and a partner:
4 hour show at $200 = 50 bucks an hour. Add 30 minutes to each side for setup and tear down. Now you're at 5 hours and 40 an hour.
Add 30 more to each side for lights and now you're at 6 hours and 33.33 an hour. Add a partner and now you're at 16.66 and hour. Let's not forget the other business costs.

Just because the price goes higher, doesn't mean that much of a change at the end.

Same show with a higher price point (with free lights and a partner):
4 hour show at $400 = 100 bucks an hour. Add 30 minutes to each side for setup and tear down. Now you're at 5 hours and 80 an hour.
Add 30 more to each side for lights and now you're at 6 hours and 66.66 an hour. Add a helper and now you're at 33.33 and hour. Let's not forget the other business costs.

Which ultimately I would still be broke after doing the gig because the pay is so low. I used to do gigs where I had to struggle to have gas money to get there or have money to buy the battery for the cordless mic. Not today. Not here.

Based on the shows you have had within the last year, has your financial position changed? Have you gotten any richer off these shows after all costs?

Let me put it in another way. We would give them great service using top of the line gear for a very cheap price. So why should they pay much more if we were willing to do that?

Do you think they would pay more if they don't feel confident in what they're buying?

If you want me to I can give you a list of what we would bring to s gig and what we would do it for.

It really doesn't matter to me what you bring to a gig - that's your call. It comes down to what you think a show needs, how you price it and whether or not your customer agrees with that number.

You have not addressed the main point here - if people are NOT hiring you based on what you are offering, then you are either charging too much or people are not confident in what you are saying / selling. Adding equipment does not change this.

Example: Someone is selling a vacuum cleaner. If no one knows how good the vacuum works, then very little will buy it. Adding balloons or fireworks does little to change this. If people have seen it work and they still aren't buying, what do you think the reasons for not buying it are?

You've gotten lots of good advice from here (and other sites) - but refuse to heed any of it. You don't buy stuff and then offer it. You offer it to see if anyone is interested - and when you see some interest, THEN you buy it .. because you KNOW it will sell.
 
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Thats just a bunch of light that make no sense together, did you put any thought into how these would work together when you purchased them, I offer my basic package with a very basic floor wash for $995 if a client wants "club style lighting it is a $500 additional charge, you need to concentrate on booking higher paying gigs that are not in the hood and worry less about make poor decisions on gear that will not make you any additional money.
 
In case you missed it, he already bought one.

I just bought a Chauvet 250 spot along with a American DJ Galaxian 3D.

Reviewing this - you just bought about a thousand dollars of lights and have absolutely no plan for how you will make money with them. I promise you, these lights will not get you any more bookings - so enjoy them. Again, if you bought them for YOU, that is one thing. If you bought them with an expectation that they will make you money - then reviewing the opinions shown, you did it wrong.

You ask, get answers .. and then do what you want - which is ok. As a result though, you really have no room to complain about anything.
 
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Okay, make room on the bandwagon.

It's simple.
If people have hired you for your DJ services, and never asked if you have lights...
then the crowd you are appealing to is not really interested in lights.
Which means they will probably not pay them.
If you INCLUDE them in your DJ price, and raise your rate,
then you don't have to sell them as an add-on, or give them away as a freebie.
The higher price will either put you better brand of clientele...
or scare away ALL the lower-paying clients you are accustomed to.
If your reputation as a DJ alone is good enough, you will still get work, and be paid more for it.
 
Thats just a bunch of light that make no sense together, did you put any thought into how these would work together when you purchased them, I offer my basic package with a very basic floor wash for $995 if a client wants "club style lighting it is a $500 additional charge, you need to concentrate on booking higher paying gigs that are not in the hood and worry less about make poor decisions on gear that will not make you any additional money.
That's just it sir. It's not just about our location only. It's about the gig itself. Let's say it this way. Had someone contact me about doing a wedding. It was while back. I don't remember the full details but it wasn't that far away. After talking to them I decided on a price of $500.00.

I get that for some that's a very cheap price and you wouldn't do it at that price. Your price would be much higher then that. Bottom line is they were looking to book a DJ to do their wedding for $300.00-$350.00 and wouldn't budge at all no matter what. I could have caved in and did it just to get the exposure and some pictures and video of the wedding to add to the website and my tablet. I just had to say no because they coud put an add on craigslist and find someone that would do it. Just not worth it and not just about the money only. Just about the image I want to present today. Besides I've learned those such clients will tell others what you charged them and they will expect the same thing. 2nd step talks about repeating the same thing and expecting different results but the results remain the same.
 
Mix if you took that 300.00-350.00 job and then upsell them for video and lights you could now be looking at a $1000.00 gig but you didn't try that. I do not know why you are stuck on price. You worry about what every one on the boards are charging and what we will think of your prices that you instead turn jobs away.

If you took that job say for $350.00 and got two referrals out of it and maybe booked them both at $450.00 and one of them wanted lights and you made another $200 from that wouldn't that had been worth it? Instead you just throw away a job and not work because you think you should get more money with no track record. You may have a track record in clubs and bars but you do not in the wedding market.

You spend too much time worrying about other things instead of worrying about getting good gigs where you will be seen by people other then what hangs out in your area. If you do a bar night you are only going to be seen by people in that little area and those people may be cheap but if you do a wedding people come from all over and if they like you maybe they say we liked him and want him. Now you have people outside of the area you live in who may be willing to spend more. When I started I took any job I could just to work and build myself up and now I do not advertise, I have no website, I have no store front. i get all my jobs based on referrals and it keeps me busy year round and at prices that I want to book at.

I have said all this before but you choose not to listen and instead will come back about your great equipment that sits in a basement and doesn't do anything on most weekends and about places you will not play because you do not feel safe. last time I will say it GEAR does not sell jobs. The DJ does.
 
That's just it sir. It's not just about our location only. It's about the gig itself. Let's say it this way. Had someone contact me about doing a wedding. It was while back. I don't remember the full details but it wasn't that far away. After talking to them I decided on a price of $500.00.

I get that for some that's a very cheap price and you wouldn't do it at that price. Your price would be much higher then that. Bottom line is they were looking to book a DJ to do their wedding for $300.00-$350.00 and wouldn't budge at all no matter what. I could have caved in and did it just to get the exposure and some pictures and video of the wedding to add to the website and my tablet. I just had to say no because they coud put an add on craigslist and find someone that would do it. Just not worth it and not just about the money only. Just about the image I want to present today. Besides I've learned those such clients will tell others what you charged them and they will expect the same thing. 2nd step talks about repeating the same thing and expecting different results but the results remain the same.

Against my better judgement, I'm going to offer you some input.

First off, you didn't decide a price until after you spoke with them? At your level of events, I'd recommend you quit trying to shoot from the hip by trying to get as much as you think you can. Pick a price point, post it to your website, then stick with it. Putting my price out on the web was the absolute best thing I've done, business-wise. It eliminates 95% of the tire-kickers and the frustration of dealing with them. As a side note, I think $500 is probably a good starting point for you.

As for the $300 DJs, here's how I combat that one;

"Ma'am, there are plenty of guys who will take your event at $300. To be perfectly transparent with you, they will typically mess up your event more than they will help it. We all have budgets to work with and if that is yours I strongly recommend you use an ipod. You'll have less frustration with it."

Did I just drive a prospect to an ipod? Most likely, no. She wants to hire a DJ but she also has it in her mind that she can get one by strong-arm negotiating tactics. What the argument above just did was underline to her that she's not going to get anyone good for $300. It told her, in a believable way, that even an ipod is better than the $300 guy and she's already decided she doesn't want an ipod (or she wouldn't have called you in the first place). I've had girls who swore up and down that all they had was $300. After that pitch they'll often re-work their budget and make room for your budget and at that point they now want YOU. The sale is made. All you have to do after that is try and not screw it up after that.
 
Mix if you took that 300.00-350.00 job and then upsell them for video and lights you could now be looking at a $1000.00 gig but you didn't try that. I do not know why you are stuck on price. You worry about what every one on the boards are charging and what we will think of your prices that you instead turn jobs away.

If you took that job say for $350.00 and got two referrals out of it and maybe booked them both at $450.00 and one of them wanted lights and you made another $200 from that wouldn't that had been worth it? Instead you just throw away a job and not work because you think you should get more money with no track record. You may have a track record in clubs and bars but you do not in the wedding market.

You spend too much time worrying about other things instead of worrying about getting good gigs where you will be seen by people other then what hangs out in your area. If you do a bar night you are only going to be seen by people in that little area and those people may be cheap but if you do a wedding people come from all over and if they like you maybe they say we liked him and want him. Now you have people outside of the area you live in who may be willing to spend more. When I started I took any job I could just to work and build myself up and now I do not advertise, I have no website, I have no store front. i get all my jobs based on referrals and it keeps me busy year round and at prices that I want to book at.

I have said all this before but you choose not to listen and instead will come back about your great equipment that sits in a basement and doesn't do anything on most weekends and about places you will not play because you do not feel safe. last time I will say it GEAR does not sell jobs. The DJ does.
Jimmy did you read what I said. They were stuck at a price point of $300.00-$350.00. So there was nothing that I could have done to convince them to spend more. You mentioned video as an upsell. Great thinking but again they didn't want to budge on price and that's it period! I stayed the phone as long as I needed to before it was time to cut the conversation short and move on.
 
Is having just one moving head enough to make a difference? That seems like doing it half way at the most. Gotta have at least two, and they have to be synced together one way or another.
 
Jimmy did you read what I said. They were stuck at a price point of $300.00-$350.00. So there was nothing that I could have done to convince them to spend more. You mentioned video as an upsell. Great thinking but again they didn't want to budge on price and that's it period! I stayed the phone as long as I needed to before it was time to cut the conversation short and move on.

In this case, no amount of lights would have helped you - unless you offered them for free. This is what we've been trying to demonstrate to you. That 1k you just spent is meaningless / wasted in situations like this.

They might be 'stuck' at a price point of 300-350, but you have to convince them that you're worth more. Had you convinced them, they might have understood. You are selling your company - if you can't convince me that it's worth it, I won't buy it either.

And before you say they had no more money, plenty of people regularly go into stores for Product A and come out with Product B, which costs more than Product A. Unless you have access to their financial information, you have little idea how much they can actually spend.
 
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Jimmy did you read what I said. They were stuck at a price point of $300.00-$350.00. So there was nothing that I could have done to convince them to spend more. You mentioned video as an upsell. Great thinking but again they didn't want to budge on price and that's it period! I stayed the phone as long as I needed to before it was time to cut the conversation short and move on.
Mix .. I bet most car buyers that buy a $25,000 car started off with a budget of $20,000. If there is value to be had, people will pay for it.

If YOUR value is worth it to a customer, they will pay above their arbitrary price point. I'm guessing they didn't have a $300 budget for food.


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Jimmy did you read what I said. They were stuck at a price point of $300.00-$350.00. So there was nothing that I could have done to convince them to spend more.

I still 100% convinced that you go out of your way to intentionally NOT book events - you don't like the venue, you don't like the neighborhood, your partner's girlfriend is the bartender, they can't afford your rates. Unless you've got ten leads coming in each day, there's no reason to hold out for $500 when somebody's willing to pay you $350.00. I entertain at close to 100 events each year. Some of them are $3000 weddings. Some of them are $300 school gigs. A handful of them are events where there's no money for a DJ, but I'm available and don't mind helping out. Every event, no matter how big or small, is rewarding in some way.

The fact is that people will never know what you can do unless you're out there doing it. Stockpiling a bunch of gear in anticipation of the gigs that aren't coming is just a waste of time and money.
 
Jimmy did you read what I said. They were stuck at a price point of $300.00-$350.00. So there was nothing that I could have done to convince them to spend more. You mentioned video as an upsell. Great thinking but again they didn't want to budge on price and that's it period! I stayed the phone as long as I needed to before it was time to cut the conversation short and move on.
Mix I once had a couple with a $500 budget end up spending just shy of $2500 and several making the same statement end up well over $1000. you need to be able sell them on why they should spend more. The salesmanship side of this business is way more difficult and maybe more important than the actual Djing, and it's very obvious that is where you need to focus your learning, please take some classes instead of buying more gear that won't make you a penny
 
So you are turning down $500 gigs what do you normally charge for a wedding? How did you determine this price?
 
Mix I read what I said. Did you read the rest of what I posted or did you stop at only what you wanted to read.
I got it. Let me tell you what I did today. I was in desperate need of a new cell phone. My partner had a phone that he had with him while I was playing in the bar. That phone was so great that I said I must get that phone. At one time I said I would never buy a phone that cost $200.00. He said that phone cost him $300.00. My Iphone 4 kept giving me all kinds of problems. I paid $1.07 for that phone. It kept giving me trouble that today I decided it had to go. I couldn't get into the phone the way I wanted to or make phone calls when I wanted to. I had to wait for the phone to act right for me to use it the way I wanted to.

Long story short I went into At & t and knew I was getting this phone when I found out they had it. I got the phone and have to pay for it over time. They will allow you to do that now with your bill. I had to pay the $50.00 tax before I could get the phone. That phone is costing me over $800.00. I'm happy as hell I got that phone. My point is I had to be open mined to buy that phone. That's the same thing with those who said I could have sold them on other things. That person wasn't open to anything I talked to them about. They were just stuck on the price they wanted pay and they didn't want to discuss anything else period!

Jimmy I could have done the wedding for $350.00 but I decided no thanks. Reason being because my experience is that if I did that someone else would have asked them how much did you pay that company and they would have told them. They then would have either looked for us to do their wedding for the exact same price or less. If that potential client would have agreed to pay us $450.00 I would have done their wedding. They didn't want to go with that and I knew there was no need to keep beating up a dead horse.

I'll admit I've made mistakes in the past getting pissed off about what a potential client wanted to spend and would quickly get rid of them. I've learned to not get so quickly upset and dismiss such people. See if you can come up with a solution that works for both parties. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
 
That's the same thing with those who said I could have sold them on other things. That person wasn't open to anything I talked to them about. They were just stuck on the price they wanted pay and they didn't want to discuss anything else period!

Jimmy I could have done the wedding for $350.00 but I decided no thanks. Reason being because my experience is that if I did that someone else would have asked them how much did you pay that company and they would have told them. They then would have either looked for us to do their wedding for the exact same price or less. If that potential client would have agreed to pay us $450.00 I would have done their wedding. They didn't want to go with that and I knew there was no need to keep beating up a dead horse.

I beg to differ. The difference is you saw VALUE and confidence in getting a new phone. Did your potential customer see value and confidence in you? Customers do have open minds - but you have to give them a reason to justify spending more.

As for your phone, you made your decision before you got to the store that you were getting a new phone .. and you knew that it would be expensive. Your customers may not have known how much they're party would have cost. Either way, you may or may not have demonstrated your value and / or confidence in your product. These two examples are VERY different.
 
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