Weddings Do you give pricing.....
- Thread starter trafficgoo
- Start date
I don't give prices over the phone any more unless they are from out of my area. Too many price shoppers. I have found that if its important to them they will be more than glad to meet. Also it helps me make sure that I'm what they are looking for. I find eye to eye works much better for both parties.:tricool:
I always give them the price but I talk with them first to find out what they need and want. And then I tell them a little bit about our services. If all the want to know is our price, then they are not my client and I'm not there DJ. This way if and when we meet. It is not about price. Like I have said before once they know our price if they still meet us then its my event to lose. And yes I love to meet them if at all possible.
If a client calls and asks for a price at the start of the conversation you know they're probably shopping price.
If they call and ask you what service you offer you know they have a plan.
I know DJ's that give prices and some that do not give prices over the phone. Usually the ones that give prices (in this area) are the bottom priced ones.
Are you in the DJ game to make money or give people discounts?
If they call and ask you what service you offer you know they have a plan.
I know DJ's that give prices and some that do not give prices over the phone. Usually the ones that give prices (in this area) are the bottom priced ones.
Are you in the DJ game to make money or give people discounts?
Exactly right! You take that part "off the table" so to speak so their defenses are down a bit and you can spend time talking about what matters without a huge schpeal/pitch to soften them up for the sticker-shock to come.
Build value and give at least a starting or ballpark before you meet and your face-to-faces are pretty much a given booking every time. Building value starts with your first marketing piece, and extends to your website, etc. Give them information and something to chew on before they call you. Inform them, both about your services and about wedding dj's in general. Use your site and materials to set a bar. I get nothing but compliments from clients on the content of my site, and many have contacted me and booked me because of it. On the other side of the coin are providers who use their site as an online business card and give nothing useful to the client at all other than their number or an automated availability checker.
Of course there are different ways to skin a cat, but I for one find my time too valuable to meet with no-go clients who could have been ruled out with at least a ballpark figure ahead of time. I have no time or patience for the worther-bs notion that every client is potentially MY client if only I can get them as a captive audience for my little "value building" presentations.
I'd rather give pricing up-front and maintain my 90%+ closing ratio for face-to-face meetings. While not every inquiry turns into a meeting, darn near every meeting turns into a booked job.
Works for me.:tricool:
YEAH!
face to face works wonders, but you have to "pick your battles" wisely.
and you can usually tell in the first 5 minutes of the phone call.
It's been proven over and over that if you are selling something that is more than the average price, you'll be better off meeting someone face to face and SHOWING THEM VALUE vs. talking price.
However, if someone asks for a estimate over the phone, I'll be glad to give them one. It will take a good amount of information, and I would RECOMMEND meeting face to face to discuss it, but they can get one.
I do occasionally get people just calling and not wanting to discuss anything, just checking price
I usually say something like, "I can certainly understand why you feel that that's a good place to start. Many have felt the same way. However, what they found is it's kind of like calling car dealerships and asking how much cars cost. You'll find yourself with little to no "usable" information."
I would suggest meeting with a few DJs, telling them what you are thinking, ask them questions, see what they think, and THEN get an informed quote. You'll get a much better understanding of what you are buying.
However, if someone asks for a estimate over the phone, I'll be glad to give them one. It will take a good amount of information, and I would RECOMMEND meeting face to face to discuss it, but they can get one.
I do occasionally get people just calling and not wanting to discuss anything, just checking price
I usually say something like, "I can certainly understand why you feel that that's a good place to start. Many have felt the same way. However, what they found is it's kind of like calling car dealerships and asking how much cars cost. You'll find yourself with little to no "usable" information."
I would suggest meeting with a few DJs, telling them what you are thinking, ask them questions, see what they think, and THEN get an informed quote. You'll get a much better understanding of what you are buying.
How would you feel about letting a complete stranger come over and take your 15 year old daughter out on a date?
Wouldn't you want to meet that person first? What if he knocked her up?
Every day brides hire DJs over the phone and are often making the critical mistake of giving a live microphone to a complete stranger in front of all of their friends and family on a day they can't do over. Don't you think they should at least MEET the person they are entrusting their day (daughter) to?
I don't know about you...but part of the reason I meet with clients is so that I don't end up stuck with a client I don't want, one who wants to boss me around all night telling me "play this", "play this next", "do this now", etc.
Do what works for you...I'll do what works for me.
Wouldn't you want to meet that person first? What if he knocked her up?
Every day brides hire DJs over the phone and are often making the critical mistake of giving a live microphone to a complete stranger in front of all of their friends and family on a day they can't do over. Don't you think they should at least MEET the person they are entrusting their day (daughter) to?
I don't know about you...but part of the reason I meet with clients is so that I don't end up stuck with a client I don't want, one who wants to boss me around all night telling me "play this", "play this next", "do this now", etc.
Do what works for you...I'll do what works for me.
The question hasn't really been meet vs. don't meet - it's about at what time in the process you are willing to give price - be it a starting point, estimate, or dead-on.
Pretty much everyone agrees that meeting clients face to face is preferred, but some prefer to qualify those prospects a little more prior to that initial meeting than others, and some prefer and are willing to do more "client education" than others at all parts of the process.
I'll never give a pricing quote without all of the information I need to do so, but I will give a price via email or phone once I have that info because I will utilize whatever means of communication we are talking about to gather the parts I need to fill in the blanks. And during this gathering process, there is typically some peripheral convo going on with value-building built-in.
Once that's done, a price is given. At that point, if they're scared off by the price - honestly - I let them go.
If they stick around say essentially say "Do tell me more..." and are still engaged, then it's time for a face-to-face consult to really get a feel for personalities involved, what kind of vibe they're looking for, what their vision is, etc.
The extent of "client education" that I do is simply in explaining to them the bullet-proof process I have for getting them from where they are through their desired wedding day without a hitch. As this is being explained/communicated to them, a bar is being set in their minds.
Given my closing ration for in-person consults, it's apparently a bar that is hard for other "comparably-priced" services to match.
Either that or they just have dirty teeth and smell funny.:trirolleyes:
Pretty much everyone agrees that meeting clients face to face is preferred, but some prefer to qualify those prospects a little more prior to that initial meeting than others, and some prefer and are willing to do more "client education" than others at all parts of the process.
I'll never give a pricing quote without all of the information I need to do so, but I will give a price via email or phone once I have that info because I will utilize whatever means of communication we are talking about to gather the parts I need to fill in the blanks. And during this gathering process, there is typically some peripheral convo going on with value-building built-in.
Once that's done, a price is given. At that point, if they're scared off by the price - honestly - I let them go.
If they stick around say essentially say "Do tell me more..." and are still engaged, then it's time for a face-to-face consult to really get a feel for personalities involved, what kind of vibe they're looking for, what their vision is, etc.
The extent of "client education" that I do is simply in explaining to them the bullet-proof process I have for getting them from where they are through their desired wedding day without a hitch. As this is being explained/communicated to them, a bar is being set in their minds.
Given my closing ration for in-person consults, it's apparently a bar that is hard for other "comparably-priced" services to match.
Either that or they just have dirty teeth and smell funny.:trirolleyes:
yeah, but that is a really bad way to talk a potential client into meeting with you
:tribiggrin:
I'd try something a bit more "subtle"
:triwink:
