Most people will choose low price over high quality. If this weren't the case, Neiman Marcus would be outselling Walmart (currently the world's largest retailer). You can't really fault them for targeting the needs and expectations of the lower end of the market. Similarly, Costco willingly loses money on their hot-dogs and rotisserie chicken because they know how much these items drive traffic to their stores. Their results show that this is still a good choice.
It is my guess that most DJs that skimp on their sound are doing so out of ignorance and/or convenience. Although it is possible that a few appreciate better sound but make a deliberate decision to operate conveniently so they can keep their rates competitive.
This is a common mantra we hear over and over among DJs. It's just what they need to hear and makes them all feel warm and fuzzy. But's it's patently false. Quality and Price are actually not directly related in the manner you describe because Walmart is not lower quality, it's simply
non-exclusive,.
Walmart sells things that are sold everywhere - Baby formula, aspirin, Fishing line, underwear, extension cords, towels, and blankets. The things and even the specific brands you find in Walmart can largely be found in dozens of other outlets as well. Walmart sells convenience and ample inventory, and a secure knowledge that they have already compared prices for you - setting the bar for savings.
Neiman Marcus sells
very specific versions of things. That certain bath towel you love that is twice as plush, or products produced in limited supply either deliberately, or by nature of the materials and process. We may have to wait for an item to actually become available or restocked, but we also might be able to have it customized in some way.
DJs can operate like Walmart - offering known quantities (packages) and repeat setups or add-ons. This is not sales per se, it's a delivery service. They're not going to do anything at your event they haven't already done or prepared to do somewhere else. They are not going to make recommendations exclusive to your needs, locations, or circumstances. They have a list of "options" (store aisles) and that's as far as it ever goes.
To operate like Neiman Marcus you have to be a tailor and provide custom fittings. Yeah - you're actually going to offer someone something that is unique to their event and no one else's. Instead of placing speakers for our convenience we devise a plan for the optimum sound and aesthetic. We don't whine because stairs are involved - we plan accordingly and rise to the challenge. We're resourceful enough to deliver more than something we have perennially crammed in a storage unit or van, more than a routine we've been using repeatedly in every setting.
Customers know whether they are in a Walmart or Neiman Marcus. We cannot pretend to be something we are not because the process will reveal us for who we really are. When someone tells us our price is too high it's because we're offering Walmart while pretending to be Neiman Marcus.
I have nearly a dozen invoices I need to get out the door to clients whose events are already completed. The customer doesn't even know yet what their final balance is, they just know the ballpark we agreed to play in. These are my Neiman Marcus customers. Then I have bills to send to people with contracts now payable, a discreet service and price represented on a contract and locked in prior to the event. That's my Walmart.
