Let's Play the "Do you think they will book a DJ within budget for their event" game!

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Do you believe they will book a DJ within their budget?

  • Yes, and the DJ/KJ will be be good, and they will be a satisfied client!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Yes, but the DJ is going to be a newbie, might be a satisfied client/might not be satisfied

    Votes: 2 50.0%

  • They will book someone who ends up cancelling out on them the week of the event!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • NO, but they will end up booking the lowest price DJ/KJ above $400 to make sure they have a DJ

    Votes: 2 50.0%

  • No, they won't find anybody for $400 or less, and will simply go with another entertainment option

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • A member of the Synagogue will end up being KJ/DJ for the event for FREE!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    4
Jeff Romard said:
Just to let you know I ran your quote generator but didn't fill in contact info. I will suggest making it open in a new window so they still have access to your website though



Perhaps you're right



I don't know...It could be a few things. I'm no website expert or an expert on Millennials but there's a lot more info than most would read on your pricing page. The 3% discount is clunky call it a $50 discount it's easier to understand people don't want to do math

Your setup looks great on the website. Your Brother and Sisters not so much. If theirs is the first I see I wouldn't feel there is as much care as I would expect for a $1500 DJ.

After doing a search for DJ in Dundalk, Maryland and looking at websites yours is middle of the road to most I seen. Are your rates similar?

Most of the others DON'T have prices on their site. One I seen was starting at $995.their site looked similar to yours and had most of the same upsells

And maybe it's not the website maybe it's something in the wording of the email or the "sell"

As an aside more to do with SEO your header says just "Home" Change it to "Bulles DJ DJ In MD VA DC" or something like that you will automatically show higher in the searches





Somehow they aren't distinguishing you from a less expensive DJ. Why aren't past clients or people at your events referring you more? Venues sell venues you are an after thought if someone inquires. When someone asks me at an event I give them a basic rundown and a business card. My cards aren't fancy just the basic info...Name, number, website.

We all lose to price sometimes but it's rare these days. Perhaps longevity has something to do with it



The auto quote is simple the way the pricing is portrayed on your site isn't...Again people don't want to do math
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OK, check the website out now! Pricing is so clear that even Forrest Gump can figure it out at first glance!


As far as people who don't want to do math and figure out what 3% is...if they are that dumb, I don't think they are going to be our clients any way, BUT I removed the 3% all together, and now just mention a small discount. I will tell them what that discount is when they request an agreement, and their choice on if they want to pay with PayPal or cash/check to save some money.
 
Jeff Romard said:
The 3% discount is clunky call it a $50 discount it's easier to understand people don't want to do math
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PLEASE tell me you're not charging someone extra to use a credit card? Bro, that just screams chintzy and I personally despise any vendor who charges that processing fee. Be a real business and eat that cost. If you have to, raise your rate (across the board) to cover it. A credit card is more than worth 3% to your business. It makes getting paid magnitudes easier and it gives you the ability to get their money RIGHT NOW, instead of trying to pass contracts/payments thru the mail.
 
rickryan.com said:
PLEASE tell me you're not charging someone extra to use a credit card? Bro, that just screams chintzy and I personally despise any vendor who charges that processing fee. Be a real business and eat that cost. If you have to, raise your rate (across the board) to cover it. A credit card is more than worth 3% to your business. It makes getting paid magnitudes easier and it gives you the ability to get their money RIGHT NOW, instead of trying to pass contracts/payments thru the mail.
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That 3% can be thousands over the year. For me that would easily be over $7k if I allowed credit cards for final payments. I only allow it for deposits.
 
rickryan.com said:
PLEASE tell me you're not charging someone extra to use a credit card? Bro, that just screams chintzy and I personally despise any vendor who charges that processing fee. Be a real business and eat that cost. If you have to, raise your rate (across the board) to cover it. A credit card is more than worth 3% to your business. It makes getting paid magnitudes easier and it gives you the ability to get their money RIGHT NOW, instead of trying to pass contracts/payments thru the mail.
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No, the 3% was a discount he was referring to. I give a 3% discount for cash/check payments in full. PayPal is now charging me like 3.49% + 49 cent fee on invoices.

The only time I charge a "convenience fee" for PayPal in the past is when I agree to do an event at a substantial discount, OR I run a promo like "30% OFF Special" and even then the fee was only applied to the balance charge, not the initial deposit. I felt that when I ran a deep discount off of my price, I wasn't also going to take the hit on a CC processing fee to boot. I haven't done that in years though.


Speaking of this...Probably 3 out of every 4 Carry Out/Delivery places in my local area that are not chains are now charging a 3% fee for Credit/Debit cards.

I will also say that almost EVERYONE is using PayPal now. I have only received 1 check in the last year for a deposit, and 1 check for a balance payment. I can mobile deposit a check, and have funds available next business day. It takes at least 1 day for me to transfer funds from PayPal into my account without a fast transfer fee, so I honestly don't see the advantage of accepting credit card over a check except it is slightly easier to do. I gotta spend a couple minutes opening my bank app, and taking two pictures of the check and signing it to mobile deposit it. NO big deal to me.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
No, the 3% was a discount he was referring to. I give a 3% discount for cash/check payments in full. PayPal is now charging me like 3.49% + 49 cent fee on invoices.

The only time I charge a "convenience fee" for PayPal in the past is when I agree to do an event at a substantial discount, OR I run a promo like "30% OFF Special" and even then the fee was only applied to the balance charge, not the initial deposit. I felt that when I ran a deep discount off of my price, I wasn't also going to take the hit on a CC processing fee to boot. I haven't done that in years though.


Speaking of this...Probably 3 out of every 4 Carry Out/Delivery places in my local area that are not chains are now charging a 3% fee for Credit/Debit cards.

I will also say that almost EVERYONE is using PayPal now. I have only received 1 check in the last year for a deposit, and 1 check for a balance payment. I can mobile deposit a check, and have funds available next business day. It takes at least 1 day for me to transfer funds from PayPal into my account without a fast transfer fee, so I honestly don't see the advantage of accepting credit card over a check except it is slightly easier to do. I gotta spend a couple minutes opening my bank app, and taking two pictures of the check and signing it to mobile deposit it. NO big deal to me.
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I still hold that ANY mention of the processing fee makes the vendor sound like they're nickel-and-diming the client. I fully understand that it can add up but I still say that if your margins are that tight (in this business) then you're not charging enough. Doing away with paper contracts and handling checks was worth far more than 3%, to me at least. Before I started taking credit cards I remember actually losing gigs because of the delay resulting in clients being able to keep shopping and they ended up going somewhere else. I also remember trying to collect on a couple of bad checks that was a real hassle. I dunno, it's your business. Run it as you see fit.
 
rickryan.com said:
I still hold that ANY mention of the processing fee makes the vendor sound like they're nickel-and-diming the client. I fully understand that it can add up but I still say that if your margins are that tight (in this business) then you're not charging enough. Doing away with paper contracts and handling checks was worth far more than 3%, to me at least. Before I started taking credit cards I remember actually losing gigs because of the delay resulting in clients being able to keep shopping and they ended up going somewhere else. I also remember trying to collect on a couple of bad checks that was a real hassle. I dunno, it's your business. Run it as you see fit.
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For deposits I always allow credit cards, and don’t bother with any fees. It’s the final balance which is often $3-5k and $100-$175 in fees that I avoid credit cards unless an emergency situation. $100-$175 in fees over 60+ events adds up.
 
So my day job I'm a sales executive for a telecom company. I'm dealing all day every day with executives, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc. Sometimes they are multi-million dollar businesses and sometimes they are a single operator with a staff of 5 or something. All of our standard contracts state that any CC payment over $5k is charged a 5% service fee. (there's always additional fees with our Canadian clients as well). So I think charging a processing fee is okay, if you're hitting over a certain threshold.

In terms of getting bookings, I'm at an advantage in that I've been working for a multi-op for the past 10 years. This company was established in my area like 30 years ago, but almost all my bookings (33 this year) came from word of mouth. In fact, my company does almost no external advertisting. We exisit by word of mouth, wedding shows (we do do a lot of wedding shows across the state of Kansas), and social media. Personally, I've stepped up my social media game and post videos via TikTok, which is linked to my Instagram, which is linked to my facebook. I was hesitant to do so, but I took a chance and started posting.

The other thing I've been doing is incorporating a lot more quick mixing into my weddings. I was super hesitant to do so, but watching certain djs on TikTok got me excited and talking to my brother (who lives in Des Moines and is in his early 30s) that that's what he would want at his wedding, I took the plunge and said "alright, I'm going to give this a try" taking steps to make myself stand out more.

If something isn't working for you, examine why and work on getting it fixed. Also set goals, like Taso said. That was the final thing I did this year was set X number of goals for me and i'm within striking range of all of them.
 
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Ok you're offering a discount to me if I book with you. Why should I book you? What is the discount I'm getting by booking you? What incentive is being offered in a discount that says I should book you? I agree with others and just tell a potential client in dollars how much is the discount. That percentage thing is a waste to me. Don't tell anybody that they are stupid if they can't figure out the discount using percentages. Keep it simple.

So if they go with a certain package they will get a certain discount? Also considering how much you charge, the discount should be a decent amount. For me a discount of $50 for somebody charging $1,500 would not be enough to persuade me to go with that DJ. I say $100 would be a good amount to get me to book you. Let me also say that to get the $100 discount the person would need to pay in full at the time of the contract signing. Just my thoughts.
 
EERobert said:
So my day job I'm a sales executive for a telecom company. I'm dealing all day every day with executives, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc. Sometimes they are multi-million dollar businesses and sometimes they are a single operator with a staff of 5 or something. All of our standard contracts state that any CC payment over $5k is charged a 5% service fee. (there's always additional fees with our Canadian clients as well). So I think charging a processing fee is okay, if you're hitting over a certain threshold.

In terms of getting bookings, I'm at an advantage in that I've been working for a multi-op for the past 10 years. This company was established in my area like 30 years ago, but almost all my bookings (33 this year) came from word of mouth. In fact, my company does almost no external advertisting. We exisit by word of mouth, wedding shows (we do do a lot of wedding shows across the state of Kansas), and social media. Personally, I've stepped up my social media game and post videos via TikTok, which is linked to my Instagram, which is linked to my facebook. I was hesitant to do so, but I took a chance and started posting.

The other thing I've been doing is incorporating a lot more quick mixing into my weddings. I was super hesitant to do so, but watching certain djs on TikTok got me excited and talking to my brother (who lives in Des Moines and is in his early 30s) that that's what he would want at his wedding, I took the plunge and said "alright, I'm going to give this a try" taking steps to make myself stand out more.

If something isn't working for you, examine why and work on getting it fixed. Also set goals, like Taso said. That was the final thing I did this year was set X number of goals for me and i'm within striking range of all of them.
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Are you talking about Complete Music and Video? I just remember them being a big name in Kansas/Mid West. They tried to tap into the market here in Maryland by doing bridal shows. I don't know how successful they were though. I see them as the same type of company as the Pros were.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Ok you're offering a discount to me if I book with you. Why should I book you? What is the discount I'm getting by booking you? What incentive is being offered in a discount that says I should book you? I agree with others and just tell a potential client in dollars how much is the discount. That percentage thing is a waste to me. Don't tell anybody that they are stupid if they can't figure out the discount using percentages. Keep it simple.

So if they go with a certain package they will get a certain discount? Also considering how much you charge, the discount should be a decent amount. For me a discount of $50 for somebody charging $1,500 would not be enough to persuade me to go with that DJ. I say $100 would be a good amount to get me to book you. Let me also say that to get the $100 discount the person would need to pay in full at the time of the contract signing. Just my thoughts.
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Mix,

Have you ever been to a gas station that has a discount price for using Cash? Where the gas station's fuel is $3.84/gallon for cash, or $3.89 if paying via Credit card? My 3% discount is the same type of deal. Only, the fuel station can easily show a discounted price because it's one item, and per gallon. I am giving 3% for their total bill depending on the add ons, and time they book me for. It's a $3 savings for every $100 they spend. Clients understand what the discount it, and I tell them what the price would be when I give them a quote if they want to pay with cash/check.

It makes no sense for me to just give them a $100 discount for paying with check or credit card.

Some clients like to know there is at least one way they can save money when they book you as well. If I did this in opposite, and tell everyone I charge them a 3% fee on top of my price because they are using a card to pay, they will frown upon that.

I actually don't visit a few of the local carry outs any more in part because they charge a 3% fee for using a card to pay. Not the main reason, but one of them.
 
djtaso said:
For deposits I always allow credit cards, and don’t bother with any fees. It’s the final balance which is often $3-5k and $100-$175 in fees that I avoid credit cards unless an emergency situation. $100-$175 in fees over 60+ events adds up.
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It does add up, but he is saying that you charge enough already that you should not have a problem paying those fees.

It is a lot of money. I always believed that credit card companies should have a legal Cap on what they can charge for a single transaction. It does not cost the processing company more money to process a $5,000 transaction vs. a $50 transaction. It costs the retailer a whole lot more money though! All profit for the card companies.

If your clients don't complain, and always pay your additional charge to cover the fee, then I don't see the big deal. Keep charging them for it. We are headed into a cashless society though, so there will be a point in time where charging a service charge to cover processing fees is going to look bad, OR might even get outlawed by federal government at some point. Technically, PayPal terms of service states that businesses can't charge customers a fee to cover their charges, BUT they also never enforce their policy. If they do, I have never heard about them enforcing it.

There are ten states that prohibit any kind of fee to cover credit card fees:

States that prohibit credit card surcharges and convenience fees. Ten states prohibit credit card surcharges and convenience fees: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
Mix,

Have you ever been to a gas station that has a discount price for using Cash? Where the gas station's fuel is $3.84/gallon for cash, or $3.89 if paying via Credit card? My 3% discount is the same type of deal. Only, the fuel station can easily show a discounted price because it's one item, and per gallon. I am giving 3% for their total bill depending on the add ons, and time they book me for. It's a $3 savings for every $100 they spend. Clients understand what the discount it, and I tell them what the price would be when I give them a quote if they want to pay with cash/check.

It makes no sense for me to just give them a $100 discount for paying with check or credit card.

Some clients like to know there is at least one way they can save money when they book you as well. If I did this in opposite, and tell everyone I charge them a 3% fee on top of my price because they are using a card to pay, they will frown upon that.

I actually don't visit a few of the local carry outs any more in part because they charge a 3% fee for using a card to pay. Not the main reason, but one of them.
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I just said keep it simple. I know for every $100 you give the 3% get to deduct $3 off the price quote. I get that. Why should they to do math to figure out the actual discount. Who wants to go back to school? I get that there's a percentage charge when using a CC to make a purchase. What I see is you're not a big chain store that is making thousands of dollars each day and can afford to eat the cost of a person using a CC. The way I figured it out a 3% discount on $1,500 is $45. That wouldn't be enough for me to book you based on the discount. My thing is to make it attractive enough that potential clients will take the bait.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
Mix,

Have you ever been to a gas station that has a discount price for using Cash? Where the gas station's fuel is $3.84/gallon for cash, or $3.89 if paying via Credit card? My 3% discount is the same type of deal.
Click to expand...

I remember the stations USE to charge different prices but seems that trend went away several years ago.
 
djtaso said:
For deposits I always allow credit cards, and don’t bother with any fees. It’s the final balance which is often $3-5k and $100-$175 in fees that I avoid credit cards unless an emergency situation. $100-$175 in fees over 60+ events adds up.
Click to expand...

I just took in a $10k payment. $300 in processing fees, which I gladly ate without any repercussions to the client. To me, credit cards fixed a lot of payment problems that I had and made it way easier for clients to book me, which I credit for putting dates on my books. It a no-brainer in my view.
 
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rickryan.com said:
I remember the stations USE to charge different prices but seems that trend went away several years ago.
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Up here where I live there are a number of stations that have a cash price. Specifically, Carrol Fuels does it at all of their stations. Some other ones do as well. They are all privately owned ones. No Royal Farms, or 7/11, Wawa, or any big chain does it.
 
Alright, the verdict is in!

I got a notification of the performer that they booked on The Bash. I won't say who the performer is, but I will say that I have met this KJ before. I saw him in a bar about 12 years ago at a bar that I know pay's $150 a night for the KJ at the time. Anyway, I am surprised he is still actually performing. I think he is in his late 60s, maybe even 70 yrs old. He also reminds me of MIX! (Appearance wise)

He quoted the client $400 which was their budget, and he got the job for $400 which is actually $380 after the $20 fee the bash takes on the booking. So in 2022, there are still DJs in my area that will book a 4 hour Saturday night private event with over 100 guests for $400 ($380) in Baltimore City.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
Alright, the verdict is in!

I got a notification of the performer that they booked on The Bash. I won't say who the performer is, but I will say that I have met this KJ before. I saw him in a bar about 12 years ago at a bar that I know pay's $150 a night for the KJ at the time. Anyway, I am surprised he is still actually performing. I think he is in his late 60s, maybe even 70 yrs old. He also reminds me of MIX! (Appearance wise)

He quoted the client $400 which was their budget, and he got the job for $400 which is actually $380 after the $20 fee the bash takes on the booking. So in 2022, there are still DJs in my area that will book a 4 hour Saturday night private event with over 100 guests for $400 ($380) in Baltimore City.
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And your point for this post is what? He can't look like me. I'm handsome.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
Are you talking about Complete Music and Video? I just remember them being a big name in Kansas/Mid West. They tried to tap into the market here in Maryland by doing bridal shows. I don't know how successful they were though. I see them as the same type of company as the Pros were.
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Yeah that's who I've been working for for the past 10 years. I started when I went back to college at 35 lol the owner of my franchise has treated me very good so I'm willing to reward that with loyalty back
 
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