Pricing Questions

On 2nd thought, I just googled your location. You are a DRIVE from any relative metro area. Green ville is closest at nearly 2 hours away. Fayetteville is a solid 2 hour drive. Raleigh is a good bir further.

Myrtle Beach SC is a 2 hour 20 minute drive...I would not want to drive down there for $125 to $250 gigs. Wouldn't be worth it. I don't know your local area but I have a feeling you will be driving around a good bit for gigs. You look like you are close to Outer Banks, so maybe some potential beach house parties, or occasional beach wedding out that way, then again I always hear that OBX is a "quiet" resort so I don't know how much of that goes on there.

It looks like you have 1 "popular" wedding venue in town...Mainstays Suites Hotel. Next appears to be Oceans Edge Restaurant and Event Center which is 18 miles away. Southern Grace Beach House looks like another one. ...If I were you, I would get a few parties under your belt, then get some biz cards, and some other promo material put together, and go to those nearby wedding venues, and introduce yourself to management. Maybe ask if they do any upcoming shows, or open houses. Worth a shot!

You also have a few country clubs which are a small drive away...Porters Neck, Duplin Country Club, The Country Club of Crystal Coast. All 35 to 50 miles away ...For sure those 3 need to be visited, and could yield higher pay.

You've got a lot of great advice here so I'm going to just add a few things.
First off you have to determine why should anybody hire are you. What is going to be your specialty? What are you currently good at? or plan to be good at. Are you going to do the same thing that every other DJ does or are you going after a specific market? You will also need pictures/videos of your events, not the equipment. A picture or Video is worth a thousand words. One more thing I always suggest to anybody I train is to know your competition. Know what they charge, what their strengths are, where they advertise & etc. At way you will have some insight when coming up with the pricing strategy and how to promote yourself.

One more thing to add, Tim. As someone who is starting out, and likely will be pitching a price below the average in your area, don't overlook Craigslist. I used it, very successfully, in those early years. There are a lot of eyeballs who look at it, and not all of them are lowball budgets either. It's a really great place to scare up leads, that will get you to working quickly. Good luck.

Price in this instance is a lot like wages - the level is determined by where you work and what you can do.

The question as a beginner isn't "how much should I charge?" It is more appropriately - "who is that is hiring me?' The type of events you can handle and the profile of the people booking you will determine how much you can charge.

Don't try to guess at this. If you get it wrong you'll suffer a lot of disappointment. Start by estimating how much it will cost you out of pocket to get to and from a gig, along with any expenses - then add a wage better than your next best alternative. From there - measure your inquiries and simply ask people rather than telling them a price: "Does $xxx seem like a fair deal for everything we've talked about?"

The advantage to posing a question is that you are inviting immediate feedback and the customer will give you much more insight into who they are, what their economic profile is, and where your service fits in that equation. If the majority of prospects reply "oh! I only wanted to pay about half that amount" then re-examine where it is these people are coming from and target a different demographic. If on the other hand, no one ever hesitates or needs additional coaxing - move your rate up incrementally until you find the limit of that demographic. Don't refuse to negotiate because this is how you learn where your business really stands. You don't need close unreasonable gaps however, or serve every inquiry. Knowing your costs and alternative wages will help you set limits on your flexibility.

Being a able to brag about one big quote is not as impressive as being able to brag about a steady stream of paid invoices. So take it one measured step at a time. What price you start out at has very less to do with the kind of DJ you are and more to do with how well you can service people and take care of their concerns.

There is no reason to go digging on Craigslist if you are mature and already have meaningful customer service skills. If you're young - then the place to develop those skills and experience is in front of a desirable demographic. Choosing the wrong customers to learn with will not serve you well in the long run.

I would research other DJ's in your area.
Then consider their talent, experience, and what they are offering for that price.
Rick was correct about low prices attracting low quality clientele...
but when you are just starting out, you have to take what you can get.
Don't sell yourself short, but remember that at his point in your career...
your biggest hurdle is that no one knows you........yet.