Rick,
I'll chime in here because I am in a similar situation.
To start, I quickly skimmed your site. Design and photos look great, however, I found it to be slightly content heavy. If users are browsing from a mobile device, you'll lose them. If you haven't yet - make sure it is mobile optmized. I am in the process of bootstrapping my site which will take care of a lot of that. In your case, I would try implementing a photo gallery and attempting to use bulleted lists wherever possible (millenials have next to no attention span).
Honestly, I am a big proponent of omitting pricing from the homepage. In your situation, that is potentially what will get you in trouble.
Ten years ago, the bulk of my business was coming in subcontracting for someone else. Whatever dates I was not working for that company I was filling with inquiries from Thumbtack (back when it was still a monthly subscription). I was basically charging the clients I would book myself just a little more than what this other company was paying me, putting my prices at the lower end of the market. I started to get very busy.
Things changed from there - my equipment started aging, people began commanding more (uplights, photobooths, insurance, multiple meetings etc. etc. etc.), I got to the point where I needed help. Around this point, I too got married and realized doing what I was doing was no longer sustainable.
I had to make a decision - close, or convert this from a hobby into a legitimate business. I converted (and got into photobooths and uplighting). The money had to come from somewhere, so I increased prices. This worked fine for a while, then I found I was double and triple booking the same dates. From here, I began having staffing issues. To pay quality help what they demand to keep them loyal, and still make a profit, prices had to be increased again. I was now around the thousand dollar mark. Like you, once I hit this pricepoint business started to slow down. Of course once anxiety set in, I romanced the thought of lowering prices again, however, I have not yet lowered them as I do not want my quality to suffer.
Upon careful analysis and reflection, the pricepoint I am at is not the crux of the issue. The real issue is the fact I've done a great job of reinventing what I have to offer, but have done a crap job of building my brand. It's like going to the grocery store and seeing the generic brand is the same price as the name brand. Unless something great catches your eye as you scan both products, 90% of people will go with the name brand as that is the known variable. Over the years, I had a great referral base - but the referrals were for similar events in the same price range. The problem was I miserably failed at keeping up relationships after events, getting quality content, reviews etc. and I am paying for it now. As the generation gets younger, my "brand" is also not viewed as the "cool" brand, as I do not have the likes, follows, flashy video and social media prescence others do. For these reasons, I have to fight twice as hard to convert and close leads. I know what I need to do - carving out the time to do it is a different story.
Taso has a lot of good information, and he seems to be extremely knowledgeable on business operation, sales and marketing. I don't know him, however, I would actually love to sit down and talk with him or go out with him on a gig. I do however somewhat disagree with Taso's statement that reducing pricing is "dangerous". Increases and decreases in price can all be handled with proper PR and justification. What you need to have readily accessible, however, should someone booked at the higher price call you out, is some sort of added value to show them why they are in at a higher price. Personally, I run on/off season pricing. If someone books with me on a peak date, they are paying more because there is a greater demand - it does not mean they are overpaying by x percent. I believe you can float this if done right, as you are not reducing your pricing as much as you are retooling your packages. We work in a supply and demand industry. That being said, I would coordinate the price slash with the off-season (you may need to redefine what your off-season is if you're super slow) then specifically announce "New Base Package With Ala Carte Options" or something similar when Peak season hits again. This looks more like a different package than a reduction in pricing.
You might also try a "Web Special" to show off that price for anyone who visits the new site. This gives you the opportunity to experiment with the different number but doesn't lock you into anything. You can make it for a limited time or for a limited number of people to give off the illusion of scarcity and exclusivity.
As someone else mentioned, requiring bundles on specific dates might not be a bad idea. Next year, I plan to no longer allow the photobooth to be booked independently of Dj services during peak season since it is simply not worth my time.
Just my two cents...If I had the quick fix I'd offer it.
I'll chime in here because I am in a similar situation.
To start, I quickly skimmed your site. Design and photos look great, however, I found it to be slightly content heavy. If users are browsing from a mobile device, you'll lose them. If you haven't yet - make sure it is mobile optmized. I am in the process of bootstrapping my site which will take care of a lot of that. In your case, I would try implementing a photo gallery and attempting to use bulleted lists wherever possible (millenials have next to no attention span).
Honestly, I am a big proponent of omitting pricing from the homepage. In your situation, that is potentially what will get you in trouble.
Ten years ago, the bulk of my business was coming in subcontracting for someone else. Whatever dates I was not working for that company I was filling with inquiries from Thumbtack (back when it was still a monthly subscription). I was basically charging the clients I would book myself just a little more than what this other company was paying me, putting my prices at the lower end of the market. I started to get very busy.
Things changed from there - my equipment started aging, people began commanding more (uplights, photobooths, insurance, multiple meetings etc. etc. etc.), I got to the point where I needed help. Around this point, I too got married and realized doing what I was doing was no longer sustainable.
I had to make a decision - close, or convert this from a hobby into a legitimate business. I converted (and got into photobooths and uplighting). The money had to come from somewhere, so I increased prices. This worked fine for a while, then I found I was double and triple booking the same dates. From here, I began having staffing issues. To pay quality help what they demand to keep them loyal, and still make a profit, prices had to be increased again. I was now around the thousand dollar mark. Like you, once I hit this pricepoint business started to slow down. Of course once anxiety set in, I romanced the thought of lowering prices again, however, I have not yet lowered them as I do not want my quality to suffer.
Upon careful analysis and reflection, the pricepoint I am at is not the crux of the issue. The real issue is the fact I've done a great job of reinventing what I have to offer, but have done a crap job of building my brand. It's like going to the grocery store and seeing the generic brand is the same price as the name brand. Unless something great catches your eye as you scan both products, 90% of people will go with the name brand as that is the known variable. Over the years, I had a great referral base - but the referrals were for similar events in the same price range. The problem was I miserably failed at keeping up relationships after events, getting quality content, reviews etc. and I am paying for it now. As the generation gets younger, my "brand" is also not viewed as the "cool" brand, as I do not have the likes, follows, flashy video and social media prescence others do. For these reasons, I have to fight twice as hard to convert and close leads. I know what I need to do - carving out the time to do it is a different story.
Taso has a lot of good information, and he seems to be extremely knowledgeable on business operation, sales and marketing. I don't know him, however, I would actually love to sit down and talk with him or go out with him on a gig. I do however somewhat disagree with Taso's statement that reducing pricing is "dangerous". Increases and decreases in price can all be handled with proper PR and justification. What you need to have readily accessible, however, should someone booked at the higher price call you out, is some sort of added value to show them why they are in at a higher price. Personally, I run on/off season pricing. If someone books with me on a peak date, they are paying more because there is a greater demand - it does not mean they are overpaying by x percent. I believe you can float this if done right, as you are not reducing your pricing as much as you are retooling your packages. We work in a supply and demand industry. That being said, I would coordinate the price slash with the off-season (you may need to redefine what your off-season is if you're super slow) then specifically announce "New Base Package With Ala Carte Options" or something similar when Peak season hits again. This looks more like a different package than a reduction in pricing.
You might also try a "Web Special" to show off that price for anyone who visits the new site. This gives you the opportunity to experiment with the different number but doesn't lock you into anything. You can make it for a limited time or for a limited number of people to give off the illusion of scarcity and exclusivity.
As someone else mentioned, requiring bundles on specific dates might not be a bad idea. Next year, I plan to no longer allow the photobooth to be booked independently of Dj services during peak season since it is simply not worth my time.
Just my two cents...If I had the quick fix I'd offer it.