Do a bridal show 1/28 - input please
- Thread starter rickryan.com
- Start date
Okay, so you may be right (probably are). So, raise prices by $300 then offer a $500 discount, right?
I'm pretty doubtful. It's a small show and there were only 2-3 photogs there last year. There may be a whole bunch more this year (the show's getting popular) but I don't really expect to see any discount-heavy operators this year either (there were none offering discounts last season).
As far as discounts, it depends on how many other DJ and/or photographers you are competing with.
If it's a small show, you may not have to discount at all.
If it's a big show a lot of competition, you will have to do better than they do.
If it's a small show, you may not have to discount at all.
If it's a big show a lot of competition, you will have to do better than they do.
I'm pretty well settled on a $400 discount, but only for our bundled packages. Wifey and I are arguing over the signage to advertise it. We've setup the booth rig in our office and are tweaking it out this week and next. I'm fairly confident we'll have a better-looking booth than the photogs that have been working this show (fingers crossed). I decided that instead of 2 moving heads, I'm going to put one of our big photo strobes, high up on a boom stand and with a huge softbox. I'm going to turn it on modelling light and use it as a marker for our booth. Just saw that done at the big photography show this past weekend and thought it was highly effective.
Could you do something like book out photography package a recieve a $400 discount on our DJ services
If there is a fair amount of difference in price on the packages you offer...
You may want to use a percentage, rather than a specific dollar amount.
Then again, you might not.
bridal shows here have died - 3 or 4 years ago you had to get on a waiting list to get a spot..now they're harrassing me 3 times a week plus i'm being contacted by shows from 30, 40 miles away.
It turned about 3 years ago - brides used to stop and chate, browse, ask questions. Then like a light switch they'd not stop and look AT ALL - they'd walk on by. IF one walked up they said "saw you online, just wanted to see if you had my date open"
blow out pricing will get you bookings...free wedding album perhaps..free second photographer maybe...
It turned about 3 years ago - brides used to stop and chate, browse, ask questions. Then like a light switch they'd not stop and look AT ALL - they'd walk on by. IF one walked up they said "saw you online, just wanted to see if you had my date open"
blow out pricing will get you bookings...free wedding album perhaps..free second photographer maybe...
I was originally going to do a percentage, then seemed like everybody here was busting my chops, saying that it was too confusing. I like 15% for some reason but the wifey was balking at it. I don't know if she's right or not. I already jacked our rates by several hundred dollars and really felt like we needed to offer some kind of show incentive. I will tell you that leads have suddenly opened up in the past week. I just had 2 in the past hour and using the $400 deal probably is going to get me a meeting early next week.
Wifey and I have been going rounds about the show discount. I've only got 10 dates (including DJ-only dates) on the books. Maybe 4 of those include photography. I'm scared to be a hard arse about a few hundred bucks and possibly be sitting with empty books this year. Trying to put aside your fears on pricing and service level is tough.
I did a open house on Saturday. 33 Brides showed up. Out of the 33, only 1 I talked with had a date for 2018. I talked with like maybe 12 of them. One Groom told me they were doing I Tunes Play List...They were not dancing people, YET he did have questions for me about what I use.
The rest were all 2019, and have not even picked a venue yet. The one 2018 date was December 23rd, and she has not picked a venue yet either. I was running a Show Special, but no one there was remotely close to being ready to book a DJ, so no one jumped at the offer. I am doing another open house on the 27th. I hope it is not the same scenario, and I can book a a couple of weddings there. IF it is the same scenario, turnout then I will pull the plug on bothering with any more open houses as I will deem them simply not worth my time any longer.
There is one Bridal Show in April I may still do, but I dunno.
The rest were all 2019, and have not even picked a venue yet. The one 2018 date was December 23rd, and she has not picked a venue yet either. I was running a Show Special, but no one there was remotely close to being ready to book a DJ, so no one jumped at the offer. I am doing another open house on the 27th. I hope it is not the same scenario, and I can book a a couple of weddings there. IF it is the same scenario, turnout then I will pull the plug on bothering with any more open houses as I will deem them simply not worth my time any longer.
There is one Bridal Show in April I may still do, but I dunno.
I did an open house this past weekend at a venue. Around 50 brides came through. One of my already booked brides came in that is in June. I think 2 brides had late 2018 weddings but most were late 2019 and a couple 2020. The most engaged, and will probably book with me soon, were best friends who are both getting married in December of 2020.
I was offering a $100 off coupon which was in the goodie bag that they got at the door. Most didn't seem like they were looking for a discount. I didn't mention it was in there until they were getting ready to walk away. Most commented "Oh, well they makes it even better."
I was offering a $100 off coupon which was in the goodie bag that they got at the door. Most didn't seem like they were looking for a discount. I didn't mention it was in there until they were getting ready to walk away. Most commented "Oh, well they makes it even better."
"the word" is raise your prices every year.
Why?
Inflation? increased costs? (music? gear? insurance?)
Cause you're better than before?
Well...few businesses work this way..it's not truly the free market system - aka, supply and demand.
You say you're 'underbooked' ... so lower your price and book up. If you have more demand than you can handle (actually handle or want to handle) then raise your price to control the demand.
If there isn't the deman for your product/service at your price point..why not? The MARKET doesn't feel you're worth it.
With wedding photography I've found that if I don't have prices on my website the phone won't ring..or should I say, that was 5-10 years ago. Today? Well..I still have prices up there so I'm not sure.
ON teh DJ side of things I took prices down about 6 weeks ago .. and inquires and bookings are up. Hmm..
My PERSONAL feeling on this is folks are googling EVERYTHING these days - and when you google a new controller, mic, speaker you wan tinfo on it AND PRICE - right? availability too perhaps.
I just read a review of a battery powered speaker..never heard of it, good review..went looking..$2500 per speaker...well, that's that, for me anyway. No need to waste my time or anyone elses on that.
Last 'good' bridal show was $100 off DJ or photobooth, ORbook dj and photobooth and half off photobooth!! (Save 300..PB prices here have cratered)
I offered 'dinner for 2 if you reserve your date today at the show!' and i'd take a deposit and let them pick a $25 restaurant gift card to take home (had them on display with the signage).
Great one year..complete dud the following year...no clue what changed.
Could be your market...or 'the' market..who can say. I did 20-25 weddings (photography) for years..now 3 is normal..I"m as good as ever..the market just changed.
You could be the best video store in town...you still won't be busy. Things change.
When was the last time you say a tune up shop for cars?
An aquaintance had a huge radiator repair shop..still in business but he rarely does radiator rebuilding / re-coring anymore- cheaper to get a new rad from china or someplace..and they don't go bad as frequently.
And there's more cars being driven more miles than ever...
Why?
Inflation? increased costs? (music? gear? insurance?)
Cause you're better than before?
Well...few businesses work this way..it's not truly the free market system - aka, supply and demand.
You say you're 'underbooked' ... so lower your price and book up. If you have more demand than you can handle (actually handle or want to handle) then raise your price to control the demand.
If there isn't the deman for your product/service at your price point..why not? The MARKET doesn't feel you're worth it.
With wedding photography I've found that if I don't have prices on my website the phone won't ring..or should I say, that was 5-10 years ago. Today? Well..I still have prices up there so I'm not sure.
ON teh DJ side of things I took prices down about 6 weeks ago .. and inquires and bookings are up. Hmm..
My PERSONAL feeling on this is folks are googling EVERYTHING these days - and when you google a new controller, mic, speaker you wan tinfo on it AND PRICE - right? availability too perhaps.
I just read a review of a battery powered speaker..never heard of it, good review..went looking..$2500 per speaker...well, that's that, for me anyway. No need to waste my time or anyone elses on that.
Last 'good' bridal show was $100 off DJ or photobooth, ORbook dj and photobooth and half off photobooth!! (Save 300..PB prices here have cratered)
I offered 'dinner for 2 if you reserve your date today at the show!' and i'd take a deposit and let them pick a $25 restaurant gift card to take home (had them on display with the signage).
Great one year..complete dud the following year...no clue what changed.
Could be your market...or 'the' market..who can say. I did 20-25 weddings (photography) for years..now 3 is normal..I"m as good as ever..the market just changed.
You could be the best video store in town...you still won't be busy. Things change.
When was the last time you say a tune up shop for cars?
An aquaintance had a huge radiator repair shop..still in business but he rarely does radiator rebuilding / re-coring anymore- cheaper to get a new rad from china or someplace..and they don't go bad as frequently.
And there's more cars being driven more miles than ever...
What about the market has changed... perhaps, like many, the failure might have been in ourselves to not stand out and adapt in todays online world. Personally I don't think the market has changed one bit... theres a low end, mid range, and high end client... people are spending more overall on weddings than ever, meaning either budgets, or prices are going up. What has changed is how we reach them and stand out from the others. That fact makes me think it is our duty to adapt to todays marketing strategies and isn't so much the "market" itself. We can't compare what we do to a radiator shop... the wedding industry is NOT struggling. If you're doing less weddings, the issue is NOT the market.
What's changed?
Ummm..how people shop for EVERYTHING has changed. THAT is the change in the market, the big one. Another is 10 years ago say, bridal shows were about the only way, certainly the easiest way, to find and compare vendors all at once. I've been doing bridal shows for 12 or so years and I saw it first hand - brides would visit vendor A then B and then C and then come back and ask 'B does xyz, what do offer?' or they'd come and talk while looking at an album "this album is better than jones photo, but smith is nice too and 100 dollars off"
today you have the internet..instead of 4 or 10 DJ's or photogs google will give them 100..the knot 40 more - and ALL give reviews which you never got at a bridal show or bridal magazine, venue referral or wedding planner.
While WE know that the difference between good and mediocre is, 80% of consumers have no idea - 'i'll just use an ipod' is an example of that - 'dj's just play music'...gonna take a lot of education to change that mindset. And low end vendors won't help - I know a few low end wedding photogs and what and how they sold their services..it's part of why the photography industry crashed. A low end DJ will say "i play all teh same music - for half the price!"
Sure, announcements matter- and many brides get it, but many more don't have a clue. I recently booked two brides that have never attended a wedding of any kind - they have no clue what goes on, how , why, etc. Ideal client? yes and no - they're former photography clients (HS senior portraits) so they know and trust me - but since they don't know ANYTHING it would easy to fall for the lowest price.
Look at amazon - great big business that has killed off local bookstores - and other stores. Are people buying books? Sure, more than ever. BUT good luck being a successful book store.
Magazines..weak and not doing well.
Newspapers..even worse outlook.
And I can't tell you the last time i listened to the radio...as in broadcast commercial radio.
The 'market' is changing - as in how people shop, how they buy - how they WANT to buy. I know poeple that don't like shopping (hassle, time, etc) and they are LOVING amazon and walmart and costco - get it delivered or just drive up and pick it up (walmart and others now do that).
I had a groom drop off the contracts and check for an upcoming wedding - dj and photo - first time we'd met in person, first time at my studio, I offered to show him an album, pictures, etc - "no thanks, we saw it all on line, we're sold"
It's been MONTHS since I've met anyone in person to 'sell' them on a wedding service. I"m thinking, maybe, september...
If I'd have told them 'we must meet to book!' they'd have balked - I offer it to everyone and they DO balk - " i don't have the time" or "too far" or "il ike you, no need to meet, send me the contract"
Maybe your need to meet is YOUR issue? Lack of confidence, phone skills or something else. There are advantages to meeting - but today it's not necessary. You're working harder than you need to. And you're being old fashioned. And they may feel pressured by you wanting a meeting.
High end..maybe not, but i'm sure that will change. Highest end expects to be coddled - the rest of the poeple out there? service is good, they want that, but they don't want to be 'sold'.
I bought a new car via email. negotiated price and everything, just needed to see my trade in to put a value on it. Great experience - gonna buy next new one- perhaps ALL new ones, that way from now on.
And I'm not close to being the right generation for that sort of thing - brides today ARE that generation.
I bet with the right info on a website you could book weddings with a "buy now' button!
If not now..in 5 years it's the way it will be done.
Ummm..how people shop for EVERYTHING has changed. THAT is the change in the market, the big one. Another is 10 years ago say, bridal shows were about the only way, certainly the easiest way, to find and compare vendors all at once. I've been doing bridal shows for 12 or so years and I saw it first hand - brides would visit vendor A then B and then C and then come back and ask 'B does xyz, what do offer?' or they'd come and talk while looking at an album "this album is better than jones photo, but smith is nice too and 100 dollars off"
today you have the internet..instead of 4 or 10 DJ's or photogs google will give them 100..the knot 40 more - and ALL give reviews which you never got at a bridal show or bridal magazine, venue referral or wedding planner.
While WE know that the difference between good and mediocre is, 80% of consumers have no idea - 'i'll just use an ipod' is an example of that - 'dj's just play music'...gonna take a lot of education to change that mindset. And low end vendors won't help - I know a few low end wedding photogs and what and how they sold their services..it's part of why the photography industry crashed. A low end DJ will say "i play all teh same music - for half the price!"
Sure, announcements matter- and many brides get it, but many more don't have a clue. I recently booked two brides that have never attended a wedding of any kind - they have no clue what goes on, how , why, etc. Ideal client? yes and no - they're former photography clients (HS senior portraits) so they know and trust me - but since they don't know ANYTHING it would easy to fall for the lowest price.
Look at amazon - great big business that has killed off local bookstores - and other stores. Are people buying books? Sure, more than ever. BUT good luck being a successful book store.
Magazines..weak and not doing well.
Newspapers..even worse outlook.
And I can't tell you the last time i listened to the radio...as in broadcast commercial radio.
The 'market' is changing - as in how people shop, how they buy - how they WANT to buy. I know poeple that don't like shopping (hassle, time, etc) and they are LOVING amazon and walmart and costco - get it delivered or just drive up and pick it up (walmart and others now do that).
I had a groom drop off the contracts and check for an upcoming wedding - dj and photo - first time we'd met in person, first time at my studio, I offered to show him an album, pictures, etc - "no thanks, we saw it all on line, we're sold"
It's been MONTHS since I've met anyone in person to 'sell' them on a wedding service. I"m thinking, maybe, september...
If I'd have told them 'we must meet to book!' they'd have balked - I offer it to everyone and they DO balk - " i don't have the time" or "too far" or "il ike you, no need to meet, send me the contract"
Maybe your need to meet is YOUR issue? Lack of confidence, phone skills or something else. There are advantages to meeting - but today it's not necessary. You're working harder than you need to. And you're being old fashioned. And they may feel pressured by you wanting a meeting.
High end..maybe not, but i'm sure that will change. Highest end expects to be coddled - the rest of the poeple out there? service is good, they want that, but they don't want to be 'sold'.
I bought a new car via email. negotiated price and everything, just needed to see my trade in to put a value on it. Great experience - gonna buy next new one- perhaps ALL new ones, that way from now on.
And I'm not close to being the right generation for that sort of thing - brides today ARE that generation.
I bet with the right info on a website you could book weddings with a "buy now' button!
If not now..in 5 years it's the way it will be done.
oh this ones gonna be fun... where do I even begin. I'll break this down into two parts... the part where we talk about market and marketing... and the second part will focus on where you completely misrepresented and fail to understand how I operate my business and how I work with my clients.
Part 1. I'll try and address everything in bullet point fashion.
- The way you (and to be fair MANY), speak on here is similar to people I've worked with in the past for 8 years and it is a common mindset and mentality of the failing entrepreneur. Without changing the way you view yourself and how you do things, you will never be able to overcome the obstacles you observe. I was avg $800 an event 8 years ago, and now avg at $2695 an event. I understand clients across all spectrums of the price range and while I may not understand local and regional aspects such as traditions and music preferences, I understand couples and I understand how they shop. As a single op with no real advertising of the traditional sort, and with a heavy word of mouth referral base, I believe I have some understanding of what works and what doesnt, and how to create buzz and get noticed. I am not bragging, but when you provide information like that above, you are creating a false impression that the business owner is not the issue and there are outside factors limiting growth. FALSE.
- The MARKET again has NOT changed. The MARKET is still a couple of 2 people primarily between 23-35 who are getting married and a low, mid, and high end MARKET exist. The spending on weddings has in fact INCREASED year over year, therefore that means either people are making more, vendors are charging more, or budgets are increasing because weddings mean more to people... or a combination of all. Whereas many have been blaming price they charge as an issue... that is actually an excuse and the FARTHEST thing from the problem.
- What HAS changed... marketing and branding behaviors. You and many have FAILED to adapt to current online marketing tactics and failed to understand the MINDSET of your client within your TARGET MARKET. Therefore BRANDING has been ineffective. I will agree that many on here know who their target client is... wether it is a low end, high end, value type, destination type, mid level, spanish, arabic, greek, mc heavy, etc. What many do NOT know how to accomplish, is how to stand out in a sea of dj's and set themselves apart from the rest and actually REACH their target market. While others are out updating to modern websites, many on here and in general are stuck in 2008 with outdated sites... rather than putting out high quality photos, many are using outdated and mediocre photos. When you advertise monograms with the date 2013 on them, that shows you don't value keeping fresh and updated. If you're not engaging on social media, you're losing out on a big segment of the market. Do you have a face book page that is constantly filled with pictures, videos, and more so that when people tag you in a post theres something exciting to see... or does it look out of date, lacking info, and like you're not even in operation. How's your instagram... do you post pictures that people like and comment on and view... are you utilizing hashtags to appeal to other potential clients... are you tagging venues so they share what you do? If you're not doing this then YOU have failed... not the market. You mention buying tactics have changed... yes its an online world so you must adapt to stand out in an online world. Amazon won becuase other businesses thought online shopping would never become what it is. Amazon tapped into something that others failed to do until it was too late. It seems many in the dj world have failed to adapt as well and are now playing catch up in the online world.
- Referral based businesses. Above I mentioned a lot about the online world of branding and marketing. There is an argument that can be made, you can still thrive with minimal to no online presence. Personally most of my business is word of mouth... Proformance, despite what many think has shown that he has demonstrated a way of doing this with an outdated online presence... and im sure others have as well. In order to succeed in this way of marketing you must once again do something to STAND OUT. Something that I was told by Bob Carpenter that has never left my mind for over 5 years, is that NO ONE TALKS ABOUT AVERAGE!. If you want a referral based business you have to make people talk about you by doing something that sets you apart. This could be being amazing at what you do and creating an amazing experience, being customer friendly and providing amazing customer service, being reliable and working with a certain clientele and fulfilling their unique needs, or hopefully a combination of all those to create an amazing overall experience. These areas also include a combination of exceptional skill to satisfy the clients circles expectations, a presentation that fits their standards, and the ability to relate to that type of clientele.
- Now many will say, Oh I get referral business all the time. Yes... great... but we have to be real and look at the numbers. Statistically is it steady, increasing, or decreasing. Many businesses that were big word of mouth businesses have still ended up failing. Why... because they failed to keep up with the expectations of their clients, became stale and let the competition sneak in, or didn't reinvent themselves along the way to keep up with the new offerings that others offer and forced their cleintele that was loyal to look elsewhere to have their needs met. If you've always relied on word of mouth, you cannot afford to slip up here. When you say one year you had 25 weddings in photo and then 3... thats not the market thats something else.
- I PERSONALLY find it important to be amazing at what you do to create a great referral based business, but also have an amazing online presence to generate additional leads. It also helps to impress those clients who got your name but dont know you, and checked your website to either contact you and/or to see more about you. If you create a mediocre online experience, that strong referral alone may not be enough to sustain continued interest in you, especially if they check out sites of other referrals they got.
- You act as if couples don't care to get to know their dj... WRONG! Couples that value their entertainment look online, do research, check for bios, check for videos, check for content and reviews... and typically are willing to spend a little extra to get who they feel comfortable with. It's funny cuz I deal with a lot of couples that do ask questions, that understand mcing and lighting and more. Who doesn't do what I just mentioned... couples that DON'T value their entertainment, which are typically low budget or are weddings that many people that have a BRAND to represent don't want to take. Is there a market for that yes... but realistically it is not one that you can make a living off of, and therefore why you hear horror stories from them and lots of part time dj's as the ones being hired. You bought a car online... great... chances are you never cared about the craftsmanship of the vehicle, the feel of the steering from one vehicle to the next. When I bought my audi, I made sure to try driving it first, and compared it to mercedes and bmw since I value cars. After I at least made sure the audi was the fit for me... then yes I continued my conversations through phone and email. I could've done the same thing in any price range... kia hyundai... ferrari lambo... etc. If you care about the car you drive... you'll at least want to make sure whatever you invest in will be the right fit for you. If you say a car is just a car... or a dj is just a dj... you want as little interaction with them as possible. As the old saying goes... you sell like you shop.
PART 2 - this is the part where you've falsely assumed how I run my business.
- I DO NOT FORCE IN PERSON MEETINGS. Clients have the option to communicate any way they want with me for meetings including phone, in person, or video. The ONLY one I require to be in person OR video is the finalization where we go over all the music, timelines, formalities, etc. The primary reason is because there's a lot of information, some requiring visuals or audio to be transferred or heard to make sure we're playing the right version, creating the right looks, saying the right name, etc. The other VERY important reason is it creates a relationship... we know how we all look... we can smiles, laugh, and the reactions all while going over the most important celebration of their lives. They also SEE me being dedicated to them. I have a relationship with my clients... most do not. I have them all as friends on fb... I don't add them... they add me.
- My 1st "meeting" is very informal and can be any way the couple chooses. It's not even something I say I require. I just want at least one actual conversation before they actually sign the contract to make sure there are no future surprises. Sometimes it's a call where I simply just say I wanted to touch base and say thank you and let you know the process from here on out (online planning tools, finalization meeting 1 month prior, and 10 min finalization call on the week of the event). If they don't like the process they're free to move on without having signed anything. MOST OF THE TIME though, the CLIENT REQUESTS the meeting prior to booking. They may call or meet or video chat (they choose, not me) and ask me a number of questions... and I'll ask them questions to make sure that we all satisfy each others needs and expectations. Again sometimes these calls are only 5 min long, sometimes their longer.
- I DO NOT "SELL". Anything a client wants I provide them up front. After a client inquires, I immediately send all my pricing, a brief outline of what I am about, and a bunch of videos to look at. I DO NOT NEED TO SELL MYSELF unlike other djs who wont give pricing without a call or meeting. In my actual meetings or conversations prior to booking, one of the first things I say is I will NOT talk about any service you don't want to discuss. THEY ASK ME about what THEY have interest in. Of course because of the videos and great visuals I have, I attract clients seeking for more items such as lighting or photo booths, and therefore they ask. Obviously we all know that when you have a conversation on these things, the booking rate is higher. If you do not bring up uplighting... neither will I. I focus on getting to understand their atmosphere... the musical expectations of me... the process, etc. My initial meeting is to just be comfortable with each other. AGAIN TO BE CLEAR THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT FOR A MEETING BEFORE BOOKING. I call it a meeting because to me I am meeting the couple for the first time, when I give them a call to say thank you after I get the email saying they wanna book. A 5 minute call is not a minute in the traditional sense, and like I said there is NEVER any selling involved, unless the client asks about something.
TO SUMMARIZE:
We are operating a business. I don't care where you live or what you charge... failure to stand out and appeal to your target market is a business practice that many fail at. They don't understand the proper MARKETING and BRANDING techniques necessary to appeal to their MARKET. Each target market requires a different level of appealing. Fail to figure it out and you'll be left struggling or with clients that don't really value you (the leftovers essentially). I don't pay for advertising and am a single op... I sent out my 52nd contract for 2018 and 9th for 2019 this week... put the price charged aside... I've done something to appeal to enough clients to get to those numbers... ask yourself, what have you done.
This post wasn't really mean to be directed entirely to Iceburgh (in reality I'm sure he's a great guy and this is just a matter of different business views)... it only seems that way because he directly mischaracterized how I operate my business and my selling process, and had to address that while addressing everything else that I believe is a bad view to have in order to be successful. This is my personal views and advise that anyone can take and should apply to their business. I've been mentoring a photographer and a dj that I've known for a while this past year to create their own brands and they did it all on their own and have shown impressive results in a short time. They've taken risks, invested a lot of time and money, and stayed up late hours to better their product and better their marketing and branding. As mentioned, the dj has booked more for himself in the last few months than the company he worked for did for him... and my photographer has increased his pricing, improved his quality, and in the last year established a bigger referral base of clients who are asking for him directly. We have to be the change if you expect to see results.
I wanted to throw this in there, as it is important to evaluate how we run our businesses and how we can improve them. Iceburgh, you are probably aware of a very nasty 1 star review you have on the knot on 2/1/17 that detailed a number of items the client didn't like about you (some of them stupid I believe), but what shocked me was the last part of your response (which with exception of the last part was a fair response).
Your defense concluded with the following:
"If he wanted an over the top DJ that will take over the event, they exist. I'm low key - It's not my goal to be the center of attention at your wedding. I'm sorry I wasn't what he was looking for but he never interviewed me or asked any questions before hiring me. "
This right here proves the importance of talking to EVERY client BEFORE booking... to avoid situations like this and make sure you're all on the same page as to what the expectations are, even more so when its with clients that do not know you and have never seen you. As mentioned, I choose to talk to every couple, even if its for 5 minutes just to give them a run through of me, my style, the process, etc and to take it one step further that I didn't mention above, I also go over the package to make sure it is exactly what they wanted, nothing more, nothing less.
The funny thing, my opinion doesn't matter at all... I am not a potential client... but you can bet yourself that potential clients are seeing that when looking for reviews. You also have a video of you doing intros where your assistant is in a hoodie. Don't forget, that everyone behind the booth represents your business, and brides care about appearances... heck my fiance is going crazy about whose walking in with who so the photos look good. I have females that work for me too... they're either in a black dress and flats, or in black pantsuit and black jacket and black or white shirt.
This is just my advise to help and for others to be inspired and hopefully prevent negative experiences in the future... no one's required to take it, especially if you're actually happy with how business is and don’t want to improve it any further. I know this thread started about bridal shows... but bridal shows have the purpose of attracting new couples. There's many other cheaper, more effective, and better targeted ways of getting booked. However they require a change from within.
Your defense concluded with the following:
"If he wanted an over the top DJ that will take over the event, they exist. I'm low key - It's not my goal to be the center of attention at your wedding. I'm sorry I wasn't what he was looking for but he never interviewed me or asked any questions before hiring me. "
This right here proves the importance of talking to EVERY client BEFORE booking... to avoid situations like this and make sure you're all on the same page as to what the expectations are, even more so when its with clients that do not know you and have never seen you. As mentioned, I choose to talk to every couple, even if its for 5 minutes just to give them a run through of me, my style, the process, etc and to take it one step further that I didn't mention above, I also go over the package to make sure it is exactly what they wanted, nothing more, nothing less.
The funny thing, my opinion doesn't matter at all... I am not a potential client... but you can bet yourself that potential clients are seeing that when looking for reviews. You also have a video of you doing intros where your assistant is in a hoodie. Don't forget, that everyone behind the booth represents your business, and brides care about appearances... heck my fiance is going crazy about whose walking in with who so the photos look good. I have females that work for me too... they're either in a black dress and flats, or in black pantsuit and black jacket and black or white shirt.
This is just my advise to help and for others to be inspired and hopefully prevent negative experiences in the future... no one's required to take it, especially if you're actually happy with how business is and don’t want to improve it any further. I know this thread started about bridal shows... but bridal shows have the purpose of attracting new couples. There's many other cheaper, more effective, and better targeted ways of getting booked. However they require a change from within.
Last edited:
thanks.
I'm not a online marketer - tried here and there and it's very time consuming - nearly a full time job it seems. It's unlikely I'm every going to 'go there' with much presence or enthusiasm.
I tried several years ago and the online area (then) was constantly changing..fb then twitter, now it's instagram or snapchat..or? I can't keep up with it and the rest of my life and running the business too. I did the 100 hour weeks back in the day...not gonna go down that road again. All work and no play has consequences on one's health and family situation.
Services exist to 'manage' online presence..they don't do what you say needs done (that i've seen) so it's back on me to do it, or hire an employee type to do it. Hard to do that - I can't train them on what I want done...like hiring a contractor to work on my house, what's the point of hiring someone if i have to show them how to remodel a kitchen?
I'm not a online marketer - tried here and there and it's very time consuming - nearly a full time job it seems. It's unlikely I'm every going to 'go there' with much presence or enthusiasm.
I tried several years ago and the online area (then) was constantly changing..fb then twitter, now it's instagram or snapchat..or? I can't keep up with it and the rest of my life and running the business too. I did the 100 hour weeks back in the day...not gonna go down that road again. All work and no play has consequences on one's health and family situation.
Services exist to 'manage' online presence..they don't do what you say needs done (that i've seen) so it's back on me to do it, or hire an employee type to do it. Hard to do that - I can't train them on what I want done...like hiring a contractor to work on my house, what's the point of hiring someone if i have to show them how to remodel a kitchen?
I feel your pain, brother. I'm in the exactly the same boat. I work 40 hours per week, plus another 20(ish) towards the side biz. It's hard to squeeze even more time and energy away.
One thing I will mention, not picking on you, but that review that Taso quoted needs to be changed. That thing is anti-selling your service, as you're clearly stating that other DJs are superior to yourself. I'd really urge you to go back online and re-write that thing to thank them for their feedback, assure them that their feedback will be used to make improvements, and that you're glad they were happy with whatever they were happy with. Don't let something like that sit out there and haunt you for years to come.