Have you raised your prices in the last year?

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Jeff Romard

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Sep 4, 2006
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It sure seems like everyone else has. The price of fuel is 1.5-2X what it was a year ago. Food is more expensive and the cost of rent/mortgage has gone up as has most general business expenses. Have you compensated yourself accordingly?
 
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It sure seems like everyone else has. The price of fuel is 1.5-2X what it was a year ago. Food is more expensive and the cost of rent/mortgage has gone up as has most general business expenses. Have you compensated yourself accordingly?


Well, I raised my prices LAST YEAR. So technically, no. My rate went up $100 on weddings for my base 4 hour package, and I also raised my all inclusive 6 hour package another $100.

I just got a re booking for a holiday party from 2019. I did this company party 2017-2019, and they are having me back a 4th time. I kept their price the same all 3 years. This year, I am bumping the price up $75 and sending them the agreement Sunday night. I don't think they will bulk on the price. They are a lighting company, and lights and fixtures have increased in price a bunch since 2019! ..I am debating bumping the price up a full $100, but then again they always tip me something on top as well, so I don't think another $25 will matter except maybe it will cause them to decrease the tip? who knows.
 
I raise my prices up every year... sometimes it's my base price that increases, sometimes it's my enhancements that increase/decrease due to popularity or material costs. In January I made a big jump from $2150 to $2500 in my base pricing, and my enhancements all went up around $50 give or take. This is due to higher material costs and increased labor costs. I also have a $500 minimum add-on spend thats required for prime months or events booking over 1yr in advance. My bookings have been relatively solid so far with only needing 8 more events for 2022 to meet my goal, and inquiries coming in strong daily.

Once I hit my goal for 2022, I will be raising my base price to $2750 or raising my add-on minimum by $250... not sure yet.
 
I've been wrestling with my current pricing for weeks now. My base is currently at $1,950. I've been nervous to cross that $2K barrier, but I'm going to need to figure something out.

I also might need to finally segment associate pricing versus my own. The guys I have working with me are good, but I'm offering more in my base (like the customizable facade options and lighting stuff) that they are not offering.
 
I've been wrestling with my current pricing for weeks now. My base is currently at $1,950. I've been nervous to cross that $2K barrier, but I'm going to need to figure something out.

I also might need to finally segment associate pricing versus my own. The guys I have working with me are good, but I'm offering more in my base (like the customizable facade options and lighting stuff) that they are not offering.
My only recommendation if you go above over the 2k mark, is not to do $2000, but to go straight to $2150. Psychologically it’s actually less intimidating than $2000.
 
My only recommendation if you go above over the 2k mark, is not to do $2000, but to go straight to $2150. Psychologically it’s actually less intimidating than $2000.

Agreed, I always felt the same way about $1,000. "Twelve hundred" doesn't sound as scary as "One thousand"

I think what I might do is go up to $2,250 as the base rate. But drop cocktails and ceremony by $50 each so it's an effective $200 increase if I'm doing the whole wedding.
 
More so than ever, we should all be raising our prices... Everything else is up. But either way, raising prices is the best business advice I could give someone. Once you cross the $2500 mark, the quality of clients dramatically goes up. I find weddings easier to work, easier to manage, less complaining, etc. I also have noticed that the higher I raise my prices, the more people appreciate what I do and what I offer. I also don't have to work as much so more time to enjoy life. It's a win on all fronts.
 
The more I think about it, I am going to raise my base price for next year another $100, but thinking of keeping my "Off Season" price relatively the same. It doesn't matter...I have no inquiries for the off season at the moment. Pretty much crickets January through early April right now.

Yup. Time to raise my price again. I don't have a lot booked for next year, BUT most of my couples book my mid tier package anyway. My base package is only booked for 1 wedding next year.

It seems like 85% of wedding inquiries that I receive need the DJ to supply music/mics for ceremony, music for cocktail hour, and reception, and they are SIX HOURS which is exactly what my mid tier package covers. So if anything it will make my mid tier package look to be more value than it already is. Also, another hundred bucks will bring my overall average up for the year assuming I book the same or more events in 2022.
 
The more I think about it, I am going to raise my base price for next year another $100, but thinking of keeping my "Off Season" price relatively the same. It doesn't matter...I have no inquiries for the off season at the moment. Pretty much crickets January through early April right now.

Yup. Time to raise my price again. I don't have a lot booked for next year, BUT most of my couples book my mid tier package anyway. My base package is only booked for 1 wedding next year.

It seems like 85% of wedding inquiries that I receive need the DJ to supply music/mics for ceremony, music for cocktail hour, and reception, and they are SIX HOURS which is exactly what my mid tier package covers. So if anything it will make my mid tier package look to be more value than it already is. Also, another hundred bucks will bring my overall average up for the year assuming I book the same or more events in 2022.
If most couples are booking your mid tier package, my suggestion is for Peak Dates, to make that price point the minimum entry to point to reserve your services. If most do it anyways... you should not lose much business.

Now as to 85% needing the things you provided... I'd consider adding new services, or refocusing your marketing on things not added on often. In addition to that, by having the event minimum, the couples that don't need the ceremony and/or cocktail hour (for example, here many get married at churches or do live performers for that, and I only have cocktail on 50% of my events, and ceremony on maybe 25%), it'll encourage them to add on other items, which will then help you create more exposure for them. In my case for example, 80% of couples do a 2 moving head/uplighting combination at $3450.
 
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The more I think about it, I am going to raise my base price for next year another $100, but thinking of keeping my "Off Season" price relatively the same. It doesn't matter...I have no inquiries for the off season at the moment. Pretty much crickets January through early April right now.

Yup. Time to raise my price again. I don't have a lot booked for next year, BUT most of my couples book my mid tier package anyway. My base package is only booked for 1 wedding next year.

It seems like 85% of wedding inquiries that I receive need the DJ to supply music/mics for ceremony, music for cocktail hour, and reception, and they are SIX HOURS which is exactly what my mid tier package covers. So if anything it will make my mid tier package look to be more value than it already is. Also, another hundred bucks will bring my overall average up for the year assuming I book the same or more events in 2022.
$100 is too little you need to move $250 or $500
 
Ricky, just a heads up, I visited your site... aside from the lack of symmetry and margin setting, your video on the homepage doesn't work. Likewise, I really don't advise leading in with a discount on the main page. Likewise, you got wayyyy too much going on on your pricing page. VERY confusing, and does not flow. You also talk about quote generators, and have no way of knowing how to do that. Just a lot does not flow. I really suggest hiring someone off fivver and doing a redesign. With wordpress, it's so easy to do now and with the templates, can have a much more professional presence.


Update... After searching more... I accidentally found your quote generator. PLEASE hire a professional... I got dizzy trying to read through all the text for the packages and trying to distinguish what provides what... it was all squeezed together with no bullet points or clear separations in the features. Also why offer a 10 or 12 uplight option for $70 more... just offer 12 and call it a day, why give a cheaper option, when the difference is only 2 uplights. I'd also charge a more round number of $450 instead of $420. Not trying to be mean, I'm really trying to offer reasonable advice.
 
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Ricky, just a heads up, I visited your site... aside from the lack of symmetry and margin setting, your video on the homepage doesn't work. Likewise, I really don't advise leading in with a discount on the main page. Likewise, you got wayyyy too much going on on your pricing page. VERY confusing, and does not flow. You also talk about quote generators, and have no way of knowing how to do that. Just a lot does not flow. I really suggest hiring someone off fivver and doing a redesign. With wordpress, it's so easy to do now and with the templates, can have a much more professional presence.


Update... After searching more... I accidentally found your quote generator. PLEASE hire a professional... I got dizzy trying to read through all the text for the packages and trying to distinguish what provides what... it was all squeezed together with no bullet points or clear separations in the features. Also why offer a 10 or 12 uplight option for $70 more... just offer 12 and call it a day, why give a cheaper option, when the difference is only 2 uplights. I'd also charge a more round number of $450 instead of $420. Not trying to be mean, I'm really trying to offer reasonable advice.

I am actually looking at hiring a guy who was refered to me. Waiting to hear from him. I'll check out Fivver.

As far as the video on the home page, what are you using? I just went there, and the video played fine, and I am using Google Chrome.
 
I am actually looking at hiring a guy who was refered to me. Waiting to hear from him. I'll check out Fivver.

As far as the video on the home page, what are you using? I just went there, and the video played fine, and I am using Google Chrome.
It played, I just got no audio. Kinda weird to not have it when looking at a DJ site. It’s not like it’s a background video meant to stimulate.
 
I'm going to raise my rate by at least 50% on January 1st. This year has been hard on my health. Both physically and mentally. I'm 57 and I have to realize that I'm not 10 feet tall and bulletproof anymore.