Do a bridal show 1/28 - input please

...At some point older DJs have to look in the mirror and ask "Are brides willing to book ME, and pay a high price?

I know some older DJs remain successful in this biz, but every older DJ I have talked to over the years have felt that once they reached late 50s/About 60 years old it became extremely hard to sell themselves to brides and grooms. ...This is why many of the older guys who stick around in this biz charge lower rates, and look at it as a side biz. The ones that get older and want to charge $1,800+ end up booking less and less weddings as time goes on.

I'm not trying to say older DJs can't be successful wedding DJs, but there is no doubt that selling yourself as a premium DJ when you are in your late 50s, 60s, and 70s is certainly going to be tougher than when you were 30 to 40 years old.

Some older DJs truly get stuck at the lower tier of pricing because there is nothing really attractive about them, or their service that attracts most brides/grooms. ...Not trying to be combative, just telling it like it is.

Taso is in his prime as a Wedding and Sweet 16 DJ. ...Those of you who are in your 50s, 60s, and 70s are not.

Even my older brother thinks he has maybe 6 more years left before he won't be able to book many weddings every year, and he told me the other day he has felt that it is already becoming harder for him, and he is turning 45 this year. Back in 2000 and 2001, he made over $60,000 each year as a DJ. 2017, he earned way, way less. ...Sure, part of that can be attributed to marketing, and connections in the industry, but brides typically WANT younger DJs who are also experienced. ...I'm just saying that as a older person in this industry, the cards are stacked against you, and you can't expect to book a ton of high paying events as a DJ.

rickryan.com said:

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.

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It's a recurring issue it seems like for him... this is a review on google for his photography page which he sells the dj service from:

" I attended a wedding this year where Chris Perry was the DJ. Unfortunately me and the rest of the guests around me were not impressed. He had a good attitude the entire time and was very nice to guests, but he should not be a DJ! He had no excitement and brought no excitement, especially when introducing the bride and groom and bridal party. He introduced them like they were no body. He stumbled over the names, and did not transition into the next event well. The bride and groom were standing around on the dance floor after being announced for their first song to come on. It was very awkward and just did not flow very well. He also didn't make any announcements to the guests/vendors when the next event would be. I missed the bride dancing with her dad even though I was sitting at my table because no announcement was made. Also did not appreciate how he brought his young daughter to work for him"

The first part in the response: "Everyone prefers something different for their DJ- I"m not a big talker, I don't take over the wedding - I'm not there to be the center of attention. There are DJs like that if that is what you prefer for your wedding."

Here's one from weddingwire: "Music was mostly good, couple songs were pretty random, but no one could really hear him talk, he just didn't speak loud enough, no one knew when cake cutting or anything was going on."

If you find his online youtube page, everything that is said in that review is evident. VERY low energy intros, without any excitement for the bride and groom, low energy atmosphere, and yes... an assistant that is wearing a hoodie at a wedding.

Sometimes the problem with why our business isn't succeeding starts with us. It has nothing to do with age, it has to do with finding the issues, and correcting them rather than defending them. Motivation and perseverance.

He wrote a lengthy critique that misrepresenting how I communicate with clients and gave a very false view of the market and how to market to them. Of all the things I addressed in my response, some general, and some directed at him, he chose to only talk about his lack of social media knowledge... completely avoiding the bigger issue at hand... him and how he operates his business and communicates with clients. It is also a MAJOR branding issue... when anyone does reviews they will see all of this. It's so easy to find, how can they not see it... its not like its hiding. This is why his view of the market is what it is... he can't get clients that actually are researching bc that is what they find. He's left with clients that don't have value in their dj, want someone cheap, and don't even care to interact much (even though that's probably what leads to problems to begin with).

DJ Ricky B said:

I'm just saying that as a older person in this industry, the cards are stacked against you, and you can't expect to book a ton of high paying events as a DJ.

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You can if you continuously adapt. I have the same mindset as many do... I won't be able to do this forever, my age will catch up to me, brides will want younger, etc etc etc. I'm financially saving for these situations. However, time and time again I find those that are doing it will into their 50's and can probably do this as long they want... the key thing is they have been able to adapt to the trends around them.

What I've learned though is, is that it actually has nothing to do with age... you can fail just as easily at 25 and 30 as you can at 45 and 50. People I know that we're my age and dj's 5 years ago faded out bc they couldn't market themselves effectively, or offered a low quality product. Remember when everyone and their mom was a dj and we said the market was saturated... I too experienced that with a bunch of people my age going after the same sweet 16's as I did. NONE of them remain dj's today. They didn't adapt, they didn't market effectively, they didn't ever create a real "brand", and they were always 5 steps lower in terms of quality. I took risks, I invested money, I improved myself, and I connected well with my clients and listened to others rather than think I knew it all.

Old old saying - people tend to do business with people like themselves...

So the old money folks hire old money type folks, young brides hire young female photographers, young grooms hire young DJs, middle class hires middle class, etc.

there is some overlap and exceptions, but it tends to hold true across the board. YOu go to buy something and teh salesman is a 20s guy with tatts and a man bun...you don't identify with him at all. you don't feel comfortable.

DJ Ricky B said:

...At some point older DJs have to look in the mirror and ask "Are brides willing to book ME, and pay a high price?

I know some older DJs remain successful in this biz, but every older DJ I have talked to over the years have felt that once they reached late 50s/About 60 years old it became extremely hard to sell themselves to brides and grooms. ...This is why many of the older guys who stick around in this biz charge lower rates, and look at it as a side biz. The ones that get older and want to charge $1,800+ end up booking less and less weddings as time goes on.

I'm not trying to say older DJs can't be successful wedding DJs, but there is no doubt that selling yourself as a premium DJ when you are in your late 50s, 60s, and 70s is certainly going to be tougher than when you were 30 to 40 years old.

Some older DJs truly get stuck at the lower tier of pricing because there is nothing really attractive about them, or their service that attracts most brides/grooms. ...Not trying to be combative, just telling it like it is.

Taso is in his prime as a Wedding and Sweet 16 DJ. ...Those of you who are in your 50s, 60s, and 70s are not.

Even my older brother thinks he has maybe 6 more years left before he won't be able to book many weddings every year, and he told me the other day he has felt that it is already becoming harder for him, and he is turning 45 this year. Back in 2000 and 2001, he made over $60,000 each year as a DJ. 2017, he earned way, way less. ...Sure, part of that can be attributed to marketing, and connections in the industry, but brides typically WANT younger DJs who are also experienced. ...I'm just saying that as a older person in this industry, the cards are stacked against you, and you can't expect to book a ton of high paying events as a DJ.

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My first - and only - gay wedding. We had lots of meetings - they assumed a lot, or perhaps I just didn't 'read' their desires enough.

I know DJs that make themselves the center of attention, talk a lot, take over the wedding - I'm not that kinda DJ. I"m not going to make the night about me. i"m not going to be on the mic every third song so I can hear myself talk.

Much of the review is plain old wrong, some I don't comprehend their issues/concern/comments... a guest took the mic and sat down on the steps near the dance floor and told a story for nearly 15 minutes. He was very good. Is that what they expected me to do? I've no idea as they said nothing.

Since that review I've made it more obvious brides what kind of DJ I am, what kind of wedding I do. You want games? I can do games, but only if you demand it. I tell them if they want the chicken dance/hokey pokey, fine, but they have to tell me they want it. I lean toward giving them a classy type reception..not an ego run, not a rah rah sis boom bah type thing, not a club night with mixing and lazers.

You can't make everyone happy - especially if they don't tell you want they want and just assume you do 'x' because, well, that's what they assume all DJs do.

Jeff Romard said:

I'm willing to bet that review was written by another DJ

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I'd say for photography half my brides are 35 plus - always have been.
For DJ..younger than that on average, but I'm guessing 20% of my weddings are 40+ age group, second weddings.

Maybe i'm not on 'the twitter' to get the millenial bride...LOL

steve149 said:

So, are you looking for OLD brides?

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Less than or different from?

You suck - you're not doing what tiesto does!

Uh huh..does that mean you really suck, or maybe they shoulda hired tiesto or a tiesto wanna be?

I know photographers that have never taken a picture of the b/g bm/moh grouping. I always did. Unless requested i never did a shot of the dress with all the bridesmaids flowers lined up along the hem. IMO it's a 30 year old look.

Nobody has ever asked me if i bring subs..so say I don't and they notice and put it in a review....lots of DJs don't bring subs...

And they had no issues when they asked I announce "This is a homo's only dance"... I know the staff at the venue..that announcement brought a few looks and comments on the side.

Maybe i played it too straight?

rickryan.com said:

If it's on Weddingwire, and was written by a DJ (not someone you signed a contract with), just dispute it and it's gone. If it is a client, then there's no way I'd ever write a response that says I'm less than other DJs.

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Different from, less than, same, older, younger,... it doesnt matter. Subs or no subs... who cares what you do... Why have you avoided the fact that all of these situations could have been avoided up front if you had a meeting where you communicated who you are, your style, your presentation, etc. Even if they wanted a tiesto wanna be... it is our job to give them as much information as possible and be transparent so they get what they desire. If you never did the work to determine they wanted a tiesto like wedding or whatever style wedding in general, it's your fault when they're let down about the experience they had with you. You poked at how I have all these meetings, yet my clients were never let down by the service they received. My referral base is evident of that. I have feeling ice may have blocked me as he hasn't addressed the second review which was on google or the third one on weddingwire. He's only been addressing the first one.

Again, all of this is backed up by the 2 video he posted on his youtube. Everything mentioned in every review is clearly visible... he didn't even have the guests stand for the bride and groom's entrance... music barely audible... no excitement for them. This def is not an age thing, he's a well kept and very decent looking guy. Never would I say personal image is an issue in his case at all. He just doesn't communicate with his clients or potential clients about what his dj service is about. He'd be perfect for those low key type of weddings and would do himself justice if he could determine up front if he was a right fit for the client or not... and avoid 3 very nasty reviews that go directly after him as a dj. Other negative reviews for most dj's in general have been stupid with late email responses, forgetting a request here or there, a forgotten enhancement etc... these reviews goes right at the soul of what he does... his DJing and MC skills. These were never the right clients for him.

Think I'm being too hard... thats fine, but I am not making blind statements: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFSwOtPLIDA

I tell people what I do and how I do it- some don't hear it, don't understand it - I can't tell you what they're thinking - or what anyone is thinking.

Am I the best dj out there? no - and I"m not $1500 either. And I'm not aiming at that market - now or ever.

and do realize i'm a work in progress - I don't have decades of experience on the mic, as mc or public speaker. I do appreciate the feedback - it's hard to get that sometimes.

If you want a bmw or mercedes than go shop there - don't be looking at the chevy or kia dealership for that same quality or experience. My aim is to be the toyota/honda/subaru - mass market and above average.

Having been at hundreds of weddings as a photographer I've seen all sorts of DJs...lots of terrible ones, some that like to hear themselves talk - at one wedding the DJ every other song or so would tell you who the artist and song title was...really? Yes, really. Some tell jokes..bad ones almost always.

NEVER heard anyone ever say 'i wish the dj would talk more!' at a wedding..or any event.

I hired a guy to work as DJ (upon referral from a trusted and known dj) when I had to fill in as photographer when my photographer the day before the wedding fell and broke her ankle. This gent has 20 some years experience. Music selection and such - fine. And while he didn't wear jeans, he didn't wear a tie either, or jacket...didn't think I'd have to tell him how to dress for a wedding..my mistake. And on the mic...you're seen the charlie brown tv shows, right? yeah, a lot like that and he never turned down the music so no way to hear or understand him.

IN the video..crap video IMO - and I PAID a videographer for it...hesitant to do that again - for the same reason perhaps customers have complaints in any service business - 'you said x and i got y' - you want to see footage from the videographer of the floor? yes, he walked around with the camera on aimed at the floor...more than once, at times during events...

as for the music..it's a challenge - in the video you can see me in the foreground as they come down teh steps - teh console/system/whatever is 50 feet away on the far side of th eroom in a corner - can't see them coming in from there. So..I need someone there to turn it up/down. They can't read my mind either. Help is hard to come by...and when you need them for what, 20 minutes over 5 hours..they soon don't like to come to work. I have a remote app - but this room is in a building that is a former ATT switching center and wifi/cell phones don't work here...and i've had it work oddly at times. My new cell phone won't network with my PC..so i'm stuck for a solution for now.

The video shows what i'm asked about most often..I do need to do another one..I have some cell phone video excerpts from other weddings, but nothing showing entrance, announcements, etc.

Is there positives? Yes - you can hear me on the mic, the couple welcomed their guests instead of just sitting quietly at the head table, I intro'd the toasts by name. You see me interacting, some personality, moving out of the way of the photographers, etc.

I'm a work in progress - and mistakes happen. I review what I've done and work to improve upon it. Most wedding you don't need to tell folks to stand or applaud - sometimes they just don't play along.

One wedding the bridal party was shitfaced - and when the toasts began it was to be only the MOH/BM..but each drunk in the bridal party decided to grab the mic and have their say...slurring their words. It was a train wreck. The guests started talking among themselves...then one of the bridal party with the mic said "can you be quiet we're doing toasts up here".... OK...what was I to do? Go rip the mic out of the hand of the drunk groomsman? Yeah...i can see that going real bad real fast...cut the mic off and 'move on'? Almost as bad...but at least I'd be 30 feet away...Glad I don't have a video of that wedding!

then you get stuff like this (posted in another forum)...some days you can't win. And I think buyers understand that..well, many do anyway.

So we're doing this corporate party last night and it is going great. Lots of partying, full dance floor, etc. At one point two obviously sour chicks (who are partying their asses off all night) come and request some music that the event organizer has specifically asked me not to play. So very politely i tell them that i cant play it because so and so doesn't want this music played. So before they leave they come by the booth (pissed drunk) and they go "you didn't play our requests!! You suck!!!! We ll give you the worst reviews on FB!!!!!!!". So i smile politely and tell them "thank you very much. Hope you have a great night". I wake up this morning and these nutjobs have put 1-star reviews...

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rickryan.com said:

If it's on Weddingwire, and was written by a DJ (not someone you signed a contract with), just dispute it and it's gone. If it is a client, then there's no way I'd ever write a response that says I'm less than other DJs.

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Hey Rick, Now that is has been 30 days since the bridal show, did you end up booking any clients from the show?

rickryan.com said:

We did the PWG bridal show yesterday. Spent about $1k on the booth rental and we already had the materials from the last one. I think we're starting to get our feet under us and we brought in our son to help on this one. Found a great little ice-breaker. We had 2 round tables, one with a matt-finish photobook and the other with a glossy finish photobook. When a prospect walked up I'd ask them to help settle an argument and ask which book was their favorite. It got the conversation started without that yucky "here's what I can do for you" type pitch. We confirmed 3 consults; 1 of which bailed but the other 2 I'd wager will book. We had about 3-4 others that I'd say were very strong booking contenders but they'll be calling us. We're still not there yet on our sales pitch but I think this show was a big improvement over the last one and it's making me think that these tradeshows could be a good way to fill in our calendars.

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"Could" and "DO" are totally different. I know some vendors who just blow so much money on wedding shows, and only end up booking a few weddings from them. Their customer retention costs are through the roof, but they keep doing the shows because they feel it's the only way they know how to obtain some paying customers. They get caught up in it all, and they make friends with the other vendors. It's almost like they pay to hangout at the shows because they book so little from doing them. Many of them do 10 or more shows a year.

I am debating doing a show out in Ocean City that is coming up. They offered me $100 off since I am booking a table late. The downside is I would have to leave the day before because it's too far of a drive to wake up early, and get there by 11 am for load in/set up on that Sunday. I can't wait up at 5 am to make that happen. So I would have to get a hotel room the night before just to do the show. So I am on the fence about bothering with it. ...I would be the only DJ company there this year which is a plus. It's also not my typical market, but I don't mind driving out to the beach to do some weddings if I can get good money on them. I gotta make a decision real soon about it though.

steve149 said:

Go to bed at 10 and get up at 5 .. it's not that tough for 1 day. When I was in sales, it was a weekly thing to get up at 5, leave the house by 5:45, and drive 2 hours for an 8:00 sales call.

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5 am is hard. Earliest I have woke up in the last 2 years is like 6:35 a.m.

Then, The drive there is 2 hours 45/50 minutes assuming I do not stop along the way. I know I would have to stop at a half way point. I COULD get there by 11 am for load in/set up, but it's a long drive. Then to drive all the way back later in the day. I assume I would want to get a early dinner down there before I drive back. Get home likely around 10 pm at night. COULD do it. Do I want to go through that hassle for the day...not really.