So there's some speculation of how things have transitioned which in some instances are true, and some are false, and some are just speculation.
Yes, Pro is in a sense very much correct... the equipment is virtually the same, give or take some minor upgrades that few clients would notice, but the presentation and style has gone through a lot of changes to become an even more polished and unique experience. I also have a much better understanding of my clients needs than I did back then and the planning process is a more refined and personlized experience giving each customer a unique experience tailored to them.
Ricky, as Ross said, a talent's pricing is based on demand and scarcity. I brand myself simply as "DJ Taso" (it literally is called dj taso llc lol), and that there is nothing that can duplicate what I do... imitate absolutely, but it'll never be the same... or so I brand myself. This adds demand and because I market to specific events with event minimums and a certain number of events a year, I portray that I am hard to book (every time I book a client I blast it on facebook and isntagram... it works, as it creates fear of missing out). It is up to the client how much their willing to pay to get me. I am dealing with weddings and sweet 16's often that won't book the venue without my availability... and they never ask for a discount anymore. Last month I booked a client who went to a venue and told them they're booking me, and the venue said Oh if u book our dj we'll give you an extra food station included... the client said no my daughter wants DJ Taso, and they tried again to sweeten the deal (I think they have some exclusivity with the dj and get a kickback), by then the client was annoyed and said that clearly they don't respect their vision and left. The owner tried multiple times to contact the client but by then the client booked elsewhere.
Over the years, I've transitioned clientele without a doubt... the biggest transition was going from 90% sweet 16's in 2012 and 2013 to 60% weddings in 2018. This only made me appear even more exclusive as theres a certain image that a "wedding dj" has as opposed to a generic dj. The client who didn't book me this time around got me at a period when I was booking all sorts of events, and cared more about quantity than purely quality, despite the fact that my prices were increasing. She was a client who cared about quality to a point, but budget mattered more, and her budget no longer aligned with my services. She probably contacted a competitor who has multiple dj's and offered one at a much lower rate to accommodate her budget and get the date filled. It's probably a $1000-$1200 dj... not cheap for a sweet 16, but definitely doesn't do what I do. However, there are just as many examples of client who have booked me again despite the price difference being significant. The most recent example was a client who booked me in 2013 for $1900 and now booked me for $4500... the $1900 package was actually $3500 now, but she added more stuff this time around. They value entertainment, respected that I was much more in demand, and had seen me over the years to know that my product is significantly better now than then (even though it was still good then by the standards of most). I have booked some clients for 3 different sweet 16's spanned over many years and each one had gotten a price increase, but with some discount in play as a courtesy for being used 3 times. Then there are clients who booked me for Sweet 16's at $1000 8yrs ago, and recently booked me for Weddings $3000 and $4000. Like I said it's hit or miss, but the general consensus that my circle of clients has changed is pretty accurate.
Mix, while I wish you the very best with your surgery... I unfortunately once again have to correct you. While I do work often in High End venues... I also often work in venues that are rather cheap. Just this past weekend I worked 2 sweet 16's at a total value of around $8.5k, where the venues were church community centers, with cheap food, and DIY centerpieces. I literally cost more than everything else combined. The clients wanted to give their daughters the best experience possible, but believed that the great experience would be provided by the dj (and were willing to splurge on that) and not the venue or fancy cakes or food and centerpieces. That's their view and that's totally fine by me... I only need to find clients that value entertainment and have the budgets for it. Yes, clients choosing fancy venues are more likely to have larger spending budgets in general... but there are many clients who book $60k venues at $300 a plate for 200 guests, and will book an $800-$1200 dj. Those same venues will give you horror stories of dj's doing a wedding for the first time and the mater di has to actually do the introductions bc the dj never had done them before and was uncomfortable. Don't let fancy venues assume a client has a big budget. They probably just preferred to show off by having the nice venue and food but went cheap on other things that they didn't care for.
In the end... raising prices requires a game plan. It is a risk, and takes time, and in a way is essentially like starting over. While I was doing it, I knew where to discount just to gain new clientele, and where to stick to my guns because I knew that circle of clients knew what I was capable of doing for their event. If you don't have much of a word of mouth clientele yet and a strong reputation, along with strong marketing materials, then chances are you're not quite ready to make big jumps in your pricing.
