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Originally Posted by
rth_discos
Certainly the majority of my work (in excess of £500+ for an evening wedding disco) is middle income. Typical client is 2 x earners, likely on £40k each.
A good income, but by no means exceptional.
I think your idea of middle ground may not be inline with the majority based on the above comment.
Considering £27k is average, 40k for each person would be pretty good going if you ask me!
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Originally Posted by
ukpartydj
I think your idea of middle ground may not be inline with the majority based on the above comment.
Considering £27k is average, 40k for each person would be pretty good going if you ask me!
I concur absolutely on that one David. My missus earns nothing like 40k working for the Environment Agency (I wish.......it's actually about half that working 50+ hours a week and doing three people's jobs with the current cuts), although I'm close in my real life job as a programer (haven't had a pay-rise since 2008 but won't go there! )
My "average" wedding costs around 20k (I know...because I ask!). I've done the £30k+ weddings in plush venues, I've done the low budget weddings in village halls and local WMC and Con Clubs (they're still happy to pay me for what I offer and to be honest...they're the best because the family have helped to create the reception and have brought into the day rather than the B&G just writing a big cheque to the "one size fits all" venue).
My personal feeling, especially based in rural Cambridgeshire where the majority of my clients are either from a farming background, or work as things like paramedics (I couldn't do THAT particular job for all the money in the world despite having saved two lives in the past with my first aid skills!) is that the "middle ground" is somewhere between £300-£400.
There IS a regional difference unfortunately. Yes, there are pockets of wealth in every community - I get that. BUT, the closer to the capital you get, the higher the wages and the bigger the budget - it's a fact of life (and I'm not one to say "you won't get that round here....because I've proven otherwise on occasion).
And now, I'm going to be controversial....
I've invested a lot of time and money into doing weddings....I do them well and it's something I'm proud of.
But....what I'm finding at the moment is that weddings (unless you're doing all day which can be long, tedious and stressful) AREN'T the big payers.
Let's face it, the B&G (or B&B or G&G) are splashing out an absolute fortune on everything (the registrar here charges £450 to travel half a mile to one of my venues!).....these people are paying out a lot of money at a time when they're fairly young (they've got mortgages, car loans....you name it).
What I'm finding pays the best at the moment are the milestone birthdays such as 50+ where the kids are grown up, the mortgage is paid, and there's less to pay on the day itself other than the evening entertainment and the buffet - these particular clients have a bigger budget and a LOT less stress.....go figure!
Although probably 90% of my business is currently wedding based, I'm personally wondering if I need to focus more on the big milestone parties where there's less stress, less hassle and a lot less expectation. I can wheel the Retro Roadshow out for the same price as a wedding (heavier but quicker and easier to set up)..and to be honest, a lot more fun from my side of the booth.
Just my own observations......
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Originally Posted by
ukpartydj
I think your idea of middle ground may not be inline with the majority based on the above comment.
Considering £27k is average, 40k for each person would be pretty good going if you ask me!
Average salary in Berkshire is about £36k, so average for my area.
I'd say I'm aiming at the high end of the mid market. As with everything it's not black and white. But those charging in excess of £500 are selling against the £200-£300 djs, not against the £2k options. I'm not being picked as the 'budget' option, I'm being picked as the more expensive option.
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Dinosaur
Originally Posted by
rth_discos
I'm not being picked as the 'budget' option, I'm being picked as the more expensive option.
Lucky you. I'm " too expensive/over budget" at £150 for an evening only party, £325 for a part day wedding, and £475 for an all day wedding.
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Originally Posted by
Excalibur
Lucky you. I'm " too expensive/over budget" at £150 for an evening only party, £325 for a part day wedding, and £475 for an all day wedding.
One question....where are these customers coming from?
Are they from the lead generation sites or are they contacting you directly?
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Dinosaur
Originally Posted by
Imagine
One question....where are these customers coming from?
Are they from the lead generation sites or are they contacting you directly?
The former. Now, if only I knew someone who could set me up a website offering the reassuringly expensive services of a seasoned professional, with wit, charm and an unflappable character.
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Originally Posted by
Excalibur
Lucky you. I'm " too expensive/over budget" at £150 for an evening only party, £325 for a part day wedding, and £475 for an all day wedding.
For 90% of people, I too am too expensive for them, however, I don't want to waste my time, so prefer to filter them out before they enquire.
Therefore I:
1: Don't advertise in places where budget couples will be looking.
2: Actively try and turn away the budget couples to stop them from contacting me
Perversely, this style also attracts the discerning customer, who is looking for something 'above average'.
Here's maybe the controversial bit... there are plenty of people going out for £200 who are probably doing a very similar thing to me. They are just under-charging. But, from the couple's point of view, there's much greater risk spending £200 - you might get a good un, or you could end up with a dud.
I don't think there's many dud DJs who'll let you down at the last minute charging £500+ so there's less risk at that price point.
I even try and stay away from budget venues, even if the customer is willing to pay. You reap what you sow, so my aim right back at the beginning when I rejoined the mobile disco circuit (early 2015) was to get in to the right venues from the start, which appears to have paid off.
The right marketing is the best way to get the right clients. Quite simply I out-marketed my competition, despite being relatively 'new' back in to the scene - but of course, you then have to deliver what you've promised, otherwise you'll end up with disappointed customers, bad reviews, and long term a big issue!
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I've just had a brainwave
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Middle ground disappearing? I think the opposite; I think it is huge at the moment.
I may be off the mark here as haven’t really bothered with pricing for a few years now apart from what my competitors charge – who I am good friends with and ironically we charge very very similar prices.
What I have found though is most people seem to be charging similar prices. Yeah you still get a few budget ones operating sub £200 and others commanding £500+ (which I class as high earnings) but on the whole £200 - £500 (which I class as middle ground) seems to encompass most DJs.
It is quite a difficult question to answer as we will all have different views on what is budget, middle and upper pricing levels. One big factor where I differ to most is that I never look at money/booking too much, I am more interested in my overall income which is what matters to me. I see a lot of high earners making little income yearly, yet also see many budget operators earning a good salary.
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