"Can we come & see you performing?" Advice please

[rob1963]

A number of potential clients are asking if they can come & see me performing before they book me.

The answer is no, as most of my work is weddings, and there is no way I would ask a client if some strangers could come to their reception because they want to see me performing before they decide to book me.

I can understand potential clients asking this, but I'm concerned that I'm losing the bookings when I say no (even though I politely explain why!).

So, do you have any tips on how to respond to potential clients (without losing the booking) when asked if they can come along and see you performing?

Any advice is welcome

[ross@rds]

Hi mate i dont like to ask can someone come to your event ?? lol. So i just say no as clients dont want people turning up they dont know so ive been recording most my events and making a dvd to send clients so they can see me in action.

Luck for me my mate does all the camera stuff so i'm getting it done free. But you could use a Digi camera or video recorder to do the same.

[rob1963]

Hi Ross,

That's a great idea!

I have a digital camera which also takes video, so I could film a few gigs, but rather than make up dvds to send out, I could just put a short clip on my website.

Then, when I explain why people can't some & see me performing, I can direct them to my website & tell them there is a video clip there which shows the actual disco in action. That should do the trick!

Thanks again for the advice!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

A number of potential clients are asking if they can come & see me performing before they book me.

The answer is no, as most of my work is weddings, and there is no way I would ask a client if some strangers could come to their reception because they want to see me performing before they decide to book me.

I can understand potential clients asking this, but I'm concerned that I'm losing the bookings when I say no (even though I politely explain why!).

So, do you have any tips on how to respond to potential clients (without losing the booking) when asked if they can come along and see you performing?

Any advice is welcome

I do the same - you just can;t invite clients to come to someone elses function.

The way I deal with it, is to explain that every disco and DJ is tailored to individual clients and what they might see or hear might not be what they want.

For example, they could see you work in a pub, dressed in jeans, playing the kind of music that you wouldn't necessarily play at a wedding. Or you could be DJing at a wedding where the client has specified cheesey music and lots of chat and the prospective client wanted mainly dance music and no chat, so would get completely the wrong impression.

[BeerFunk]

That's a great suggestion Ross, I might look at recording a good hour or 2 of a gig myself - so they could see the consistency, and not just 'selected highlights'

[rob1963]

The way I deal with it, is to explain that every disco and DJ is tailored to individual clients and what they might see or hear might not be what they want.

Good point, Darren...but don't you think Ross's idea was great?

I just thought of taking it one stage further...so instead of sending potential clients a dvd of the wedding disco in action, I can just upload a short clip onto my website, and direct them there!

Problem solved!

[BeerFunk]

Good point, Darren...but don't you think Ross's idea was great?

I just thought of taking it one stage further...so instead of sending potential clients a dvd of the wedding disco in action, I can just upload a short clip onto my website, and direct them there!

Problem solved!

I wouldn't say the problem was solved at that - a short clip won't go that far to convince them. Sending a DVD filled with a good bit of footage would make a much better impression, and they can hand it around friends and family for opinions too. I would also highlight the point I made about showing your consistency, so showing lengthy clips from different functions would be a good idea too, I would think?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

That's a great suggestion Ross, I might look at recording a good hour or 2 of a gig myself - so they could see the consistency, and not just 'selected highlights'

Do you really think people will watch a video for that long?

Good point, Darren...but don't you think Ross's idea was great?

It's something I already use on my site, although it needs updating, as it's a few years old now.

[rob1963]

I wouldn't say the problem was solved at that - a short clip won't go that far to convince them. Sending a DVD filled with a good bit of footage would make a much better impression, and they can hand it around friends and family for opinions too. I would also highlight the point I made about showing your consistency, so showing lengthy clips from different functions would be a good idea too, I would think?

Fair point, Beerfunk, but I think even a short clip will go a fair way to showing them what your disco is all about, as they can see what it looks like, and they can also provide as many requests as they like.

I think I'll start with a clip on the website & guage the reaction, and then decide whether to get some longer dvds made up to send out.

[BeerFunk]

Do you really think people will watch a video for that long?

No, I wouldn't expect them to watch it all, unless they were really bored - but if you made chapters they could skip through it and get the jist of the evening - hopefully showing an active dancefloor for most of the night, and shiny happy people!