Would you?

[Cj_The_Dj]

I'm just wondering what your thoughts were.

If you normally charge 100 (figures for ease of maths) for a 3 hour show say 7.30pm until 10.30 pm in function room.

would you charge more or less for a day time garden party from 1pm until 4pm.


whats your reasons.

the reason is a few DJs around here seem to charge more.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I would charge the same or prehaps a little less (more than £100 though!)

Mainly because it means your free to do an evening function and by the time you packed kit away you may as well head to your evening gig.

[Penfold42]

Same money....do the same work why not charge the same money....:confused:

[Cj_The_Dj]

Same money....do the same work why not charge the same money....:confused:

well i normally charge around 120.00 pounds so i was going to charge 100pounds as no lights will be needed beacuse the fuction is out doors.

[Sapphire Disco]

well i normally charge around 120.00 pounds so i was going to charge 100pounds as no lights will be needed beacuse the fuction is out doors.

Well it's what you are happy with, yes it will be a little easier for you so you could charge less but to be honest I think £120 is cheap enough already.

[Cj_The_Dj]

Well it's what you are happy with, yes it will be a little easier for you so you could charge less but to be honest I think £120 is cheap enough already.

the problem is unless i do weddings the money is great. also most people who ring me try to get the disco next to nothing and most of the time if i charge more than 100pounds i dont get the gig :Censored: . i dont know how to stop that.

[Tom]

NO change from me.

I would still providing a service, whether I use lights or not. :)


the problem is unless i do weddings the money is great. also most people who ring me try to get the disco next to nothing and most of the time if i charge more than 100pounds i dont get the gig :Censored: . i dont know how to stop that.


Simple, those people are not your clients.

Don't sell yourself out cheap just to get a gig.

Stick to your guns and the gigs will soon come in. :)

[Cj_The_Dj]

another question. do you knock anything of for mates. (not talking about best mates lol)

because this gig is for a work friend who's seen me DJ.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

I would charge, and do for christenings, slightly less. Aslong as it means i can pick up an evening gig too. If the christening runs from say 3-7pm, then i charge extra because im then not able to go out and work that evening.


the problem is unless i do weddings the money is great. also most people who ring me try to get the disco next to nothing and most of the time if i charge more than 100pounds i dont get the gig :Censored: . i dont know how to stop that.

Have you any idea what other djs in the area are charging and providing. When i started out i was in a similar boat, but after a bit of market research i was able to corner a higher paying market.

[Cj_The_Dj]

I would charge, and do for christenings, slightly less. Aslong as it means i can pick up an evening gig too. If the christening runs from say 3-7pm, then i charge extra because im then not able to go out and work that evening.



Have you any idea what other djs in the area are charging and providing. When i started out i was in a similar boat, but after a bit of market research i was able to corner a higher paying market.

i have rang a couple of other djs to find out for a nornll birthday it between

GBP100-150 the most. and for a wedding its GBP110-180 the most untill you book a hotel with there own DJ and they charge you GBP250 even though the dj get only GBP150 of it.

[rob1963]

I would charge the same or perhaps a little less (more than £100 though!)

Mainly because it means your free to do an evening function and by the time you packed kit away you may as well head to your evening gig.

My thoughts exactly.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

i have rang a couple of other djs to find out for a nornll birthday it between

GBP100-150 the most. and for a wedding its GBP110-180 the most untill you book a hotel with there own DJ and they charge you GBP250 even though the dj get only GBP150 of it.

Those rates are very cheap to be honest. Im not sure what you can do if thats the area your stuck with. Could you provide add-ons that you can upsell?

In answer to your previous question, i will knock a bit off for mates, but at the same time mates dont expect it for free as they know im running a business. I cant remember any friends asking for a freebie (i have done the odd one though, to really help him out when he got laid off and it was the missus 30th and he couldnt afford anything, but a group of us chipped in and sorted it for him on the quiet :) )

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Those rates are very cheap to be honest. Im not sure what you can do if thats the area your stuck with. Could you privide add-ons that you can upsell?

In answer to your previous question, i will knock a bit off for mates, but at the same time mates dont expect it for free as they know im running a business. I cant remember any friends asking for a freebie (i have done the odd one though, to really help him out when he got laid off and it was the missus 30th and he couldnt afford anything, but a group of us chipped in and sorted it for him on the quiet :) )

Ah been waiting to mention this!

Ive recently introduced free face to face meetings with clients and its worked a treat! 100% success rate so far and got a couple more meetings booked in too. Ive been busier this year than last while quoting more for my services. Im not saying this is what you should offer but maybe look at your sales pitch. The market place around your area might be as you say but then again do customers have any other choice?

[Dynamic Entertainment]

I agree Neil, ive had a few bookings off being able to provide pre-meetings.

[rob1963]

Ive recently introduced free face to face meetings with clients and its worked a treat! 100% success rate so far and got a couple more meetings booked in too.

I wish I could get more face to face meetings, because my conversion rate from those to bookings is also 100%.

Trouble is, I only get two or three requests for meetings each year, despite plugging them in several places on my website, and also pointing out that there is no charge for them.

:shrug:

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I wish I could get more face to face meetings, because my conversion rate from those to bookings is also 100%.

Trouble is, I only get two or three requests for meetings each year, despite plugging them in several places on my website, and also pointing out that there is no charge for them.

:shrug:

Im right in thinking most people email you Rob? Because it is the same with me. Sometimes I reply and list a few bullet points about our service and the top one is the free face to face meeting at an location suitable to you (the customer). My thinking is that is the one customers can relate to more than PLI, PAT, Rms etc......

Not everyone does but for weddings its very popular wish I had thought of this sooner.

[rob1963]

Im right in thinking most people email you Rob? Because it is the same with me.

They sure do, and it's nice to know there are other people who get mostly emails, because I was beginning to think I was the only one!

I'd say I get at least 200 enquiries each year by email, and probably less than 10 by phone.

:shrug:

[DeckstarDeluxe]

They sure do, and it's nice to know there are other people who get mostly emails, because I was beginning to think I was the only one!

I'd say I get at least 200 enquiries each year by email, and probably less than 10 by phone.

:shrug:

I get the impression quite often than people are almost scared to ring because of their lack of knowledge about mobile discos and the fact they may of heard the bad stories of cowboy djs. My enquries are in fact not via email but its a "booking enqiury form" so I even ask them for the information.

My thinking is the sell has to come over in a nice, polite friendly mannor and the fact you can back it up by meeting them face to face will "put them at ease" shall we say? Thats my thinking behind it.

I have to say my phone call rate is properly only 5% if I take away a few other djs I know. Bearing in mind I dont have a paid listing in yellow pages and my advertising spend is all on googleadwords.

[Spirits High]

the problem is unless i do weddings the money is great. also most people who ring me try to get the disco next to nothing and most of the time if i charge more than 100pounds i dont get the gig :Censored: . i dont know how to stop that.


Cj , we work very similar areas and there is No way i'd go out for £100 :eek:

When people contact you you've got to sell yourself to them. Just because you're younger than the average Dj why should they pay less?



another question. do you knock anything of for mates. (not talking about best mates lol)

because this gig is for a work friend who's seen me DJ.

Let them think you're knocking something off the price. Actually you might not be but offer them something you were going to do anyway. For eexample I've picked up a booking today in Shefield, when they quibled at the price :eek: So I offered them a free site visit before the gig, thing is I was going to do one anyway as I didin't know the venue but they didn't know that. Result....booking confirmed :D


i have rang a couple of other djs to find out for a nornll birthday it between

GBP100-150 the most. and for a wedding its GBP110-180 the most untill you book a hotel with there own DJ and they charge you GBP250 even though the dj get only GBP150 of it.

It comes round to the old addage ...What do you think you're worth?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

They sure do, and it's nice to know there are other people who get mostly emails, because I was beginning to think I was the only one!

I'd say I get at least 200 enquiries each year by email, and probably less than 10 by phone.

:shrug:

So if nearly all your business is done via email, then why would you bother with face to face meetings if what you do is already working?

[rob1963]

So if nearly all your business is done via email, then why would you bother with face to face meetings if what you do is already working?

Because if those 200 enquirers all requested a meeting, I'd end up with 200 bookings, as my meeting to booking conversion rate is 100%.

Therefore, I'd be able to reduce my advertising budget by a good few hundred pounds.

Also, as I've said before, I'd rather meet ALL my clients beforehand anyway, as I find that preferable to walking in on a couple of strangers on the night.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Because if those 200 enquirers all requested a meeting, I'd end up with 200 bookings, as my meeting to booking conversion rate is 100%.

And you are basing that on 3 meetings? :lol:




Also, as I've said before, I'd rather meet ALL my clients beforehand anyway, as I find that preferable to walking in on a couple of strangers on the night.

But you don't, so you spend nearly all of your bookings walking in on strangers. Doesn't really make sense to me.

If you were that worried, surely you'd make a first contact via the phone to get to know them?

[rob1963]

Because if those 200 enquirers all requested a meeting, I'd end up with 200 bookings, as my meeting to booking conversion rate is 100%.


And you are basing that on 3 meetings? :lol:


No, I'm basing that on around 3 meetings a year over the last 5 years.

I'm therefore basing it on 15 meetings...all of which then booked me.


Also, as I've said before, I'd rather meet ALL my clients beforehand anyway, as I find that preferable to walking in on a couple of strangers on the night.


But you don't, so you spend nearly all of your bookings walking in on strangers. Doesn't really make sense to me.

What doesn't make sense? :confused:

I like to give them the choice.

I'm certainly not going to force meetings on them.

I push the meetings (and the fact that they're free) in several places on my website, as well as in my email enquiry template.

Short of forcing meetings on them, I don't see what else I can do...and I certainly don't want to come over as being too pushy.


If you were that worried, surely you'd make a first contact via the phone to get to know them?

I'm not worried at all, I'd just prefer to meet clients before their function.

There is a very simple reason why I don't make first contact via the phone to get to know them.

My website enquiry form asks how they would like to receive their reply. The options are email, telephone & no preference. Virtually everyone puts email, so that's how I get back to them.

If they say telephone or no preference, then obviously I WILL telephone them back, but I think this has only happened once so far.