Here's a good un for you

[Mayhem 1]

Gentlemen:

I have been having an email conversation with a prespective bride for her wedding next year.

Times of 3:30pm - 12midnight = 8.5hours.

Social club ballroom (upstairs)

Morning set up (10:30am)

What kind of quote would you chaps give for that one!!!???

I have quoted what I think is a fair price for this event but she has come back with "Is that the cheapest you can do it for??, we are on a tight budget"

would you stick to your guns on price or lower it to fit in with their budget which incidently is £200.00

I look forward to your input chaps

[DJ James Lake]

I would have quoted at least £600

[Vectis]

£565 for the basic rig no extras.

For the budget I might be able to put in a very small rig (3 or 4 lights), pair of full-range and cover the evening part only 8-midnight.

But I wouldn't fill a Friday or Saturday with it as I will almost definitely cover the same date with a full price gig.

[djdave01]

Given that its next year, 8.5 hours & an early setup meaning a double trip, i'd be looking for £450

[Mayhem 1]

Thanks guys,

I quoted £500.00

Latest mail says " I have had a quote from another disco who will do it for £175.00!!!

Very tempted to say go with it!!!!

She is having a chat with the family!!!

[sted]

£175 wow

i would explain that you get what you pay for etc and give them your qute and say i hop to hear from you soon.

[rob1963]

Thanks guys,

I quoted £500.00

Latest mail says " I have had a quote from another disco who will do it for £175.00!!!

Very tempted to say go with it!!!!

She is having a chat with the family!!!

I think that's a fair price, Mr M.

I'd have probably quoted somewhere between £450 & £550.

[Mayhem 1]

The million dollar question of course is this -

When will brides ever realise that the entertainment will either make or break their very special day!!!

[Spirits High]

Thanks guys,

I quoted £500.00

Latest mail says " I have had a quote from another disco who will do it for £175.00!!!

Very tempted to say go with it!!!!

She is having a chat with the family!!!

I'd be there or there abouts......pay peanuts...well you know the rest ;)



The million dollar question of course is this -

When will brides ever realise that the entertainment will either make or break their very special day!!!

Unfortunately I doubt they ever will :bang:

[sted]

The million dollar question of course is this -

When will brides ever realise that the entertainment will either make or break their very special day!!!

nope as there focus on booking a wedding is looking at budget and cost of each thing!

[Charlie Brown]

....I would have probably quoted near to £3,000.



:sj: :sofa: :taxi:

[Vectis]

To be fair guys there are some folks out there who simply aren't at all passionate about the music, lighting, presentation skills etc. and are simply looking for someone to entertain the kids and the guests with very little input from them. They might well only be there for a small portion of the evening anyway...

Of course as professionals we want everyone to have the best of everything, but some folks just don't care about that. They just see a DJ as a necessary expense and will go with the cheapest quote that delivers what they want.

No point even trying to compete at the "sub-£200-for-10-hours-work" level as if you allow £100 for costs, that's £10 per hour. Are you happy with that? Thought not...

Best just let it go. The date will sell.

[Mayhem 1]

Top notch advice there as ever mate,

I am not really bothered if it comes in or not now!!!

[rob1963]

The million dollar question of course is this -

When will brides ever realise that the entertainment will either make or break their very special day!!!

In many cases...not until it's too late to do anything about it!

:shrug:

[DJ James Lake]

If she is after a cake I can do her a nice 6 pack for a fiver (might have mr kipling written on the presentation box)

[Vectis]

If she is after a cake I can do her a nice 6 pack for a fiver (might have mr kipling written on the presentation box)

I know someone who can do them for £1.50 :o

Except the writing on the box will be in Hebrew and they'll have come from Aldi. Still cakes though ;)

[Mark Wild]

Give her my number I'll hire her some lights for a tenner mate. :)

Good luck to her I say......

[Mayhem 1]

Give her my number I'll hire her some lights for a tenner mate. :)

Good luck to her I say......

Love that mate, nice one!!

[WWDJ]

Give her my number I'll hire her some lights for a tenner mate. :)

Good luck to her I say......

Why didn't you say you were going 'all LED' ? :)

[Paul The Party Dj]

I think your price of £500 was very fair - she should have taken it.

... I've started the next line six times and deleted it - it makes me so angry that people expect a great show for next to nothing. Those are very long performance times and by the time you've added in planning time, traveling time anything less than £499 would be slave labour! Life too short to spend it with idiots - just say NO!

"Have a word with the family" ... I can think of a couple!

I hope you realise I'm going to have to take my medication now - sorry!

[Disco Tech Liverpool]

In Liverpool and around abouts, if you were to quote over £250 for any party you get laughed at. Even the 'top' hotels are only paying around £180 for a disco (regular times). Im amazed (and slightly jealous) at the prices you can get in other parts of the country.

This year I upgraded my small Yellow Pages ad to a colour ad and was first in the directory and I've lost around 90% of the number of enquiries I used to get with the small cheap advert.

Also if you advertise in the local paper and you quote over £150 you really have to sell your disco and even then people don't seem interested.

[DJ James Lake]

I know someone who can do them for £1.50 :o

Except the writing on the box will be in Hebrew and they'll have come from Aldi. Still cakes though ;)

Ahhh. you forgot P&P and import duty though :)

[Vectis]

Ahhh. you forgot P&P and import duty though :)

Shhhhh! Don't tell the taxman! ;)

Ooer... what could I possibly be insinuating? :confused:

[Vectis]

In Liverpool and around abouts, if you were to quote over £250 for any party you get laughed at. Even the 'top' hotels are only paying around £180 for a disco (regular times). Im amazed (and slightly jealous) at the prices you can get in other parts of the country.

This year I upgraded my small Yellow Pages ad to a colour ad and was first in the directory and I've lost around 90% of the number of enquiries I used to get with the small cheap advert.

Also if you advertise in the local paper and you quote over £150 you really have to sell your disco and even then people don't seem interested.

And therein lies the problem... :o

I used to believe your first statement, especially when setting up again from scratch in a new part of the country as I did 3 years ago. Then I joined the forum. I learned things, and I took assurance and built confidence in the things I already did well. Nowadays I very rarely blow an enquiry on price. Maybe 2 or 3 in the whole of last year.

[Disco Tech Liverpool]

Most of my bookings come through a venue that I have, others come from them parties or recommendations. I couldn't live on the bookings I've taken from the YP or paper. What's more is that the hotels etc don't pay well as it's all been screwed over the years. My gear is enough to blow away any local disco's and I would say that I don't think that 90% of disco's around have PLI or PAT or produb either like I do. It's all wrong.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

My gear is enough to blow away any local disco's

:confused:

Sell you, not the gear.

Change you market, travel outside of Liverpool if you can't get what you want.

People pay decent prices for discos everywhere in this country, no exceptions. Find the right market and the money is there.

[Vectis]

Sell you, not the gear.

Change you market, travel outside of Liverpool if you can't get what you want.


:agree: 100%

For nearly 20 of my 25 years in this business I lived in Warrington. I rarely worked in Warrington, and when I did it was areas like Penketh and Stockton Heath, never the "old town".


I just took a look at your website. It's gear gear gear. Our gear is the best etc. etc.

Take a quick look at mine. Sure, gear is featured. There's even the occasional 'geek corner'. But the site is heavily biased towards selling the dream, not the mechanics of how it's delivered.

[Disco Tech Liverpool]

:agree: 100%

I just took a look at your website. It's gear gear gear. Our gear is the best etc. etc.

Maybe, you might be right, will have a look into changing that a bit, people very rarely actually see the website as Im usually booked through a venue I do as the venue like the disco, or through an enquiry at a party I'm doing or repeat bookings. The reason for the poor price range around here though is definately to do with what has gone on over the years, people under cutting to get bookings. Some of the nightclubs in town (obviously the gear is installed) are paying £100 for 6 hours, I woudln't entertain that at all yet there is no end to lad's wanting to do them. Flares only pay £150 for 6 hours. I've done there a couple of times when I've been free and couldn't get nothing, but I wouldn't want to do it for that price and them hours.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

The reason for the poor price range around here though is definately to do with what has gone on over the years, people under cutting to get bookings.

And you don't think that doesn't happen in every town and city?

[Excalibur]

Thanks guys,

I quoted £500.00

Latest mail says " I have had a quote from another disco who will do it for £175.00!!!

Very tempted to say go with it!!!!

She is having a chat with the family!!!

She's taking the mickey. Even I'm charging mote than that for a wedding with extras now. For that lenght of time, I'd be creeping up towards your quote Garry. ;)

[andyw]

[QUOTE=Disco Tech Liverpool;374559]Maybe, you might be right, QUOTE]

no may be, daz is right,
back on topic mr mayhem if you come down to £200 that is less than half your original quote and you will problbly be more upset doing it then if you don't, a good chance to get some repeat bookins but will be the type you don't want, so my advice is unless you need the work desperately then forget it:)
to be honest i can understand someone who wants a cheap sub £200 show but not for those hours

[Mayhem 1]

The waiting is over chaps, she has gone with the cheapie !!

[Excalibur]

The waiting is over chaps, she has gone with the cheapie !!

Much as I'm famed for flying the flag for the "cheap and cheerful" end of the market, in this case I'd forecast tears before bedtime. ;) :(

[simonp]

The waiting is over chaps, she has gone with the cheapie !!
You were right to stick to your guns mate - £200 budget for those timings, not to mention everything else that goes with it - I (like you I dare say) wouldn't have got out of bed, nay wouldn't even have opened my eyes whilst snoring loudly for that sort of price. No doubt she'll get what she's paid for and regret it on the night, and you'll get a decent booking on that date anyway - happy days :D

[Disco Tech Liverpool]

And you don't think that doesn't happen in every town and city?

I know it does, but at the end of the day the market dictates, if you don't fit in with the market around were you are then it's simple, you wont work. Unfortunately we have to fit in and I'd rather do 3 gigs a week than 1. I just with I could get the money you guys do but if I quoted like you guys unfortunately I would be laughed out of the game, sad really but reality.

As for the original subject, she has gone with the cheaper option. I don't think there is one person on here that really wants this lady to have a bad wedding, we all know that cheaper usually is 'not as good', but I bet most of us are hoping it doesn't go great !!! At the end of the day, we will never know so not worth worrying about after she has gone with A.N.Other.

[DJ Jules]

At the end of the day, we will never know so not worth worrying about after she has gone with A.N.Other.

Send in the wedding crashers and get a full report! :D

Julian

[Marc J]

back on topic mr mayhem if you come down to £200 that is less than half your original quote and you will problbly be more upset doing it then if you don't, a good chance to get some repeat bookins but will be the type you don't want, so my advice is unless you need the work desperately then forget it:)

Also, if I got a quote for a disco (or any other service) for £400 and then overnight it was halved to match a competitor's quote I'd tell them where to shove it, as this basically says to me "I was going to rip you off, but now that you're on to me I'll do it for half and I'm still making enough profit at that."

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I'd rather do 3 gigs a week than 1.

I wouldn't.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Work smarter, not harder eh Daz :sofa: :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Work smarter, not harder eh Daz :sofa: :D

Indeed.

[simonp]

I wouldn't.
Neither would I

[andyw]

I know it does, but at the end of the day the market dictates, if you don't fit in with the market around were you are then it's simple, you wont work. Unfortunately we have to fit in and I'd rather do 3 gigs a week than 1. I just with I could get the money you guys do but if I quoted like you guys unfortunately I would be laughed out of the game, sad really but reality.

Other.

it's all about where you see yourself and how you sell your service if you look at yourself as another mobile disco then that is how other people will see you, i understand what you are saying but to get the bigger paid gigs you have to do more than just wish for them, you say you would rather do 3 gigs a week than 1, so what if someone offered you 3 gigs every week at £150 and someone else offered you 1gig a week at £500 which would you take. i am in the lower bracket but i sometimes for a dj for someone in the top bracket and he goes out more often then we do. to get in that bracket it is a lot more than having good equipment and knowing about music, you have to put a lot of effort into the service you provide, and target the people who will pay those prices ,you also need to know how to sell yourself and service and make them believe you can deliver what you say, and you must also be willing to travel because you won't get a big booking on your doorstep every week.
sorry mr mayhem gone slightly off topic, i am glad you didnt lower your price to get it because you deserve better

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I use to live near liverpool and still have family there.

Market yourself correctly and you'll no have issue with breaking the £500 barrier.

Firstly you got to think to yourself your worth that price before you go quoting for it.

If you think about it most customers wouldnt notice the difference betweeen a set of mystics and a set of efx 5000 or a set of cdj's or a numark cdn 22. Its the emails and/or phone call that most customers will base their ideas about if your the right person for the function.

[Paul The Party Dj]

It's worth remembering that this was a long-long gig, with an early set up (and who likes to leave their gear unattended in an unknown venue), plus it was upstairs!
This wasn't an easy in, four hours, easy out - £250 / £300 wedding gig.
There is no way on earth this was a gig worth doing a deal on.
You're well out of it matey.