Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Page 5 of 7 FirstFirst ... 34567 LastLast
Results 41 to 50 of 64

Thread: Warning! Price thread alert.

  1. #41
    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Worcestershire
    Age
    38
    Posts
    1,964

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Centre Stage Discos View Post
    Client/elle = customers. Same difference to me. If you are referring to the type of people I am targeting then there is no target. It's 'The public'! if you are able to choose your customers because you have so much work that you can afford to turn it down just because you don't like a certain branch of society then you are very lucky.

    The more I look through the posts on this forum, the more I find contradictions to everything I've learnt over the years. The latest one was the light show being of secondary importance. As I see it it's of equal importance to everything else in a show. DJ presentation, the sound, my attire, I could go on, (A good sound would be my own personal 'essential'.) but my own experience has shown that a good light show has often been one the main requirements for any kind of booking. "Do you have a good light show?" Yes, and I couldn't go on the road without a substantial light show. Define 'substantial'. OK, better than 'just enough, 'impressive'. A kind of wow factor but not to detract from the main event - the wedding itself, etc. No disco is more important than the people at the event.

    If I could have a £fiver for the number of people who have given advice over the years never to turn down work... Yes, there are some branches of this industry I wouldn't be so keen to take on anymore, children's parties for instance, but I've done scores over the years and without a problem. No, I wouldn't do them. I'm too old and less tolerant of the little ... darlings.

    You have to take the rough with the smooth. I'm not about to turn down work just because it's for Joe Bloggs off a council estate. I've done them all. Plush weddings in stately homes right down to an eight year old's birthday party in a brothel. (I kid you not!) I've been extremely lucky to have provided services for more areas in society that I would have ever dared to dream.

    I could even generalise here, but this is based on my own experience, but I've always found that the poorer in society have always been the best payers. "Let's have a whip round for the DJ!" Those lavish weddings and functions in people's homes with acres of gardens, you know the kind, you set up your gear after a half mile trek across beautifully landscaped gardens to the huge marquee just next to the pool and the tennis courts, and I've usually never even met the organisers because their personal wedding planners or the butler have been given the job of organising the entertainment.

    Sorry, but 'everybody' is/are my potential clients and I'm not about to try and guess or to judge anybody based on their income bracket, social or any other status.

    Back on-topic. Getting the price right is surely the thing to do here. How do you know to know what to charge? A bit of research is needed. There should be enough data out there to know what a sensible price is. I don't think it takes a genius to know that most people are a little short after the last year's problems. Money is going to be a little tighter. If I have to reduce my prices due to necessity then so be it, but it is not my intention to lower any prices right now.
    I think there is a misunderstanding to the benefits of targeting your services to a certain clientele. It has nothing to do with any judgement of status, nor is it because we're batting away so much work. In fact, zeroing in on your target client over a catch-all approach is what brings in the most work (a singular nail will penetrate more than a bed of nails, if you will). Whether it's stately homes, or the local golf club, once you really work out the client you want to attract, it becomes a lot easier and more efficient to market towards them.

    Let's take a Wayne vs. Benny.

    Wayne and I have a lot of similarities in our approach to what we do. Despite that, I bet you our target clients are not even remotely similar, except in one way - those we cater to book us because we cater specifically to that audience. I dare say that there are some outliers among our clients, but if you stood all of my past clients in a line, despite those outliers, you would spot a consistency very quickly. £50 says the exact same would happen if we did the same for Wayne's clients. I would actually go as far to say that were we to do the same for you, there would be a consistency in there somewhere.

    If the catch-all approach works for you and you're happy with it, then that's great and in no way am I going to try and convince you otherwise. The only thing I can contribute is my anecdotal experience, and I can say categorically that understanding who I am and who my clients are has improved my business exponentially. Despite the pandemic, I have implemented my planned price increase (albeit 12 months later than originally planned) and based on the number on enquiries I am still converting, I honestly do not see any reason why anyone should consider dropping their prices.
    Last edited by Benny Smyth; 12-06-2021 at 12:19 PM.

  2. #42
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    East Yorkshire
    Age
    68
    Posts
    26,833

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Centre Stage Discos View Post
    The more I look through the posts on this forum, the more I find contradictions to everything I've learnt over the years. The latest one was the light show being of secondary importance.
    Welcome to The Road To Damascus. I've done gigs with one unit, and thought how good it looked. ( Mind you, it was the one that masquerades as a lighthouse, the Thomann Powerbar). As Wayne says, Two scanners/barrels, and two washes is very common. And more than adequate for many functions.

    And in the interests of balance, I've also loaded up an overhead with nearly everything I had. Rare occasions nowadays.

    Quote Originally Posted by Centre Stage Discos View Post
    I could even generalise here, but this is based on my own experience, but I've always found that the poorer in society have always been the best payers. "Let's have a whip round for the DJ!" Those lavish weddings and functions in people's homes with acres of gardens, you know the kind, you set up your gear after a half mile trek across beautifully landscaped gardens to the huge marquee just next to the pool and the tennis courts, and I've usually never even met the organisers because their personal wedding planners or the butler have been given the job of organising the entertainment.

    Sorry, but 'everybody' is/are my potential clients and I'm not about to try and guess or to judge anybody based on their income bracket, social or any other status.
    I have had similar experiences, but must add I've been treated well or badly by all social standings. The nicest talk a host ever gave acts was working with a Caribbean Steel Band, from an island near Leeds. He came up to us all and said: " Now I know you're all working here, but you're also guests. You want a drink, you get a drink. You want food, you get food. " Simples.

    Quote Originally Posted by Centre Stage Discos View Post
    I don't think it takes a genius to know that most people are a little short after the last year's problems. Money is going to be a little tighter. If I have to reduce my prices due to necessity then so be it, but it is not my intention to lower any prices right now.
    Now I must disagree here. Some folk have been saving money hand over fist currently, no fuel costs, no sandwiches/coffee at the office, and similar. No foreign holidays, and other expenses, so some folk definitely have wonga to spare. Granted, Sid will be snapping at our heels, for the ten hour back garden parties for fifty quid, and he can have them. Only problem is convincing clients he's not the best idea for their daughter's weddding.


    This will be a learning curve for you here, but it will undoubtedly be worth it. Hang in there.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  3. #43

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Bristol
    Age
    45
    Posts
    3,487

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Centre Stage Discos View Post
    Back on-topic. Getting the price right is surely the thing to do here. How do you know to know what to charge? A bit of research is needed. There should be enough data out there to know what a sensible price is. I don't think it takes a genius to know that most people are a little short after the last year's problems. Money is going to be a little tighter. If I have to reduce my prices due to necessity then so be it, but it is not my intention to lower any prices right now.
    Identify your target market and find a niche that works for you and you can forget about sensible prices and what your competition is doing and pretty much name your fee.

    Money is tighter at the bottom of the market right now, the pandemic has increased financial disparity. The poor got poorer and the middle class and rich got richer.

    If your ideal customer is sat at the bottom end of the market, you'll be taking a price cut, if you're targeting middle or high earners, you're in a position to maintain or increase your fees. This is why targeting and customer profiling is so important.
    http://www.bristoldiscohire.co.uk - Quality Disco and Equipment hire for Bristol & Bath
    Weddings, Birthday Parties, Kids Parties, School Disco's and more
    https://julianburr.co.uk - Wedding, Family, Portrait and Product Photography

  4. #44
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    East Yorkshire
    Age
    68
    Posts
    26,833

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Jules View Post
    Identify your target market and find a niche that works for you and you can forget about sensible prices and what your competition is doing and pretty much name your fee.

    Money is tighter at the bottom of the market right now, the pandemic has increased financial disparity. The poor got poorer and the middle class and rich got richer.

    If your ideal customer is sat at the bottom end of the market, you'll be taking a price cut, if you're targeting middle or high earners, you're in a position to maintain or increase your fees. This is why targeting and customer profiling is so important.
    Give that man any prize from the top shelf.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  5. #45
    Imagine's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Ely, Cambridgeshire
    Age
    53
    Posts
    2,450

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Excalibur View Post
    Give that man any prize from the top shelf.
    Julian said in a nutshell what Benny and me were trying to say.

    Trust me John, when I came back into the wonderful world of being a mobile DJ back in 2012 (is it really that long ago?), I didn't get the target market thing. I certainly didn't get the less is more attitude having previously been a DJ with an absolutely MAHUSIVE light show. Wedding Togs don't LIKE big light shows, and they're more important than us! (because their images last long after the evening party)

    I originally started back in 1987 (when my Retro Show was fashionable!), and took a hiatus from 1995 to 2012 to raise my kids and do a "proper" job. In 2012 I was where you are now....and it was one hell of a shock to the system in the way things had changed.

    I followed several industry "gurus" and paid a lot of money for their advice (some good, some not so good). With the industry marketing gurus you tend to take what's needed from their advice and build on it. This thread is public so I won't name and shame any of those people here!

    I have nothing against ANY type of client (believe me, I've done them all including travellers). If they can afford my price, I'll be there. BUT, I don't negotiate, I don't discount....my price is my price and it works because what I offer is worth it. It's also what I need to bring in to make a profit and live...simple as!

    My PREFERRED customer though is as mentioned earlier in the thread. 99% of the time we "hit it off", make lifelong friends and have a damned good party because we're so similar. I've actually had a massive input into many of those weddings due to my experience, and my fee reflects that!

    THOSE parties these days are the ones to live for and the client will ALWAYS recommend you to their friends.

    My bread and butter is weddings...it's how I make my living, pay my mortgage and afford holidays. Jim will say the same as me as well (and he's a LOT more expensive than me for doing essentially the same job!).

    Brides and grooms/grooms and grooms/brides and brides really don't want to see every single fixture ever made at their wedding these days. The presentation of the rig is important, but the number of lights really doesn't impress them nowadays I'm afraid . Add to that, they want the lighting "tamed" by DMX to create different atmospheres (i.e. romantic first dance, club type last dance)

    And it's not just about the evening party either! I do a LOT of ALL DAY weddings where I'm there early doors to provide the music and mic's for the ceremony, the background for the wedding breakfast (and trust me....Sweet Caroline is a belter randomly played during the afternoon in the right place and Oh! the games!!!!), and only THEN the evening party.

    The "industry" and customer expectations have changed a LOT over recent years. There IS a market for the "turn up and press play" DJ, but you'll be competing with £60 Sid in that market sadly.

    The big money is in being able to host a wedding as a master of ceremonies and still pull off the evening party using a lightweight and understated rig. It's an 18 hour day, but for £1k plus...it's worth it to realise that less is more!

    Hope that makes some sort of sense - I've done another very long and hot shift tonight and am running on fumes but thought I needed to add my experience and knowledge of how things work now

    I'm not a snob, I don't reject certain customer demographics...it's just that not EVERY customer is MY customer!

  6. #46
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    East Yorkshire
    Age
    68
    Posts
    26,833

    Default

    My Fenland Friend is pretty much right in what he says. Many of the most successful people don't even have " rig pics " on their site. They're selling themselves, and clients trust that they will have the skill to use whatever suits their event best.

    The days of measuring the quality of a Roadshow* by the acre have gone, especially since Dicky went off to foreign climes.

    * For our younger readers, a Disco was what we all had. The big boys had a Roadshow, fifty feet of light screens, enough colourspots to make Greta Thunberg cry, strobes and maybe even Go-Go dancers!

    Times have changed. In many ways, it's progress. In others, well the jury's out on that.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  7. #47
    Jim - Scotland's Party DJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Glasgow
    Posts
    1,563

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post

    My bread and butter is weddings...it's how I make my living, pay my mortgage and afford holidays. Jim will say the same as me as well (and he's a LOT more expensive than me for doing essentially the same job!).

    Brides and grooms/grooms and grooms/brides and brides really don't want to see every single fixture ever made at their wedding these days. The presentation of the rig is important, but the number of lights really doesn't impress them nowadays I'm afraid . Add to that, they want the lighting "tamed" by DMX to create different atmospheres (i.e. romantic first dance, club type last dance)

    And it's not just about the evening party either! I do a LOT of ALL DAY weddings where I'm there early doors to provide the music and mic's for the ceremony, the background for the wedding breakfast (and trust me....Sweet Caroline is a belter randomly played during the afternoon in the right place and Oh! the games!!!!), and only THEN the evening party.

    The "industry" and customer expectations have changed a LOT over recent years. There IS a market for the "turn up and press play" DJ, but you'll be competing with £60 Sid in that market sadly.

    The big money is in being able to host a wedding as a master of ceremonies and still pull off the evening party using a lightweight and understated rig. It's an 18 hour day, but for £1k plus...it's worth it to realise that less is more!
    I can't remember disclosing my fees publicly on here but by the by I start at £795 for evening only weddings or £895 if you want moodlights.

    I don't really like doing all dayers tbf but you're getting well into 4 figures for that malarkey and you know what, people are still booking.

    I've taken 4 this week. Yesterday I sent a quote around 3 and the contract and booking fee was back to me by 5.

    It's nothing to do with the lights - 2 0.5m hex bars and 2 mini dekkers as it happens at my end. It's about doing lots of little things really well and ultimately making the bride and groom 150% secure that you're great at your job and will take care of the things they won't even realise need to be worried about. Any dafty can play some music but being professional and making things run like clockwork is what people really value. There's diminishing returns with birtgdays etc... but the right client will still value it. Those who don't, I'm way past worrying about them.

    My big big boss at my kiddy on job has encouraged me to apply for a promotion that's well beyond my experience and pay grade (I'm well paid as is and we're talking another £20k on top) I doubt I'll get it but I've applied anyway and when I told her it was a massive step up and she must know better people for it her response was something like: "it's not really though, you do your job really well and when I need something done by you, I know it's going to get done on time and well, I don't need to worry about it" same principle, that 20k is worth her knowing stuff is getting done properly.

  8. #48

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Chester-le-Street
    Posts
    4,292

    Default

    The BIG thing to consider whenever looking at pricing, target market etc is what YOU are hoping to gain.

    If you are only looking for a few a year to top up your existing income then yeah, you can probably aim higher than if it is your full time job and you run a full time business. If you are full time you need to look at overall turnover and profit.

    Don't be sucked in with the high flyers who are full time - it is amazing how many were first in the queue for jobs at Amazon and DPD when all this kicked off. Whereas others who actually ran a business rather than do as little work as possible, were able to ride things out, for a few months anyway.

    Look at what you want out of it, then you can choose where to aim for.
    Semi-Retired Multi Award Winning DJ

    www.ultimateweddingdj.co.uk

  9. #49

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Reading, Berkshire
    Age
    40
    Posts
    1,439

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Centre Stage Discos View Post
    The more I look through the posts on this forum, the more I find contradictions to everything I've learnt over the years. The latest one was the light show being of secondary importance. As I see it it's of equal importance to everything else in a show. DJ presentation, the sound, my attire, I could go on, (A good sound would be my own personal 'essential'.) but my own experience has shown that a good light show has often been one the main requirements for any kind of booking.
    One thing I must highlight is that there isn't "one" way to do things. But there are proven methods to attract customers - and many of these methods are tried and tested across a variety of industries, and aren't unique to the DJ industry. Hence why you may see some common theories being presented in the thread (all of which are proven to work). Equally, you'll hear of others who have other methods, that also work.

    The reason people mention "who is your ideal customer" is based around how many people search for a DJ.

    Let's say I am a couple, in the mid 30s, getting married in a marquee in a field and want a relaxed day, who would they pick:

    1: A generic DJ who performs at all types of functions playing all types of music
    2: A DJ who presents themselves as a specialist marquee wedding DJ, aiming to create a fun but relaxed environment

    And that's the point - many "generic" DJs can miss out on work because there's another DJ who is more 'targeted' at the customers. And often, when a customer is more concerned about getting the "right" DJ, they are less price sensitive.

    Once you're in the realm of "generic DJ", often, the client can be more price sensitive (the theory behind this is often there's little to differentiate you against other "generic DJs" other than the price. At which point, why not just pay for the cheapest one, seeing as they all look the same...

    As for the lights - sure - there might be a nice of clients who are particular about the lights. Or if could be that you're targeting events of 250+ people, of which many DJs don't have the right equipment to cater for.

    But for typical events, I previously had an incredible light show based on just 2 x Chauvet Intimidator Barrel 305s and 2 x Chauvet Intimidator Trio moving heads.

    4 lights in total, but very powerful and versatile lights, and controlled by DMX they looked amazing.

    A couple of years ago I actually downsized the lights to similar, but smaller lights to make load in/load out easier. I still charge the same, and no-one ever mentioned anything about either light show. They both provide perfectly good 'disco lighting'. So maybe the first setup was more for me than the client? If anything, in my view, it's the DMX control that makes the lights look great.

    Anyway, back to the topic of pricing, and this bit is important:

    Quote Originally Posted by ppentertainments View Post
    Don't be sucked in with the high flyers who are full time - it is amazing how many were first in the queue for jobs at Amazon and DPD when all this kicked off. Whereas others who actually ran a business rather than do as little work as possible, were able to ride things out, for a few months anyway.
    There's a saying that "turnover is vanity, profit is sanity".

    What that means in a practical sense, is don't worry too much about your 'price', but do worry about your profit you make from the gig.

    As suggested above, there were many DJs who it appears weren't making as much profit per gig as the headline price might suggest. Yes, their fee might be impressive, but when you look at the costs involved for many of them, their profit over the year was often less than someone charging less per gig.

    That's not to try and justify low pricing, but more to warn that if you feel you can only increase your prices through extra expense, watch out to ensure the profit increases to justify that expense.

  10. #50
    Imagine's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Ely, Cambridgeshire
    Age
    53
    Posts
    2,450

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    As suggested above, there were many DJs who it appears weren't making as much profit per gig as the headline price might suggest. Yes, their fee might be impressive, but when you look at the costs involved for many of them, their profit over the year was often less than someone charging less per gig
    I know a lot of those.

    Sadly some of us were making a healthy profit as part timers though, but only made the decision to go full time less than a year before everything kicked off

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •