Filed Under: Not Booked...

... and now they are interested.

I just got an email from a potential that back in Jan. told me
Thank you,
I am not willing to pay this much for DJ service
April

The original quote was for 6 hours all inclusive of DJ, Lighting and Karaoke. I had sent her a message because her quote had selected not only that but also Lighting and Karaoke as add-ons which had thrown her quote through the roof to begin with so I'm sure she had suffered from sticker shock.... so she originally got a quote for about $1200.00 but because I knew that was way off base I adjusted it to $799.00 which was what it truely should have been.

Still I got the above quoted email... I quickly turned around and knee jerk quoted $499.00 for the 5 hours she was originally looking for.... and got silence until today.... and now I have a phone number too.... I didn't have that before nor had she offered it to me to contact her, so I'd say that's a good sign.

Now it seems she is interested again. :sqbiggrin: She wants me to call her after 5pm and you bet your bippy I'll call.

Hey, Congrats,Rob! I think.... I know you've been hurtin' for gigs. Somethin's better than nothin' at least at times. Kick buttocks, my friend, and get some good referrals!

--Will

She just emailed me again and because I told her I work for a hotel it turns out she also works for a hotel.... hmmmm common ground me thinks....:sqbiggrin:

On the upshot she's not my only potential I do have a meeting scheduled for Saturday with another and do have one other gig already booked and paid for in full.... so maybe my new price structure is helping...

I just find this particular one interesting because of the amount of time that has passed since my last emailed offer and todays re-newed contact.

She just emailed me again and because I told her I work for a hotel it turns out she also works for a hotel.... hmmmm common ground me thinks....:sqbiggrin:

Damn Rob, you two should get a room... :sqlaugh:


Book her Danno ;)

I am a little confused. You started with $1200 with lighting and Karaoke. You dropped the lighting and Karaoke and went down to $799.

What did you take off to drop the price another $300 to get to the $499?

I want the work but to go down $700 just to get a gig just doesn't make sense to me.

Unless I am misunderstanding something.

Rob does she work at a hotel that can host Weddings and such? If so maybe work on the help me and I'll help you angle.

I am a little confused. You started with $1200 with lighting and Karaoke. You dropped the lighting and Karaoke and went down to $799.

What did you take off to drop the price another $300 to get to the $499?

I want the work but to go down $700 just to get a gig just doesn't make sense to me.

Unless I am misunderstanding something.

It wasn't that I went from 1200 directly to 700 on a whim... she had gotten a quote as I said for an all inclusive package that included every add-on I have for 900.00 then proceeded to add on karaoke, lighting, full and part emcee duties... options that were already included which raised the quote to 1200.00.... so I had adjusted the quote and removed all the extras that were already included and gave an early bird discount to encourage booking.... that was a strategy at the time to make packageing more attractive without lowering rates so-to-speak.

I had re-thought my priceing and had lowered every package price I had... because the "you're too much" was coming up too many times as a reason not to book.... so my price took the hit all the way around....

It seems in my area that price is very important and while I can find DJs in my area that are quoteing 700-1200 for services I just don't seem to be able to get beyond an initial quote of that... people get the quote and seem to run away... never to be heard from again...

No, it has nothing to do with salesmanship as in most cases I never even get to talk to some clients before they run away shouting I'm too much... hence the really low prices.... I want to work and if I'm not booking at the rates I want guess what, my gear collects dust while someone else is working...

I'm all for getting upper priceing and what I'm worth is a far cry more than what I'm currently running prices at... but what can I do... if they don't even respond to emails and vm.... what else could it be but price?

Rob,

I understand completely. Like I said, I was just confused. I went through sort of the same thing. I raised my rates $100 for 2009, not as much as you were charging, and my bookings just stopped. Even my bookings for 2008 slowed way down to a crawl. So I went back to my site and dropped the 2009 pricing back to my 2008 prices and booked a show like 3 days later. Then I started booking 2008 shows again.

I am not a worthier DJ. I just did not understand the dropping of your price by "That much" Now I do.

Just be careful with this Bride. She now knows you will drop your prices and she may still try to get you lower.

Thanks for explaining.

No, it has nothing to do with salesmanship as in most cases I never even get to talk to some clients before they run away shouting I'm too much... hence the really low prices.... I want to work and if I'm not booking at the rates I want guess what, my gear collects dust while someone else is working...

Have you tried working on an angle to secure interviews? My approach is to secure the interview by telling them that I will be able to get more information from them in a relaxed environment, tell them more about us, show them some video clips of our work, and show them how much time we put into their event. At the interview I show them a breakdown of what we do and how much time is spent on it. Generally, this alone seals the deal. Securing the interview puts you in front of them.

An approach you could use in addition to the above is a discount. I am running a 25% discount if they book before the end of March.

Now, you will get the ones that will want an e-mail quote. For them I include all of the materials they would get at the interview with the quote at the very end. It is not in the body of the e-mail and I tell them that it is in one of the attachmnets but not which one; this makes them read the materials.

Lastly you'll get the ones that insist on a price on the phone. To them I tell them that I can give them a price but must first tell them what they get for the price.

One lady told me to just get to the bottom line and I did. She told me that it was just too much for four hours and I told her our job actually entails much more than the four hours she and her guests see us and didn't she want to get paid for all the time she put in at her job. This intrigued her and opened the door for me. I got the interview and the event.

Rob, automated quote systems are okay but I'd scrap it and just try to get the interview. When I had the automated quote system I was not getting some business that I now get.

Karl:

I'd recommend the same for you. Don't post your prices, get the interview and then tell them your prices.

Karl's right. Don't let her run your business for you. You've already made a sweet offer and I wish you luck in booking this one. :)

A bit off topic but it may apply to this scenario. The economy is in the dumps and ordinary people don't have much spending power anymore. Things haven't been this bad since 1981. By that, I mean the ratio of discretionary income versus the cost of necessities. People aren't buying things. It's all going to necessities.

It's a buyer's market if one has the money to buy. But the banks ain't lending and a lot of people are losing their homes. Stuck with a glut of unsold houses, contractors are sweetening the pot with free extras and generally slashing the price of new houses. The more a house costs, the harder it is to get financing for it.

If we have to to wheel and deal to get through this crisis, that's what we've got to do. Remember, many people make their living from this business. Ya can't tell everyone no and still put beans on the table. :)

I have to totally agree with Fred, the economy is in the dumps at the moment (just don't listen to Dubya though, he'll tell you everything is rosey, as long as yer in the oil business).


I talk with lots of DJs every day, and while some markets are still going strong (the higher end), the average DJ is fighting to stay alive right now :sqerr:

Just in the last 2-3 months, I've talked with lots of folks, who are having a hard time booking at last years rates, let alone trying to get a raise this year.


I look at it this way -- if you have to eat and pay bills, you have to adjust to the market conditions at hand. I don't care how much we think we are worth, if people can't afford us at those rates, we have to adjust for the time being.


I really wanted to raise the price of my software a bit more with the new release, but I saw it wasn't going to fly, as the foreclosures and credit stuff picked up, so I held back to a reasonable level.


My advice (for what that's worth): Have a bit of patience and keep yer rates competitive, as the economy usually rebounds when we get a new prez in (probably for sure this time, no matter who gets in)... :)

Gotta think positive.

I just finished talking with her over the phone I don't think she's that type of bride... She works as the Sales manager of another hotel property in my area actually just around the corner from my hotel.

She seemed very interested in what we have to offer her... and will be calling me back to set up a time to meet as soon as she talks with her fiance' this evening....

We had a long and very good conversation about hotels and business in general and I believe we are on the same page.


The reason I have a quote page is because it usually gives me enough information to go on when I either email or call a potential client plus they know right away what my priceing is like...

In my emails or phone calls I try to keep the information limited to encourage a face to face meeting.... and I do this mostly because I don't want to put them into information overload... brides already have enough to contend with without having to digest a sales pitch over the phone or via email... now that's not to say I don't answer questions via phone or email, I certainly do that. I just limit the verbiage to the basic bottom line without all the BS.

Truely I think since my rate reduction I've been getting a little more positive reaction... go figure:sqrolleyes:

But, what this means really is my market does not bear what I thought I could charge despite other companies out there that are quoteing higher prices... I checked on all the main players (meaning the ones I could find in the phone book or online) most were in a range of about 350-1200 depending on packages offered....

Since I'm in the entry stage of things I tried to re-structure my rates based partly on my competitors and their offerings and what I offer...

So, here's my structure:

Basic Wedding Package: Up to 4 hours of DJ service, emcee, online planning tools, guest request system, and one-on-one consultations... $299.00

Basic Extended Wedding Package: Up to 6 hours of DJ service, emcee, online planning tools, guest request system, and one-on-one consultations... $399.00

Bronze Package: Up to 4 hours of DJ service, emcee, online planning tools, guest request system, one-on-one consultations and lighting... $399.00

Gold Package: Up to 6 hours of DJ Service, emcee, online planning tools, guest request system, one-on-one consultations and lighting... $499.00

Platinum Package: Up to 6 hours of DJ Service, emcee, online planning tools, guest request system, one-on-one consultations, lighting and karaoke... $599.00

Add-ons:
Lighting: $125.00
Karaoke: $199.00
By the Hour: $200.00 (2 Hour Min.)

I realize that at these prices I would have to work almost every weekend in order to make a decent profit.... but, not working at all wasn't getting me there either... so I am ok with that.

As the season goes on I may have to revisit my price structure and make adjustments to it.... in the upward fashion that is...

I had re-thought my priceing and had lowered every package price I had... because the "you're too much" was coming up too many times as a reason not to book.... so my price took the hit all the way around....

I feel ya, Rob (well, not physically:sqerr:). This is only my 2nd year in the biz and I am still working on getting experience, especially in doing weddings. I had a set price but only nibbles. Of late, I dropped my price $150 and have been landing some weddings of late.

But I had gotten a lot of people asking how much experience I have, and when I told them the truth (b/c I won't lie to them) they turned tail. So I figured my first step has to be to get some references, even if it means I need to drop my price. Now I am booked half-way to my goal for this year in only 2 months. I'm happy. I'm going to get to where I'm going eventually, but the first step is to get those referals from happy brides.

So you do what you have to. I agree w/ Rick & Fred.

--Will

I guess I like to do things a little differently, I know they usually call asking for the price. But I will avoid it for at least 5 minutes or more to ask them question about what they are looking for and what they expect and then try to let them know what I provide. And how I feel that I could do an excellent job for them.

If I'm able to get a conversation going and get them laughing a little bit and relax them. Then I will tell them my price. I have found for ME This works very well. I'm all about the soft sell. I find that if they seem like they are just looking around I will tell them to go to my site and get info on what to look for and questions to ask DJ's.

I have been finding many of these people just need help and don't know where to go because everyone that has the ability to help them (US/DJ's in general).
Are busy trying to sell them. For me if they know my price and want to meet me then that is half the sale right there.

I find I sell better in person than on the phone. So now its up to me not to make the sale but keep the sale. I strive very hard to build there trust. I want them to understand that (I'am trust worthy). God has blessed me with somewhat of a pleasing personality and for that I thank Him. :sqbiggrin: And rasky I have had a few asking my years of experience also (3 years) I will not lie either. But most of them don't ask or seem to care. If I gain there trust and they feel I know my stuff then there confidence is there. Maybe they just think since I'm a FOG that I must have been around awhile. )

Truely I think since my rate reduction I've been getting a little more positive reaction... go figure:sqrolleyes:


But, what this means really is my market does not bear what I thought I could charge despite other companies out there that are quoteing higher prices... I checked on all the main players (meaning the ones I could find in the phone book or online) most were in a range of about 350-1200 depending on packages offered....

Since I'm in the entry stage of things I tried to re-structure my rates based partly on my competitors and their offerings and what I offer...


I realize that at these prices I would have to work almost every weekend in order to make a decent profit.... but, not working at all wasn't getting me there either... so I am ok with that.

As the season goes on I may have to revisit my price structure and make adjustments to it.... in the upward fashion that is...

Rob: I had to highlight your statement "Since I'm in the entry stage of things" and single that out for a bit of elaboration.

If your competitors are charging X amount of dollars and they've been in business locally longer than you, it stands to reason that they will command a higher price due to the fact that they have built their business over a period of time.

When we re-entered the business a few years ago, we knew we would have to work a bit cheaper than the established businesses around here. We have progressively bumped our prices up and are now on par with the majority of the local competition, price wise. Service wise we are light years ahead of them...:sqwink:

Did we make a profit the first year? NO. How about the second year? A bit...and we've seen an increase in profits in a steady movement upwards every year.

We had to establish ourselves, get those referrals though before we could consider ourselves ready to go head to head with our local market, price-wise.

Just some things to think about.

Good Luck.

Kirby: I think you hit it on the perverbial head....

See, economy aside... 1st year out I started charging what I thought was a fair price (basically what I'm back down to now) and I got a few bookings but then I started down that worth path... reading all these topics about get your worth, charge this and not this, money, money, money..... blah, blah, blah...

My wife made a very good point the other day... "if they aren't booking why not lower your rates maybe you are too high..." point taken.

Here's the funny thing I've been noticeing... even though I have a nice Contact Us page with an easy to fill out form... it is very rarely used... I have only had one person use it and it was for spaming purposes... meaning they filled it in with junk information.

I can tell when some one checks a date, what date, and from what IP... each and everytime... and most of my inquiries for service come from online sources... I've only had my phone ring a few times from someone looking for services...

I don't think taking my price quote system down is the answer in fact it brings me more leads then without. I know because I've run my site without it and since I got it my inquiries have doubled... it's getting them to respond beyond that initial contact that is not happening most of the time...

I think part of the problem might be confusion with the quote system... as noted above I have 5 packages and 2 addons....

I use DJI currently and really wonder if Gigbuilder would simplify this for my clients... the thing is I like the fact that with DJI you can use their default music DB for song searches vs. what you actually have... Gigbuilder doesn't seem to have that.

Anyway I'm rambling now... sorry.

Maybe simplify your packages? Just a thought...

Whatever you decide to do, just be patient. :)

Maybe simplify your packages? Just a thought...

Whatever you decide to do, just be patient. :)

What I meant was that I've noticed sites where they may only show one package but based on questions in the quote page it determines price... one site for example is Chris Hollowells (sp?) he posts here.... I checked out his site and I believe he may be using Gigbuilder... altho it seems to have the same feel and look of DJI, when you select a package from his site it seemed to me to be easier and more intuitive...

He had 4 choices from catagories like: Weddings and Corporate instead of breaking down into packages it was a simple description of a basic package... then he had his addons such a lighting... etc.

That's what I mean by simplifing... the packages are still there it's just that they are calculated in the background instead of being presented individually ... in otherwords I think I have too much on the menu.

Karl:

I'd recommend the same for you. Don't post your prices, get the interview and then tell them your prices.

Thanks for the advise but I will always post my prices. That is just my way. I do not like going to sites that don't have prices. I just go to the next one.

And I offer every person who contacts me a face to face. I bet maybe 20% want it. Maybe 20% of my bookings are from couples I meet with. That leaves 80% of my bookings come from never meeting the couples. That may be because 40% or so of my bookings are from referrals.

I get told by many that my site sells my services very well. I met with 2 couples the last few months that said they had no questions and my site was what sold them on my services. They just wanted to meet before booking. The meetings were maybe 20 minutes of just chatting. Booked both of them.

Around here, it is normally: First contact, phone or e-mail, send info pack, 2nd contact either book or not book. Every so often a meeting and I book probably 75% after I meet. But again I don't meet too many.

To summarize: Contact, offer meeting, info pack, either they contact 2nd time or I do if they don't after so long, book or don't book.

See, economy aside... 1st year out I started charging what I thought was a fair price (basically what I'm back down to now) and I got a few bookings but then I started down that worth path... reading all these topics about get your worth, charge this and not this, money, money, money..... blah, blah, blah...

You are not alone Rob many a good business has been put in the ****ter due to the GWYW folks

For those of us that run this like a business we understand that this business dosen't defy economic or market conditions. I am all for getting more for what I do but there is a cost to getting more. You have to figure out how much you want to work and how much you want to make and then look for the best route to get there

With lower rates you really have to focus on costs. The way I do it is I justify everything I spend on the business. I work on the simple rule that if it dosen't make me money I can't buy it. I allow myself a "toy" budget every year and once that is gone it's gone.. Remember a good accountant will more than pay for himself

Best of luck

Well we will see what happens I'm trying to set a time to meet her on Saturday but here first suggested time confilicts with another client meeting I have scheduled already...

I gave her two alternate times... one earlier and one later...

I'm not going to re-schedule an already scheduled client.. I think that would just look bad.

On another related topic:

I just saved a bunch of money by switching my auto insurance to Geico..... nah just kidding...:sqlaugh:

Seriously I did switch from DJI to Gigbuilder and also reduced my packages to 3 plus only 2 add-ons for weddings.... later I'll do the same for Private and Corporate Parties.

Well I now have two client meetings for Saturday one a 11am and one at 1pm... the later one is with this bride...

Wish me luck hope I get both.:sqbiggrin:

Now THAT'S a way to spend a Saturday! Knock 'em both outta the park!

Good luck man! Looking forward to good news.

Best wishes for the consults, Rob. Hey! This post has been very instructive to me. Thanks for sharing.

--Will

You are not alone Rob many a good business has been put in the ****ter due to the GWYW folks

For those of us that run this like a business we understand that this business dosen't defy economic or market conditions. I am all for getting more for what I do but there is a cost to getting more. You have to figure out how much you want to work and how much you want to make and then look for the best route to get there

With lower rates you really have to focus on costs. The way I do it is I justify everything I spend on the business. I work on the simple rule that if it dosen't make me money I can't buy it. I allow myself a "toy" budget every year and once that is gone it's gone.. Remember a good accountant will more than pay for himself

Best of luck

Jeff, that's some awesome advice! :thumbsup:

Remember a good accountant will more than pay for himself

Truer words have rarely been spoken! :clap:

Well one just got postponed to Monday.... but that one seems pretty much in the bag.... but I'm not counting chickens before they hatch....

But, the one that waited all that time then decided to check in with me will be tomorrow...

Damn, I defiantly F'd this one up... through emails I thought I had made it clear that I had another client already scheduled during the time that this client had requested which I had an email stating from her to call her cell when I was on my way....

Meanwhile they showed up at the meeting place not only earlier than the time they wanted but almost an hour before the time I thought I'd be finished with the first client which means they would have been waiting almost an hour and a half for me....

So of course she's mad because she wanted the meeting at that time so that her fiance could meet with me too... I tried to explain that I couldn't make that time and that, that's what I had said in my email to her... but I would get out there as quickly as I could.... she would only say that she would call me to reschedule.... (between the lines "I'm not going to really call you I'm just saying that to get you off the phone") and she hung up on me.

I'm sending her an apology email now...

Apparently we suffered from a miscomunication and a scheduleing error occured. I do appologize for this error. May I call you to set up a new time and date?

I am available Sunday thru Friday 9am to 2pm, and all day Saturday. I have a client appointment on Monday 12pm to 1pm and could meet on that day between the times of 9 to 11am, so with the exception of Monday I have an open schedule between the times of 9am to 2pm and all day Saturday.

Sincerely

Rob


Honestly though even with this email I'm sure I lost the client...:sqfrown:

Damn, I defiantly F'd this one up... through emails I thought I had made it clear that I had another client already scheduled during the time that this client had requested which I had an email stating from her to call her cell when I was on my way....

Yes, you might have blown this one but you might be able to salvage this contact if she's truly interested.

Without seeing your string of emails it would be impossible to see where things went South here.

You state that you "thought" she was on the same page as you, correct? If so, how? Was your last email a simple and plain confirmation of the place, date and time of your meeting?

If you had her cell, couldn't you have talked to her personally about the appointment instead of the emails?

Meanwhile they showed up at the meeting place not only earlier than the time they wanted but almost an hour before the time I thought I'd be finished with the first client which means they would have been waiting almost an hour and a half for me....

If they showed up that early, it's either their fault for being early or they were confused or uncertain of the time that you believe that you had scheduled the meeting?

I take it that you were meeting in a place other than your home or theirs? Personally, I refuse to meet anywhere else but those two places. We can have a more relaxed and productive meeting without any distractions that way. (That's just our preference.)

If they were that early did they attempt to call you? We impress upon our potential clients and clients that they can call us for anything as we want to keep the lines of communication open.

So of course she's mad because she wanted the meeting at that time so that her fiance could meet with me too... I tried to explain that I couldn't make that time and that, that's what I had said in my email to her... but I would get out there as quickly as I could.... she would only say that she would call me to reschedule.... (between the lines "I'm not going to really call you I'm just saying that to get you off the phone") and she hung up on me.

I'll bet she's mad.

Again without seeing the emails, I/we can't tell how clear your or her understanding of the details were.

Were your emails straight and to the point or did they wander around and seem confusing? Go back and read them all and try to determine where things might have gone sour.

We try to keep our information provided in emails very basic and will "echo" or repeat back to the client what our take was on what they send to us. Keep it as simple as possible and don't cloud the issues up with random thoughts and or comments.

How was her demeanor when she hung up on you? Did she politely say that she would reschedule or did she just "hang-up" in disgust? Think back and try to remember the tone of her voice and the words that she used.

I'm sending her an apology email now...



Honestly though even with this email I'm sure I lost the client...:sqfrown:


Rob, not trying to be critical here as we've all had a bump in the road here and there.

I'm looking at your "apology" email and the first thing I would have done was put the apology first and made sure that the potential client felt like they weren't getting any kind of blame (even if it was their fault).

The second part of your email for me is too convoluted and could be worded a whole lot simpler.

I know you're frustrated and I'm not "piling" on you, but just trying to offer some constructive thoughts from my perspective.

Have you thought of having your wife handling your appointments? Coreen does all of our scheduling and she does a much better job than I ever could.

Hope things work out for you, but if they don't you will be able to look back at this situation and learn from it.

Good Luck,

Kirby

Rob,

I'm sending you on vaca with my Son, and sending along a pallet of beer :sqlaugh:


Don't worry too much about it -- life goes on, and has a way of working out...

Put on an Amy Winehouse song, it will make you feel better :)