Getting An Upgrade

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nextgen1

nextgen1

DJ Extraordinaire
Sep 23, 2006
3,178
784
62
Waterford, CA.
www.tngdj.com
Some will love it and some will hate it. Some will think its over the top but I don't care. Just spent a pretty penny today to raise the bar just a little more in my area. Why do I do it? Because being different in a good way is important and helpful. Here is the new addition to our many tools in our arsenal. Dragon Board Facade and sexy as hell. The Bose will look great next to them. )
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I've seen Dragon Front boards on line and yest they are expensive as hell. Like their products but most are out of my price range. I bought a 3 sided lighted facade that cost me $500 if I remember correctly. I never knew those things cost that much. I still have it. I just wish I had more events to do that I could use it. I've thrown it in a couple of times just to get some pictures of the setup with it.
 
nextgen1 said:
I wish this was about 500 dollars but its all about raising my game "Priceless". )
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I got to check out the starting price and as nice as hat is for me that's way out of my budget. I get that you get top of the line clients spending big bucks and that's why you can afford such things.

Personally I always wished I could come up with a product that cost a ton of money so I could get rich while ripping people off thinking they must have that item. I'm not saying they are ripping you off. They make some great stuff well worth the money for sure and I love their stuff. Just like I said I wish I could afford their stuff. I sacrificed to get the lighted facade I have. I love it. I just need more lights to fit into it and also work where it can be used.

Personally I just find some things are not worth the price. You're just paying for the name. I went to Short Hills Mall and they had a very thin leather jacket in a store for over 2k. It was real thin but to me not worth even close to that much. Maybe if I were drunk enough (which I don't drink) $400 and that's pushing it. Another store had a very nice looking leather brief case with the double handles for carrying. It was really nice looking but they had lost their minds. They wanted 2k for that item. It was all leather but there is no way in hell I would pay them that much for that. Even if I hit the Powerball for 450 million I wouldn't buy that item for that price. Hope all goes well with your business as it has in the past.
 
LOL, I love some of the comments. The vent stuff made me think and then smile. On a personal note the reasons I do some things are based upon my area and the knowledge about presentation and branding from my day job. Which happens to be the largest winery in the world ( I will let you guys figure that out). If you have a great product but poor presentation some people may never try your product. If you have great presentation but a poor product.

Then some people may try it once but then that's it and then they will tell everyone else how bad it was. But if you have great presentation with a great product. Then your chances of success have grown, because of those two factors. Having a good day job as well as my wife has put us in a good place were we have been blessed. Where we can keep our pricing at a certain level and not worry if we don't get over 25 events a year. We are by no means the most expensive nor the least around.

Yea the facade was not cheap, nor were our Bose speakers. Are they the best around for the money? That's all up to the person who is looking at it and choosing to buy or not to buy. But perception is reality in this world whether true or not. Some people are just looking to spend their money based upon the image they want to project just like I did (if this were not true BMW would not exist). The goal would be to find and cater to those people Dragon Frontboards has done that.

I will probably use this facade at about half or less of our events (Many outside) Being in the valley puts us in a very good place. Wineries, country clubs, Frisco to one side Monterey to another. Agriculture is huge here. So there are many many country people who have ranches, dairies etc etc. Many of our clients are just good humble people who have been blessed and work very hard for what they have and and like to pass us around like a good cake at a pot party lol.

Down below is a link to one of those dairy farmers. Who has also turned his place into a wedding venue. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Knows us by name is always happy to see us when we have been the MC/DJ there. Some of the images on google made me laugh. Yea I know this was a long post but its also the reason that we do the things we do. I always tell my wife it's all about keeping it classy. )

East Lake Ranch: east lake ranch turlock ca - Google Search


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Hey, it's a business tax deduction.

The fact is that while all the equipment we buy are business deductions...some DJs love to Splurge on this stuff. I have seen women splurge crazy amount of money on Louis Vuitton, or buy new coach bags every few months. Others think that is crazy and won't spend more than $40 on a Purse from Target (my Wife!).

it really comes down to what a DJ WANTS to buy, and how deep their pockets are.

I personally don't see much value in the quality of a façade. I'm of the belief that clients aren't paying us for a Façade to hide our equipment. Will the $1,000 façade investment yield me an additional $2,000 or more over time via using it? Probably not. I feel I would book gigs at the same rates as I did without any façade at all. But, other DJs feel differently about Facades. It's all good.

I have purchased a Grundorf Table Topper Façade. I bought 2 of them for $98 each. That is the extent of money I will probably ever throw out for facades. I like how the Grundorf looks, and it works for me. I prefer the table with linen going to the floor showing, not board covering it all up. I almost see big facades as a barrier between you and the audience. I prefer to appear inviting, and as open looking as I can be. I hate 8 foot tables. 6 foot tables are fine. If I don't have any lights set up, a 5 foot table is better...of course skirted, and my table topper façade on top.

Some DJs spend upwards of $10,000...even $20,000 on up lighting units while others would rather purchase the less expensive lighting options and be able to provide enough lighting to light a ball room for under $1,500 invested. Does the bigger investment yield more profit? Hard to say...It will certainly be harder to earn profit from a 20K investment vs. a 1.5 to 2k lighting investment.

Anyway, there is no right and wrong. If it makes you happy and proud to purchase a expensive façade, and believe it to up your game by providing it and showing a superior look then go for it!
 
I forgot to add that one of the big things I hate about big Facades is the weight!

Carrying a large carry case with a façade that weighs 40 - 65 lbs in it makes my load in, and load out worse...not to mention the additional space it takes in the Traverse. My Grundorf Table Topper Façade weighs like 11 lbs. With carry case maybe 14 lbs. My goal is to have no single piece that I load in and out of my vehicle weigh over 50 lbs. Right now only my Cables/Cords bag weighs over 50 lbs, and I'm working on getting that weight down.
 
Ricky the ones that buy such things spending the kind of money you're talking about aren't the cheapest DJs you will find. Their starting price is normally over 1k easily and goes up from there. They have worked hard to get to that price point and aren't advertising their services to clients on a budget. Yes all clients have a budget but some have a nice amount to spend for a DJ to come and do an event for them. That's the clients nextgen 1 has his radar pointed to.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Ricky the ones that buy such things spending the kind of money you're talking about aren't the cheapest DJs you will find. Their starting price is normally over 1k easily and goes up from there. They have worked hard to get to that price point and aren't advertising their services to clients on a budget. Yes all clients have a budget but some have a nice amount to spend for a DJ to come and do an event for them. That's the clients nextgen 1 has his radar pointed to.
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A nice looing façade can help lift a DJ's perception of themselves. The overall look of the façade mixed in with the lighting helps sell an experience as well

However, just adding a façade isn't going to help justify a price hundreds of dollars higher than the next DJ who also has great reviews, and good reputation as well.

There are DJs charging $2,600 for a ceremony and reception and show up with the same equipment as a $1,000 DJ would and no façade....not even any lighting effects! It's a matter of their market, and the market segment that DJ is marketing to (and how well they present and market themselves to those higher income circles).

One of the DJ's at the agency I work with uses no facade. He shows up with a 12 inch sub, and 2 10 inch EV Speakers. He sets up no lights. If they want some lights, he sets up 2 ADJ Vertigos, and a couple of up lights. Nothing special at all. He is in with some high end wedding planners who refer him. He charges $2,000 minimum to do a wedding these days unless it's a slow date. He also doesn't travel more than 40 miles from his house either.

He will add in up lighting...Charges $1,000 for 20 up lights. He get's clients to spend $3,000 on DJ and 20 up lights.

My clientele ain't spending that much on booking me, BUT I'm not marketing to the top 2% income earning group either. I also prefer to offer a strong value to my clients. It's hard for me to justify my price at 3K for DJ and up lighting. However, there are DJs out there getting that, and don't even use a Façade!
 
DJ Ricky B said:
A nice looing façade can help lift a DJ's perception of themselves. The overall look of the façade mixed in with the lighting helps sell an experience as well

However, just adding a façade isn't going to help justify a price hundreds of dollars higher than the next DJ who also has great reviews, and good reputation as well.

There are DJs charging $2,600 for a ceremony and reception and show up with the same equipment as a $1,000 DJ would and no façade....not even any lighting effects! It's a matter of their market, and the market segment that DJ is marketing to (and how well they present and market themselves to those higher income circles).

One of the DJ's at the agency I work with uses no facade. He shows up with a 12 inch sub, and 2 10 inch EV Speakers. He sets up no lights. If they want some lights, he sets up 2 ADJ Vertigos, and a couple of up lights. Nothing special at all. He is in with some high end wedding planners who refer him. He charges $2,000 minimum to do a wedding these days unless it's a slow date. He also doesn't travel more than 40 miles from his house either.

He will add in up lighting...Charges $1,000 for 20 up lights. He get's clients to spend $3,000 on DJ and 20 up lights.

My clientele ain't spending that much on booking me, BUT I'm not marketing to the top 2% income earning group either. I also prefer to offer a strong value to my clients. It's hard for me to justify my price at 3K for DJ and up lighting. However, there are DJs out there getting that, and don't even use a Façade!
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You missed my point. When you're talking about someone spending that kind of money to buy an item like the one he is talking about, he has to making a nice profit to afford such a thing. I never said that item is going to make him more money or justify the price he charges. It adds to his value because when people see this they have to think to themselves they have never seen this before. To get paid the king of money you mentioned you're right about marketing to clients who won't blink at that price quote. Or see it as a shock to them. The way you consistently keep getting clients to spend that kind of money is to over deliver. Leaving the client thinking I wasn't expecting all that I got from this DJ. I call it leaving them with the WOW factor. Them saying WOW that was awesome!
 
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Depending on your business plan, and what type of client you aim for, I see this purchase as a wise investment.

It's not for most of us here, but for those top tier individuals, it could only enhance their visual presence to potential clients - especially if shown on their web site.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
A nice looing façade can help lift a DJ's perception of themselves. The overall look of the façade mixed in with the lighting helps sell an experience as well

However, just adding a façade isn't going to help justify a price hundreds of dollars higher than the next DJ who also has great reviews, and good reputation as well.

There are DJs charging $2,600 for a ceremony and reception and show up with the same equipment as a $1,000 DJ would and no façade....not even any lighting effects! It's a matter of their market, and the market segment that DJ is marketing to (and how well they present and market themselves to those higher income circles).

One of the DJ's at the agency I work with uses no facade. He shows up with a 12 inch sub, and 2 10 inch EV Speakers. He sets up no lights. If they want some lights, he sets up 2 ADJ Vertigos, and a couple of up lights. Nothing special at all. He is in with some high end wedding planners who refer him. He charges $2,000 minimum to do a wedding these days unless it's a slow date. He also doesn't travel more than 40 miles from his house either.

He will add in up lighting...Charges $1,000 for 20 up lights. He get's clients to spend $3,000 on DJ and 20 up lights.

My clientele ain't spending that much on booking me, BUT I'm not marketing to the top 2% income earning group either. I also prefer to offer a strong value to my clients. It's hard for me to justify my price at 3K for DJ and up lighting. However, there are DJs out there getting that, and don't even use a Façade!
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We've covered this a number of times, but a recap is in order.

Instead of looking at costs of individual pieces, you need to look at costs relative to a business plan. $10,000 spent to put you in a position to meet your business goals, is a relatively low amount if you look at it in total. 50 events per year, over say an 8 year period, turns a $10,000 spend into $25 per gig. Spending half as much saves you $12.50 per gig .. noise level in the big picture.

Those that look at each individual expense of $200 or $700 or whatever, aren't looking at the long term view. If you plan to use it, and it meets your needs, and it's part of the plan, good gear doesn't increase your gig costs very much ... How you use it determines its worth.
 
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steve149 said:
We've covered this a number of times, but a recap is in order.

Instead of looking at costs of individual pieces, you need to look at costs relative to a business plan. $10,000 spent to put you in a position to meet your business goals, is a relatively low amount if you look at it in total. 50 events per year, over say an 8 year period, turns a $10,000 spend into $25 per gig. Spending half as much saves you $12.50 per gig .. noise level in the big picture.

Those that look at each individual expense of $200 or $700 or whatever, aren't looking at the long term view. If you plan to use it, and it meets your needs, and it's part of the plan, good gear doesn't increase your gig costs very much ... How you use it determines its worth.
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The low number cost per gig is assumed ONLY if you can actually up sell the add on at every gig, or most gigs moving forward.

I don't see DJs typically providing up lighting at 50 gigs every single year. There might just be years where the gig numbers drop significantly as well.

A $10,000 Up Lighting investment might look more like:

Up Lighting add on to an average of 12 event bookings per year over 6 years (Realistically, the lighting will either need to be replaced in 6 years, or the DJ will likely want to upgrade to better lighting in 6 years)

$10,000/72 event add ons over 6 years = $138 per gig cost when the lights are actually used.

Now higher end lighting would hopefully be added on for $500 or more per event so the profit being made is still very nice.

If I were to purchase a $1,500 façade, and could effectively raise my typical DJ booking price by $150 per event in part due to the visual presentation created by setting the façade up at my events, then yes, the expense was worth the investment over time.

If I can't correlate a raise in profits due to the purchase of the façade, then the façade was effectively just a Toy that I purchased for by DJ business which happens to be a Tax Deduction :)
 
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