Full disclosure. I am a part-timer who semi (but mostly) retired in 2012. I (mostly) stopped DJing when my wife and I adopted our kids. Time is worth more than money...at least for the time being.
In 2011, my last "active" year, my base rate was $1600 for a wedding with "no extras" (e.g. two speakers on sticks, no lights). I did 20-ish weddings at that rate (or more), plus 8 professional dance competitions (think "Dancing with the Stars" in 15k sqft ballrooms with 1000 people), plus a handful of corporate and private parties.
In 2015 I did 4 weddings at that rate, and 2 professional dance competitions.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and we all started off worse than we are today. My first wedding was in 1996. The couple showed me some video of their reception a couple years ago...I cringed. It was all I could do not to crawl out the window with embarrassment. That's were I started.
It is a common myth that "twice the price is twice the quality." It is also a myth that putting all your eggs into a single basket is the best practice. Small changes, small improvements generate disproportionate "value."
The "value" proposition is about service, but it is not about "stuff" or "gear." If you are adding gear to increase value, you are going to run out of pack space before you achieve your goals.
I am probably "only" 20-30% better than you are. My sales skills, my presentation skills, my communication skills, my MC skills, my DJ skills, etc, etc, etc. That's just a made up number - I don't really know you, and you really don't know me - and I have no real way of rating those skills. But, as a guess, that is pretty common based on the DJs I have met over the years. The point is that a 10% improvement across the board is worth a lot more than working on your mixing skills to the point that you can enter the DMC. It's not "one thing" that allows me to charge twice what you do - it is the net sum of all the little things.
I want to meet the couple in person. I want to see their body language, get some sense of their personalities, and see how they interact with each other. I want to talk to them about how they met, how they act at a party, and how their family and friends act at a party. It is MUCH easier to get to know someone in person rather than over the phone. I spend half the meeting talking about them, their friends, their families. The other half of the meeting time is on the details of the event. I will only do a "phone meeting" as a last resort.
I have paper copies of everything we have exchanged for me and for them. I have floorplans of the venue - if they are available online. I have maps to the venue that the client will see (this is mostly a prop....since I'll use GPS to actually get there). I have all this even for a pre-sales meeting. I want to show that I am serious about their event.
I have had clients tell me that I was hired "on the spot" because I had written contracts, and all the venue information with me at the first meeting.
I will ALWAYS visit a "new to me" site before the event - and I even visits sites I have been to dozens of times over the years. I will often meet clients at the event site during one of their final visits (2-ish weeks ahead of the event). I dress in business attire - a suit, tie, with shoes that can be shined and that are in fact shined. I present myself like a professional. I do this so that the venue staff will know that I will behave like a professional at the event. I do this because the venue may have another potential customer there when I am at the site.
I want to meet the venue coordinator. I introduce myself, look at where to park, the load in/out path, the power, etc. I go over the timeline for the event, and provide them with a printed copy of that timeline. I have a copy of my liability insurance that I show to the venue, and offer to get a certificate of co-insurance. I give them my printed, multi-color, business card. This can take 10-15 minutes, or it can take an hour. It depends on how long the venue coordinator wants to talk.
I do this site visit as part of my fee - no extra charge, no mileage, no way for the client to "opt out."
I wear business casual to load in/out. Black slacks, polo shirt with my company logo, wind breaker with my company logo (when needed). I had a "badge" made up with my company logo and photo. This is VERY helpful at several local venues (the airport hotels, various convention centers, etc) that prefer vendors to stay in the bowels of the facility...having "official" company branded wear helps to keep me "invisible" during the load in/out.
I strongly prefer to be dressed a little better than any of the guests. I wear a tux for weddings - with no upcharge. I own three....two probably still fit. I replace the tux shirts every 15-ish trips through the wash - the moment they show any wear. I do have a business suit that I will wear if the couple insists. My tuxes and suits are off-the rack, and tailored to fit me. So, based on fit alone, I tend to look better than anyone in a rental.
I can even accommodate a "Western Tuxedo" with a waist coat, starched wrangler jeans, string tie, hat & boots. I am in Texas, and a retired C&W dance competitor, after all.
99.44% of my clients were word of mouth.
Get a decent website. Even a "blog" format is OK. Setup a business Facebook page. Be active in on social media. Do concert reviews, or album reviews, or reviews of the Grammys. Post short articles on wedding entertainment trends.
Be better, at least a little bit, at everything. Said another way - picture a DJ who could charge $1500 per wedding. Imagine what they are doing that you are not. Now do those things.
As "salespeople" we should be looking for the "unique selling point" that we bring to the table. As DJs it is natural to focus on the music. Find music that you are super passionate about, and show people that you can geek out about that music.
I am VERY well known (in my area) for my collection of 50's and 60's "juke box" and "malt shop" music that I play for background music during dinner at a wedding reception. I happen to really like those old love songs - and generally, so do the people who find me. I have a curated collection of 1000-ish songs that covers those decades and all the popular songs.
I spent 10 years competing on the Professional C&W dance circuit. I taught those dances for another 10 years. I have a HUGE collection of C&W music that is suitable for the formal couples dances, and the popular line dances. I invest the time to keep up with this music, and with the state of the art of the dances. After 20 years, I am sought out by clients specifically because when someone asks for a "two step" I can have a GREAT song playing "next."
I am currently geeking out over EDM - deep house, chill out, and ambient. I have a LONG way to go to really understand that music...and I'm loving every minute of it.
I take music classes on
Coursera - Free Online Courses From Top Universities I have taken classes on music appreciation, song writing, music theory, music synthesis, and more. I may never use this directly, but the more you know, the more you know, you know.
Show that you are passionate about your art and craft. More importantly, BE passionate about your art and craft. It will come through in everything that you do.
