I am a little mystified (as I open my thesaurus to find multiple different ways to say the same thing) about something that I, as yet have no answer for. People, perspective clients all seem to love what I offer, but find the price of what I offer to be too much.
I am only on average $400-$600 more than the top price of the average DJ in my areas which many people have admitted in meeting do not offer most of what I do. In most cases I am only charging 1/3 more than the next guy but offering 2 or 3 times the services. Are DJs making them selves so undervalued? Have DJs really created such a negative perception in the quality of work that the most important part of a reception (besides location) is expected to be the cheapest?
I am really confused. Sometimes I wonder if I am simply trying to provide the services I would expect a professional to have if I was getting married. How would people feel if a surgeon was called in to operate with no real idea why, on what or for what purpose. We have all heard the stories of the Doctor who did the wrong operation or the wrong body part and every time it comes down to the same cause. Lack of proper preparation and planning.
The plumber who uses your front door like it was a barn gate because they don’t have the right tools for the job when they come to your house doesn’t look like a professional, and he is charging by the hour. They should have a good idea what your problem is before they show up, that’s why they are the professional. The tools required should be at the ready when it is time to do the job.
With examples aside I am in stunned wonderment (good one eh!) that people would not expect the same commitment to professional excellence from their Entertainer. people are willing to shell out $25 a plate for chicken, corn, peas and some salad, which in a restraunt would be a $10 meal, but not willing to pay an average of $6-$8 per person at their dance. High school dances charge more, cover fees to bars are as much or more.
Really in the end the price is not the issue. It can’t be because no reasonable person would spend $25 for a chicken Breast and spiced potato’s. Is that the problem? Everyone else is charging so much which may or may not be reasonable, and the entertainment is often left to the last on the list that the wallet has run dry.
I have created something that in the U.S. is 3 to 5 times what I charge. My prices are reasonably generated to provide me with a sound living, based on appropriate services, time investment and above all to create a successful event that meets and I hope exceeds their expectations.
Even offering free meetings are often shot down, why I have no idea. You don’t lose an interested customer because they balk at your price. You lose the customer because you don’t follow up in anyway, you don’t continue to offer superior services despite them going across the street. You keep your door open, you provide opportunity for them to return with their friends and family and show them the value does not change despite their perception that you are not simply the value they are seeking.
My efforts seem to be in vain. I realize I can’t book everyone, but I really and sincerely hope everyone gets the greatest value in their dollar and never have to become a wedding horror story. Shame of it all is that too many become one for no better reason than they placed price before value, quality and service.
