TUNE UP YOUR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENCE Most people have a preference for how they like to communicate. Are you a phone, email or text person? What are your clients? Part of running a successful business is adapting to your clients preferences. I personally prefer email. I email everyone, doctor, dentist, accountant, insurance agent? basically everyone I can contact via email, I do. I hear complaints from DJs, usually older than me, that they wish people would just pick up the phone and call. Some of that lies in the fact that they think they can sell better when speaking to a prospective client. While for others, they did business for so long primarily over the phone, so they still prefer that. I have a hard time understanding that, since I really like email. However, I can relate since I'm not a fan ... [read more]

David Louis of Hawaii's Dynamic Sounds has some unique ways of getting referrals from other professionals and exposure to potential clients. We're excited to present our conversation with him here, and share with you some of his ideas that have helped rev his DJ company up to a higher level.  Mobile Beat: David, tell us how you got in this business and give us a little history of your company. David Louis: I got into the business back in 1985. I just I love music, and so right out of high school I just jumped into being a DJ. The hard part was we didn't have Mobile Beat back then to really, or I didn't know about it;anything lik... [read more]

Today, anyone can buy a domain name and sell themselves as a professional in the disc jockey industry.  It is not difficult to promote oneself as a professional with a sleek-looking website and marketing materials. So, to stand out from the crowd, it is important that true professionals take extra steps to create the perfect events for their clients. Some extra steps include truly listening to the concerns of clients during the initial meetings, and going the extra mile to make sure the party atmosphere is consistent throughout the night. For example, advising your DJ clients on their music choices doesn’t have to be limited to the reception. DJ are of... [read more]

Tom Haibeck is a DJ who is also a public relations professional and talented communicator. He's written a number of books to help wedding hosts' those involved with the event, like a best man, or DJ/MCs' do a better job of hosting. His latest project applies his PR expertise to the DJ marketing challenge. Listen in as we talk with Tom about these endeavors and more... Ryan Burger: So, Tom, tell us about your books on emceeing. Tom Haibeck: You know, I've told this story many times...I was asked to emcee a whole bunch of weddings...Back when I was younger and my friends were getting married, our tradition here in Canada is that typically it's the best man or a family member or family friend who emcees. And so I had been working in radio. People thought I was, I guess, comfortable with the microphone a... [read more]

Imagine the following three party situations: A. your guests are very successful salespeople; B. the bride's family lives in Tennessee; C. the groom's family is Japanese. With this information what can you do in advance to plan for successful parties in each situation? If you've done your homework you can: A. expect a lot of networking; B. have some country and blues music ready to play; C. include a few popular Japanese songs by artists like Bump of Chicken or Kara. Here's an example of not doing your homework: The other day I was approached by a couple high school students who asked if I would answer a few questions for their school project. I agreed. I wanted to help them, but it became immediately clear they weren't prepared, not even close. One student asked me a rambling question... [read more]

BETTER SKILLS REALLY CAN HELP YOUR "SWAG"   One of the things that I hear from a lot of schools is that the DJ was cheesy. By cheesy, I mean real bad interaction. When I look at what the DJ did, as many videos can be found on YouTube or from the school's media team themselves, I don't see anything too bad. As a matter of fact, some of these interactive bits are similar to mine. So what made the "cheesy" DJs different? By way of an answer, let's talk a little bit street here: Homeboy had no swag. Let's face it, high schoolers have the BEST B.S. detectors on the market today. They know when you need to be on blast and when you... [read more]

  In this issue we are celebrating all that is Mobile Beat Las Vegas 2013. I was talking with one exhibitor who was asking me about Vegas, and I explained to him this way. For those of you that know me this will make perfect sense, for the rest of you, do your best to follow the comparison... All year long the World Wrestling Federation is building up to the next Wrestlemania. They are working on it all year long, they are hyping it, they are making plans for executing it, transporta- tion, logistics and videos, talent and everything. Promotionally they have that logo up at every one of their events, it’s on every magazine, everything. All the while, they work on their two or three weekly television shows, other non-TV productions, their website, their magazine, their presence. It’s all ... [read more]

One of the greatest rewards of growing older is being asked for advice from my peers, particularly those who are much younger or may be in the beginning stages of starting their businesses. It’s satisfying to help others succeed and watch them reach their full potential. After all, I didn’t get to where I am today without the friendly, helpful advice from a number of mentors; people who were there to keep me from doing something stupid. I wish I could say they were 100% effective. I believe with age comes a responsibility to give back whenever possible and to prevent other DJs from making unnecessary mistakes. My presentation, “Hey, DJ! Get Off... [read more]

“I need more leads so I can book more weddings!” It’s the #1 challenge reported to us by our wedding vendor friends and clients. This task can be daunting when you think about how many leads you have right now compared to how many more you need to earn the income you really want for your DJ business. It’s just so much work! It can feel like trying to climb Mount Everest and staring up at the mountain that seems to stretch up and up and up—so high you can’t even see the top. It’s true that it may be a long journey between where you are today and where you really want your wedding business to be. Fortunately, you�... [read more]

At MBLV16 I presented part one of my “Success” series called “Compounding Your Success.” It focused on the importance of spending more time on yourself that you do on your business. This year, part 2 of the series will be “The Enemies of Our Success.” This presentation will dive into some of the largest hang ups we all face that are holding us back from achieving true greatness, many of which we don’t even realize. It will also offer clues to help you begin to identify the enemies when they appear and action steps on how to attack them and turn your thoughts and actions around. One of the most fun action steps is “Acting like a two-ye... [read more]