“I've discovered so many wedding professionals struggling to get booked when they needn't" Once upon a time, I was just like them. If you had met me in the summer of 2010, you would have found me exhausted, working as many under-paid weddings as I could; I had to because I’d not yet learnt how to articulate the value in my wedding services. I needed every penny I could get to support my two girls and two boys. Tired, I remember sitting in my home office next to the family room wondering: “Why couldn’t I get booked by high-paying brides and grooms like the successful wedding suppliers?” I ... [read more]

I posted a picture of the photo booth gig that I did last night and it was at a Latin night club. It was somebody's birthday, so they hired me to come in for like three hours. Somebody mentioned in the comments section that they saw a printer, but they don't use printers, they just somehow text the picture that they take to the individual's phone. And I got to thinking, why would you do that? That must be to save money. That must be so you can offer this photo booth service for a very low price. And I understand that there are people out there who want to save money, they don't want to pay a lot. When they see the price of something, a low price is something they typically go for. But let me offer you another point of view. The photo booth gig that I did last night, I got because of a photo booth gig that I... [read more]

All right. DJ tips in under a minute. Do you use the signature on your emails? I didn't and I noticed a lot of DJs and a lot of professionals do. So I decided I would too. On mine, I simply have my name, that I'm the owner and DJ of my company, but then I decided to go in and add a few things. I have my YouTube channel, because I want brides and clients to go to my YouTube channel and see what I do, I have my email address, I have my phone number, I have my main web address, but then up here I have three lines, WeddingWire, Bridal Insider and the Knot. These are awards and/or things that I have done or had or bring light to my business in a positive way. So if you are not using the signature for your email, any awards you've gotten, any notoriety you've gotten put it on every single email, let the world know... [read more]

A lot of the work and development we do for our businesses is directly in the client's view. New gear, clothes, marketing materials, and performance techniques are all things that are directly seen by the guests at our events. At my event last night, however, I learned about the importance of the things we do in the background in creating an unforgettable experience. For as long as I've been in business, I've always used a single wireless microphone during the reception for announcements and toasts. Whether I was too cheap to buy a second or just didn't see the need I'm not sure, but a few weeks ago I finally invested in a dual microphone unit. In the past, I was forced to run between my DJ booth and wherever else someone was speaking to hand off the microphone at multiple points during the night. It work... [read more]

T here’s no way around it. For most DJs, wedding are the holy grail. The rub is, most wedding couples prefer to have and to hold their ceremony when it’s sunny and nice—so they can follow their Pinterest inspired exchange of vows with a friendly game of cocktail hour Cornhole. That’s fine if you live in an area where it’s all good news when you turn on the Weather Channel. Unfortunately, the vast majority of North Americans experience four seasons, and at least one of those involves ice scrapers and snow shovels. Now, just because the temperature drops below zero doesn’t mean the number of weddings follows suit. Some couples a... [read more]

In this final chapter, we'll conclude this specialist wedding marketing training by wrapping things up.   Slide X message to convey: Emphatic Testimonial Your penultimate slide before price revelation should always be an emphatic testimonial capable of moving Mr & Mrs Avatar into a highly emotive state as they reflect on the brilliance you’ve created for others.     Slide Y message to convey: Price rev... [read more]

I heart corporate gigs! If you aren’t sure why DJing corporate events rocks, let me spell it out real quick: • Super low-key planning process (typically) and low-drama events. • Companies generally have “change to throw” (to quote Iggy Azalea) • They frequently take place mid-week or early in the day • The photo booth is often an easy up-sell •  Unless you really screw up, repeat business is very likely And how great does it look on your resume to say you’ve handled events for companies like LA Fitness, Boost Mobile, New York & Co, the Marriott, San Diego State University, the Marine Corps, and Baskin Robbins? Those are some of the companies I’ve worked for... and I’m perfectly happy “brand associating” with them. ... [read more]

According to the sales funnel model, we are going to have a large number of people who are aware of our company, a smaller amount that become potential clients, and an even smaller amount that translate into sales. Each lead can require a substantial amount of time to educate and inform about our services before we actually seal the deal, and how much time you have to spend to convince a potential client that you're the right company for them can vary wildly. While a few golden leads come in that are ready to sign a contract the second you pick up a phone, many more start their inquiries with "How much do you charge?" For beginning DJ companies, you may have plenty of time to devote to answering the price question and having long, detailed conversations about the benefits of professional entertainment. As... [read more]

Dress codes are everywhere. Every job has a dress code; schools have dress codes, even businesses such as a restaurant or bar, have a dress code - door guys love to be the enforcers of the dress code. :) So the question is, should DJs or DJ companies have a dress code, too? As a DJ & Photo Booth company owner (Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths) my answer is yes, absolutely! We have a company dress code policy, but our dress code depends on the event. Every staff member should dress appropriately. We don't want our DJs or photo booth staff showing up to a formal event, dressed like a bar/club DJ. No jeans, no baseball cap, no t-shirts, etc. I know our staff may not completely agree with it, but they get it, and, they have a choice. They don't have to follow our dress code at all, but they also won't ... [read more]

As all of my family and friends can attest, my schedule is a mess. Not only do I have seven separate divisions of my own company that do different things keeping me busy, but I also have many outside interests. For one thing, I’m a huge science-fiction nerd and belong to a meetup group. We meet bi-weekly to discuss all things sci-fi, plan conventions and presentations, and do it all over cheap food at a local diner. Another group I belong to champions church- state separation issues, and yet another is the local Toastmaster’s, where I try to maintain and improve my public speaking chops. All in all, I attend some five different hobby/ special interest meetups as well as a monthly professional gathering of my fellow Licensed Massage Therapists, my latest venture and one of the seven divisions I men... [read more]