This is our final of the 5 Musts of Business from Jon Taffer and it's called Safety. I learned LONG ago that safety is important as any aspect in our line of work. Oftentimes you are the only sober person in a room full of celebratory individuals in a mind-altered state. You HAVE to put guest safety at the TOP of your priority list. After chatting with my good friend Ben Stowe we decided as a company we didn’t want the liability of rigging, tents and the like. I’m not condemning anyone who does these things; someone has to, but PLEASE…take the necessary steps to provide these options the RIGHT way. Consult your insurance... [read more]

This week we finish off our article of 3 Must Do's for Video Marketing.  Here's #2. Be Presentable - Dirty little secret in the DJ world is attractiveness.  No one wants to have a slovenly looking person on a microphone in front of their family and friends or sweating profusely behind turntables when you’re just standing there.  Everything about you from your clothes to your hair to your setup speaks. Be sure it’s conveying the right message. The Length.  Don’t go for long shots that last for :05 or more.  Don’t go for videos that are over 2:00. Keep it short so that your clients will view it.  ... [read more]

This is the 4th part of our series of Taffer's Teachings, exploring the 5 Musts of Business.  We continue with Great Value. Great Value. Value is a buzzword that is OFTEN thrown out willy-nilly. In the book Jon discusses the difference between “absolute value” vs “perceived value”.  Absolute value is the simple price comparison between two products or services deemed the same. Perceived value, according to Jon, is the result of your quality, experience and business dynamics. Your pricing has a great deal to do with your perceived value. To increase your perceived value you MUST cause not just an emotional CONNECT... [read more]

This is Part 3 of Taffer's Teachings focused on the 3rd of the 5 Musts For Business with Quality Service. Quality Service:  Do you send reviews out about your service? What is the feedback like? What’s your success ratio? If you have 1 or 2 negative reviews out of 100 events…you can probably live with that. Do you want it? No. Look at those areas of constructive feedback and see how they can be improved. I would STRONGLY recommend not just waiting until the end of the sales cycle with that specific client however. You need to have touch points with your client throughout their sales cycle with you to determine if you are... [read more]

We continue this week with the follow up to Be Flexible.  One time I showed up at an event to perform a speaking engagement and we were moved to a completely different room, it snowed the night before so everyone coming in for the event was delayed due to the weather and traffic.  I quickly realized that we would NOT be starting on time and that we’d just have to roll with it. If I had stayed in my head regarding everything working against me then I wouldn’t be able to live in the moment and truly deliver my presentation and content for that audience.   What’s a key for living in the moment and practicing patience?  Bei... [read more]

Taffer's Teachings Part 2. #2 on Jon Taffer's 5 Musts for Business is Cleanliness. While I wouldn’t say we are the BEST at this, we certainly project our image through what Jon calls “4 Walls Of Marketing”. Everything about your brand must be congruent with the image you portray. Are there opportunities for improvement in our cleanliness? Yes. Right now I know there are areas of our office that need touching up with new paint. We also just brought in my business partner and Certified Personality Trainer Vickie Musni in to conduct a workshop with our staff. Upon arrival Vickie liked our décor and how it matched our ... [read more]

As a professional speaker, you work with organizations and companies of all types.  Some who have everything together and some who DON’T always have it all together. It’s no different when we do an event.  Sometimes things can get a little flustered. Sometimes the couple is late for arrival for their grand entrance, maybe the photographer takes too long for sunset photos and you’re stuck behind schedule for their first dance. You become frustrated and get SO UPSET about it.  You curse the name of the photographer, say the couple doesn’t care about their event and that everyone is conspiring against you.     ST... [read more]

Another BIG win for me at Mobile Beat over the years was picking up Marcello Pedalino's book "Celebrate Life".  Marcello has made an amazing career for himself, but it has not been without trials and tribulations. In Marcello's book he gives you the knowledge of HOW to live it up, the secret formula to discover fulfillment (hint: it's more than likely NOT what you think) and how to experience the joy you deserve.  I have found this book to be inspirational to me and it has motivated me to take more control from a daily view rather than a monthly or yearly goal setting. I am a BIG believer in taking action steps toward... [read more]

Martin Luther King Jr. is honored due to inspiring people with his “I have a dream” speech, and helping break down racial barriers.  Do you have to dream to achieve something? I never dreamed in a million years that I would be able to do what I do today. I never dreamed I would be charging $3500 to $6500 for my services back when i started my company in 2003.  I never dreamed I would make a living at this. I never dreamed I would travel internationally and speak to over a thousand of ... [read more]

The Productivity Formula and Goal Planning I have found that most people I chat with in our industry fail to plan, and therefore they, without realizing it or not, have planned to fail.  It's sad, but it’s the cold, stark truth. Jim Cerone, in his seminar at Mobile Beat 20 "Behind The Scenes with The Perfect Host", made reference to this with a post from a DJ lamenting on Facebook that he couldn't make Mobile Beat this year.  Supposedly this individual had tried everything in his power to make it but finances just didn't work. Want Jim's solution for how to guarantee you can afford training? Go buy the Digital Plus su... [read more]