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]

Today we continue with Part 2 of last week’s article “Catch Up Or Stay Ahead”   "I've been doing this for XX years...I don't need to learn anything new!" This quote has been spoken by DJs for Y E A R S!  Do you use any social media?  How about a Keurig?  Do you own a smartphone?  I would venture to guess that you have used or are currently using at least one if not all of these items in your daily life.  What happened?  You've been living for XX years!  You didn't need to learn anything new.  So why did you?   You did because society evolved.  It made your life easier.  You wanted to be cool or  ... [read more]

This week we continue with Study Entertainment Part 2 - The Performer’s Mindset Going to a show for me isn’t always just for enjoyment.  It’s for research.  It’s to understand how the performer tells the story.  More specifically, how do they transition from moment to moment.  What’s the energy level?  How are they ebb and flowing with the audience?  What I’ve realized is that it’s more about the engagement with the audience and being real.  Every performance you witness will give you insights into the storytelling, energy, missed opportunities and the personalities of the performers that you see.  Some... [read more]

Study Entertainment Studying entertainment is so important. That being said, DON’T study other DJs.  Study experts at their craft who are on higher planes, if you will, of the entertainment world.  Study touring acts.   One of the biggest influences I had on my life as a professional DJ was seeing the interaction of artists such as Brad Paisley and Garth Brooks with their crowds and how they use video in their performances of today.  Both of these artists started out in the 90s, and haven’t stayed complacent in their presentation.  They’ve evolved with video, interaction and staying relevant in their marketing. ... [read more]

This is Part 2 of our post from last week Solution Based Is the New Way. So Mitch....how does this relate to sales? Easy. First...THINK ABOUT THIS. What do you sell? When you meet or talk with a client for the first time....what do you talk about? Do you tell them you’ll show up before the event at least an hour prior....you send out 2 DJs for every event and that you play music for six hours for only $XXXX? If that’s the case...you’re selling a product and not a service. We’ll even take it one step further in a moment, first ask yourself if the following scenario sounds familiar. I performed a receptio... [read more]

Solution Based Is The New Way Recently I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine talking about problems at an event he performed at recently. We all know as entertainers that starting off on the wrong foot at an event can be difficult at best to overcome. If you are stressed about your gear or working with that photographer that you don’t get along with very well... it can easily affect your performance with that couple and their guests if you let it. In this scenario, the bride and groom had a Friday wedding ceremony scheduled for 6:30pm, full Catholic mass and told him that they would be at the ... [read more]

New Equipment Doesn’t Make You Better DJs LOVE toys.  We love the blinky lights, new gear, speakers, faders, controllers, etc.  The myth is that new equipment makes you better.   Many DJs think that new equipment makes you better.  It does not.  You can’t add any tangible product and make YOU better.  New equipment CAN make you more money if you sell it properly and your client has a need for it.  New equipment can help you stand out as different from the crowd.  For example, one can pick up one of the latest and greatest projectors and through Living Motion Monograms or Projectorgram learn how t... [read more]

Pre-presentation Always begin your meetings by asking questions about your prospects and their day. Once you’ve asked a question stop talking and emphatically listen to your couple’s answers, never interrupt their flow other than to ask supplemental questions once their response has come to a natural ending. Let your couple do most of the talking, remember, brides and grooms love pre-living their wedding day so this is the best way to get them to open up excitedly about the biggest celebration of their lives. Your goal is to get them to reveal precisely what they want and don’t want so you can feed it back to them an... [read more]

Other meeting options Their home What could be more convenient for your bride and groom other than to host the meeting in a comfortable space they are both super relaxed in? And with no effort of travel involved for them this option really is ideal, especially if they have young children. In this instance it is all about the convenience of your couple, and if you have a little time on your hands and do not mind the travel and the expenses incurred, you will be viewed as being very accommodating winning you brownie points. Who is this strategy for? The wedding professional who is keen to make the meeting process as convenient... [read more]

This is part 2 of the Real Dilemma of Getting Info From Clients Post from last week.   STOP giving information and START having a conversation.  Once you start the conversation, continue the dialogue by asking open ended questions such as “Why do you want that?”  or “How does that look to you?”  Understand that what it is that they value most may not be what they think they need.  This is where it's your job as a sales person to uncover what they value most, vs. what it is that they think they need. Once your conversation is flowing with open ended questions on both sides, get permission to share solutions that you... [read more]