From $500 per wedding in 2010 to $3500 per wedding in 2015, I am often asked, HOW and WHEN did you raise your price, Dave? What motivated you to make those price increases? Were there certain signs you were watching for before raising your price? How often did you raise your prices? Once a year? Twice a year?
In five short years, I’ve moved from being a DJ with a base wedding price of $500 (basic speaker system and a very basic 4 fixture “T-bar” light system) to a DJ/MC with a starting wedding reception only price of $3500 (basic speaker system and a pair of moving heads with a couple of LED par lights for dance floor ambiance). Continue reading “From $500 to $3500. Six tips for giving you your next raise!”
12 months ago this week, I accomplished a task I’d been actively working on for the entire year prior and truly, since 2 more years before that. After many, many hours of training and working diligently at my application, I earned the credential known as “Wedding Entertainment Director®” (WED®). Since the WED Guild’s recent acquisition by the American Disc Jockey Association (EDIT: The ADJA no longer manages the WED Guild), there has been a lot of activity around new, motivational leadership and there has been an incredible interest among DJs who are now starting work on their own applications. In the last three months, three DJs have already earned their new WED® credential and there are many, many more whose applications are very close to completion.
The reasons for putting forth the time, energy and effort that a fully completed WED® application requires are many and they often vary with each individual. Some are looking to step away from the term “DJ” as it has been watered down too heavily by “non-professionals” in their markets. Others want to become part of the uniquely talented family that the current WED® membership represents so that they might more easily share ideas and inspiration with those individuals. And still others want to become something “more” then they currently are by fine tuning their current performance and polishing how it is they do business.
For those who are unsure what a WED® is all about or if it is truly for them (and it honestly isn’t for everyone), consider my story: When I first attended the Mobile Beat DJ Show in Las Vegas back in February 2011, I found myself sitting in an “open house” for the WED Guild®. Not having any idea what it was about, I arrived with an open mind and listened to this guy named Peter Merry talk about…I honestly can’t remember what. What I do remember though, was looking at this “application” that was required if you wanted to earn the title Wedding Entertainment Director®. I felt like a complete rookie. I didn’t manage my business or events with anywhere near the detail or talent level they required. I knew this was going to be a challenge. Even though I’d had many years of experience as a mobile DJ, what took place over the next few years was a personal quest to elevate myself to a level of professionalism, personalization, creativity, proficiency and most importantly, performance that I’d never reached for before.
By the time I finally acquired the right to refer to myself as a “Wedding Entertainment Director®”, one of the greatest benefits of becoming a WED® had already landed upon me. As I slowly advanced towards applying to become a WED®, I became a far greater, more polished and better version of…ME. This directly translated into increased demand for my services, increased income levels, and increased respect among my local area of wedding professionals.
As I began the process of requesting the professional reference letters from wedding vendors that the application requires, it soon became evident how much better respected our industry would be if there were a greater number of Wedding Entertainment Directors® to choose from. One such vendor that I spoke with about the concept of a WED® responded by asking, “You mean I could just refer all of our clients to hiring a certified Wedding Entertainment Director® and then we wouldn’t have to worry about what type of DJ is coming in the door?” After I confirmed that for her, she said, “That’s awesome and it makes so much sense!”
Now you might find yourself saying that your clients aren’t asking for a Wedding Entertainment Director®, so why would you pursue it? My response would be that you’re right… they aren’t asking… YET. But if you have the talent level or, better yet, are willing to work towards elevating yourself to a greater, more polished, better version of you, then why not become the leader in your market? Pursue it before someone else in your market does so that YOU get to become the market leader in your area. People in your region may not have known about uplighting or photo booths, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t purchase those services when the idea was presented to them.
Those who put themselves through a WED® application WILL come out better business people, better DJs, better MCs and better overall performers. I’ve had the pleasure of watching this become reality time and time again through the application committees I’ve worked on and of those who I am currently mentoring towards their own fully completed application. I have yet to see an individual who did not come out of this process a better entertainer. Every DJ whose “road to WED” I have been a part of, has had many things (sometimes little, sometimes big) that they were required to work on, which in the end made them a stronger DJ/MC.
A DJ’s skill set is reviewed, revised, critiqued and accredited by a respected group of industry peers who have also submitted themselves to the same challenging process. Every successful WED® applicant has been held up to a standard that exists no where else in the DJ industry. Hiring a Wedding Entertainment Director® provides peace of mind to a bride & groom that they are hiring a DJ/MC whose overall skill set has been “approved”.
This peace of mind that a Wedding Entertainment Director® carries with them into conversations with prospective weddings clients nearly always translates to better earning potential for the DJ. In most cases, Wedding Entertainment Directors® are some of the highest paid DJ/MCs in their market, and in some cases, their country. While attaining your own WED® credential doesn’t guarantee better earnings, it will certainly put you on that path and if you apply yourself correctly in all of the areas that are required to earn a better living as a mobile DJ/MC, you will receive it!
Years of experience often hold very little value for this process because what it comes down to is a DJ’s level of professionalism, personalization, creativity, proficiency and performance (which can truly be acquired in only a few years for some individuals). There is no such thing as being “grandfathered” in because of years of experience. Until every detail that the application is designed to measure has been approved, only then is an individual given the designation of Wedding Entertainment Director®. It is that fact alone, that ensures piece of mind in the publics’s eye that this is not a membership organization that someone with 10, 20, or 30 years of experience and $200 for a membership fee can simply purchase. This is something that is earned.
Whether you put yourself through the full process or not, A LOT can be gained by simply reviewing the application and applying the elements listed within it to your business practices and event performances. Think of this as another tool, at no direct financial cost to you, that you as a DJ can apply to what you do. You will benefit, but most importantly, your wedding clients and their guests will receive the gift of enjoying a better experience then you currently offer. Yes, believe it or not, you — all of us — can be better and can offer better.
If you simply want to network with a tight-knit uniquely qualified group of DJ/MCs, or if you are looking for a unique selling proposition (selling yourself as a Wedding Entertainment Director®), or you simply want some advice and suggestions on places where you can do things better, then starting work on your own WED® application might be something worth pursuing. But don’t let those things rise above what is the greatest benefit to the entire process…and that is, the better version of you that comes out in the end for the direct benefit of your clients and their wedding guests.
The experience my clients and their guests now receive as a direct (and indirect) result of my successful road to acquiring the WED® designation is far more then it ever was before.
“It was truly a wonderful experience. We have received nothing but very positive comments about the wedding day. Your attention to detail was unbelievable, you did not miss a thing. Your positive thinking, hard work and endless energy set the tone for a night we will never forget. I could not have wished for a happier day for my daughter. Thank you Dave. You are a magic moments maker.
Being from a small town, a wedding entertainment director is not something that I was used to, and I questioned the need for one. After having worked with you Dave, I do not know how anyone would want to try to do a wedding without one!”
With enough of us, the conversation between a soon-to-be-bride and her best friend might one day go something like this: “Are you just going to hire a DJ or are you going to hire a Wedding Entertainment Director®?”
Is that a dream? Yes.
Is it a long ways off? Maybe.
Is it possible? Absolutely, no question about it.
Interested? Need more info? View the WED® website and application here.
And for another outstanding piece of writing on what becoming a WED® is all about, please see this blog post by Ohio’s first Wedding Entertainment Director®, Anna-Jeannine Kemper Herman of Something New Entertainment.
~ Dave T.
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Your willingness to be an amazing team player plays a bigger role in the success and longevity of your DJ career than you might realize. Part of what defines some of the most successful and sought after mobile DJs is their willingness to be an amazing team player (even if at times, it might feel like they’re the only “team” player). In fact not only are they team players, they are very proactive team players.
“I don’t know how many times I have to lose the gig to the ‘In-house DJ’. Ugh!!!”
“Why are wedding couples becoming DIYers? Well whatever, they’ll regret it later.”
“I just lost a potential booking to a DJ that quoted $300.00 for a 7 hour party including lighting.”
There have never been more opportunities than now to become something your clients will stop at nothing to have for their wedding. As many of my mobile DJ colleagues have recently discovered, clients will not only hire you for your asking price, but they’ll even pay you $200, maybe $400, maybe $1200 in travel fees alone!
“Everything went so perfectly and you greatly contributed to the outcome of our day. I hope we work together again soon! (waiting for a sister to get engaged, lol)”
Seanna & Blake
I had a guy at my house the other day fixing some internet issues I was having. He commented that it appeared from my office, that I was a DJ. “Do you have anything in the Cloud?” He asked me. I said that no, I was a mobile DJ who specialized in weddings. The “club style” and posting mixes online isn’t currently what I’m pursuing. He then commented that a few of his friends from Toronto would post their mixes to SoundCloud accounts and that he had a lot of fun, at first, subscribing to them. But now, he finished with saying, “Everyone’s a DJ, it’s not that special anymore.”
Whether or not we’d like to believe or accept it, his opinion is one that is shared by millions and millions of people from every corner of the world. But you can change that. The resources are there to become that something special… once again.
This post comes as a result of the endless reading you can make of DJs complaining within Facebook groups (for a variety of reasons, but often one of the complaints listed at the top) that they’re not being hired for the events they want or feel they deserve. The resources are there to change those fortunes. And they work. They work if YOU commit yourself to them.
I’ve slowly started populating a new page on this site titled Resources. If you were to utilize each and every resource as noted on that page, you can and will become something worth fighting for. The public will stop at nothing to hire you…so long as you’d be ok with that. Would you be ok with that?
“You had us and our guests wanting more! We have, and will continue, to suggest you to anyone we know needing your services – not only so that they can have the same amazing experience we had, but so that we as guests could enjoy you again as well!”
Nicole & Scotty
There have never been more opportunities than now. Become something your clients will stop at nothing to have for their functions. Let’s make that a reality, for all of us!
~ Dave T.
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I’m on a serious high right now. High on life, my family, and high on my choice of profession.
An inquiry that came in earlier today just reminded me that for every single wedding I am a part of, I need to work harder (and then even harder). If I do that, great things might happen.
The inquiry is for a wedding that’ll be taking place 1,646 Kms (1,022 miles) away from where I live. The compliment of simply being asked to travel a distance like that blows my mind. It makes me think I need to seriously up my game. The pressure will really be on if they decide to book my services for their wedding. I’ll want to ensure they get every last dime of value for the money they will have invested into my services. Every dime, every penny (wait… we don’t have pennies in Canada anymore!).
The voices in my head were saying: Work hard. Then work even harder. Look what might come of it. Work hard. Stop distracting yourself with silly Facebook drama. Work at it and work at it and work at it. Just get it done! Now! Stop being so last minute with things! Look at the results that are possible when you turn off the TV and stop surfing never ending websites and Facebook groups. Why is all of that so hard? Because IT IS… really hard. It’s a habit, that’s why. And just like I tend to chew my fingernails (yes, I said it, I’m human… accept that) habits can be really, really, REALLY hard to break.
As we got to know each other via Skype last night (that was the quickest 2 hours I’ve ever experienced!) they mentioned that a few things stood out from the wedding where they first witnessed my service: Everyone was involved. I seemed instantly at ease with both families and genuinely acted as if I’d known them forever (and made them feel like it too). They loved Blake & Seanna’s first dance. People danced. It was fun. The DJ playing the role of MC worked so well and just made sense to them (wanna know more about that… go learn from these people).
A part of their inquiry as it was worded:
Anyways, our family was so impressed with the job you did at Blake & Seanna’s wedding that we just had to contact you right away. We have set a date of Oct 10, 2015 in Kelowna, BC. We would really appreciate it if you could get back to us and first let us know if you’re available (please god I hope you are) and what your pricing would be and what we would be required to cover for travel/accommodations and all that jazz.
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
When we are prepared to drop the useless, push our ego aside, replace excuses with opportunities, and dive head first into what we love, nothing can stop us. And I’m not necessarily speaking about your DJ business, but whatever it might be that you sincerely want to succeed in.
That couple from above… they’ve been engaged for 6 days. SIX DAYS. They haven’t yet booked their venue or photographer. Who says the DJ is always last?
The opportunities that present themselves when you turn off the noise can — and will — come from everywhere. But you have to turn off the noise, if you know what the noise really is. I’ll write about that in a future blog post that I’m considering calling “Get rid of the sofa.”
Looking for opportunity? Can’t hear it knocking? Turn off the noise.
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