Sales Episodes

Though it's not often considered, clarity in messaging is critical in closing a sale, gaining marketshare, justifying your rate, etc. If you are struggling in any of these areas, it almost always is directly linked to a confusing message. In this episode, I share 5 questions to run every bit of communication/messaging through in order to keep your messaging clear, concise and memorable.

Most people think the only way you can win with a booking is by getting paid. No doubt, that is important. But in this episode, I offer two other "wins" you can gain from a booking that are rarely talked about but will absolutely move the needle forward in your business. I also discuss 2 monetary landmines that you should look to avoid.

Being a mobile DJ owner is not for the faint of heart. Since running my own business, I've never found a time where I was like, "I'm bored." It doesn't matter if you're a single-op or a multi-op owner; you will always have a never ending list of things to do. That being said, we should never be beholden to our job. It should be a means to an end. Over the years, there's 6 things I've incorporated into my workflow to help me stay efficient with my time. Time is the one thing we can NEVER get back. Once it's gone, it's gone. In sharing these tips, my hope is that you can find at least one of them useful and that it can give you a sense of feeling like you are in control of your responsiblities instead of time and tasks controlling you.

A homemade Halloween costume, Chevrolet Astro van seats, and blowing $1000. What do these things have to do with being the highest priced DJ on a preferred venue list where you find yourself unable to land events due to the other lower priced DJs on the list? You'll have to listen to find out.

This episode could be a game changing listen for you. At the very least, it should give you all the confidence you would ever need to go out to the world with your pricing, no matter what it is. In the last month and a half, I've been asking clients this question: What Is Your Overall Event Budget? Maybe I was naive for the last 20 years, but after reviewing what it is clients are spending on their events and what percentage of the pie we're receiving, it doesn't seem to me to be an even exchange when you look at the overall impact we have on events. I think it's time we change that. Listen and let me know if you agree.

Recently, there was a discussion in the private event DJ world about how the McDonald's model should be considered as something for DJ companies to emulate - selling services for cheap (and potentially even a subpar product) to produce big net revenue numbers. But is that fool's gold? What are the pros and cons of such an approach? The opposite of this is to sell to less clients for more money. But is there another way other than those two options? I believe there is. We discuss all of this and more on this episode.

When the financial belts of our clients tighten or a disaster strikes (hello wildfires, oil spills and COVID), you're able to really test how resilient of a pricing model you have. When it comes down to it and things aren't booking, what do you do? A lot of companies are dropping their prices in order to keep business coming through the door. Sounds like a solid strategy, but is it? Have you ever thought of the consequences of making that type of move? In this episode, I talk through both the short-term and long-term effects of a price reduction strategy as well as how to create a pricing structure that not only allows you to make it to the other side but to do so in an even stronger position than you are today.

It's an interesting time we're in. A lot of DJs (and event professionals at large) are dealing with clients who are asking for discounts, concessions, compromises to process, etc. This inevitably leads to the "woe is me" argument that has led some to suggest that all mobile DJs should be given a living wage as a baseline. Number one, this doesn't fix the problem and typically encourages bad behavior. Second, you place great risk on clients who hire you based on this flawed wages suggestion. Third, it's not sustainable and ultimately places a black eye on the industry. These hot takes and a host of more on this episode.

We've all heard of people who buy houses that are at the top end or above their budget and then they have no money to purchase the necessities to compliment the purchase. They are often referred to as "house poor". Believe it or not, this happens quite often in the private event world. Clients will secure a venue and not have any money to compliment the space with like-minded creatives. These types of clients can be referred to as "venue poor". It's such a shame that this happens for a special event that may only occur once in their lifetime. How do you overcome this issue? I give you 3 ways to do so in this episode.

In this episode, I talk through this idea of either leading or following prospects when it comes to a sales consult or discovery meeting. For so many, the idea of the DJ company driving those interactions may lead to repelling a potential client. Yes, that's true, but I believe that's a good thing...because you leave room for the right clients who are attracted and frankly excited about the journey you're going to take them on. Pricing really becomes secondary. So what does it look like to lead? I unpack that on this one.

So you're a thriving private event DJ in the #2 market in the US and you decide to start over in a new market. What goes into a decision like this? Do you keep your original market location or dump it and go all in on the new one? What's the way to gain marketshare in a saturated market that has great DJs already? All of these questions and more are part of my interview with Krieger, the DJ. He's never at a loss for words and has quite the opinions (which I love!). If you've thought about relocating to another market, this episode is for you.

In the DJ vertical (and the creative space at large), "package" selling is the most predominant type. But do why understand the advantages and disadvantages to this versus "Option" selling and "1 Solution" selling? In this episode, I break down the various types of selling options and give my own endorsement to the one that I feel places the highest expression of creative value. I've never been able to articulate this as clearly as I do in this episode.

Here's a listener requested topic. You're NOT an owner...but a pseudo single-op who gets booked out by booking agents and DMCs. You've done the work to improve who you are and operate differently than when you were first added to the roster. How do you go about having that conversation about the "new you" and your "new rate" with new prospective agents/DMCs as well as the older ones who are booking you now and are used to the "old you" and "old rate"?

Are you in place where you want to punch up to the next level of clientele but are struggling to get there or at least have some consistency with landing the next level of clientele? Then this is for you. In this episode, I share with you three ways to prepare yourself for that next level and how you can bypass a lot of the trial and error that I went through in punching through.

In the last couple years, I've been blessed to punch up in working with high net worth clientele. At the ultra luxury level, there's quite a difference in what those types of clients value and the behavior that needs to go along with it. While I have been able to naturally adjust, I wish I had some of the nuggets I share in this episode without having to have adapted on the fly.

In a day and age where it's easy to just copy and paste (hello ChatGPT) website verbiage, social media captions or even marketing strategies, how do you stand out? Newsflash: It's not to yell louder or spend more on advertising. It's about going deeper. One of the ways to do this is through story-telling. This isn't new..."story" is a marketing buzz word. But even with it out there, not may people are doing it....or at least not doing it well. In this episode, I talk through not only why it's important, but how to format those stories, and then I give you 4 types of stories you should be telling as well as 4 steps to telling better stories. Even if we all are sharing stories, mine and yours will be unique....and that's when/how we attract our tribe (ideal clients).

From time to time this year, I will be sharing tools on this podcast that I use which I think can help you as a DJ. In this episode, I sit down with VIBO's founder, Michael Mahler. Vibo is an event planning music app that I've been using ever since it launched in the US back in 2017. For those not familiar with the app, Michael will talk us through some of the highlights of the product. We'll discuss some of the things on the horizon for the app and then also he drops a golden nugget in sharing one of the things he wishes he could go back and tell his younger entrepreneurial self. Lastly, he'll share where you can find him and demo the product for yourself in 2023.

I've had a ton of conversations with DJ company owners recently and unlike previous years where we all were tracking in somewhat the same direction, this year (2023) I'm hearing a lot of companies that are in "feast" mode while a considerable amount of others are in "famine" mode. Why is this? And if your inquiries are minimal, how can you change that? In this episode, I give you 3 reasons that I believe are causing the famine and I also share how you can get to the other side. This is a line in the sand moment. Don't let it pass you by.

I've been pretty vocal about the need for me to get a 75% deposit from clients upon booking. This isn't about a money grab - in fact, far from it. In this episode, I break it down to help a DJ who tried to make the shift to this 75% with a client and it caused some pushback from said client. The DJ was looking for advice to counter this and book them. Context is everything. Listen to this episode for clarity here.

It's been a badge of honor for so long in our industry to not only book events in bulk but to book them as far out as possible. It shows you are in demand. It proves that you marketing is paying off. It puts you in a rare class of the elite DJ. Or does it? In this episode, I give you the other side of the coin as well as food for thought to consider pausing booking for 2024.

This is a listener requested topic - whether it's a planner or a DJ or a venue representative, each (in a lot of cases) feels like they should control the timeline. How do you handle a situation where there is dissension amongst the client and vendor team on this issue? In this episode, I give you the answer within the first 60 seconds then dive into the nuances (of which there are many). I think you can set yourself up to shine but most of the work has to be done on the front end to succeed.

Have you ever thought about DJ'ing internationally? 9 times out of 10 most clients are going to have a planner help them with this. So who better to ask about this than a planner who ONLY does international work but is based in the United States. In today's interview, we talk with Paulina Corvi from Paulina Corvi events. She discusses how she picked the location she serves, how she markets herself, and what her creative bent and processes are.

This is a listener requested topic - when to split your company brand in two. In this episode, I share a little of my story and how it came to pass that I created 2 companies with vastly different processes, value offerings, and price points. There's a time and place for making the split but knowing why and when is the key.

Has anyone else seen an increase of after party inquiries? I feel like once a week I'm getting a call for this type of event. In this episode, I talk through why I think after parties are on the rise and furthermore why I think they're here to stay. I give you some reasons why I think you should consider doing them and also give you a tip on how to market for them.