10/01/2023
I very rarely put posts on here but hopefully as a self employed single person business (at present) when customers book me they will understand the reason why our price is worth it in the end...
Please read below... This is an example of a typical conversation between a customer and a business.
CUSTOMER: How much will it cost for you to DJ?
Business owner/DJ: I'll do this for you for ยฃ350
CUSTOMER: That's WAY too expensive for that!!
Business owner/DJ: How much do YOU think it would cost?
CUSTOMER: No more than ยฃ150 - MAX!! It's great exposure!
Business owner/DJ: I can't prioritize my time for so little.
CUSTOMER: People in your line of work are so greedy.
Business owner/DJ: Sorry you feel that way. Why not do it yourself?
CUSTOMER: But... but... I don't know how to do any of this.
Business owner/DJ: For ยฃ100, I'll teach you EXACTLY how to do DJin and help you prepare for your first gig - PLUS... you'll get the knowledge and experience for the next time you want to do a job yourself, Saving yourself ยฃ50
CUSTOMER: Deal!! Let's do it.
Business owner/DJ: To get started you'll need the equipment. So you'll have to buy a PA System, Mixing Desk, Microphone, Lighting, Insurance, music and a few other things
CUSTOMER: But I don't have all this equipment and I can't buy all of these for one gig
Business owner/DJ: Well then for another ยฃ150 more I'll let you rent my equipment...
CUSTOMER: That's cutting into my savings, But I'll rent your equipment.
Business owner/DJ: Okay! I'll be back on Saturday and we can get started
CUSTOMER: Wait. I can't on Saturday, I only have time today
Business owner/DJ: Sorry, I only give lessons on Sunday, because I have to prioritize my time and my equipment have to be at other gigs fridays & saturdays with other customers
CUSTOMER: Okay!! I'll sacrifice my family plans on sunday
Business owner/DJ: Yeah, me too, Oh... and I forgot... to do a gig yourself, you also have to pay for the tracks and petrol to get there, Everything is in high demand right now, so you might want to download your tracks tonight and prepare your set, also best bet is to get your van and load up at 6AM before everyone else gets to the Petrol Station.
CUSTOMER: 6AM?? On a Sunday?? That's way too early for me and also... I don't have a van
Business owner/DJ: I guess you'll have to rent one, Do you have any experience on setting up a lighting and sound right?
CUSTOMER: Ummm.. ya know... I've been thinking, It's probably best if YOU get this job done, I'd rather pay someone to come and do this all correctly than go through all the hassle
Business owner/DJ: Smart move, sign this and please get out of the way so I can do my REAL JOB
THE REALITY IS THIS...
When you pay for a DJ, especially tailored to your event, you pay not only for the DJ, but you are also paying for:
- Knowledge
- Experience
- Equipment
- Services
- Time
- Punctuality
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Accuracy
- Sacrifices
- Safety and Security
- Payment of tax obligations
No one should denigrate a professional's work by judging prices - ESPECIALLY when they don't know all the elements or costs necessary for the production of such work
You can't haggle over a service that you don't have the skills or knowledge to do yourself, You can't get a high-quality gourmet dinner party for the same price as a Happy Meal from McDonald's and you can't be mad when skilled people KNOW their worth
Would you trust a cleaner to come and repair/service your gas boiler? Or an I.T engineer to complete a renovation on your house, I don't think so
Just like any job we all have to learn which is time, effort, and skills required for the job, People move from job to job to get more knowledge and build on networking relationships within that sector
So the next time your asking the question "how much do i charge or "that's way to expensive", think and realise what is involved for that person to fulfill your request
Genuine businesses will charge more than people who are not skilled in the trade they are working in and always remember that as it could be a very costly mistake to put right, As they always say "buy cheap buy twice" or the other saying "I wish we'd have just gone with that guy" who knows his WORTH
This is the same across all areas of trade work!
