Disc Jockey News JUNE 2018 • Issue #150
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PAGE 2 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018
The Midwest DJs Live Experience By Mike Walter
Before I get into my June article, I want to offer an apology and retraction to Byron Gunter. In my May article, I wrote that he said the “R-word” during his seminar in Las Vegas. I was wrong. I misheard him. My apologies Mr. Gunter. I’m sitting in the Green Bay airport waiting for a flight home and reminiscing on the last few days, and how fortunate I am to do what I do and hang with the people I get to hang with. I’m returning from a speaking engagement at Mid-West DJs Live but the last five days have been about so much more than just this convention, and so I’d like to share it all with you, dear reader. Saturday, April 28th. When I first agreed to speak at Mid-West DJ Live, I had them fly me into Chicago because I have friends in the Windy City, Pat and Amy, that I rarely get to see. I first met Pat when I DJed his brother’s wedding, twenty years ago. He gave an incredible best man’s toast, during which he mentioned he was going to school for
broadcasting. I immediately recognized a potential great DJ and approached him during the wedding and let him know. Pat came to work with Elite where he excelled for a few years before moving out of New Jersey to chase his dream of making it on television. We’ve stayed in touch ever since, and I’ve followed his career as he’s gone from a few small markets to being the morning sports reporter on Chicago’s WGN. And just a few months ago he started his own television show called Man of the People (look for his clips on Youtube). I had dinner on Saturday night with Pat and Amy, and it was terrific to catch up with them. Pat also did a set at a local comedy club, and I got to see him do stand-up for the first time. I used to boast about my incredible “talent radar” when it came to spotting Pat, but now that I’ve seen how successful he’s become I think pretty much anyone would have spotted that level of talent. I mention this first part of my trip here because it’s a great reminder to always be on the lookout for talent and also how, if you find the right person, it can impact both of your lives. Besides a lifelong friend, Pat made me a good deal of money back in the day. And he credits DJing with helping him get more comfortable in front of a live audience. Next time you spot someone with the raw skills, I hope you’ll take the bold step and approach
Unplugged = Recharged Sales By Tamara Sims
The word “unplugged” comes up quite often these days, especially in our industry when couples want no distractions from phones or social media posts during their wedding celebration. But as someone who works in the wedding industry, have you ever been truly “unplugged” from your business? No phone service, no communication with employees, no returning e-mails to clients and no communication with vendors... yes I am talking hardcore being present in the moment with no technology. If you have never tried it, would you like to know what it’s like to unplug? I am happy to report that for the first time in 16 years since owning our business my husband and business partner Jay and I traveled to London (another first) and completely “unplugged” from our business. Shocking, I know! We took the necessary preparation by informing our clients and vendor partners that we would be inaccessible for 12 days and we empowered our staff to take care of the business while we were away and only to contact us at our hotel if our office was burning down. We removed all business e-mail accounts from our phones, had an outgoing message responding to any texts that tried to sneak through stating we would respond upon our return and in a radical move we did not enable any overseas phone service. Guess what? Our office didn’t burn down, our clients remained
happy, and we had the best vacation of our lives because it actually WAS a vacation. It is not a badge of honor when people say they work 24-7. What level of service are we offering our clients when we return e-mails, phone calls and texts while distracted on our vacation? I was taken by surprise recently when a wedding planner called me from a ski lift in Aspen to ask about the uplighting color for an upcoming wedding. She was not “present” during her call to me, and I couldn’t help but say to her, “Just enjoy your vacation, and we can handle the Up-
them with a job offer. Sunday, April 29th. I made my way north to Milwaukee and then did something I have never done in over twenty years of attending DJ conferences. MidWest DJs Live held a “spin-off,” and I mixed a set in front of my DJ peers. I’ve been working hard these last few years
on improving my mixing talents, and the feedback I got from my set confirmed that I’m moving in the right direction. I can still improve this area of my show considerably, and with more and more practice I certainly will, but I’ve come a long way in a few years, and I’m proud of that. I would never have played a set for a room full of DJs five years ago, but lighting details when you return.” Her response: “I can never enjoy my vacation because my couples need me 24-7.” Actually, they don’t. You are not saving lives you are planning a wedding. Give your clients more credit. They will understand. I did not lose any clients during my absence. In fact, upon my return, I received multiple e-mails from prospective and booked clients that read, “How was your trip?” “Welcome back,” and “What was your favorite show.” We are all human, we all put our pants on one leg at a time, and we all understand the importance of taking time for you. We all need time to recharge, reflect and relax. I have been back at work for two weeks now, and I have booked every client I have met. Why is that? I returned
Sunday night in Milwaukee I did it and survived with my reputation intact. Monday, April 30th. It’s an honor to speak in front of my peers in the industry, even more so when I’m named a “Key Note Speaker” and asked to kick off an entire conference. Looking over the education and the list of speakers at this show, it’s pretty cool that they tabbed me for that spot since pretty much any of my fellow presenters has the chops and resume to have been given that spot. I don’t take that responsibility lightly, so I set a goal to get as much information and performance advice into my sixty-minute seminar as possible. Based on the feedback I received from the attendees I’d have to say, Mission Accomplished! The rest of the day I got to sit back and soak in the other presentations, from speakers like Rob Peters, Jim Cerone, Jamie Bodie and Maria Matarelli. I had been asked by Mitch Taylor (who planned the education for Mid-West) to include some tacit knowledge in my seminar, and apparently, every speaker had been given the same task. I think this was a brilliant use of the collective knowledge at the convention as we broke into roundtables and smaller discussions on a regular basis. Tuesday, May 1st. Having presented my seminar, I had the chance to just be an attendee on the second day of the Mike Walter Continued On Page 4 to work with more energy and excitement for wedding season, and I felt much happier and appreciative of my clients. I hope you will heed my advice on your next vacation. Unplug, unwind and enjoy!. Please feel free to share your comments with me at: tamarasims@discjockeynews.com or tamara@something2dance2.com Tamara is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Something 2 Dance 2 DJ Entertainment in Schaumburg, IL, which she proudly owns along with her husband Jay Sims. She has over 20 years experience in the wedding industry and loves creating wonderful wedding memories for her brides and grooms.
JUNE 2018 In This Issue:
Page 2: Mike Walter Page 2: Tamara Sims Page 4: Mitch Taylor Page 4: Brian S Redd Page 5: Keith KoKoruz www.discjockeynews.com 29442 120th St. Grey Eagle, MN 56336 Phone: 320-285-2323 Published by The Disc Jockey News
Editor/Educational Production Manager: John Young john@discjockeynews.com 320-285-2323 office 612-597-4499 cell Sales: Rob Drachler 972-325-4470 Cell robd@discjockeynews.com
Page 6: Ron Ruth Page 8: Alan Berg Page 9: Chris Politylo Page 10: Joe Bunn Page 11: Mike Lenstra
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Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 3
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PAGE 4 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018
The Mirror By Mitch Taylor
Wireless Remote System Needed By Brian S. Redd
The Mirror. How often do you use it? For many, you might use it in the morning before you take off for work or head out on a date, but how often do you turn a mirror onto your business and how you are doing in it? I find many people are quick to put the mirror (or blame) on someone else, and not so quick to turn it onto him or her to expose the REAL reasons they aren’t succeeding. I think it’s always essential for us to look in the mirror first. Case in point: Vickie and I conducted a Creating Connections Sales Training in Milwaukee recently where we analyze one of Taylored Weddings sales meetings. In my prep for the training, I went back and looked at the video of my sales meeting, and I realized “Oh I shouldn’t have said that there.” This is the mirror for me in my business. The mirror doesn’t lie. It exposes all of your thoughts. It’s not just your thoughts on your meeting after the fact. If you haven’t recorded yourself in a while (especially video), I would STRONGLY recommend you to set up a virtual meeting via Zoom (Zoom.us) for your next sales meeting and ask your client when they get on the call with you if you can record it. How do you do that without it being weird? Simple. Put it in benefit to THEM. “Hey, do you mind if I record this so this way if you decide to go with us we can have it to look back on and use in our prep for your event?” Said in a friendly tone and smile will almost always get you a “yes” and now you have it so you can turn the mirror on yourself and get critique as well.
The mirror for me is looking at footage from a sales meeting or a planning meeting or your performance. If you ever worked in radio, this was air checking your show back in the day, and your Program Director would call you in to go over your work. That doesn’t happen anymore but consider this your invitation to use ME as your Program Director to get critique if you’d like. Call 906.829.0429 or shoot me an email and mention DJNews and I’ll give you a F R E E 20-minute critique of your recorded sales meeting. J (Man I’m feeling generous today…my accountant is going to hate me). How can you bring this mirror concept into the other parts of your business, not just the sales process? Always be a student. Get a coach. Have someone from the Small Business Administration review your business plan. Get into a performance workshop. Send your marketing materials to 5 past clients, five event colleagues and get their feedback on what they like and what they don’t. Survey your current clients on what is useful and what could be improved on your planning forms. For production, ask your team or fellow entrepreneurs what they are using and how they are leveling up their game in this area. These are just a few of the ways you can turn the mirror on yourself. Here’s the key. It’s UP TO YOU TO DO IT. Selfreflection and introspective is essential. Set the ego aside and open yourself up to the possibilities that exist. No one else can do it for you. I promise your future company will thank you for it. Mitch Taylor is an 18 year veteran of the mobile disc jockey industry, starting out on the cruise ships of Carnival Cruise Lines. He is a member of the American Disc Jockey Association. Mitch owns and operates Taylored Entertainment in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and can be reached at 906.786.6967 or via email at mitchtaylor@discjockeynews. com.
Mike Walter Continued From Page 2 conference. And what an opportunity it was. The exceptional education and tacit knowledge continued on Day Two with speakers like Brian Buonassissi, Geoffrey Sandler, Dave Ternier, Jeremy Brech and Bill Hermann. Overall I have to say this conference is one of the best I have ever attended. And I’m not qualifying that by saying “for a regional show.” I’d compare the level of education and production at this show with any DJ conference I’ve ever attended. If you are interested in attending next year, check out their website at http:// www.midwestdjslive.com If 2019 is anything like 2018’s show, you’ll be very happy you checked it out. Wednesday, May 2nd. Mitch Taylor and Thomas Heath, two great DJs with impressive multi-ops in different sections of Michigan (which, it turns out, is a very large state, who knew?), hired me to run a “microphone workshop” for their staff. We spent four hours working together, performing everything from bridal party introductions to various raps that might be delivered at events. I offered feedback and suggestions to everyone involved. It was a fun and productive way to spend the afternoon, and from the feedback I received afterward I’d say everyone felt they got some useful takeaways from me. If you are interested in having me
lead a microphone workshop for you and your staff reach out to me for logistics. Thursday, May 3rd. What was supposed to be an eight-hour commute home turned into almost twice that. A delayed flight caused me to miss my connection and on and on the day went. While I just wanted to get home and have dinner with my beautiful wife I had a great realization this day. We live in a wonderful world where “stranded in an airport” no longer means what it used to. With free airport wi-fi and DJ Event Planner (God Bless you, Troy Ackermann!) I was able to set up a mobile office in Green Bay and Minneapolis and utilize my time. I got this article written, answered a ton of emails and even sent out some contracts. Sure it’s always frustrating when you hope to be home by dinner, but you arrive close to midnight, but it sure beats that same experience 20 years ago All and all this was a very productive and fun trip, and I hope to return to Mid-West DJs Live in the future. Mike Walter is the owner of Elite Entertainment of New Jersey and a nationally recognized expert in the area of multisystem company development and staff training. You can contact Mike at mikewalter@discjockeynews.com.
Welcome to June! Here in the Midwest, this is when we can put our jackets away and start enjoying the weather. This is also when our wedding season really kicks in. There are weddings year round, but it’s finally warm enough for an outdoor ceremony, which is a pretty big trend in my market. Outdoor ceremonies seem to be going more remote, which presents its own set of challenges for us DJs. The biggest one for me is reliable power. Last week, my client wanted to get married right on the lake shore, which was probably a good 450 feet away from the banquet facility. Although there were power outlets closer to the altar, none of them worked. So, I improvised with as much extension cable running from the main building as I felt was stable and a compact array system with excellent long throw coverage. The whole “hmm, this outlet worked last time I checked” thing is way too common, especially with all of these homestead Barn wedding venues popping up. To prevent this issue from ruining an event (not to mention lowering stress levels), I feel it’s time to start seriously exploring the self-powered wedding ceremony system option. The flip time between ceremony and reception can be very tight. So, a system that sets up, breaks down and packs up fast would be ideal. The other thing I’m considering is a 100% dedicated ceremony system. This way, I can go into a reception hall early (when possible) and do a complete system build. Then, I can hit the next location & do the quick-up ceremony rig. When I’m done, I could pack everything up, load it, and walk into the reception hall ready to go without having to bring anything in or re-set anything that was in use for the ceremony. Something compact is important for
a couple of reasons: Not only does it make sense for the quick flip, but it’s also a smaller footprint in our vehicle’s cargo area. So, where do we start? Laptop computers and tablets are already battery powered, so we’re cool there. If you want to run a MIDI controller with your system, many of them are USB powered, so you can just run them (short term) off of your laptop. There are several battery powered PA speakers on the market today. After exploring the current options, I’m going battery-powered array with a builtin mixer. Stay tuned for more on that later this month. Some of these speakers have builtin wireless microphones, which at first, seems like a pretty interesting option. Then, when you think about wireless microphones and what a person might pay for a good one, do you really want to get stuck with whatever solution is included in a $500 speaker? How would you make your favorite wireless microphone system battery powered when DC is required for the receiver? The solution I’m using for this is a Lithium Ion Power Supply from CSNL (Colorado Sound ‘n Light). This powers most anything 12v DC. You can even run multiple taps off of it & is available in custom 5v configs as well. This unit will power my JTS mic receiver for 12 hours + with no issues and is the size of a Kit-Kat bar. If you want to run a DC powered MIDI controller & are uncomfortable using the USB laptop power solution, this battery pack would be an ideal alternative for that as well. In the end, we can make this as simple or as complicated as we’d like. That’s ultimately up to you. We all have our own needs, wants and budgets, but I do hope I’ve given you a few ideas on battery powered PA builds. I’ve built a few of these, but will have a new one to show you on my YouTube channel very soon, so stay tuned! Practice & Enjoy Brian S Redd is a Mobile/Club DJ in Milwaukee WI, DJ Youtuber and an official “American DJ” Artist/ You can reach Brian at: brianredd@discjockeynews.com/
Consistency or Desperation By Keith ‘KC’ KoKoruz
Recently on a PHDJ podcast, Mike and Joe discussed how much follow up is enough, too much, or not enough. At one point in the podcast Mike, paid me a nice compliment a b o u t well marketed the Marquee Show has been. He did, however, call into question if the number of emails that he was getting made me look desperate for attendees. It segued into the question, how we as wedding/special event professionals look to our clients or potential clients when we are marketing to them. It is a great question and a great podcast. There is no absolute way of marketing, if there was, we would see more individual huge companies in their respective fields of business that dwarf all of their competition. Ultimately you need to market the way that you feel best represents your brand. Most DJ companies, however, haven’t gone as far as establishing what their brand is. This may be your first step as a business owner, but that is another topic for another day. You also need to realize that we sell and market the same way that we like to be marketed and sold to. You need to stop thinking that way and start thinking like one of today’s wed-
ding couple if that is the market that you serve. What does a wedding couple in their late 20’s / early 30’s find appealing about the service that you offer? I responded to a post that Mike had created with a link to his podcast. I pointed out that while Mike had gotten a ton of emails about Marquee, they weren’t all coming from me. I had only sent out one that week. I had enrolled the help of Promo Only, The Knot, Imaging Spectrum, ADJA, Disc Jockey News and other sponsors to get the word out about Marquee and that particular week, they all sent out emails, and perhaps Mike assumed they all came from me. I still don’t consider that a bad thing. In a perfect world, they could have been scheduled a little further apart, but I still like the fact that my brand was being put in front of a specific consumer audience with an interest in disc jockey repeatedly. In the wedding industry, we have a very small window in which to get our brand across to the wedding couple. Some will speculate that this window is a year, some say six months, and some say 90 days. Today’s wedding couples have more choices than they ever had. There are far more DJs, photographers, photo booth people, etc. than there ever have been in past years. The costs of advertising continue to rise while the number of brides continues to decline. We are at an all-time low marriage rate in this country. Your cost of lead acquisition is more than likely higher than it ever has been and you need to follow up more now than ever before. These are the facts.
Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 5
The Superbowl is the most viewed sporting event in the U.S. averaging 112 million viewers per year. Even with this football game being an annual event that has become a social event for family and friends, everything about this one game is marketed over and over and over again. We know what cities are applying to host this event years in advance. We know who will be performing at the halftime show months in advance. We know which advertisers will be running commercials during the Superbowl before we even know specifically which
two teams will be competing in it. The ads for it run on the broadcasting network for months in advance. Even with all of this consistent marketing, no one views the NFL as desperate. This is also true of the movie industry and even more so with movie dynasties like Star Wars that had ads everywhere before the show release. Bed Bath and Beyond sends an old school postcard every four weeks like clockwork hoping this is the month that you need or want something that they sell. No one considers any of these brands desperate. So how does this apply to the wed-
ding / special event industry? The same way. You need to consistently be proactively putting beautiful, inspirational, interesting, educational, and/or entertaining content in front of your clients and your potential clients. If you are simply putting out a single email with a discount special and your company logo at the top, you don’t look any different than the other 30 emails a wedding couple gets each day because they attended a bridal show. Over 70% of lost sales are due to a lack of follow up. Just because a wedding couple showed interest in your company doesn’t mean that they are ready to book your services as fast as you would like to sell to them. If you meet a bride at a bridal show, she may have just gotten engaged, and your job is to brand your company to her while she goes through the beginning of her wedding planning so that when she is ready for your service category, you are first in her mind. Three weeks of a sales funnel is not going to work with this bride because she isn’t ready for you yet. My philosophy is to continue marketing in a polite, proactive way until the client either engages with you or chooses to let you know that they are not in need of your service. As long as you are polite and listen to them you are serving their needs they will respond back accordingly, and you won’t seem desperate in the process. KC can be reached at KC@discjockeynews.com.
PAGE 6 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018
Which Wolf Do You Feed? By Ron Ruth
An old Cherokee Indian chief was teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he told the young boy, “a fight between two wolves. One is dark and evil, full of anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity and false pride. The other is light and good, full of joy, peace, love, humility, kindness, and faith.” “This same fight is going on inside of you, grandson… and inside of every other person on the face of this earth.” The grandson pondered this thought for a moment and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The old man smiled and simply said, “The one you feed.” As the old man surmised, we all have two wolves living inside of us that sometimes battle for control over our personal and professional lives. The dark wolf is a naysayer. It focuses on negativity, judges people to keep them down. That wolf is arrogant, yet easily plays victim to the slightest hint of criticism, thinks bad thoughts and looks upon the accumulation of knowledge as a wasteful tool that does nothing to fill its hunger for power and control over others.
The light wolf, however, sees opportunities, focuses not only on the good in people but in helping others succeed. It values all that is right in the world, is open-minded and accepting that there is no achievement gained from being complacent or average. That wolf is optimistic and knows that knowledge will
and doesn’t relieve us of personal responsibility. Excuses strip us of any and all control the moment we place arrogance above humility simply to stroke our own ego and in an attempt to hide our fear of exposing our vulnerabilities. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and cour-
quell its hunger, so it can remain strong and survive through the harshest times, never falling victim or becoming prey to another. “Fears are educated into us, and can if we wish, be educated out.” – Karl Augustus Menninger In business, it’s easy to feel like a victim in challenging situations and circumstances. Instead of tackling our problems head-on, it’s more convenient to place blame on others. Why? It’s a way of feeling more in control of uncontrollable situations. But, that kind of finger-pointing provides false strength
age. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie To nourish your inner light wolf, act and seek out the fertile hunting ground where you can surround yourself with positive influences and influencers. Seek out mentors who will advise and inspire you to be the best that you can be. Be appreciative of the support that is provided, but be eager to do the challenging work necessary to achieve your goals. Your light wolf is fearless, loving, and generous. Instead of disparaging the dreams of others, it chooses to create wonderful things in the world and to maintain a positive outlook. It reinforces the idea that greatness exists inside each one of us and that you can become whatever we choose to be. “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Be courageous. Remove yourself from the negative noise that riles your inner dark wolf. It’s difficult to avoid negativity completely, but it’s easy to remove yourself from places where negative influences reside. Weigh every relationship you have to determine if the dark wolf in others is draining you of enthusiasm and the innovative spirit.
To paraphrase Michael Port from his book “Book Yourself Solid,” just like a bouncer at the swankiest nightclub in town, you are in control of the people and influences you allow passing beyond your red velvet rope. If they’re not properly attired in a positive attitude, you have the power to reject their admission into your life. As for those who have already slipped past your guard, it may be time to show them the door. As author Robert Tew has said, “Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.” Provide your light wolf a steady diet of laughter and happiness. Happiness isn’t a conditional state. It’s a state of being. And, it’s the most unselfish of all emotions that are committed to lifting others up by making them equally happy. Life is far too short to live in the constant shadow of your dark wolf where enlightenment and inspiration can never survive. Celebrate the joy that comes from seeing your dreams transform into reality and use those accomplishments to motivate you to achieve even greater things. Think about the times you achieved something extraordinary. Remember how good that accomplishment made you feel. Feed that wolf every day. “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Ken Blanchard As you go about your personal and business life, it’s your decision as to which of your wolves you want to feed. You can choose to feed the wolf of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, and all those good things in every moment, or you can choose to feed the dark wolf’s anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity and false pride. Regardless, remember that wolves run in packs. Your actions and deeds will either influence others to embrace a positive spirit or will drag them into a negative abyss. Which wolf do you feed? Ron Ruth has been on the front lines of weddings celebrations for over 25 years as a Disc Jockey and certified, Wedding Entertainment Director®. He’s a well-known speaker and workshop facilitator in the DJ and wedding industries, a client experience designer and coach and a self-described Disney “Geek.” Get Ron’s FREE e-book, “The Client Experience Demystified” at RonRuth.com. You can reach Ron at 816-224-4487 or RonRuth@DiscJockeyNews.com
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Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 7
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PAGE 8 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018
The Photobooth Section When Are There Too Many Choices?
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I recently attended the Photo Booth Expo, a trade show in Las Vegas. There was a dizzying array of styles of photo booths. There were more traditional booths, reminiscent of the arcades of old. There were very small setups that would fit in a suitcase. There was even someone walking around with her remote-controlled, motorized, robot-like equipment. Everywhere you looked there were colors, flashing lights, props, signs, and backdrops. Sounds, music and the constant din of voices were coming at you from all angles. It was not the place to be if you wanted some peace and quiet. How do you decide? While I wasn’t in the market for a photo booth (I was exhibiting my books and services), I tried to imagine what it would be like if I were shopping for a photo booth, or accessories. How would I decide? Where would I start? So, I spoke to a few of the attendees and asked if it was helpful, or overwhelming, to have so many choices. As with many decisions, there are educated consumers and novices. The more educated consumers came with a mission. Many had done their research prior to coming to the event. They already had narrowed the choices down to a smaller number, some even looking specifically for one vendor or booth. For many others, the number of options was debilitating. Each shiny object was its own draw. Each slick sales pitch or marketing promo made promises. With this many choices, how would they decide? Would it be based on size, or price, or ease of use or maybe the reputation of the manufacturer/ distributor? If all other things were equal, what would be the tie-breaker? Or, are there so many choices, that some people will choose not to decide at all? The paradox of choice That’s the paradox of choice. When we’re the consumer we want to know that we’ve seen all of the options; however, in this world of almost infinite choices, how do you decide? How do you narrow down the choices to the best few? And then, how do you narrow those down to the best one? Buyer’s remorse happens when you make a decision, and then feel as if you made the wrong decision. It could be that you feel you spent too much or overpaid (which is a value decision, not a price one). It could be that you think there were other options you didn’t yet see. Or maybe that you felt you were pressured into making a decision. Whatever the reason, buyer’s remorse is real. How does this affect your customers? In many of your businesses, there are lots of choices. Whether it’s which foods for their menu, which dress to choose, which rings to get, or which song for their first dance, options are all around. When you add up the num-
By Alan Berg
ber of services each couple uses for their wedding (an average of 10 to 12, according to WeddingWire), and then the number of choices within each of those services, there are hundreds, or more likely thousands, of options. It’s no wonder that a common reason for not buying that day, is that you’ve given them so much to think about, they need to go home and process it all. How can you help them decide? While it may seem counter-intuitive at first, the best way to help them decide is to give them fewer choices. I’m not suggesting you should have fewer options (that’s a discussion for another article); instead, you shouldn’t present them with as many choices. Your job is to ask them good questions, listen to the answers, and then only present them with the choices that will get them to the outcomes and results that they desire. People buy the outcomes and results. They review the outcomes and results. Therefore, help them decide by finding out what those outcomes and results are, and then show them how the few options – or even one option – that you’re presenting to them, will lead them to those outcomes and results. It’s much easier to close the sale when there are only one or two choices in front of them. Reduce the distractions by not presenting options that won’t fit their needs. You can present them with options that are above their stated budget, as long as they represent things that will get them the outcomes and results they desire. Don’t oversell them – selling them things they don’t want/ need and aren’t necessary to achieve the desired outcomes. And don’t undersell them – let them buy things that will bring them less than the desired outcomes (you don’t want to put your name on those products/services, as it’s you that’s going to get reviewed). Be their filter One of the ways that websites like Amazon.com help us decide is with filters. Depending on the product, we can filter by manufacturer, shipping options, color, size, and price. We can filter by the average review score. We can sort low to high, or high to low, or newest first or oldest first. Even choosing how to filter requires decisions, including whether to filter at all, but we need the filters. There are just too many choices. You need to be their filter. You need to help narrow down their choices, so it’s easier for them to decide. You need to make it easier to buy, which in turn makes it easier to sell. I don’t care how many products, services or packages you have, don’t show them all to any one customer. No one needs to see them all. They can’t be right for every customer. As their filter, you’re listening to what they want their wedding or event to be like. You’re listening to what they want to feel when they see their photos and video. You’re listening to what’s most important to them, and then reducing the number of choices that will get them there, and then only present them with those few, filtered choices. It’s much easier to close the sale using the choice-close – would you like this one or that one – than it is asking which of 5 choices they’d want to buy. What about having three packages?
Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 9
The Photobooth Section Want To Grow Your Photo Booth Business? (Hint – Do Less!) By Chris Politylo
Have you ever felt like your photo booth business isn’t growing? Are you doing way too much and not marketing enough? Does it feel like there just isn’t enough time in one day to get it all done? Do you have the mentality that if you’re always trying out new ideas, something will eventually stick! This mindset certainly satisfies the inner A.D.D. to start new ideas, but it doesn’t produce results! Today, I’d like to explain WHY, as well as 5 steps to combat this faulty way of thinking. Beating the Lottery Mentality People who continuously purchase lottery tickets have this similar “wishful thinking” mentality. They’re hopeful if they just keep buying tickets; eventually, they might break through and win big! Let’s face it, winning big is way more fun than putting in hard work and slowly growing your photo booth business over an extended period of time. It’s SO easy to get caught up in this way of thinking with our own business – “If I keep starting new ideas, eventually something will work!” OR You might feel the pressure that effective marketing means trying to manage many different outlets like – Instagram, The Knot, Wedding Wire, Thumbtack, Pinterest, Facebook, Yelp, Advertising, Blogging, YouTube, Google AdWords, Email Marketing, etc. Well, I have good NEWS… It’s a LIE. You’re fabricating this belief in your mind by LOOKING at your competitors and COPYING their strategies without KNOWING the reason WHY you’re doing it in the first place. Stop looking at what your competitors are doing and decide how you are going to be DIFFERENT. To see growth, you have to dig down deep into ONE thing and do it over and over again. Beat it to death! Perfection will come little by little as you explore all the nuances of it. It definitely isn’t fun and most of the time its plain boring. That’s why nobody does it. But that’s also why nobody is growing. Growth is not about doing more. It’s about doing less and digging deeper into the right things and continually learning from your mistakes. So, how can you decide what the essential few things to do daily in your photo booth business? Step 1: Understand Why Ask yourself:
Why did I start a photo booth business? Understanding your motives of why you got into this business in the first place will help you make better business decisions for the future. Knowing WHY will help you to say NO to most things and YES to just a few things that really matter. It might also force you to make some tough decisions, but you’ll be shaping your brand into the vision you really want and not just following what your competitors are doing. WARNING – If you plan on being truly HONEST about answering this question, it might send you down a different path. So if you need a place to sell your equipment, let me know! Step 2: Create Vision Ask yourself: What do I want the future of my photo booth company to look like? Go crazy with this one. Nothing is too big or too small. Just begin painting a picture of what you want this thing to look like in 5 or 10 years. Make a detailed description of the future. This is your vivid vision of what you want the future to be like so have fun with it. Step 3: Define Strategy Once you have a good idea WHY you’re doing this and where you’re going then you can start defining strategy. Try to get very specific with your answers to the following questions: What exactly am I selling with my photo booth business? Who exactly am I selling my products or services to? How can it be uniquely different from everyone else? Understanding the needs and wants of your target audience will help you to position your product strategically. For instance, if you offer a custom high-end photo installation experience for luxury weddings, then you might want to target high-end wedding planners in a wealthy city where lots of luxury weddings take place. Knowing those specific details will help you determine what strategy to use in marketing your services to your ideal client and making your brand more focused. For instance, if you went the highend route, you probably won’t find much success trying to go after DIY brides through Google AdWords. Instead, you’ll want to be laser focused on your marketing efforts to find those luxury wedding planners and building relationships with them. Step 4: Evaluate Ideas
Take the time to list and evaluate your top 3 marketing ideas to reach your ideal customer. Spend time thinking through which ones would have the most potential for success. Remember at first your not going to understand all the nuances of HOW to follow through on this new marketing idea. So don’t let that be a determining factor. Right now you’re just looking for a high-level idea to go after which will evolve over time. From your list of the top 3 ideas choose only 1. The one you choose should be what your gut is telling you to do.
Try to choose one marketing idea that fits YOU. Don’t try going after an idea if it doesn’t fit your personality or natural strengths. Try to pick something you KNOW you could be good at. For example – If your an introvert that hates talking to people, don’t try cold calling. Bad idea! Step 5: Set Goals “In a Harvard MBA study they found that after ten years the 3% who had written down goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% of the class combined.” – Weekdone Every time you choose a SMART goal go through the following questions: Chris Politylo Continued On Page 12
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PAGE 10 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018
Get Out There and Shake Some Hands! By Joe Bunn
I think with all of the easy ways to communicate with people these days (Call, DM through social media, texting, the importance of actually meeting someone face to face and ‘shaking hands’ is a lost art. In today’s article, I want to take it back to old school networking and communication that will definitely lead you to more business. Yo u ’ v e heard me preach about this 100 times. If you have a NACE (National Association of Catering and Events) chapter anywhere pseudo near you, join right now and go to every meeting. I’m serious. The same goes for ILEA (International Live Events Association). Maybe you live in a smaller area, is there a local wedding group that meets? How about ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants)? Have you ever thought about starting your own group if none of these exist? Honestly, it’s not that hard to try and round up a group of trusted wedding pros each month to meet. Pick a couple from each category and pick a venue that will let you host, have an agenda, or make it social the first time, and do it! Side note, try not to pick vendors in the same category that feud, that’s no Bueno. So once you join a group, get ready to shake some hands and kiss some ba-
bies. OK, maybe shake some hands. As I’ve mentioned in the past, it’s often a good idea to go with a “wingman” to these types of networking events. They need to be the ones that introduce you to the other members. “Hey this is my friend Joe, he is a DJ” is a much easier intro than just cold walking up to a stranger and sticking out your hand. You can do that too, but a wingman is going to up your credibility right away, especially if the wingman has been a member of the aforementioned chapter for quite a while. After literally shaking hands, try and steer clear of “business talk” right off the bat. That turns folks off. And for the love of Pete, don’t immediately slide a business card into their hand! Try and have a conversation! I know that could be hard for some folks depending on which generation you grew up in, but try it, it’s awesome to make that human connection. Eventually, you can steer the conversation towards, “How are bookings for you this season?” or something like that and maybe exchange cards (and hopefully schedule a follow-up lunch/ coffee date) at the end of the chat. So how often do you need to be out there networking? As much as possible! As I’ve said in the past, when we used to do the massive two-day wedding shows that had 1,000+ brides come through and 200 or more vendors, I would leave the booth for hours at a time. My DJs thought I was wandering the fairgrounds looking for funnel cake, but I was really going booth to booth shaking hands and meeting fellow vendors, especially when I was the new guy in town! I can’t think of a better place to meet potential
referral sources. If they are at a wedding show, they CARE about their business and are willing to spend money to promote it. Those are the kind of people you want to surround yourself with! The NACE and ILEA chapters here meeting on the second and third Tuesday of every month. I can assure that I’m at every single meeting (unless I’m out of town or DJing). Even when I can’t go, I send Steve or Randy (two of my DJs) so that Bunn DJ Company is still represented and nobody goes, “I wonder where Joe is this month?”. They can tell them! There are so many other chances to “shake hands” with people that can lead to more business for your company. Always look for opportunities to get inAlan Berg Continued From Page 8 Now, some of you have seen me present on packages, or have read “Shut Up and Sell More Weddings & Events” and are asking, “But Alan, didn’t you say that 3 was the right number of packages?” And if you’re one of those people, you’d be correct; I did say and write that. Having three packages tends to draw people to the one in the middle, it’s called the “Center Stage Effect” by the Journal of Consumer Psychology. But having three packages isn’t the same with presenting all three to every customer. If you determine, through your questioning, that one or more of those packages are not right for a customer/couple, then don’t show it to them – at all; it’s a distraction. It’s the same with showing a wedding couple a marketing piece that talks about your Bar Mitzvah, Prom, Quinceañera, and Corporate services. They’re not relevant
volved with charity events, grand openings, tastings and open houses. Typically you are going to be the only DJ there. So not only do you get to play music and be noticed by the other vendors and attendees, you get to sell your services. If you can’t DJ and network at the same time, make sure to take one of your DJs to man the music while you meet and greet! Now get out there and act like humans used to act! Good luck! Joe Bunn is the co-founder of The PhDJ Workshop (www.pdhdjworkshop. com) and also the creator of the videos “Selling the Music” and “Marketing the Music” which can be found at djjoebunn.com.
to them, at least not at this time. Your job is to reduce the distractions, not add to them. Make it easier for them to decide. As consumers, we always decide from the choices presented to us. So, don’t be like the trade show floor, with countless choices and distractions. If you’ve received an inquiry from them, they’ve already done a lot of filtering, and you’ve made it this far. Be the quiet place of solitude, so they choose more easily. Alan Berg has been called “North America’s Leading Expert and Speaker on the Business of Weddings and Events”. Find out more about his speaking, website reviews, consulting, books, DVDs and audio presentations at http:// www.AlanBerg.com - email or call Alan, 732.422.6362
The Way I See It: Turning the Page
Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 11
By Michael J. Lenstra
Ron Ruth makes his way back in the door and settles into his office chair. He’s just completed his daily threemile walk. The first order of business is to check his email, and then he begins working on his daily agenda. It’s a routine that has not changed drastically from, let’s say, five to seven years ago, but back then he got comfy in his chair and began working on his next, upcoming wedding. At 64, though, the weddings are fewer and farther between on Ron’s calendar. He’s filling up his time with other endeavors now, such as presentations or workshops, guided by the helpful tips that he’s picked up from the latest webinar he participated in as a new member of the National Speakers Association. He’s turning the page, so to speak, and moving on from making his living mainly as a wedding DJ. REVISITING In a column I penned back in August of 2014—titled “It’s An Age-Old Question”—I asked DJs who were getting along in years what their retirement plans were—or even if they had any at all. That column was actually put in motion by an article I had read earlier that year in which Hugo Drax (who prefers to go by the single name Drax), President of the American Disc Jockey Association, irked some when he stated, “Being a DJ is really a young man’s game. There’s a lot of equipment that comes with it.” But even more so than that, he said, “Let’s face it, most 26-year-olds don’t want ‘grandpa’ to DJ their wedding.” The statement maddened many a
DJ—or at least the ones in their forties and fifties. But truth be told, most of those same DJs would be hard pressed to name even one of their colleagues that they personally know who did their last wedding and then proceeded to fill out the paperwork to start collecting their 401K. Four years later Drax still stands by those words. “You have to accept if you’re in the mobile DJ business this is a youth-driven industry. Everything about it is youth driven. The recording labels are not interested in selling 20 more copies of the YMCA. There is a point where younger people will no longer consider you relevant because of age discrimination.” Although weddings and school dances may no longer be in your future, Drax says there are still plenty of events available for the 60+ DJ, such as class reunions, secondtime-around weddings, oldies nights, or car cruises. “Look for events that require the music you like to play for the audience you want to perform to. Do the ones you want to do because you love it and enjoy it,” he advises. Now, four years past that original article, I thought it would be a good time to check back and see what some of those who are hitting retirement age are doing. RANDY BARTLETT Four years ago Randy stated, “My target date for retiring is my 62nd birthday. I’m an ordained minister, so I may do more ceremonies as an officiant, and I hope to continue to do speaking engagements and maybe a few workshops.” That was the plan, at least. Circumstances changed, though, and at 60 Randy announced his retirement from the industry last year, partly because he was able to afford to do so, partly because he found it a bit frustrating dealing with today’s couples. Today he says, “I’m doing a handful of things, but really not much. I have three more paid events but took nothing after June of this year. Never say never, but I have plenty
of projects to do for a while. When my to-do list is done, who knows?” RON RUTH “Physically I feel my age, especially after loading in and out events. But mentally, I’m motivated not to waste any part of living a full, productive life,” says Ron. “[But] I think there comes a time in your life when you must ask, ‘Which is better, for me to say it’s time to go or for people that used to pay me money tell me it’s time to go’?” Ron began purposefully scaling back his weddings a couple of years ago. “I’m glad to be stepping back from the DJ industry—although I wouldn’t say I’m leaving it. I love weddings. I don’t have a thing against millennials, but I think at some point millennials are going to look at me and say, ‘You know, Grandpa is already on our guest list. We don’t need him DJing, too.’” Ron credits some great inspirational mentors for the success he has been able to enjoy in the DJ biz, people like Peter Merry, Bill Hermann, Mark Ferrell, and Randy Bartlett. After seeing Randy Bartlett perform his Love Story program at one of the national conferences years ago, Ron found himself saying, “I didn’t know you could do all these fun things at a wedding. I was pretty much like every other DJ. I just followed the plan.” For that reason, Ron would also like to be a mentor and has started his own consulting business, The Ron Ruth ECXperience. “The status quo is easy and very comfortable, but it’s also a very dangerous place to stay for very long,” says Ron. It’s that philosophy that has also led him to what he hopes to be his next career, taking on more speaking engagements. “Right now I’m taking training in how to run a public speaking business. I’m trying to find more mentors in the public speaking realm. I’m taking the money that people are investing in me for training, and I’m re-investing in more training for myself. I call it the great circle of business life.”
KEITH ALAN When I last caught up with Keith he had just turned the big 6-0, so today he is ever closer to his gold watch but, truth be told, he may be as busy now as he ever was. He began his DJ career right after broadcast school in 1976, playing the club scene and roller rinks. Eventually, he moved on to weddings, and by 1993 it was his full-time job. “Weddings were always the most numerous because, well, that’s what there was the most of,” he explains. “Back in the early days of the late eighties, early nineties, we couldn’t handle it all because there were no other DJs [in the area]. It got to be what I was known for.” At his peak Keith had two others working for him, and doing three to five weddings in a weekend was pretty common. Eventually, though, he became a single op, and in the last several years his business model has changed, focusing more on trivia nights and game show events. “We’re still going strong—but with other things now. My calendar has shifted from working every weekend— weddings on Fridays, Saturdays, and even sometimes on Sunday—to maybe one event on the weekend and four or five events during the week. Everything has shifted, and my wife and I really like it because we’re starting to have weekends where we can do things together. I’m working more during the week, kind of like a normal weekday schedule. “Is the money as good? Absolutely not, but it’s just nice to look at it differently and have the weekends free.” The move was in part to free up those weekends but also because Keith could feel age playing against him. “Where you will see it most is at the bridal shows,” Keith says. “Clients will walk by my booth, they’ll politely smile, they’ll take my information, and they’ll say thank you. But then they’ll go to the next person, take their information, Mike Lenstra Continued On Page 12
PAGE 12 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 Chris Politylo Continued From Page 9 Specific – Make sure your goal is clearly understood by everyone Measurable – Make sure you can see results from your goal to measure how well you’re customer? doing 7. What is your one-month marketAchievable – Make sure your goal ing goal? can be accomplished and isn’t too imYou can contact Chris at chris@phopossible toboothtraining.com. Relevant – Make sure the goal is in line with everything else your business is trying to accomplish Timed – Make sure your goal has a due date for when it should be complete. Now, based on the one marketing idea you chose above, lets set a goal that you can accomplish in 1 month. Take some time to figure out what that goal is based on what your selling and who you are selling to. For instance, if I chose to reach my target audience of brides via Instagram then my 1-month goal would be: Specific – Research to find the best course to learn from to become an expert about Instagram marketing. Purchase that course and go through it inside and out. Take notes and begin tinkering around with your own Instagram account. Measurable – Finalized the course. Notes have been taken. The Instagram account is active. Achievable – This goal should only take about 20hrs to achieve and based on my current work/life schedule I can expect to accomplish this in 1 month from today. Relevant – My ideal client lives and breathes on Instagram it is the only way I know how to reach them and my overall company goals. Timed – This goal will be finished in 1 month from today. Remember your 1-month goal should be in line with any long-term goals you set (i.e., 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years). But for the sake of just taking action on something TODAY – Set a 1-month goal and stick to it! Now Let’s Take Action and Get Some Results When you invest the time doing this process and repeating your goal of photo booth marketing over and over, you’ll find results that other people don’t typically see. That’s when you’re building a broader, more meaningful business that’s reaching the goals you’ve set in a strategic way that no one else can replicate. So if you’re serious about wanting your photo booth business to grow, clear out a 2hr block of time this week. Put it on your calendar right now and make it a priority. All you need is paper, pen and your mind in a quiet place to think. Here are the steps again you’ll want to spend time answering: 1. WHY did you start this photo booth business? 2. What do I want the future of my business to look like? 3. What exactly am I selling? 4. Who exactly am I selling to? 5. How can it be uniquely different? 6. What is your one big marketing idea that will help you reach your ideal
Mike Lenstra Continued From Page 11 then stop and they talk. It’s a perceived value. If I look old, clients don’t want to know about the experience.” PARTING WORDS Drax himself knows there will be a time to step away. “As much as I love the ADJA it’s unrealistic to think that I can be president at 70,” he says. “It’s appropriate that I start looking for the next ‘captain,’ the next leader for our organization.” Ron’s bit of advice: “Making a change late in life is not easy. I wish I had done this when I was 40. But if you want something you’ve never had in your life before you’re going to have to do things you’ve never done before.” And from Keith: “I would say re-invent yourself. Look at what’s happening around you and find a need—find your own niche if you have to.” But then he
adds something totally NOT business related but maybe even more important: “Put your family first. Any money that you earn can be replaced, any equipment can be purchased again, but your family is the most precious thing that you’ll ever have, and if you lose the time with them that’s something you’ll never get back.” Until next month. ~ Michael ~ Michael J. Lenstra is a self-described Wedding DJ and is celebrating over 25 years in the Mobile DJ industry. He is a full-time DJ/Entertainer, and is owner of Alexxus Entertainment in Dubuque, Iowa.He can be reached at mikelenstra@discjockeynews.com
Baseball, Business Have A Lot In Common
Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 13
By Harvey Mackay
Baseball season is in full swing, but it might be a very different game if Pete Browning had not broken his bat in 1884. The story of how the iconic Louisville Slugger baseball bat came to be is fascinating. According to the famous bat company’s history, it all began when the 17-yearold son of J. F. Hillerich skipped out of work one day to watch a local baseball game. Browning, the star of the hometown team, broke his bat during the game. Young Bud Hillerich, a woodworking apprentice, invited him to his father’s woodshop, offering to make a new bat for him. Browning, who was known as “The Louisville Slugger,” used the new bat and had three hits in his next game. Pretty soon, more players started to visit the shop for bats. Bud’s father was not pleased by this development, until it became quite apparent that the growing demand for bats, and the ensuing profits, could not be denied. And the Louisville Slugger became more than one hitter’s nickname. Currently, more than 3000 Louisville Sluggers are manufactured each day, and that number swells to 5,000 during spring training. Young Bud Hillerich saw an opportunity to help one
person and changed the face of the sport. Baseball teaches many lessons and offers plenty of inspiration, even from decades-old stories. So many examples of innovation and perseverance come from the sport. And they often relate to business. We’re often told in business that we should work on our weaknesses instead of our strengths, but let me tell you about Jim Kaat, who pitched many years for my hometown Minnesota Twins. Kaat went in to talk to his new pitching coach, Johnny Sain, during spring training before the 1966 season. Sain asked Kaat to name his top four pitches and what pitches he felt he should work on the most. Kaat said his best pitch was his fastball, followed by his curve, slider and changeup. He thought if he improved on his slider and changeup, he would have a good season. His coach disagreed. Sain told him: “I want you to take a different approach. Work on your fastball. I know it’s your favorite pitch so go out there in practice, warm-ups and during games and concentrate on your fastball. Throw your fastball 80-90 percent of the time all year, and you’ll win a lot of ball games.” That season, Kaat threw fastball after fastball and won 26 games to be-
come the American League’s pitcher of the year. I’m a big believer in continuous improvement. We all can use extra practice and work to get better. I have a saying that goes – Good, better, best; never rest until good be better and better, best.
A baseball manager made an announcement to his team at the hotel on the morning of the game that there would be two buses leaving for the ballpark. “The 2 p.m. bus will be for those players who need extra work, and the empty bus will be leaving at 5 p.m.” Then there’s the value of encouragement. When Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became a target for racial hate mail and even death threats. Before one game, Robinson received a threatening phone call that left him so shaken that he was unable to concentrate on the game. Robinson struck out in one inning with bases loaded. In another inning, he committed a fielding error. The crowd
screamed obscenities at him. A time-out was called and the Dodger shortstop, Pee Wee Reese, walked up to the shaken Robinson, put his arm around him, and said: “Jackie, you are the greatest ballplayer I have ever seen. You can do it. And I know something else. One of these days you are going into the Hall of Fame. So, hold your head up high, and play ball like only you can do it.” Robinson went on to deliver a gamewinning hit for his team. M a n y years later, Robinson recalled the incident when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He said of Pee Wee Reese: “He saved my life and my career that day. I had lost my confidence, and Pee Wee picked me up with his words of encouragement. He gave me hope when all hope was gone.” Mackay’s Moral: You’ll knock it out of the park if you learn these baseball lessons. Reprinted with permission from nationally syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” “We Got Fired!...And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us,” and “The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World.
PAGE 14 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018
Top 50 Charts for JUNE 2018
The Weekly Printable Charts (Top 50 and Recurrent) are available at http://www.discjockeynews.com/charts for Subscribers Pop 1 ZEDD/MAREN MORRIS/GREY The Middle 2 CAMILA CABELLO Never Be The Same 3 POST MALONE Psycho f/Ty Dolla $ign 4 IMAGINE DRAGONS Whatever It Takes 5 BAZZI Mine 6 MAROON 5 Wait 7 DRAKE God’s Plan 8 MARSHMELLO & ANNE-MARIE Friends 9 THE WEEKND & KENDRICK LAMAR Pray For Me 10 ARIANA GRANDE No Tears Left To Cry 11 SHAWN MENDES In My Blood 12 TAYLOR SWIFT Delicate 13 LAUV I Like Me Better 14 DUA LIPA IDGAF 15 CALVIN HARRIS & DUA LIPA One Kiss 16 KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA All The Stars 17 CHARLIE PUTH Done For Me f/Kehlani 18 DRAKE Nice For What 19 SELENA GOMEZ Back To You 20 HALSEY Alone f/Big Sean, Stefflon Don 21 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Sit Next To Me 22 NIALL HORAN On The Loose 23 LOGIC & MARSHMELLO Everyday 24 ZAYN Let Me 25 KHALID X NORMANI Love Lies 26 LIAM PAYNE & J BALVIN Familiar 27 IN REAL LIFE Tattoo (How ‘Bout You) 28 RUDIMENTAL These Days f/Glyne, Macklemore 29 BACKSTREET BOYS Don’t Go Breaking My Heart 30 AJR Sober Up f/Rivers Cuomo 31 SAM SMITH Pray f/Logic 32 ENRIQUE IGLESIAS Move To Miami f/Pitbull 33 G-EAZY Sober f/Charlie Puth 34 BIG BOI All Night 35 MADISON BEER Home With You 36 CARDI B I Like It f/Bad Bunny/J Balvin 37 JENNIFER LOPEZ Dinero f/DJ Khaled & Cardi B 38 NICKY JAM & J BALVIN X 39 BRYCE VINE Drew Barrymore 40 LOGAN HENDERSON Bite My Tongue 41 TOM WALKER Leave A Light On 42 EMINEM Nowhere Fast f/Kehlani 43 NF Lie 44 MEGHAN TRAINOR No Excuses 45 BTS FAKE LOVE 46 NOTD I Wanna Know f/Bea Miller 47 LIVVIA Catch A Body f/Quavo 48 JULIA MICHAELS Jump f/Trippie Redd 49 DENNIS LLOYD Nevermind 50 THE WEEKND Call Out My Name Urban 1 DRAKE Nice For What 2 MIGOS Walk It Talk It f/Drake 3 BLOCBOY JB Look Alive f/Drake 4 ELLA MAI Boo’d Up 5 DRAKE God’s Plan 6 CARDI B Be Careful 7 NICKI MINAJ Chun-Li 8 TANK When We 9 RICH THE KID Plug Walk 10 JHENE AIKO Sativa f/Rae Sremmurd 11 CHILDISH GAMBINO This Is America 12 TORY LANEZ B.I.D (Bust it Down) 13 LIL DICKY Freaky Friday f/Chris Brown 14 J. COLE KOD 15 KING COMBS & CHRIS BROWN Love You Better 16 2 CHAINZ Proud f/YG & Offset
17 RAE SREMMURD/SWAE/JXMMI Powerglide f/Juicy J 18 SZA Broken Clocks 19 PLIES Rock 20 BLOCBOY JB Shoot 21 JAY ROCK/KENDRICK/FUTURE King’s Dead 22 LIL BABY All Of A Sudden f/Moneybagg Yo 23 HOODCELEBRITYY Walking Trophy 24 POST MALONE Psycho f/Ty Dolla $ign 25 MONEYBAGG YO Bigg Facts 26 TK KRAVITZ Ocean f/Jacquees 27 LIL PUMP Esskeetit 28 FAMOUS DEX Japan 29 MIGUEL Come Through And Chill 30 DANIEL CAESAR Get You f/ Kali Uchis 31 BRUNO MARS & CARDI B Finesse 32 XXXTENTACION Sad! 33 NCREDIBLE GANG Only You f/Nick Cannon/Fat Joe 34 A.CHAL F/2 CHAINZ & NICKY JAM Love N Hennessy Remix 35 CARDI B I Like It f/Bad Bunny/J Balvin 36 KEKE PALMER Bossy 37 DEREZ DE’SHON Fed Up 38 MOUSE AND LEVEL I Bet U Won’t 39 LIL BABY Yes Indeed f/Drake 40 JADEN SMITH Icon 41 YOUNG THUG Anybody f/Nicki Minaj 42 JANELLE MONAE I Like That 43 ERIC BELLINGER G.O.A.T. f/Wale 44 TRAVIS SCOTT Watch f/Kanye/Lil Uzi Vert 45 LIL SKIES Red Roses 46 YBN NAHMIR Bounce Out With That 47 DJ ESCO Chek f/Future 48 YELLA BEEZY That’s On Me 49 THE WEEKND Call Out My Name 50 QUEEN NAIJA Medicine Adult Contempory 1 ED SHEERAN Perfect 2 MAX Lights Down Low f/Gnash 3 PORTUGAL. THE MAN Feel It Still 4 P!NK What About Us 5 SHAWN MENDES There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me... 6 CAMILA CABELLO Havana f/Young Thug 7 BEBE REXHA Meant To Be f/F.G.L. 8 IMAGINE DRAGONS Thunder 9 ZEDD/MAREN MORRIS/GREY The Middle 10 CALUM SCOTT You Are The Reason 11 HALL & OATES Philly Forget Me Not w/Train 12 TAYLOR SWIFT Delicate 13 MAROON 5 Wait 14 BON JOVI When We Were Us 15 IMAGINE DRAGONS Whatever It Takes 16 MEGHAN TRAINOR No Excuses 17 P!NK Beautiful Trauma 18 DUA LIPA New Rules 19 CELINE DION Ashes 20 JOHN SPLITHOFF Sing To You 21 MACKLEMORE Good Old Days f/Kesha 22 CAMILA CABELLO Never Be The Same 23 SHAWN MENDES In My Blood 24 U2 Love Is Bigger Than Anything.. 25 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Sit Next To Me 26 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Say Something f/C Stapleton 27 GREGORY DARLING My Sleeping Heart 28 LOUIS YORK Slow Motion 29 KAZ BIELINSKI Tell Me True 30 DEMI LOVATO Sorry Not Sorry 31 BACKSTREET BOYS Don’t Go Breaking My Heart 32 HALSEY Bad At Love 33 THE VILLAINS Love Is
34 KEALA SETTLE This Is Me 35 JASON MRAZ Have It All 36 JUSTIN BIEBER & BLOODPOP Friends 37 ARIANA GRANDE No Tears Left To Cry 38 CHARLIE PUTH Done For Me f/Kehlani 39 JULIA MICHAELS Worst In Me 40 CHARLIE WILSON Smile For Me f/Robin Thicke 41 HAILEE STEINFELD & GREY Starving f/Zedd 42 CHEAT CODES No Promises f/Demi Lovato 43 JASON ALDEAN You Make It Easy 44 ALESSIA CARA How Far I’ll Go 45 LIAM PAYNE Strip That Down f/Quavo 46 NIALL HORAN Too Much To Ask 47 ARIANA GRANDE Dangerous Woman 48 LADY ANTEBELLUM Bartender 49 ARIANA GRANDE Side To Side f/Nicki Minaj 50 TRISHA YEARWOOD Broken Country 1 LUKE COMBS One Number Away 2 DARIUS RUCKER For The First Time 3 KANE BROWN Heaven 4 DIERKS BENTLEY Woman, Amen 5 DAVID L MURPHY/CHESNEY Everything’s Gonna Be Alright 6 BLAKE SHELTON I Lived It 7 MORGAN WALLEN Up Down f/Florida Georgia Line 8 KENNY CHESNEY Get Along 9 DAN + SHAY Tequila 10 JAKE OWEN I Was Jack (You Were Diane) 11 KEITH URBAN Coming Home f/Julia Michaels 12 CHRIS LANE Take Back Home Girl f/T. Kelly 13 MORGAN EVANS Kiss Somebody 14 MICHAEL RAY Get To You 15 CARRIE UNDERWOOD Cry Pretty 16 LADY ANTEBELLUM Heart Break 17 DYLAN SCOTT Hooked 18 BRETT YOUNG Mercy 19 LINDSAY ELL Criminal 20 CHASE RICE Three Chords & The Truth 21 THOMAS RHETT Life Changes 22 JUSTIN MOORE Kinda Don’t Care 23 COLE SWINDELL Break Up In The End 24 SAM HUNT Downtown’s Dead 25 CHRIS JANSON Drunk Girl 26 OLD DOMINION Hotel Key 27 CARLY PEARCE Hide The Wine 28 SUGARLAND Babe f/Taylor Swift 29 BROTHERS OSBORNE Shoot Me Straight 30 JASON ALDEAN Drowns The Whiskey f/M.Lambert 31 LANCO Born To Love You 32 ASHLEY MCBRYDE A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega 33 MAREN MORRIS Rich 34 KIP MOORE Last Shot 35 CHRIS YOUNG Hangin’ On 36 RUSSELL DICKERSON Blue Tacoma 37 KELSEA BALLERINI I Hate Love Songs 38 LAUREN ALAINA Doin’ Fine 39 TRENT HARMON You Got ‘Em All 40 MITCHELL TENPENNY Drunk Me 41 JIMMIE ALLEN Best Shot 42 LUKE BRYAN Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset 43 MIDLAND Burn Out 44 JERROD NIEMANN I Got This 45 CRAIG CAMPBELL See You Try 46 CHRIS STAPLETON Millionaire 47 TYLER RICH The Difference 48 RODNEY ATKINS Caught Up In The Country 49 AARON WATSON Run Wild Horses 50 ERIC PASLAY Young Forever
Thank You, How’d I Do? By Dave Ternier
Dear DAVID J Thank you for being a valued customer. Providing you with a great experience is our top priority. Simply click on a star below to rate your expereince. This isn’t exactly playing “hard to get.” The delicate balance, if you can find it, is that setting up specific guidelines for working with you, can lead to an increased desire on the part of prospective clients to hire your services. You’re sending a message that people need to do certain things to have the pleasure of working with you. One of my policies is that I won’t share my price with a prospective client until I know they’ve got all of the information they need to properly make the right decision for themselves (which isn’t always to hire me). If I was to provide price first and allow a prospective
client to make up their mind before they had enough information of what my service is about, then I’ve just done them a great disservice. The most effective way for me to provide them with that information is to meet them in person. Face to face is my greatest method of communication. I know many DJs insist on a meeting (consultation) ahead of sharing their price if they get the chance. I don’t leave that to chance. I require a face to face meeting with prospective clients before I’ll take them on. Hiring my services is more work for wedding couples then if they would have simply hired the average DJ from down the street. That would, in fact, be
Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018 • Page 15 far easier for them. I’m not looking for mail?? couples who want it easy. Thanks so much, BRIDE” The request, to have them to follow My reply to her: “Hey BRIDE, Thanks so much for getting back to me. Really appreciate it! We do need to meet, even if it’s just on Skype. As odd as it sounds, I won’t actually consider taking on clients until we’ve had a chance to meet. :) Just part of what I do. Would you be available any evening to Skype? Another option would also be that I’ll be in Winnipeg on Saturday, September 21st for a wedding that I’m working with. I’ll be staying overnight in the city and could meet with you the Sunday morning before I leave. I’m awaiting confirmation on one other possible appointment that morning, but would that the path you’ve found to work best for work for you? you and your clients, needs to be careLet me know, thanks, BRIDE! :-)” fully framed of course. This article isn’t This isn’t exactly playing “hard to about how to do that, but I will briefly get.” The delicate balance, if you can provide an example from an interaction. find it, is that setting up specific guideThe following is from an email I sent lines for working with you, can lead to an off to a prospect. We had spoken once increased desire on the part of prospecon the phone already, this was her reply, tive clients to hire your services. You’re with mine following it. Will I let this sending a message that people need to prospect go if they aren’t available to do certain things to have the pleasure of meet me by one of the two methods I’ve working with you. suggested? Absolutely. ~ Dave “Hi, Dave, Based in Manitoba, Canada, Dave I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to Ternier is a single operator DJ/MCfor his get back to you! Unfortunately, my fian- company, Special Request Weddings and cee and I are both back in Winnipeg for he is the founding author of aDJthought. the school year, is there any way to tell com. Dave Ternier can be reached at Dame about your rates and services via e- veTernier@discjockeynews.com.
How Do You Close Your Shows? By Brian Buonassissi
I’ve often heard that the most important thing about an event is how you start and end the show – everything in between doesn’t matter. While I don’t agree with that philosophy entirely, I do believe that the ending of your show is the last impression you can make it. Often, in a drunken stupor, guests are singing (err…humming) the last track you played. While I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, when I first started my wedding DJ career, I would end every show after my last song with any closing announcements (after party, location, shuttle info, etc.) and then hit the Porky Pig “That’s All Folks” track. It’s only 15 seconds long and almost always got a laugh or a high five from someone in the audience. It was like my signature at the end of a letter. I probably did this for a year or two straight. I was building my career at the time and climbing into bigger, higher paying events. I’ll never forget doing this at the end of what was a very stuffy, luxury wedding reception. As the track ended, the groom came up to me with this mortified look on his face. He asked me (luckily not in front of anyone), “Did you REALLY think that was appropriate to play at my wedding?” I had no answer. I wanted to say, “This is my signature man!” I quickly realized he would never have known that. He was a destination client and had never seen a previous show of mine. I never forecasted my intentions at our planning
meeting, and even though I worked with the planner of this event at other weddings, I’m sure this wasn’t top of mind to let him know ahead of time. He was right. It wasn’t appropriate for his event. It hit me at that moment that my clients deserve better. Why was I pigeon-holing my “signature” at every event? As I look back now, 90% of those events where I played that track, I didn’t need to. It was just a pattern (or if I’m being honest, a bad habit) that I had developed. As I talk to DJs or read various Facebook group posts, it amazes me how many DJs (and veteran DJs at that) do the same closing. For a while, one of my guys was always closing every wedding with a full circle on the dance floor, the bride/groom in the middle and the same scripted line to intro it right before his crowd starts singing “Don’t Stop Believing.” After observing an entire wedding of his, I suggested that he could’ve placed that same song in a different spot of his reception and it would’ve been more impactful that at the end when he had only 10-12 people left. He had conditioned himself into believing that he had to close with it. I know some who play the “recorded vows” voiceover at the end of every reception or they play the same closing song (whether it be upbeat or slow) and the event just doesn’t call for it. Now, I’m NOT saying you can’t plan for certain things to happen at shows. However, there should always be a caveat that you may need to call an audible based on what’s happening at the event. So many things can affect the event – the weather, how they’ve been there, alcohol consumption, etc. Getting buy-in from your bride or groom to this approach is crucial. You don’t want ever to surprise them with changes. For example, I ask my couples if they have any last songs they want to be played at the end of the night. If they do, I ask for at least two options – one song that is upbeat and one song that is a little slower.
That way, I can feed off the crowd and place them in the right spots. If the party is going off, it could feel super awkward to take a left turn after a rager of a reception and play a slow love song to end the reception. On the flip side, if the party is winding down, yet their track is a party banger, that could end up being an odd ending. Our clients and their guests are all unique which means every event should have its own flare. I have a few go-to mini sets that I may use at similar events, but I never do them in the same place, and I try as best I can to tweak them enough, so they feel different every time I play them. I know the arguments against this could be that “they are party classics for a reason” pertaining to playing the same tracks in the same order at every event or
“if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” regarding doing the same intro/closing. Clearly, both statements are accurate, in theory. However, I do believe in mixing things up to help you stay well-rounded and fresh with your material. When I do a club event, I have 6-8 completely different set openings I could use for this very reason. How do you end events? Same thing every time or do you mix it up? Message me and let me know. Based out of NYC, DJ Brian Buonassissi is a successful internationally traveling DJ/MC specializing in luxury destination private events. He runs a multi-city mobile DJ/event business with offices in Southern California, Destin, FL and New York City. You can connect with him at brianbuonassissi@discjockeynews.com.
PAGE 16 • Disc Jockey News • JUNE 2018