Are You One of the Top 3?

[Alan Reed]

Just a curious thought. Have you ever called your local hotel banquet/catering/wedding managers out of the blue and asked them if they can recommend a good DJ?

Have someone else call for you if you know the managers. The banquet managers see DJ's every weekend and can tell you who's good. They can even tell you who not to recommend if you ask.

Are YOU one of the DJ's they recommend? If not, why? Who are they recommending? What are the reasons they recommend them? How can you be one of the top 3 they recommend?

I had a friend call our area hotels (on speakerphone) and said she was looking for a great Dj for her wedding and asked for recommendations. I found out that Total Music was the #1 recommended for 2 hotels and we were in the top 3 for the others. What a great feeling! We work very hard for that kind or reputation and it pays off. I only have a few open Saturdays in November, otherwise we're booked for the rest of the year. And our wedding rate is $975! And I DON'T offer spiffs of any kind to the managers.

Making those calls could be a real eye opener for you. Are YOU one of the top 3?

Alan Reed
Total Music DJ Systems
Plainview, MN
alanreedfox@juno.com

[djron1]

It does make you feel good doesn't it? I have one big function hall which does mostly weddings and they have me #1. They give out 3 names to B&G's just to be fair but they have me at the top of the list. They do this only because of the way I work. We both work together so smoothly that every function goes great. And it's not because of any kick back or payola, it's just this simple, I make them look good and they make me look good.

Now if I could only get a few more I'd be all set.

[Jim Casey]

This is a great topic that has been forgotten...

I know I am on a few great lists, not as many as I feel like I could be though.

[HeadlineDJ]

I am on a few and last Saturday was asked if I could be a referral for a rather classy place.

Hollywood have made films there, so who knows where that might lead to. LOL

[ThatWeddingDJ]

In the UK hotels avoid making any recommendations to clients about services, especially wedding clients.

Personally, I have a good relationship with many of the hotle banqueting managers , but they do change jobs regulalry, so make sure you keep your records up to date. I don't do kick-backs but will reward regular bookings or referals with a department store shopping voucher.

I prefer to work through an agency for hotel group work, as they deal with the contract and all of the hassle factor.

I think that checking on our local rating is a great idea, but would be difficult to implement here.

Stewart
That Wedding DJ
Troon, Scotland

[Jim Casey]

Hey Stewart,
For the most part the hotels and venues on the up and up. Some do have special deals with certain vendors (that always pisses me off)

I am fortunate that I am on referral lists of some of the nicer and higher end venues in Maine.

[karaokeshalexis]

I have 2 night clubs that I play at that have ballrooms in the back for weddings and such, and they always refer me first becausethey like the way I work, and alot of people have fun when they come to my shows, I have gotten numerous calls from brides to be for my pricing, My going rate since I'm from a small town is $550.00 for 4 hours, and $100.00 for every hour after that. It's alot less then all of you, but I don't think any of you are from Minnesota, I live in a town with a population of about 1,200 people. Do you guys think my price is too little? I want to up it, but I'm scared I won't catch any leads if I do.

[Alan Reed]

Hi Alexis,

Remember, you don't have to be from a small town to keep your price up. Plainview has about 2,800+ people. The photographers in our area get $1,500-$4,000. When you screen your clients, always ask if they have a photographer picked out. Chances are, they do. If they do, they won't be 'shocked' by a mobile entertainer that charges $975 on up. It's all about perceived value.

[Johnny Dee]

We are recommended by the Greentree Country Club and we are listed on their web site. The other two music vendors are bands. We are the only DJ company.

http://www.greentreeclub.com/vendos.htm

[HeadlineDJ]

Since my last reply, I had a client call me and she let it slip, that I was number one on the list given by a certain venue.

I of course gave her my word I would never let on I knew this.

But it does make you feel good! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

I am also starting to write back to venues following functions to thank them etc.. hopefully to score come extra points [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]