Do You Need To Feel Valued?

[Teez 0]

Got a phone call enquiry today from a not too local pub via my website..

 

"Can you do a disco/karaoke every other Friday?"

 

'Great' I think, so do some research and email them a competitive price

 

"Excellent" they reply "can you start this Friday and oh by the way we want you to do New Years' Eve"

 

"Sorry, I'm already booked this Friday but could start next Friday. Happy to discuss NYE with you too"

(Not wanting to just automatically bin my already pencilled in booking)

 

That was that... they never came back to me.

 

I could have chased it up but it was very clear that a) My price was good b) Someone else off the net said they were available this Friday c) They went for the one that could do Friday.

 

This is where my question of 'Do you need to feel valued' comes in.

 

They weren't in the slightest bit interested in whether or not they'd chosen the better DJ, their only selection criteria was the immediate availability. Arent the better ones 'theoretically' those that have a busier diary?

 

Now sure, I could have followed it up, maybe secured a trial and won them over with a successful evening but I held back becauise I didn't want to work for an operation that rated DJ's that way.

 

It was a personal choice and I'm not saying I was right or wrong but the job is more than just cash to me and unless I feel a little bit valued I'm not interested.

 

How do others feel? What would you have done?

 

:joe:

[goldensounds 0]

Got a phone call enquiry today from a not too local pub via my website..

 

"Can you do a disco/karaoke every other Friday?"

 

'Great' I think, so do some research and email them a competitive price

 

"Excellent" they reply "can you start this Friday and oh by the way we want you to do New Years' Eve"

 

"Sorry, I'm already booked this Friday but could start next Friday. Happy to discuss NYE with you too"

(Not wanting to just automatically bin my already pencilled in booking)

 

That was that... they never came back to me.

 

I could have chased it up but it was very clear that a) My price was good b) Someone else off the net said they were available this Friday c) They went for the one that could do Friday.

 

This is where my question of 'Do you need to feel valued' comes in.

 

They weren't in the slightest bit interested in whether or not they'd chosen the better DJ, their only selection criteria was the immediate availability. Arent the better ones 'theoretically' those that have a busier diary?

 

Now sure, I could have followed it up, maybe secured a trial and won them over with a successful evening but I held back becauise I didn't want to work for an operation that rated DJ's that way.

 

It was a personal choice and I'm not saying I was right or wrong but the job is more than just cash to me and unless I feel a little bit valued I'm not interested.

 

How do others feel? What would you have done?

 

 

 

:wall: :wall: :wall: I had a call couple of weeks ago from a local pub( never worked there) they found me via yellow pages . They asked can you do 3x Fridays In dec and nye, no to nye already booked, gave them a really good price, they are 10 mins away very little gear .

Got an e-mail from them just going over it again, I e-mailed them back to ask are they confriming..no reply :wall: :wall: I called them "she was out " I tried e-mailing again no reply :wall: .Yesterday got a local paper and saw this pub advertising xmas parties,

THET WANT CHEAP THEN THEY GET CHEAP,

 

:joe:

 

[Dukesy 0]

Do I need to feel valued.

 

As a human being - Yes, don't we all?

 

on a Business Level - No, not really.

 

 

Its when one sets foot in the others territory that the problems begin and you start taking the rebukes personally. Out of all of the enquiries and clients who have not come back to you, why is this one any different? or are you saying that up until now you've had a 100% success rate in turning enquiries into paying work?, or that this is the first one thats slipped the hook and gone swimming back down the river?

 

I suppose the question could be re-phrased. It seems that you were expecting the client to put their entire arrangements / business for this Friday on hold pending your availability from the following Friday?. My question is, why exactly would they do that and why would you expect it?. In short why would they make their arrangements and run their entertainment schedule and business around your availability criteria?.

 

I don't mean that to sound personal, because I wouldn't expect a client of mine to rearrange or cancel bookings or run and plan their events around me either (and rest assured, they don't), purely because I wasn't available on a particular night to cover them.

 

They clearly wanted a DJ who was available for the entire run, and they didn't seem to have any difficulty in finding and booking one. The fact that there probably is more DJ's than work about at the moment probably doesn't help, and it doesn't matter how high we value ourselves, it still effectively makes it a buyers market.

 

Arent the better ones 'theoretically' those that have a busier diary?

 

Not really they may just be stronger at marketing themselves and knocking on doors or maybe they just got lucky and were available for a block booking enquiry which they were immediately able to fill. But ultimately, recessions affect all businesses big and small - cheap and expensive. I've mentioned on other threads about a 4 star Wedding Venue in these parts who've slashed their prices by more than 50% for hiring their 'exclusive country house venue' because there simply isn't the business and even now you could probably book them for next month. Nothing wrong with the venue, and 2 years ago, you had to book them 18 months in advance. Its the market thats changing.

 

 

It was a personal choice and I'm not saying I was right or wrong but the job is more than just cash to me and unless I feel a little bit valued I'm not interested.

 

Whilst I admire your honesty and the philosophy that you aren't solely in it for the money, I do fear you may be setting yourself up for more disappointment on the feeling valued angle. These days its like getting blood out of a stone just getting a simple and courteous 'thank you' from a client on some occasions, there was a thread started by somebody else a while back on the same subject with others in agreement, so I know that my own observation isn't an isolated occurance.

 

Perhaps one method of ensuring that this doesn't happen again is to network with other local DJ's. Get to know them and mutually earn each others' trust and respect, and then if either of you have a similar situation you can offer the immediate availability that a client may want, and get the other guy to cover the ones you can't, whilst retaining the remainder of the contract that you can do for yourself. The client would probably be more than happy with this arrangement and you could seal the entire deal before the client puts down the phone and continues on his search.

 

In any enquiry, once that phone goes down, your chances of getting the work are a lot less than when you were still talking to them moments ago, even the ones who say 'i'll come back to you' - that basically means, i'm still going to look for something else whilst keeping you in reserve and if I can't find it, then i'll ring you back . At the end of the day, we are the service providers, its down to us to do the chasing and be creative in order to retain the client and win that business.

 

their only selection criteria was the immediate availability

 

Nothing wrong with that, its a pub and they are in business to make money and wet sales for their bosses in order to secure continued employment!. Just as you don't want clients going to other DJ's, a pub doesn't want to lose its Friday night crowd to another pub who has got a Disco and Karaoke!, and if 'I' can't be available to work it, they will find somebody else who can.

[Robster 0]

Many pubs will try someone and promise all sorts... very few will give you a residency contract and they are worthless when the pub manager landlord changes which happens all too often

 

They often will give people a go when they are stuck for a night. but they have no bother in letting dj's go at the drop of a hat , on a whim because there mate got some gear etc etc.

 

finding good landlords is the hardest skill , i have no problem when i have not got residencies in doing a paid trial to show what i can do and from that i have got regular gigs.... but as for new year for a lot of pub residencies that may as well be a million years away as they can have ten dj's before then as turnover in publand is amazing.

 

luckily i have good managers at my residencies but on the whole there are not many that"value" dj's as a breed and its mainly our own industries fault , many dj's let pubs down when a higher paid function comes along, turn up late , want to finish early or they don't put the effort in or are dodgy etc etc so we all get tarred with the same brush. we are not like that but landlords deal with so many dodgy individuals from bands to artists to dj's to karaoke hosts etc its unreal.

 

But if i was booked ..i am booked ..i can't be in two places at once and if that meant i lost a residency so be it ...the first booking always comes first , i would have said you know how reliable i am going to be as i wont let this customer down so if you do book me the following week it means i WILL be there, i don't double book i don't let people down.. someone ringing around that desperate HAS been let down or done something to upset the original DJ in my experience.

 

many pubs want the person they booked not anyone..yes they want there cake and eat it . sending a replacement on a first week can be a double edged sword and opens a whole big can of worms.

 

I was asked this by a DJ acquaintance in the same situation he was going on holiday and he was asked to start a residency . he asked me to cover.

 

i went in did my thing got paid then went , my acquaintance came back off holiday and did the following week on the Monday afternoon i got a call from the landlord asking me to do the residency as the original guy was Expletive! expletive ! now I don't think he is and i turned the landlord down but that's the "value" some landlords have for us we are a commodity to barter and haggle with..I never told my acquaintance and he is still at the venue five years later! so he can't have been that bad!

 

I know of many DJ's who would have said yes and took the money as they see it as business and all fair in love and war etc but i respect my acquaintances and friends and customers , manners , treating people with dignity and doing the right thing rather than chasing the money seem to work better for me , karma has a way of treating me back.

 

I think you did the right thing Teez in my opinion

[Teez 0]

Many pubs will try someone and promise all sorts... very few will give you a residency contract and they are worthless when the pub manager landlord changes which happens all too often

 

They often will give people a go when they are stuck for a night. but they have no bother in letting dj's go at the drop of a hat , on a whim because there mate got some gear etc etc.

 

finding good landlords is the hardest skill , i have no problem when i have not got residencies in doing a paid trial to show what i can do and from that i have got regular gigs.... but as for new year for a lot of pub residencies that may as well be a million years away as they can have ten dj's before then as turnover in publand is amazing.

 

luckily i have good managers at my residencies but on the whole there are not many that"value" dj's as a breed and its mainly our own industries fault , many dj's let pubs down when a higher paid function comes along, turn up late , want to finish early or they don't put the effort in or are dodgy etc etc so we all get tarred with the same brush. we are not like that but landlords deal with so many dodgy individuals from bands to artists to dj's to karaoke hosts etc its unreal.

 

But if i was booked ..i am booked ..i can't be in two places at once and if that meant i lost a residency so be it ...the first booking always comes first , i would have said you know how reliable i am going to be as i wont let this customer down so if you do book me the following week it means i WILL be there, i don't double book i don't let people down.. someone ringing around that desperate HAS been let down or done something to upset the original DJ in my experience.

 

many pubs want the person they booked not anyone..yes they want there cake and eat it . sending a replacement on a first week can be a double edged sword and opens a whole big can of worms.

 

I was asked this by a DJ acquaintance in the same situation he was going on holiday and he was asked to start a residency . he asked me to cover.

 

i went in did my thing got paid then went , my acquaintance came back off holiday and did the following week on the Monday afternoon i got a call from the landlord asking me to do the residency as the original guy was Expletive! expletive ! now I don't think he is and i turned the landlord down but that's the "value" some landlords have for us we are a commodity to barter and haggle with..I never told my acquaintance and he is still at the venue five years later! so he can't have been that bad!

 

I know of many DJ's who would have said yes and took the money as they see it as business and all fair in love and war etc but i respect my acquaintances and friends and customers , manners , treating people with dignity and doing the right thing rather than chasing the money seem to work better for me , karma has a way of treating me back.

 

I think you did the right thing Teez in my opinion

 

 

Thanks Robster, I agree with you (and I understand Dukesy's comments).

 

I have found that the people who treat you well at the time of enquiry treat you well during your act and beyond.

 

The ones that treat you like dirt at the time of enquiry generally continue along that same mode throughout the relationship and again, I need to be able to enjoy the evening as well as earn money from it... otherwise what's the point.

 

No regrets!

 

:joe:

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

Its the typical way of the world, to gain client respect and continuous work you have to put sometimes bend over backwards for them, keep them well informed etc etc... but they don't always feel they have to, and can quite happily disregard any correspondence they have had with you once they have booked what they want. Therefore, no booking is confirmed until I recieve a deposit and I don't take it to heart if they don't want to book me.

 

As for the quality of other DJ's around here, I cannot vouch, I know of a few good DJs in South Wales, not so sure in Gloucestershire/ Chelternham.

 

I always try to network with good, reliable local DJ's as I find it really helps when i'm already booked, to recommend someone I can vouch for.

 

Kind of went off in a tangent then!