The Fear of Change.
Have you ever wondered why Disc Jockeys have an innate fear of change?
Why Disc Jockeys would rather continue to work a job they hate then to improve their side job that they love and turn it into a full time career?
Why Disc Jockeys continue to make the same simple mistakes in running their DJ business over and over?
Why Disc Jockeys still think the same, act the same and still charge the same rate as they did in 1997, 1987, and even 1977?
I started as a DJ as a young child putting on little “Shows” for the kids in the neighborhood. After graduation I began Djing as a fun thing to do, later in life I began to DJ as a way to earn some extra money. Eventually I decided to make it my full time business and I love what I do.
My first event was a wedding for a sister of a friend of mine and I was paid $200.00.
I, like everyone at the time (late 80's - early 90's) struggled to make a little more and a little more every year or two. By 1997 you were lucky if you made $400 to $500 dollars for what sometimes was an all day event.
It is now ten years later (2007) and there are many Disc Jockeys still charging the same rate as DJ’s charged in 1997.
There are still DJ’s charging the same rates as DJ’s did back in 1987.
I know of one company that was once at the top of the DJ industry, a company that everyone tried to be like and copy. Now almost twenty years later they are charging almost the exact same rate as they did when they were number one, but now they are a less then desirable business to work for or to hire for their service.
WHY?
The fear of change!
They are afraid that if they raise their rates clients won’t pay it.
They are afraid that if they raise their rates they will lose one or two events to a guy with a lower in price.
They are afraid that if they raise their rates they will have to work harder and actually produce a quality service.
They are proud that their rates have only increased by less then $100 over the last twenty years and think it is a great marketing strategy
Unfortunate for them, without the proper rate increases they can’t pay their employees a proper salary so they have a tendency to have a huge turn over. They can’t keep any employees for long.
Without the proper rate increases they can’t afford to buy updated equipment and have problems with breakdowns at events.
Without the proper rate increases they can’t afford to properly train employees to the latest and in demand items clients are looking for.
Without the proper rate increases they can’t afford the advertising as they once did (Half page three color ad in phone book) Now their whole marketing plan is to just add the letter “A” to their already established name to get it closer to the front of the DJ alphabet listings.
Without the proper rate increases over the years they can’t afford to now raise their rates to the amount needed to get them back into the mix to improve their image and quality and restore their reputation in the DJ industry.
Fear is the biggest factor to everything we do, OR DON’T DO.
If you let fear control you it will eventually consume you.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” FDR – First inaugural address.
Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions