Are you proud of your service to clients?
If you're proud of who you are and what you do, then you should offer your clients a "Money Back Guarantee" to prove it.
Have you ever noticed that some Cell phone companies, Cable TV companies and many other service providers will make their clients sign a long term commitment and then charge a substantial fine to you if you later wish to leave their service? But other businesses will allow you to come and go as you like with no hassles, no fines and no attempt to lock you into a longer contract with them.
Why is there such a big difference in these two businesses and their business practice? They both basically provide the clients with the exact same thing (service-product)
Why does one want to lock you in and then if you decide you don’t like their service they will charge you a huge fee while the other has no problem with you leaving to try another vendor?
It comes down to a couple simple reasons.
The company who wants to lock you in knows that they truly don’t provide the best service or quality to their customers. If they lock you in they are guaranteed that they will still receive a cash flow for the duration of the contract.
They also know that most people (in general) are lazy and want things simple without doing the work. When the contract does end they know that the majority of the clients won’t know, won’t care enough to do something and thus get “Automatically” rolled over into another contract because they did not take the time to notify the business that they want out. Now they are stuck in another long term contract. Sometimes this can become a never ending loop hole.
The reason they tack on a huge fine is because they know they will anger many of their customers and a certain percentage will get smart and move to a better service provider. This huge fee will sometimes cause the angry client to just wait it out for the duration of the contract.
Now the company is hoping that when the contract runs out the angry client will miss out on the small window of opportunity to cancel and again “Automatically” roll over into another contact.
If the client is persistent or angry enough they will cancel before the contract is concluded. This is also winning situation for the business because they will collect a fee that can equal the same amount of a normal contract duration or more. It’s a win-win for the less then ethical or professional business.
The bad reputation that they get from that one angry customer is nothing compared to the number of uninformed or uneducated or just plain ignorant customers waiting to sign up for their “Low Price” service.
The other business who allows you to come and go as you wish without long term contracts or huge fees can do this because they know that they will do the best, give the best service, offer a great product and they are confident that their clients will not want to leave for another.
Not charging a huge cancellation fee also gives off an airs of confidence, ethics and professionalism. They want to be known as a customer friendly business. One who will prove their value to their clients. There is no fear of losing customers, no fear of possible problems to be alarmed by, just an easy laid back happy business.
Now you’re probably wondering how this relates to Disc Jockeys?
Do you lock your clients into a contract before they have a chance to read it?
Do you offer a money back guarantee to your clients?
A DJ who offers a money back guarantee to his clients tells potential prospects that he (She) has confidence in their work, their service and will do whatever it takes to make sure the client is happy and not wish to give their money back.
The DJ who doesn’t offer a money back guarantee tells possible clients that they are not customer friendly and will take your money no matter what happens. It reads as if they don’t have the confidence in their work or can provide a service that is worthy of a guarantee.
I believe that a DJ who offers a guarantee is always aware of every little aspect of their business and in their sub-conscience will always be the best that they can be no matter what circumstances will arise.
They are proud of who they are and what they do and can back it up with a money back guarantee. No one wants to work and then give back the cash!
I have noticed that more DJ’s are offering a guarantee and I commend them for doing this. But I also seen a DJ or two who if you read their fine print about the offer it is almost impossible for the upset client to actually receive their money back.
Case in point: In the fine print of his money back guarantee he wrote that the client must send a letter of complaint and it must be postmarked within 24 hours of the ending of the event.
Lets take a close look at this.
If your Wedding reception ends at 1:00 A.M. on Friday evening/Saturday morning, the upset client has only to 1:00 A.M. on Saturday night/Sunday Morning to “Officially” file a complaint to get their money back.
That would mean the client would have to get up the next morning (after the party that night) write their letter and put it out in the mailbox before their letter carrier picked up on Saturday. (My letter carrier can come as early as 11:00 a.m.)
The chances of this happening, even if it was the worst night of the clients life is next to NEVER!
The next day Bridal Couples are sleeping in, opening presents with guests, leaving for vacations, etc.
Most posts office’s collect the mail on Saturday (some on Sunday from a in office box) but the mail isn’t processed until Monday morning. This would have a post mark of greater then 24 hours from the end of the event.
The same goes for a Saturday night wedding. Ends at 1:00 A.M. Saturday night/Sunday morning, you have only until 1:00 a.m. Sunday Night/Monday Morning. If that wedding reception was the worst in the world the client could not get a letter post marked with in 24 hours due to the post office being closed or not processing mail until Monday Morning shift comes in.
From the surface this DJ offering a “Money Back Guarantee” sounds good but when you look deep, the chance you could actually collect is almost impossible.
This reflects again on this DJ’s ethics, standards, professionalism and the fear of losing money when or if he messes up.