Disc Jockey News December 2019 • Issue #150
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ga e move from doin a close... w to as e es m m ti co t r ee te w ap rs A ch bitte Jockey News. It is a of our process! c n is io D at e er th n f o ge t t n ex ri n the st newsp d on newsprint, to ng te n This paper is the la ri p ly al tu ac as free newspaper bei at w a th as er w it ap s, sp ar ew ye n f o ly t had mber month 04. For the first nu Js from the Midwes 20 D f e o er er h b w o , ct ed O n in zo d e wer ews starte US. Our first issues e th The Disc Jockey N in s er ion. n ai rt te 22,000 en our ‘national’ edit as w n io rs ve d n mailed out to over co at November (That paper, and a se th e p u th f g o in n m io co rs n ve o n ti anven their ow to Midwest Associ ting the MAPDJ co d o ge m ro an p ch r as w te la 04 d 20 eys an rly October of innesota in the ea fessional Disc Jock M ro P in f d o That first edition in n ce u io d at ro ci p o e ss w ows Minnesota A the regional DJ sh er b em was originally the m re t n’ o d al DJs). Many tion of Profession s were he was listed ere life-changing! o w p ty ey e th su y, is t an rs m fi r r fo u t of o 2000s, but 6 guy... and was par e ag p e th as w r te sue, Mike Wal Back in that first is ose? ah... remember th Ye .. .. s. r. p ye o la O p .. D k. C ar al M as a du FX Pro ad featured a L N e th , as w at th lined, we moved to back ec r d s fa er is ow h rt u ve yo ad d ow rs an To sh e DJ industry. ey News. As sponso th ck r Jo fo c e is rc D u e so th re id d eo vid anged, so online educational an As the industry ch to ed ov m ly al tu ill see more digital w en u ev yo d t, an , 1s y er ar ap u sp n Ja ting paid new ing each month. c Jockey News. Star n is ai D t tr n d ri an sp s p ew ti n rt e o u sh the last of th ter pool bringing yo ri w So, you are seeing er rg la a h it w g rs and re-organizalo ge b er ed m at e d b p l u il r w u e o er n ne ole. Th content o you follow the onli J industry as a wh If D . e ry il st b u o d m in e J th D r e il fo e mob on of change e in early 2020. m pportunities for th o co al to n o re 2020 will be a seas ti o m ca u ch ed u d ith m ad to improve formation so far, w in e th f o tion, which will le e m so rd ringing you qualhea b e to av in h u es yo lv se re su em th ured DJ news, I am eir fellow DJ, the riters who have po w th f p o el h am to te e ir ed es at d ic , and to thank the ded talent, experience are amazing peor ei ey h th T t ! u n o o h ti In closing, I want it ca W li . b th u rint p ntent every mon ul run it had as a p sf es cc su e ity educational co th ad h would not have Disc Jockey News article, video, ch em my friends! ea th h ll it ca w : to d ow u gr ro p dustry ple, and I am back to help the in ess! ve gi to s u r fo l o u grow your busin the to yo n p el ee h b to as h ed s at ew ic N be ded The Disc Jockey d will continue to an n ee b e av h e w or conference... gas in February! Ve as L in u yo e se l il And with that, I w
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PAGE 2 • Disc Jockey News • December 2019
The Finale By Mike Walter
I’ve been thinking a lot about Finales lately. Happens every year about this time, and it’s amplified even more because it is not only a year coming to an end but also a decade. Very shortly, we’ll be twenty years removed from the turn of the millennium. Remember when Y2K was supposed to send our civilization back to the stone age? Of course, the calendar isn’t the only thing making me think of closures. You’ve probably heard that Mobile Beat has been sold and so the convention in 2020 will be the last under Ryan Burger’s regime. And very likely the last time the show even goes by that name. And of course, the newspaper you are holding is wrapping up its print edition. All this fine content is going to be moved to the internet, which is probably better for the environment (no trees need to be felled to publish a blog) but as a writer, it’s just not the same seeing my words on a computer screen as it is seeing them in print. And while I don’t lament either of these passings, it does make me stop and think about the endless march of time and how, as George Harrison put it in his brilliant first solo album after the Beatles’ break-
up, all things must pass. We think about finales every weekend, don’t we? Well, we should anyway. The last ten minutes of an event can be as important as any other ten-minute segment, including bridal party introductions and formal dances. How you end the night, how you send these guests off into the evening, is critical to the success of the party, and your reputation. I know the saying is, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” but I’d add to that, “You never get a second chance to make a last impression either.” If you’re not focusing on the finale at your events, you are missing a great chance to leave the right last impression. And doing so can cost you gratuity and referrals. So what’s a strong finale? If you’re asking me, it should be a high energy song with a good break or instrumental section for you to do some MCing. If I’m DJing a wedding, I fill that space with one last prompt for the couple (using their first names, of course) and maybe even mention where they are honeymooning. If there is a photographer or videographer present, it could also mean getting everyone to face the camera and wave or cheer or jump (again, I’m all about a high energy ending). If it’s not a wedding, all of the above can be adapted to whatever event it is. At holiday parties, it’s a shout out to the employees and a mention of the new year ahead. If it’s a birthday party or anniversary, it’s an acknowledgment of the guest(s) of honor with a round of applause or some other prompt that leaves a lasting impression.
A high energy ending will leave a crowd wanting more, which often leads to the chant (“One more song! One more song!”) I know some people vociferously disagree with me here but if I get the chant, I give them one more song. In fact, when I’m playing my last song of the night, I often cue up an encore song in case I get the chant. And when I don’t, I’m sometimes disappointed. I don’t have the space to get into all the reasons I do this so I’ll just ask you one question: The last time you went to a concert, and there was an encore, didn’t the crowd erupt when the band returned to the stage? I’ve been to some pretty lame concerts that ended with two great songs, followed by rhythmic clapping from the crowd and then a strong, twosong encore. And instead of leaving the arena bummed out, I’ve left on a high. The night wasn’t that great, but the end was solid. That can be a redeeming factor at concerts, at our events, and many other things as well. If you’ve been thinking about finales a lot lately too, I hope this article has spoken to you. It’s natural when a year is coming to a close. And when a decade is wrapping up. And when other institutions that you’ve come to rely on are
ending or significantly changing. We tend to connect things like this together, and it makes us romanticize about the past (or maybe that’s just me). And that’s ok. As long as we don’t stand still because we are looking backward; an appreciative glance in the rearview mirror is harmless. In fact, you can argue it makes the road ahead safer. Which brings me to one last finale, and it’s a question I heard recently that has echoed in my head ever since. What do you want your legacy to be? I’ve written for this paper for fifteen years, and when it comes to this byline, I hope my legacy is that I shared some knowledge in a readable and sometimes entertaining way. If that’s the impression I’ve left with you, then I’ve done my job. And if you find yourself chanting, “One more article!” well, just like my events, I’ve already got one cued and ready to go. Get enough people chanting, and I’ll hit the play (send) button. 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.
So Long, Farewell… By Tamara Sims
For the last five years, I have had the pleasure of sharing stories, advice, challenges, and triumphs with all of you. From a very young age, I have fond memories of reading an actual newspaper with my Dad at breakfast. I love the feel of print paper, and I looked forward to reading my favorite Theater Critic, Hedy Weiss’ reviews every week in the Chicago Sun-Times. After I was married, my husband Jay had the Sun-Times delivered to us for many years to continue the tradition. My greatest joy was cutting out the “Love Is” cartoons and leaving them around the house for Jay to find. Alas, the days of print are quickly fading away, which makes me sad and grateful that I have had the opportunity to write for all of you. Sharing the front page with Mike Walter has been an honor. I have learned so much from him and from every writer, and I am forever grateful to Mike for introducing me to John Young and for encouraging me to send him an article for this newspaper. Thank you John, for taking a chance on a quirky female writer from the suburbs of Chicago and for producing a high-quality industry newspaper that all of us can be very proud of. I look for-
ward to what’s in store for Disc Jockey News’ digital site in 2020. I wish all of you the most joyful holiday season, and I look forward to our paths crossing again. 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.
December 2019 In This Issue:
Page 2: Mike Walter Page 2: Tamara Sims Page 3: Mitch Taylor Page 4: Alan Berg Page 5: Jeffrey Gitomer www.discjockeynews.com www.djntv.com 29442 120th St. Grey Eagle, MN 56336 Phone: 320-285-2323 Published by The Disc Jockey News
Editor/Educational Production Manager/ Sales For DJNews and DJNTV John Young john@discjockeynews.com 320-285-2323 office 612-597-4499 cell
Page 6: Ron Ruth Page 7: Harvey Mackay Page 8: Mike Lenstra Page 9: Recurrent Charts Page 9: Different Spin
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The DJ Collective Review By Mitch Taylor
The first open invite DJ Collective wrapped up last night, and it was undoubtedly an experience/conference for the books. I have attended at least one iteration of almost every single DJ conference/ conclave/convention/show/ gathering/ thinktank/get together over the last 12 years of my exposure to the DJ world at large. I want to give you an open and honest viewpoint into the show from a first-time attendee’s perspective. We arrived on Sunday at Hotel Adeline in Scottsdale Arizona (a great property for this event), and there was a welcome swag for us as soon as we arrived from many of the event supporters such as TheKnot/WW/ WeddingPro, Pioneer, EV, NLFX Professional, Salsa Booth and the like. Swag is always a nice touch, and DMS (Direct Music Service) even gave us chargers. Included in our cost to attend ($2000) was the hotel stay at the Hotel Adeline for Sunday night through Wednesday night (an ingenious move IMO), and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday night was just arrival day and informal gathering of people. I got to meet LA Master of Ceremonies Sean Patrick during this time via Rob Ferre, and it was great sitting at dinner with him. Jessica McKelvey, Kristin Wilson, and I shared a great conversation during our time there. Monday morning was registration and found me having one of my biggest takeaways from the show. Everyone had an opportunity to have a brand analysis done by Kaleigh Wiese of Meldeen. I’m here to say that Kaleigh speaks the truth about branding, has amazing ideas, and the investment in her service to give a full overview of tweaks you can make to your online presence on your website, social media profiles, and video content is astounding. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and one of my best takeaways of the show. After sliding on over to registration after my time with Kaleigh, everyone was given an opportunity to head to the SpeakEasy, pick up a phone and speak a secret code word which would then allow entry to a
room filled with swag items to choose from to further enhance the attendee experience. From there, we went into the official opening of the show. Graeme Cowgill, a former DJ, Pastor, and Speaker, started us off with a great quote to set the tone for our educational journey and help everyone let down their ego. He said, “Don’t get advice for a me that doesn’t exist.” From there, we got to see high-end industry event people share their successes with us from the stage, with one highlight being the thought process that 2nd Impressions Matter More - what will someone see when they stalk you AFTER their first contact in order to recommend you (OR NOT)? Monday night found me at dinner with great friends. However, I missed an amazing set (as told by virtually everyone else) of a Monday Night Miracle Mashup Show, hosted by Rob Ferre. This show pitted some of the amazing talent they had at DJ Collective, mashing up two songs that most definitely wouldn’t normally go together. Digital Dave Lander was certainly the winner of this competition as artists were thrown together from Marshmello and Taylor Swift, KISS and the Venga Boys, Da Baby and The Killers, Rick Ross, and Blink 182, Journey and Future among others. Tuesday found us immersed in the track selections that we ranked in advance in order of which ones we wanted to see the most, and we were given our selections for Tuesday at check-in on Monday. This found me getting to sit in on Master Class sessions with Rob Ferre and Sean Patrick, and I even got a chance to get up and perform a welcome and get critiqued by those outstanding gentlemen. Sean Patrick quote to share with you, “When you teach something, you get to learn it twice.” Lunchtime found us with our first opportunity to have our One on Ones. Now, my understanding from previous attendees of previous Collectives that this was one of their most anticipated and content-filled times together. For me, that simply wasn’t the case as it was more of a six or seven to one ratio with one of the speakers from the conference, with very little time to get into any real meat. This really should have been billed as roundtables with a thought leader leading the conversation, as they really weren’t “one on one” sessions. Graeme Cowgill did an excellent job leading discussion in my group, and Patrick Detken certainly helped out one of my colleagues quite a bit, but this mostly missed the mark for me. After my track selection, we were back
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Disc Jockey News • December 2019 • Page 3 in early afternoon track selections. Kristin on. We had an insightful panel with strong Wilson from Our DJ Rocks in Florida gave multi-op leaders including Kristin Wilson, a great overview of different hacks that one Chris Hintz, Ross B from Rock With U in can make in DJ Event Planner to help keep Miami, among others and moderated by the our businesses running at a high-end level. one and only Mike Walter, followed by BerShe even highlighted how she uses next ac- nadette Baillie discussing Ghosting Cures tions in the program on both the sales and for your Clients, then Troy Williams from operations side, and she shared a way to Simply Troy, a luxury event planner from revive dead leads that have generated her Los Angeles sharing ways to show gratitude company five figures per year. I’m excited to and make stronger connections, even how to see Kristin speak at Midwest DJs Live 2020 create a digital business card. upcoming in April. Lunch and back to One On Ones were Jordan Kahn from Jordan Kahn Orchestra next, followed by afternoon presentations shared some of his past great events from the from top event planners in their field. Two stage and imploring the audience to realize of my highlights were Kaleigh Wiese from that YOU make it different, not your lighting Meldeen, who did a great job with a handout or your gear. Nicole Peck, the Executive VP assisting DJs with how to run a self-audit of BizBash Media, BROUGHT IT with her on their business to help them grow forward seminar, giving us tacit knowledge on apps and finally Danielle Couick with her topic, that can increase our productivity. From Redefining The Hustle. voices.com for whiteboard explainer videos WOW. This talk. Danielle was spot on, to X.ai for virtual assistants and the Dark and I must say it was THE PERFECT choice Sky weather app, her seminar was CHOCK to close this conference. Danielle discussed full of great ideas and actionable content. the concept if you subscribed to the notion Tuesday night’s event was supposed to of service before self and broke down the be outside by the pool; however, Scottsdale, differences for her between choice, deciArizona decided they had had enough of the sion, and consequence. In the end, Danielle drought. The party outside next to the pool received a standing ovation. Brian B, Jason was moved inside to the bar by the pool due Jani, and Joe Bunn came out to announce to much-needed rain in the area. AMAZING dates for next year’s DJ Collective happenDJ TALENT entertained us from DJ Scooter ing in Asheville, North Carolina, in Novemstarting us off, followed by DJ Digital Dave, ber of 2020. I, for one, will be there. who had a SICK transition from The Rain Jason Jani originally described this by Missy Elliott into Ironic (cue the “It’s event as not a conference but an experience. Like Rain!!!!...on your wedding day lyric”). I must say, I disagree. It’s both. Those three It was at that point I bowed down to him - gentlemen are redefining their hustle by givPHENOMENAL work, into DJ Angelo from ing back to the industry that helped make the UK hyping the party even further with an them and inspiring a new generation of DJs extended set and finally capping off with the to go forth, be awesome, be creative and yet Legendary DJ Buck Rodgers. also keep the balance that is so hard to mainWednesday morning found many attend- tain in our industry. Kudos gentlemen on a ees either dressing in the dark or showering job well done. with cold water or both, as a transformer Mitch Taylor is an 18 year veteran of blew just down the block from the hotel, the mobile disc jockey industry, starting leaving the hotel without power for over 2 out on the cruise ships of Carnival Cruise hours. The conference team assembled to- Lines. He is a member of the American Disc gether along with Hotel Adeline and began Jockey Association. Mitch owns and operputting backup plans into place, moving ev- ates Taylored Entertainment in the Upper erything into the breakfast area next to where Peninsula of Michigan and can be reached the party was the night before. After about at 906.786.6967 or via email at mitchtayan hour’s delay, the conference was back lor@discjockeynews.com.
PAGE 4 • Disc Jockey News • December 2019
Are You Fishing In The Right Lake? Moving Your Business Up-Market By Alan Berg
I’ve had a few conversations lately with wedding pros who are looking for couples who are spending more than their current customers. That’s a perfectly fine goal; that is if you’re willing to do what’s necessary to attract those customers. You can’t expect to do what you’re now doing, and those higher-paying customers will miraculously appear. You have to approach this as if you were a new business because if you’re not servicing that segment of the market now, you are a new business to those other couples. As I’ve said many times, there are essentially four steps to getting more sales: 1) Get their Attention 2) Get the inquiry 3) Have a conversation 4) Make the sale How are you going to be found? What are you going to do differently to get the attention of a new audience? What changes are you going to make to your advertising, marketing, website, and, most importantly, your network? I’ve spoken to quite a few wedding pros recently who have invested significant amounts in attending conferences targeting the luxury wedding segment. I recently spoke at Bridelux, in London, for the second time. Many of the attendees are there as much for the networking as they are for the education (no offense to me). People refer people they know, like and trust, and they’ll know, like and trust you more if they’ve spent time with you, in person, not just on weddings. They may not currently be spending time with you on weddings if you’re not currently serving that segment of the market. Here’s my card, please refer me You can’t just go to businesses that
are serving markets that you’re not and hand out business cards and expect them to refer you. You need to earn those referrals, no matter how good your work. To earn those referrals, you need to first do the technical work to master the hard skills to be able to deliver at that level. Then you need to do the work on the soft skills: networking, volunteering, getting known by those you want to work with, by being a resource to them. How can I help you? As many of you know, I’m a proud member of the National Speakers Association- NSA – (where I earned my CSP – Certified Speaking Professional – designation). The unofficial motto of the NSA is “How can I help you?” a phrase that very well describes most of the people I know in the organization. Give first, then receive. How can you make yourself valuable to the people with whom you wish to work and network? Are you contributing value to their social media? Not just liking posts, but actually adding more valuable information to help show your expertise, in a way that supports that page, not trying to overshadow it. Are you volunteering at networking meetings, joining the boards, traveling to conferences? Are you being generous? Cavett Robert, founder of the NSA, famously said that “we’re not trying to get a bigger piece of the pie, we’re trying to make a bigger pie!” If the people with whom you’re trying to network see you as a competitor and threat, they’ll not be very open to inviting you to their circle. If you show that you’re offering to help them, they’ll be more open. One of the benefits of traveling to conferences is that you’re likely networking with people with whom you won’t compete. They’ll be a lot more open to sharing ideas and tips if they don’t see you as a competitor. What investment are you making? You’ve probably heard that you should dress for success, so and if you want a job, act as if you already have it. I believe that you should invest in your company first if you want others to invest in you. How are you train-
ing and investing for the new market? Maybe you can volunteer to help some of your new contacts with weddings in their market (assuming that they’re not in your area). It will give you valuable on the job training, and it helps your contact with an extra set of hands and eyes, and who couldn’t use a little extra free help? On the job training with your current customers Another idea is to offer some of your current customers’ additional services for little or no additional cost. Explain that you’re trying out some new ideas, and they’ll be some of the first ones to benefit, and since you haven’t done it before, you’re giving them a break. Of course, make sure that those ideas are a good fit for them, as they deserve the outcome they want, and that comes before you learning new ideas on their wedding. You can also try out some new ideas by volunteering to bring them to industry events, networking events, etc. What’s the right market segment for your business? Of course, all of this comes after deciding which market segment is right for you. One of my clients bought a venue that was charging a very low rental fee. Now that his fee is 6 to 7 times what it used to be, he’s bringing in a new clientele. He needed to because the investments he made in the venue simply couldn’t be paid back at the old rates. But, he made the investment in the venue first, then he raised the rates. He’s in a rural area, so he’s not trying to attract a luxury client; there’s simply not enough of them in his area to support that. Let’s talk about profit Being realistic about which market segment you want, and what it will take to get there is a key to your success. When I’m doing consulting and sales training, I always try to get my clients to look at profitability, not just top-line sales. It’s easy to sell more… lower your prices. What’s harder is to find the sweet spot of pricing, where the top line goes up, while the bottom line improves even more. Learning to maximize that balance is key. You may not
need to look to a different market segment; you may simply need to look at your pricing and inventory. While some wedding pros have a physical inventory (limos, venues, tuxedos, etc.), every wedding pro has an inventory of time and dates. Whether you can do only one wedding per day or many, there’s still a limit on how many you can do, or how many customers you can effectively service (i.e., dress shops, travel pros, invitations, etc.). If you can’t raise all of your prices, maybe you can raise some of them. Maybe you can raise prices or minimums on the most popular dates (a WeddingWire report showed that approximately 22 dates make up half of all weddings in the US), while leaving your other prices alone, or even lowering them. Maybe you keep your base pricing the same while increasing your upsells. After all, once they’ve already booked you, they’ll be a little less pricesensitive to those additions. Every dollar you increase pricing without giving them anything more is an additional profit for your business. Similarly, every dollar you discount, without taking anything back, is profit you gave away. What’s right for you? So, as we close out this wedding season and approach the end of another year, it’s time for you to reflect on whether you’re fishing in the right pond, but maybe just need some better bait (better advertising, social media, marketing, networking), or need to find a new lake. Neither is inherently better for everyone. It’s what’s best for you to achieve your goals that matter. Just do your homework so you know what investments you need to make before going after a new market segment. Your words alone won’t get you there. First, do the work! 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
Disc Jockey News • December 2019 • Page 5
People Don’t Know What They Have. It’s Better Than Money. By Jeffrey Gitomer
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Count your blessings.” I wonder how you interpret that. I wonder how you count them. I wonder how you take advantage of them. My biggest wonder is how grateful are you for your blessings. HERE’S AN IDEA: Re-look at your blessings from a different perspective. Are they blessings, or are they assets? Are they blessings, or are they attributes? Are they blessings, or are they gifts that you can share with others? GOOD NEWS: There are no right answers to those questions. BETTER NEWS: You have to determine the answers for yourself. BEST NEWS: Once you determine what those blessings, or assets, or attributes, or gifts are you can begin to build them, add to them, enjoy them, and turn them into a happier, better you. HERE’S HOW TO DO IT: Sit down at your laptop and write your eulogy. Write down what you would want your children or your significant other to say about your life. How you lived it, how you achieved in it, and what your best qualities were. What kind of a person were you? What kind of a father or mother were you? What kind of a son or daughter were you? What kind of a
friend were you? Those are the questions that will reveal all of the assets, all of the attributes, and all of the gifts that you have. In my opinion, the one blessing or attribute that will define you better than any of the others is what you gave. I don’t mean how much money you gave away. Rather, I mean what you gave of yourself. Did you volunteer? Did you participate in a charity? Did you help your kids with their homework? Did you help an elderly person cross the street? Were you a giver or a taker? Giving defines your person. Me? I give smiles. And I give them on purpose, every day. I have a daily goal. Make ten people smile every day. That may not sound like much, but it’s amazing what happens when you can make someone you hardly know smile at you based on your interaction with them. It means that you have been kind, or humorous, or thought-provoking, or just a good guy or gal. Sometimes it involves a bigger tip than you might normally give. Sometimes it’s just a matter of holding a door. Whatever it is, when you make someone smile, it changes their whole physiology. They walk away feeling better than they did because they encountered you. My daily goal also includes one other element: performing a random act of kindness. Random acts of kindness are easily defined as proactive politeness, proactive helping, or proactive giving. No one asked for anything. You just decided to get up and do it. I wonder if you ever think about ran-
dom acts of kindness. I wonder if you regularly perform random acts of kindness. I wonder if you understand who feels best after the random act of kindness is been performed. If you perform them like I do, then you know who feels best. You do. Oh, the recipient feels great because you helped them or honored them. But you feel greater. Random acts of kindness have a double win. And the feeling lasts a long time. I challenge you to make ten people smile and perform one random act of kindness a day. I challenge you to do it for the right reasons: for yourself. When you make people smile, you smile. The power of that transfers immediately to all your other thoughts, and
you become happier. In fact, you look for ways to make other people smile because of the feeling that gives you. And that’s a self-imposed blessing you can take to the grave. Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude, and 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerVT.com. For information about training and seminars visit www.Gitomer.com or www. GitomerCertifiedAdvisors.com, or email Jeffrey personally at salesman@ gitomer.com.
PAGE 6 • Disc Jockey News • December 2019
The End Of An Era By Ron Ruth
The end of an era. It’s hard to believe that this will be the last monthly newsprint issue of Disc Jockey News. As I’m fairly sure it is with most of the staff writers, writing this month’s article is a bittersweet task. My journey with Disc Jockey News began ten years ago this past October. My friend, Dude Walker, who was also a DJN writer at the time, asked if I’d like to go to the 2009 Wedding MBA in Vegas. He added that John Young, the illustrious publisher of Disc Jockey News, had received press passes to the event and, if I wanted to take advantage of a complimentary admission, I’d have to return the favor by writing an article about my experience at the conference. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity, and why not? It seemed like a fair trade: one conference for one article. When I returned from the conference and sat down at my computer to repay my end of the bargain, I had an unwelcome epiphany. I didn’t know anything about writing a news article or any kind of article for that matter. And, with the weight of that anxiety on my shoulders, I also realized that whatever I wrote was going to be distributed to a very large audience of my peers. I was overcome with feelings of intimidation and fear. A full day went by with me starring at a blank page, cursing under my breath at my friend Dude and trying to figure out some other way I might be able to pay back John. At the
time, I would have gladly made a deal with the devil to get out of writing. Never thinking that the task would be as difficult as it was, I had also procrastinated, and the due date was looming like a large sledgehammer over my head. (Much as has every month. Some things never change.) The next morning, I decided that I had no other choice but to write. I gave it my best effort, and even though I knew that my best was less than sub-par, I forwarded it to John. I probably included a selfdeprecating note that said that it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if he chose not to print it. Advertising revenue must have been down that month because he didn’t hesitate to include it in the October 2009, Disc Jockey News. Although I wasn’t necessarily proud of my accomplishment, my debt had been paid, and I was relieved and happy to put the experience behind me. What happened next came as a surprise to me. As the November Disc Jockey News deadline approached, I was happy that my obligation was behind me. Even so, I was somehow (I still believe mistakenly) included in a reminder email John sent to all of the staff writers. “I need all articles by Tuesday,” John wrote. I immediately picked up the phone and called Dude and vigorously protested. “Another article? Are you kidding me? I’ve paid my debt!” If I recall correctly, he laughed and said, “You’re one of us now!” How was that possible? I’d proven I wasn’t a writer. My only remaining option was to call John and plea for an out. John listened to me rant and to my dismay at being asked to write another article. In a quiet, calm, friendly, and persuasive tone, he told me to write about something I know, something that would make me happy. What you, as a reader, don’t know about John is that he doesn’t give up on his writing staff. He’s always
positive and treats us all with tremendous respect and care. Maybe it comes from the lessons he and Lori have learned from raising 15 children. I don’t know. Regardless, the man has the patience of a rock, and when he asks you to do something, it’s virtually impossible to say “no.” John has always encouraged me, as I’m sure he has every other writer here, to write about things that excite me and that I enjoy. He’s never stopped me from
sharing my love of Disney or complained when I get fired up about something that prompts me to write an article that far exceeds his word limit. I’ve come to respect that his maximum word counts are more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. He also knows to disregard my first two, monthly submissions, because they will always be followed by at least one or two more edits that include any number of tweaks to make the article better. I believe it is because of John’s encouragement and never-give-up attitude that I’ve been given opportunities to do things I would have never been able to do on my own, like speaking to DJs on a national stage. I’m hard-pressed to come up with just the right words to let John know how much I appreciate all that he’s done for me, the opportunities he’s given me, and for the doors, he has opened. I doubt that I would have as many friends as I do without my monthly presence in this publication. You, the reader, are also my friends,
and I thank you for whatever time or consideration you give my monthly musings. Writing for me is still a struggle. But, I’ve finally forgiven Dude. And, as it was with my first article, I tried to give my best effort every month. I’d like to think, though, that I’ve gotten at least a little better over time. I’m thankful to have been included in the Disc Jockey News journey and to have been associated with such an incredibly talented and dedicated writing staff. These individuals give unselfishly of their knowledge to help others grow their business. They are due a tremendous amount of gratitude. I’m thankful for the home I had on page six, and for the countless support I received from so many individuals in our industry over the years; not just as a writer but as an entertainer and businessman. After you’ve finished reading the articles in this edition of Disc Jockey News, I invite you to remember that nothing lasts forever. Don’t wait until the last minute to acknowledge those who have helped you succeed or have contributed an idea that has made you a better performer or business person. Let them know how much you respect them as a trusted advisor and friend. To everyone who has hung with me as a reader over the past decade, thank you again. I look forward to catching up with you in whatever reincarnation this publication takes. I can’t wait to see what the future brings. Above all, I wish you and your family a joyful holiday season! Special note to John: After ten years, I finally came in under 1200 words. Think of it as my farewell gift to you. To learn more about “How To Speak Fluent ‘WOW!:’ The Language Of HighSpending, Loyal Raving Customers.”--the customers you want to attract most to your business, please visit my website at http://RonRuth.com or email me at RonRuth@DiscJockeyNews.com
Disc Jockey News • December 2019 • Page 7
A Good Speech Is Like A Pencil: It Has A Point By Harvey Mackay
There are few times in life when you are totally alone… like just before you make a five-minute speech. Or, if you doubt the concept of eternity, try and make a five-minute speech. Let’s start with my basic premise: Everyone is a salesperson, whether you want to admit it or not. Why? Because from the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, you are continually communicating, negotiating, persuading, influencing, and selling ideas. When you can get up on your feet and talk extemporaneously on a variety of subjects, this instills confidence, develops poise, and breeds conviction. You become more convincing in your meetings and your encounters. Also, you become a better leader, manager, and salesperson. The best-kept secret in the world is Toastmasters International, which started in 1924 and today has 357,000 members in 143 countries and more than 16,600 member clubs. I am a proud graduate. Toastmasters changed my life. And it can change your life too. Another organization that can dramatically change your life is Dale Carnegie Training, which boasts a century of proven success in professional training and development solutions. I am also a graduate of Dale Carnegie. After years of taking the podium in front of Fortune 1000 companies and community groups, I developed a very useful tool to make speaking easier. It’s called the Harvey Mackay 35 To Stay Alive. It’s one of the many handouts available free on my website, www.harveymackayacademy. com (under Resources). Let me share a dozen key tips from the Mackay 35 that will help you give a good speech. The three most important keys on giving a good speech are: 1) Room size. 2) Room size, and 3) Room size. You want the excitement and chemistry of a standing room only, bumperto-bumper crowd. Extra space is a killer. Avoid it at all cost. Where possible, try to avoid high ceilings. Have the first row set very close to the stage. Too much space between the speaker and the first row can destroy chemistry with the audience. Studies show people remember more and laugh more in brightness. Turn the lights up full blast, unless you are showing slides/overheads. Practice … Practice … Practice. Know your stuff. Don’t ever give another speech without it being entertaining, as well as educational. Outside noise from the adjoining rooms and hallways is the #1 killer of meetings. In fact, if another event is being held in the rooms adjacent to my talk, I will make every effort
to book another venue. If you can’t hear a pin drop, you’re in the wrong room. A quick phone call to the catering manager will ensure total quiet. Never, never, never end your program with a question and answer session. You cannot control the agenda or the quality of the questions. Start the Q & A five minutes before the end of your talk, then end with a good story. Find out who the group’s last three to five speakers were and how they were accepted. Ask why they were successful or why they failed. Always request that a technician be in the room during your entire talk in case of microphone problems. Contact the Chamber of Commerce of any city you are to speak in. They will give you loads of informa-
tion to familiarize you with the local surroundings and help you personalize your remarks. Above all, you must know your audience. Never, never mispronounce a person’s name. If you’re not sure, check with the sponsor. Then double-check. Stick to your allotted time and don’t exceed it. If you don’t have a smashing “opener” and “closer,” go back to the drawing board. And, don’t step up to the microphone until you do. And finally, debrief yourself within twenty-four hours of a speech, and take 10 minutes to write down what you could do better the next time. Try something new every time you speak, and you’ll never become stale. I estimate I’ve given well over 2,000 speeches and presentations over
the years. I will confess, I still get butterflies before I speak. When those butterflies flit away, I will know it’s time to walk away from the podium. Because I am quite convinced that if I get too comfortable, my audience will too – just before they fall asleep! Mackay’s Moral: The best way to make a speech is to have a good beginning and a good ending – and to keep them close together. 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.
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PAGE 8 • Disc Jockey News • December 2019
The Way I See It: That’s A Wrap By Michael J. Lenstra
“And so it has come to this.” I think of that line every time I reach the end of a significant stage in my life, whether that’s moving to a new home, watching one of my children head off to college for the first time, or making a life-changing career move. It’s actually the opening line from Johnny Carson’s final comments on stage before signing off from “The Tonight S h o w, ” which he hosted for 30 years, for the last time. Every time I reach one of those personal milestones that line pops back in my head. So here is my ‘and so it’s come to this. . . .” This is the end of one of those eras: My final column in the Disc Jockey News after eight-plus years of writing for this fine publication. The Disc Jockey News will continue on, albeit in a new and rebranded digital format, and many of the columnists that you have followed for years will be a part of it. But as a print publication, this is the end of the road for the Disc Jockey News as we have come to know it. This change represents not so much being a victim of the times—we’re all aware that how we consume information now is much different than how we did even ten years ago—but more a changing of the guard. “I’m one of the lucky people in the
world. I’ve found something I’ve always wanted to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it,” was Johnny’s followup line in those closing thoughts, to which I can say I feel exactly the same way. I know that I have been blessed to be able to make a living at what I love to do as a Mobile DJ and I have been able to fulfill one of my passions by writing a monthly column for these past eight years, which led to the publication of my book containing a collection of some of those pieces earlier this year. So, as I get ready to close the tab on one final article, I think it’s time to hand out some kudos. AND THE AWARD GOES TO . . . If I were to hand out some mythical awards to the Mobile DJ world, these would be my choices. BEST INTERVIEW—This is a tough one since I’ve had the opportunity to have conversations with some notable (and maybe not as well-known, but just as important) people in our industry, like Peter Merry, Bill Hermann, and Ron Ruth. But my favorite interviews can be narrowed down to a group of three: Michigan DJ and former member of the Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute Dan Nichols, Mobile Beat Magazine cofounder Michael Buonoccorso, and Columbus, Ohio’s Buckeye Entertainment owner Byron Gunter. Dan gets my vote because he is so open and passionate when he talks to you, and Michael and Byron earn theirs because there is no political correctness to them. They tell you what they think without fear of whether you’ll agree or not. Thanks to all, though, who have taken the time to talk to me and given me your perspectives. AMBASSADOR OF THE INDUSTRY—If a cable channel decided to make a documentary on what it takes to put a
wedding together and wanted the view from a DJ, the two that I would want to represent us would be Jim Cerone and Mitch Taylor. I view them as two of the most well-spoken and professional men to represent our industry. Thanks for all you do for the community. GREATEST INFLUENCE ON THE INDUSTRY—If I was asked who I thought had the biggest influence on our industry through the 25 years I have been part of this business, I think my pick might be somewhat of a surprise. Some might say Mark Farrell because of his “Getting What You’re Worth” movement that he started in the industry now so many years ago, whereas others may feel that, although Mark brought the movement, it was Peter Merry who, as president of the American Disc Jockey Association, toured the country and educated DJs on HOW to do it. Many have told me that Bill Hermann’s workshop, “The Entertainment Experience,” has been the biggest influence on their career, and Bill needs to be recognized for that. My vote, though, would go to someone who is less of a frontman. There is a saying, “Behind every successful man is a good woman,” meaning someone to offer support and guidance. John Young has provided that support to the industry. He may not always be front and center, but he has been the publisher of this newspaper, began the DJN-TV channel, and has traveled from LA to Atlantic City and Minneapolis to Dallas organizing events and bringing DJs news and the latest technology info to further the Mobile DJ industry. For these reasons, John gets my vote. ON THE HORIZON—There are new names that are now industry stalwarts that will lead us into the third decade already of this 21st century. I hesitate to call them leaders because, as Michael Buonaccorso pointed out to me in an interview, “The people that we call leaders are not really
leading anything. What are they leading? Do they have people that report to them? If you wrote a book and gave a seminar and the room is full, you’re not leading those people—you’re talking to them. “A lot of people have given me credit over the years for being a ‘leader’ by the very fact that I gave them a vehicle (Mobile Beat Magazine), but I wasn’t the driver, I just owned the car.” I do have a fantasy though that someday Michigan DJ Thomas Heath and fellow party professional Lucas Henrichs team up to lead the ADJA – or maybe some other disc jockey related organization. What an organization that would be. Not only are the two good friends, but their passion and their work ethic would be an influence to hundreds. Their dedication to their craft with the amount of seminars and workshops they attend and their willingness to help others on their own road to success is overshadowed by no one. A FINAL THANK YOU First, to my wife and family. Thanks for putting up with all that I do. Also, to my own personal editor, Chris. I’ve said it before, but you make me look smarter than I probably truly am. Finally, to my fellow columnist, Ron Ruth, who has been somewhat of a mentor and coach, thanks for taking my calls, answering my questions, and letting me bounce ideas off of you. I wish John and his crew all the best as the Disc Jockey News transitions into its new digital format. I know I’ll be reading. ~ 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
Disc Jockey News • December 2019 • Page 9
Top 50 Charts for December 2019
The Weekly Printable Charts (Top 50, Recurrent and Billboard Singles) are available at http://www.DJNTV.com/charts Sponsored by iDJPool.com Pop 1 LIZZO Good As Hell 2 POST MALONE Circles 3 LEWIS CAPALDI Someone You Loved 4 SHAED Trampoline 5 JONAS BROTHERS Only Human 6 MAROON 5 Memories 7 SELENA GOMEZ Lose You To Love Me 8 LIZZO Truth Hurts 9 ED SHEERAN Beautiful People f/Khalid 10 SAM SMITH How Do You Sleep? 11 NF Time 12 LIL NAS X Panini 13 HALSEY Graveyard 14 DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER 10,000 Hours 15 DUA LIPA Don’t Start Now 16 MARSHMELLO & KANE BROWN One Thing Right 17 TAYLOR SWIFT Lover 18 TONES AND I Dance Monkey 19 BILLIE EILISH all the good girls go to hell 20 NIALL HORAN Nice To Meet Ya 21 WHY DON’T WE What Am I 22 BLACKBEAR Hot Girl Bummer 23 SAWEETIE My Type 24 ARIZONA ZERVAS Roxanne 25 KESHA Raising Hell f/Big Freedia 26 DIPLO & JONAS BROTHERS Lonely 27 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Teeth 28 FRENCH MONTANA Writing On The Wall 29 AJ MITCHELL Slow Dance f/Ava Max 30 LAUV f***, i’m lonely f/Anne-Marie 31 CAMILA CABELLO Liar 32 TRAVIS SCOTT Highest In The Room 33 BTS Make It Right f/Lauv 34 THE WEEKND Heartless 35 CHRIS BROWN No Guidance f/Drake 36 POST MALONE Take What You Want 37 LOUD LUXURY & BRYCE VINE I’m Not Alright 38 BILLIE EILISH everything i wanted 39 CHARLIE PUTH Mother 40 PUBLIC Make You Mine 41 ZEDD & KEHLANI Good Thing 42 LOUIS TOMLINSON We Made It 43 BLACK EYED PEAS X J BALVIN RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) 44 MAJOR LAZER & J BALVIN Que Calor f/El Alfa 45 AJR Dear Winter 46 MAX Checklist f/Chromeo 47 ISABELA MERCED Papi 48 DJ SNAKE, J BALVIN, TYGA Loco Contigo 49 ED SHEERAN South Of The Border 50 LINDSEY STIRLING The Upside f/Elle King Urban 1 MUSTARD Ballin’ f/Roddy Ricch 2 WALE On Chill f/Jeremih 3 CHRIS BROWN Heat f/Gunna 4 LAYTON GREENE Leave Em Alone f/Lil Baby ... 5 CHRIS BROWN No Guidance f/Drake 6 YOUNG THUG Hot f/Gunna 7 QUALITY CONTROL/LILBABY/DABABY Baby 8 YELLA BEEZY Restroom Occupied f/C. Brown 9 SUMMER WALKER Playing Games 10 DABABY Baby Sitter f/Offset 11 TRAVIS SCOTT Highest In The Room 12 FAT JOE Yes f/Cardi B, Anuel AA 13 BLAC YOUNGSTA Cut Up 14 DABABY Bop 15 THE BONFYRE U Say f/6LACK 16 DOJA CAT Juicy
17 MEGAN THEE STALLION Hot Girl Summer f/N. Minaj... 18 LIL NAS X Panini 19 MEGAN THEE STALLION Cash S**t f/DaBaby 20 DANILEIGH Easy 21 ALICIA KEYS Show Me Love f/Miguel 22 MONEYBAGG YO All Dat f/Megan Thee Stallion 23 TYGA, YG & CARLOS SANTANA Mamacita 24 NLE CHOPPA Camelot 25 BURNA BOY Ye 26 GUCCI MANE Big Booty f/Megan Thee... 27 H.E.R. Slide f/YG 28 LIL BABY Woah 29 RUSS & BIA Best On Earth 30 SIR Hair Down f/Kendrick Lamar 31 MISSY ELLIOTT Dripdemeanor f/Sum1 32 FABOLOUS Choosy f/Jeremih & Davido 33 A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE Mood Swings 34 YK OSIRIS Ride f/Kehlani 35 MEGAN THEE STALLION Ride Or Die f/VickeeLo 36 CASANOVA Coming Home f/Chris Brown 37 KANYE WEST Follow God 38 YO GOTTI Pose f/Lil Uzi Vert 39 FRENCH MONTANA Writing On The Wall 40 DJ KHALED Wish Wish f/Cardi B/21 Savage 41 WALE Love...(Her Fault) f/B. Tiller 42 LIL TECCA Ransom 43 JACQUEES Verify f/Young Thug & Gunna 44 INTERNET MONEY Somebody f/Lil Tecca & ... 45 RUBI ROSE Hit Yo Dance f/Yella Beezy... 46 BIG SEAN Bezerk f/A$ap Ferg, Hit-Boy 47 THE WEEKND Heartless 48 JUICE WRLD Bandit w/NBA YoungBoy 49 JAH JAH F/1PLAYY Get Wit It (Hoochie Mama) 50 EURO GOTIT Turn Up Hot Adult Contempory 1 MAROON 5 Memories 2 LEWIS CAPALDI Someone You Loved 3 SHAWN MENDES & CAMILA CABELLO Senorita 4 JONAS BROTHERS Only Human 5 ED SHEERAN & JUSTIN BIEBER I Don’t Care 6 SHAED Trampoline 7 MAREN MORRIS The Bones 8 POST MALONE Circles 9 JONAS BROTHERS Sucker 10 ED SHEERAN Beautiful People f/Khalid 11 DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER 10,000 Hours 12 LIZZO Good As Hell 13 TAYLOR SWIFT Lover 14 SELENA GOMEZ Lose You To Love Me 15 LIZZO Truth Hurts 16 NIALL HORAN Nice To Meet Ya 17 KYGO & WHITNEY HOUSTON Higher Love 18 JOHN K If We Never Met 19 DOMINIC FIKE 3 Nights 20 MARSHMELLO & KANE BROWN One Thing Right 21 TONES AND I Dance Monkey 22 HALSEY Graveyard 23 X AMBASSADORS Hold You Down 24 CAMILA CABELLO Liar 25 ILLENIUM Good Things Fall...f/J.Bellion 26 KESHA Raising Hell f/Big Freedia 27 SAM SMITH How Do You Sleep? 28 TWENTY ONE PILOTS The Hype 29 ANDY GRAMMER Wish You Pain 30 DUA LIPA Don’t Start Now 31 DERMOT KENNEDY Outnumbered 32 MADDIE POPPE Not Losing You 33 LUKAS GRAHAM Lie
34 P!NK Love Me Anyway f/C. Stapleton 35 CHARLIE PUTH Mother 36 WALK OFF THE EARTH I’ll Be There 37 ROB THOMAS Can’t Help Me Now 38 PUBLIC Make You Mine 39 GOO GOO DOLLS Miracle Pill 40 ADAM LAMBERT Superpower 41 AJR Dear Winter 42 THE RUA Hey You 43 TATUM LYNN Later Baby, XO 44 COLDPLAY Orphans 45 MEGHAN TRAINOR Wave f/Mike Sabath 46 NF Time 47 AMERICAN AUTHORS Bring It On Home 48 WHY DON’T WE What Am I 49 ED SHEERAN South Of The Border 50 FITZ & THE TANTRUMS I Just Wanna Shine Country 1 LUKE COMBS Even Though I’m Leaving 2 OLD DOMINION One Man Band 3 THOMAS RHETT Remember You Young 4 KEITH URBAN We Were 5 DUSTIN LYNCH Ridin’ Roads 6 LADY ANTEBELLUM What If I Never Get Over You 7 JON PARDI Heartache Medication 8 KENNY CHESNEY Tip Of My Tongue 9 DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER 10,000 Hours 10 SAM HUNT Kinfolks 11 JIMMIE ALLEN Make Me Want To 12 JASON ALDEAN We Back 13 GARTH BROOKS & BLAKE SHELTON Dive Bar 14 KANE BROWN Homesick 15 JORDAN DAVIS Slow Dance In A Parking Lot 16 MAREN MORRIS The Bones 17 LUKE BRYAN What She Wants Tonight 18 BLAKE SHELTON Hell Right f/Trace Adkins 19 INGRID ANDRESS More Hearts Than Mine 20 KELSEA BALLERINI homecoming queen? 21 BRETT YOUNG Catch 22 JAKE OWEN Homemade 23 RILEY GREEN I Wish Grandpas Never Died 24 RYAN HURD To A T 25 BRANTLEY GILBERT & LINDSAY ELL What Happens In A Small Town 26 TRAVIS DENNING After A Few 27 TRISHA YEARWOOD Every Girl In This Town 28 SCOTTY MCCREERY In Between 29 CAYLEE HAMMACK Family Tree 30 LOCASH One Big Country Song 31 CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE I Hope You’re Happy Now 32 MICHAEL RAY Her World Or Mine 33 ERIC CHURCH Monsters 34 GABBY BARRETT I Hope 35 GONE WEST What Could’ve Been 36 CHASE RICE Lonely If You Are 37 MORGAN WALLEN Chasin’ You 38 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE Blessings 39 MIRANDA LAMBERT It All Comes Out In The Wash 40 MADDIE & TAE Die From A Broken Heart 41 CARRIE UNDERWOOD Drinking Alone 42 BILLY CURRINGTON Details 43 CHRIS YOUNG Drowning 44 MIDLAND Mr. Lonely 45 JUSTIN MOORE Why We Drink 46 HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH Hold On 47 RODNEY ATKINS Thank God For You 48 JON LANGSTON Now You Know 49 CAROLINE JONES Chasin’ Me 50 KIP MOORE She’s Mine
PAGE 10 • Disc Jockey News • December 2019
Holiday Hunger Games By Rob Ferre
The holiday season is upon us, and it is time to entertain your clients. This holiday season, I have booked more game shows than I have booked traditional DJ entertainment. I believe this trend will continue, especially in my market. Holiday parties here in Utah are a little bit more conservative without the constant amount of booze flowing and guests wanting to make it back home to their families earlier in the night. So I need to cater to that crowd. They will come to the event to eat, to socialize, and get their free stuff. That is why I created a game show that entertains a captive audience. Also, I can incorporate the free give-aways these company parties provide. Instead of just giving it away, let’s gamify it! You also don’t need to create a full-blown game show. These games are also great to facilitate teamwork and create an engagement factor that will lead them to the
dance floor. So here are some simple tips to gamify any event. First, with any event, talk to your clients about what they have done in the past for their events. Ask what they liked, they didn’t like, what worked and what didn’t work. The pre-event consultation is key to collaborating with your clients. Before even pitching the games, find out the key elements of the event. The venue, group size, demographics, will there be dinner, plated or a buffet, size of the room, will there be round tables, etc. I always like to know the scope and scale of the space before I know what games would work for their group. Not all games are created equal. The smaller the group, there are more opportunities you can do with games that can involve their entire audience. You can do known game shows like the Feud, but you have so many options. Also, ask how interactive they want it to be and how lively their group can be. It is awful at times trying to get volunteers when it comes to some groups. So do your homework and prep with the group. Next, find out if they are giving away prizes. This often the case, but you have to be sure. Ask if there is a budget for prizes. I often suggest having more prizes than just one big colossal prize that
everyone waits for at the end to be given away. Spread the love and more opportunities to win. Most companies do a drawing with tickets and just pull the tickets out of the hopper then call a number. How boring is that?! The first solution, if they insist on drawing tickets, has them write down their names on the ticket. It is much more exciting to draw a name than a number. Plus, if the person isn’t present, we know, but the alternative is calling, “456346….456346…who has 456346?” Crickets… “Ok, going once, going twice…” That is the worst! Plus, it makes the night go longer. Names on winning tickets are always the way to go. Now often at holiday events, people are there for dinner at round tables. There is usually a centerpiece that is given away. Make sure you check with your conference committee that they can be given away. A fun but simple game is the “napkin dance,” where you have one person at the table hold up one napkin. When the music begins (my favorite is the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker), they pass the napkin to the left or right. You can call out different directions. You can have them stand up. Whatever variation you’d like to use. When the music stops, the person holding the napkin wins. Or you can extend the game, who is holding the napkin is out. So eliminate people until you have one winner. You can make up the rules as you go. But have fun and
create moments of laughter. If you have games that you’d like to play but can only play with a limited amount of contestants, I often have the tables select a captain who will represent the table in the challenge or game they are about to play. In the planning process, I suggest to the planners to include prizes that can be shared by a table like booze, gift cards, or cash that can be distributed to each couple or person. The person who is representing the table can be a contestant for the game on the stage, or in the center of the room -aka the dance floor. This may be one way to bring people to the dance floor. You can do a danceoff, finish the lyrics, name that tune or minute to win it challenge. Put your own twist on an existing game to create memories. When the challenge is done, you can give the prizes to the winning team on the dance floor. Then you save your other prizes for the dance floor. Tease it by saying, “I have more to give away, but you must present on the dance floor.” Just one element of gamification and customization will make you stand out and make your event different. Creating moments of engagement and gamification will help your guests to have the time of their lives at an otherwise boring holiday party. Go out and gamify! You can connect with him at RobFerre@discjockeynews.com.
Top 50 Charts Year To Date 2019
The Weekly Printable Charts (Top 50, Recurrent and Billboard Singles) are available at http://www.DJNTV.com/charts Sponsored by iDJPool.com 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Pop JONAS BROTHERS Sucker HALSEY Without Me SAM SMITH & NORMANI Dancing With A Stranger BENNY BLANCO, HALSEY & KHALID Eastside ED SHEERAN & JUSTIN BIEBER I Don’t Care POST MALONE Wow KHALID Talk ARIANA GRANDE 7 Rings PANIC! AT THE DISCO High Hopes AVA MAX Sweet But Psycho POST MALONE & SWAE LEE Sunflower BILLIE EILISH bad guy LIZZO Truth Hurts SHAWN MENDES & CAMILA CABELLO Senorita SHAWN MENDES If I Can’t Have You MARSHMELLO Happier f/Bastille ARIANA GRANDE thank u, next ELLIE GOULDING X DIPLO Close To Me f/Swae Lee KHALID Better ARIANA GRANDE Break Up With Your Girlfriend LEWIS CAPALDI Someone You Loved PANIC! AT THE DISCO Hey Look Ma, I Made It LIL NAS X Old Town Road 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Youngblood ED SHEERAN Beautiful People f/Khalid POST MALONE Goodbyes f/Young Thug JONAS BROTHERS Only Human POST MALONE Better Now KHALID X NORMANI Love Lies SHAED Trampoline MAROON 5 Girls Like You f/Cardi B ARIANA GRANDE Breathin POST MALONE Circles DEAN LEWIS Be Alright DUA LIPA New Rules SAM SMITH How Do You Sleep? TAYLOR SWIFT You Need To Calm Down TRAVIS SCOTT Sicko Mode f/Drake THE CHAINSMOKERS F/ 5SOS Who Do You Love LAUV I Like Me Better 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Easier BAZZI Mine JONAS BROTHERS Cool TAYLOR SWIFT ME! f/Brendon Urie CARDI B I Like It f/Bad Bunny/J Balvin BILLIE EILISH When The Party’s Over LIZZO Good As Hell BAZZI Beautiful f/Camila Cabello NF Time ZEDD/MAREN MORRIS/GREY The Middle
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Urban DABABY Suge MEEK MILL Going Bad f/Drake LIL BABY & GUNNA Drip Too Hard CHRIS BROWN No Guidance f/Drake LIL BABY Close Friends 21 SAVAGE A Lot f/J Cole J. COLE MIDDLE CHILD CARDI B Money KHALID Talk SUMMER WALKER, DRAKE Girls Need Love (Remix) MEGAN THEE STALLION Big Ole Freak CITY GIRLS Act Up CARDI B & BRUNO MARS Please Me CALBOY Envy Me MEEK MILL 24/7 f/Ella Mai POLO G Pop Out f/Lil Tjay A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE Look Back At It MEEK MILL Dangerous f/Jeremih, PnB Rock OFFSET Clout f/Cardi B ELLA MAI Shot Clock TRAVIS SCOTT Sicko Mode f/Drake MEGAN THEE STALLION Cash S**t f/DaBaby WALE On Chill f/Jeremih KODAK BLACK Zeze f/Travis Scott & Offset DRAKE Money In The Grave f/Rick Ross PARDISON FONTAINE Backin It Up f/Cardi B LIL NAS X Old Town Road CITY GIRLS Twerk f/Cardi B FLIPP DINERO Leave Me Alone YOUNG THUG The London f/J. Cole/T. Scott DABABY Baby Sitter f/Offset CHRIS BROWN Undecided CARDI B Press YELLA BEEZY Bacc At It Again f/Quavo... LIZZO Truth Hurts MEGAN THEE STALLION Hot Girl Summer f/N. Minaj... SAWEETIE My Type BLUEFACE Thotiana YK OSIRIS Worth It MUSTARD Pure Water f/Migos ELLA MAI Trip GUCCI MANE/BRUNO/KODAK Wake Up In The Sky LIL BABY Yes Indeed f/Drake LIL WAYNE Uproar CHRIS BROWN Heat f/Gunna QUEEN NAIJA Karma DAVIDO Fall YO GOTTI Put A Date On It f/Lil Baby POST MALONE Wow YFN LUCCI All Night Long f/Trey Songz
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Country MORGAN WALLEN Whiskey Glasses LUKE COMBS Beautiful Crazy CHASE RICE Eyes On You KANE BROWN Good As You ELI YOUNG BAND Love Ain’t LEE BRICE Rumor JUSTIN MOORE The Ones That Didn’t Make It.. SCOTTY MCCREERY This Is It JASON ALDEAN Girl Like You BRANTLEY GILBERT & LINDSAY ELL What Happens In A Small Town OLD DOMINION Make It Sweet BRETT YOUNG Here Tonight BLAKE SHELTON God’s Country LUKE COMBS Beer Never Broke My Heart LUKE BRYAN Knockin’ Boots ERIC CHURCH Some Of It KELSEA BALLERINI Miss Me More LUKE COMBS She Got The Best Of Me COLE SWINDELL Love You Too Late DAN + SHAY All To Myself RILEY GREEN There Was This Girl JASON ALDEAN Rearview Town JIMMIE ALLEN Best Shot MICHAEL RAY One That Got Away CHRIS YOUNG Raised On Country RUSSELL DICKERSON Every Little Thing DIERKS BENTLEY Living BRETT ELDREDGE Love Someone JORDAN DAVIS Take It From Me CHRIS LANE I Don’t Know About You THOMAS RHETT Sixteen MAREN MORRIS Girl RUNAWAY JUNE Buy My Own Drinks JON PARDI Night Shift DUSTIN LYNCH Good Girl MATT STELL Prayed For You CHRIS JANSON Good Vibes FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE Talk You Out Of It KEITH URBAN We Were LUKE BRYAN What Makes You Country DAN + SHAY Speechless THOMAS RHETT Look What God Gave Her CODY JOHNSON On My Way To You CARRIE UNDERWOOD Southbound CHRIS STAPLETON Millionaire RUSSELL DICKERSON Blue Tacoma LADY ANTEBELLUM What If I Never Get Over You TIM MCGRAW Thought About You KENNY CHESNEY Get Along JAKE OWEN Down To The Honkytonk
Disc Jockey News • December 2019 • Page 11
Cherish What You Are Given By Thomas Heath
When I was in school, I had a lot of amazing educators and mentors teach me not just the lessons pertaining to the class; but also lessons that would help in the “real world.” One of these lessons started as something so s m a l l and innocuous that I could have dismissed it. I am thankful every day that I took that lesson and allowed it to grow into so much more. The lesson, quite simply, started like this: When someone hands you their business card, stop. Look at the card with interest. Read every word on the card. Feel it with your fingers to see if there is a texture or raised lettering. Flip the card over and do the same thing. Then, look at this person and thank them. Sincerely thank them for giving you their card. It is really easy just to take the card, jam it in your pocket, and move one with your life. It is even easier to take the card, take a picture of it, and hand it back to them. To be honest, it might even make more sense to do it this way. The inherent problem with treating their card like this is that they probably designed, redesigned, and then purchased it
with their own money. They just handed you something they spent time to create. Whether it is something as small as a business card, the keys to someone’s home, or the ability to share your experiences with DJs all over the globe (Thanks John), each thing they give to you is important to them. Have you had a small child hand you something? That is the ultimate example of this. They are hoping that you will approve of this gift that they have given to you. Their hope is that you will care about it as much as they do. That all may seem like it is a bit much to some, if not to the majority of you. But I am here to tell you that it has become such a huge part of my business and my life that I have selected this as part of the final issue of Disc Jockey News in print. I have learned from that one seemingly small lesson, the business card, to CHERISH everything that you are handed. So how can this possibly relate to your DJ business? My main focus in the DJ world is weddings. Being a co-creator with my couples (article on that coming soon) and helping to make every event a special occasion that combines fun, frivolity, humor, and heart, is as important to my business as ingredients are to a chef. Each combination is unique and special. It is so special that people are giving you something that they EXPECT you to cherish. Take that into consideration each
and every time you are asked to perform. Someone trusts you with the success or failure of their event. Your goal should be to treat each party as your own, or better yet, think of that event as one thrown by someone very special to you. If you can do that, it will be obvious to everyone in the audience that you
truly care about the outcome. Word will spread, and your business and life will be something that you get to cherish too. Thomas Heath is the owner of A+ Event Entertainment of Boyne Falls, Michigan. You can reach Thomas at thomasheath@discjockeynews.com.
Good Old Fashioned Customer Help! By Brian Kelm
You make the decision each day how hard you want to work, people you want to help, and the difference you want to make for others. This is a selfless and humble mindset that many don’t fully understand, and that is perfectly fine. To those that do – a lifetime of deep customer relationship with love, respect, and referrals is available because you earned them. The best way to learn is to look at the past. People want to belong and feel related. It must be authentic, real, and not fake. Otherwise, they will never trust you again, and this is especially true for customers. Rise to the occasion and duty every day FOR THEM, NOT YOUR-
SELF! The proof you create and how your heart feels by serving others doesn’t lie! You either fulfilled on all you committed to delivering or more, or you didn’t, it’s that simple. Ask yourself these questions to challenge how you can deepen your good customer help: 1. When was the last time you called up a present or past customer to say “Thank You” for their business and relationship? 2. How are you deepening customer relationships without the use of indirect communication? (Social media, email, etc.) 3. How much are you showing all your customers that you truly care about them as people and the relationship they created with you? Brian Kelm, CWEP, CGWP, WED Guild is a 25+ year wedding entertainment and planning professional that has been all over the United States. Based in Wisconsin. Serving Anywhere. He can be reached at briankelm@discjockeynews.com