Disc Jockey News March 2019 • Issue #150
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PAGE 2 • Disc Jockey News • March 2019
Super Busy: Mobile Beat Las Vegas By Mike Walter
It’s always exciting for me to write an article that is going to be distributed at a DJ convention. In this case, of course, it’s Mobile Beat Las Vegas. And as I gear up for this week I have to be honest; I am both looking forward to it and dreading it. Let me explain. I was thrilled last year when I connected with Ryan and Jake from Mobile Beat about my participation this year. After submitting a proposal for a brand new seminar, I’m calling “Why People Dance,” they not only accepted the presentation but gave me the honor of being Day One’s Keynote Speaker. That means I get to kick off the education this year! I’ve watched, with not a small amount of jealousy, as good friends Marcello Pedalino and Randy Bartlett have had that honor the past few years and I’ve wondered, why not me? The room is always at its fullest for the first seminar, and everyone’s at their most eager to learn. It’s an enviable spot for any presenter. So when I was handed this slot, I set a goal for myself to put together the most ambitious seminar I have ever presented in my twenty years of speaking to our industry. “Why People Dance” combines the psychology behind what inspires people to get on
the dance floor with real-world suggestions that we as DJs and entertainers can implement to get more people up and involved. I’m showing video clips of myself or some of my DJs in action and explaining how the things we do make a positive impact on our events. I’ve also got the results of a survey I put together, not just of DJs but of party guests, that will also help DJs understand how the songs they play speak to the guests at our parties. I recently rehearsed the seminar and had to pull ten minutes of material out. I had that much crammed in! If you’re going to be at Mobile Beat, I hope you’ll join me on Monday afternoon at 1 pm. I guarantee you’ll learn a lot! So why am I dreading Mobile Beat? Well, not only did Ryan and Jake honor me by asking me to be a Keynote speaker, but they’ve got me doing ten separate MC Workshops during the week! When I travel to conventions, I always tell my wife Kelly that it’s a working trip. And I mean that. Partially. I am working, but there’s certainly some socializing involved. But this year’s Mobile Beat is truly going to be a busy week for yours truly! I’ll be going non-stop all four days and then just as the convention ends, Joe Bunn and I go right into our PhDJ Workshop! I always say I’d rather be busy than the
A “Brand” New Month By Tamara Sims
As we head into spring, this is a perfect time to check in on our branding. After landing on your website, did you know that it takes someone less than 5 seconds to decide if they are going to look at your company or not? A first impression is so important in life and in business that you need to keep tabs on your branding. I recently attended a branding seminar through Knot.com that reminded me just how important first impressions are. If you are an advertiser with Knot. com or Wedding Wire, I highly encourage you to take advantage of the monthly webinars they offer. Always keep learning! Have you looked at your website lately? Are your reviews up to date? During the webinar, I went right to my website only to realize that our most recent review was three months old! How did I let that happen? Are your awards up to date? Adding your 2019 badges to your website is easy to do and will assist in creating trust with potential clients. Is there a “Call to Action” on your website? How many times have you viewed a website and spent 5 minutes looking for an e-mail address or phone
number? Remember, we don’t have 5 minutes, we only have 5 seconds before a potential client loses interest and decides to click on the next DJ’s website. As Alan Berg says, “Make it easy for them to buy from you.” How are you doing socially? Was your last Instagram post from New Year’s Eve? What about Facebook? If you are using both social media channels be sure to diversify the content and photos. Share interesting wedding related articles on Facebook or write your own articles or “Top 10” lists— just keep people engaged. Keep your posts conversational; and don’t forget
alternative but this week is going to test me on that theory. If you’re at Mobile Beat, I hope you’ll join me for one of my MC Workshops (dubbed MC Institute this year). We’ll have three 90 minute segments, starting at 8 am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then an exclusive one for the VIP Members Wednesday evening. What happens at one of my MC Workshops? (great question!) DJs and MCs get on the microphone and perform. Bridal party or Mitzvah introductions are the most common thing, but you can do anything: introduce a slow song, perform your cake cutting schtick, lead a line dance, etc. Then after the routine, I offer some feedback. I highlight the positives, point out the negatives and offer suggestions for improvements. Companies hire me at $1,000 + travel to do this with their staff and Mobile Beat
attendees are getting this as part of their pass. It’s an incredible bonus brought to you by Mobile Beat, and I hope as many attendees as possible take the opportunity to get involved. So if you’re reading this article the week before Mobile Beat, I wish you safe travels to Sin City (yes, I assume you’re going - no DJ in their right mind would miss this). And if you’re reading this in Las Vegas, don’t miss my seminar on Monday and please get involved in one of my MC Institutes. And if you see me, be sure to say hello. I love meeting readers of this fine publication! 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.
to tag your couples, venues and vendor partners. And I know it’s annoying, but don’t forget to use hashtags on Instagram. Should you use 50 hashtags per post… probably not, so be deliberate when using them — the more descriptive, the better. #weddings is probably not going to be as advantageous to you as #chicagowinterwedding. What do your website photos say about your company? What are you known for? If your vibe is “cool & clubby” make sure your photos on your website reflect that. And most important, use photos that show who YOU are as a brand. Couples want to see the real you and the authenticity of your company. Many of you also provide video services and what better way to capture potential clients than video footage of
guests having fun at one of your weddings, or some unique “behind the scenes” footage preparing for your events. 5-10 second clips work best, and you can also post them on social media. And don’t forget to be you! 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.
March 2019 In This Issue:
Page 2: Mike Walter Page 2: Tamara Sims Page 4: Mitch Taylor Page 5: Rachel Lynch
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Page 6: Alan Berg Page 7: Harvey Mackay Page 8: Jeffrey Gitomer Page 9: Brian Kelm
Deadlines: Advertisement deadlines are the 20th of the month. The publication is distributed on the 1st of every month. Subscriptions: Subscriptions to the Disc Jockey News are only available for DJNTV Insiders with a monthly or annual membership package. Canadian subscriptions will start January of 2020. Subscribe online at: http://www.djntvinsider.com Advertising: Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication
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Disc Jockey News • March 2019 • Page 3
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PAGE 4 • Disc Jockey News • March 2019
Mix and Mash: The DJ Performance By Mitch Taylor
I usually write about sales, but this article is going to be on the performance realm of the DJ career. Recently I had the pleasure of taking Mixposium, a DJ mixing specific educational event that was a great breakdown of beats and tips and tricks about mixing your music. Jamie Bodie, Gary Lucca and Henry Race from JLK Events in Hilton Head South Carolina put it on, and it was very rewarding. Some DJs mix music, others just click their mouse on their laptop. One of my assistants even had a local DJ ask them why I wore headphones at events?!?!?! (Hint: you SHOULD pre-listen to every track BEFORE it goes out over your speakers… how else do you know if you have the right track for sure, proper version to play and if the song is cued properly? As long as you are working on improving your skills, you’re good in my book. Don’t become lazy! If experience can teach you anything, it shows you that
you can always improve. That’s why I took that workshop. The great thing about the workshop is that they walked you through the basics, and then worked you up to advance techniques throughout our time together. We discussed 4/4 time, how to find the “1” beat, when to throw on the 1 and when not to. Once those basics were covered, we got into more advanced techniques including mixing in key, when you can move and what different levels of the Camelot wheel you can use to sound good, and even a baby scratch technique was shared. If you get a chance to be a part of one of the Mixposium events, I strongly encourage you to partake. It will only help improve your skills. I’d like to dig a little deeper though with some thoughts on mashing up your events. I’ve always been a controller guy, even going back to the days of learning how to mix on a Carver tape deck ½ of a Denon 2000F and 1 Technics 1200 record player. Beatmixing is a tool that IMO every DJ should understand the basics. Just learning the basics can make you better and ultimately it is your talent as a DJ that must win out over technology that will just segue the music for you. I beatmix A LOT at the events I perform at and feel this is a great way to display your talents while switching up your dance floor and keep-
ing the party rocking. If you do beatmix at your events, do you stick with one genre or do you switch between genres? If one were staying with one style of music, say the 2000s and current pop, you could go from Yeah by Usher into Let’s Get It Started by Black Eyed Peas and then into Hot In Herre by Nelly and going from there into Hollaback Girl. This is a relatively simple set that isn’t that far apart BPM wise. With today’s clientele becoming even more and more discerning, I feel that knowing how to mash up and mix up the genres of music while maintaining a steady beat for dancing is an important skill to have. If you’re wanting to try mashing up genres, try this set: Back In Black by AC/DC into In Da Club by 50 Cent, then into Let Me Clear My Throat into Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt. Other mixes I have used were Turn Down For What into Sweet Home Alabama or Teach Me
How To Dougie (back when that was popular) into the opening lines of Fat Bottomed Girls and then a secondary cue to the bass beat of the song to maintain a constant beat for your dance floor. Bottom line, keep practicing. Work on your mixing skills just as much if not more so than your MC skills. Broken dance floors and tired feet from raving fans will be your best reward. Mitch Taylor is an 18 year veteran of the mobile disc jockey industry, starting out on the cruise ships of Carnival Cruise Lines. He is a member of the American Disc Jockey Association. Mitch owns and operates Taylored Entertainment in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and can be reached at 906.786.6967 or via email at mitchtaylor@discjockeynews.com.
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Curing Bottom Feeder Blaming Syndrome By Rachel Lynch
Do you suffer from BFBS (Bottom Feeder Blaming Syndrome)? Symptoms may include high blood pressure, tension headache, dry mouth, elevated cortisol levels, and self-pity. DJs who suffer from BFBS express their frustration with those DJs who they feel plague the industry with lowball rates and inferior service. “How dare they use cheap speakers from Costco!” “How dare they steal customers by undercutting the professionals!” “How dare they offer photo booth, up-lighting, DJ services, and personalized monogram for $399.00!” Sound familiar? With tech advancements, abundant music sources, affordable gear, and online tutorials becoming a “DJ” has never been more appealing or accessible to the masses. While many blame “bottom feeder” DJs for lost jobs and revenue, they are NOT the problem. We need to STOP blaming the “bottom feeders” and take responsibility for our
own success and failure. “Your life will be no better than the plans you make and the action you take. You are the architect and builder of your own life, fortune, and destiny.” -Alfred A. Montapert How to “cure” BFBS and start taking responsibility for your success: Focus on service and the money will follow. If you’re losing customers to “bottom feeders,” work on creating a service and experience that customers feel they NEED to have. If money is the driving force behind your effort and the end product, you are missing the mark and probably the sale. Sell the WHY, not the WHAT. What makes you fun, unique, and special? Take some time to get to know WHY people need to have you as their DJ. If you’re having trouble answering this question, then this may be the problem. In the absence of value, a customer will go with the best price. Why are YOU valuable? Mind your business. If you’re not getting the clients and business you feel you deserve, stop looking to the sides and face forward. Worrying about what everyone else is doing (and charging) only diverts energy and attention away from running your business. Stop worrying about the “bottom feeder” and focus on selling and elevating service.
Disc Jockey News • March 2019 • Page 5
The easiest way to raise your price? Be worth it. Your performance is your product. Most DJs are afraid to increase their prices because they aren’t sure if they can handle the added pressure of charging premium rates. If that’s the case, do it in increments. If people are paying your new rate and are happy customers, you’re on your way to charging what you’re worth. Don’t feel you need to lower your price to compete with the “others.” Don’t fight for scraps. Look for better meat. Not every client is your client. While it may be difficult to swallow, some people truly are only concerned with the budget. There is a DJ for every type of client, and that’s ok. Determine your desired market and work to become the
best DJ/Entertainer in that space. Stop the excuses and do something. Set realistic and short terms goals and work towards them. Make daily, weekly, monthly, yearly plans. When you stop growing, your business will too. Attend seminars and skill development opportunities as you can. When you stop growing, your business will too. Work to become more creative with marketing. Make time to create quality online content and stop making excuses for slumping sales. It is time to get to work! You can find Rachel’s articles each month on the Promo Only newsletter. You can sign up at http://www.promoonly.com to catch it each month! Rachel Lynch can be reached at rachellynch@discjockeynews.com.
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PAGE 6 • Disc Jockey News • March 2019
The Photobooth Section Why Do We Always Ask “How Much?”
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I speak a lot in my presentations about why our customers often ask us How Much“How much…?” before they ask more important questions about our products and services. They should be asking us questions to find out if we can deliver on their essential wants and needs; while the price is indeed one of those things on their list, it’s by no means the most important one. If we don’t—or can’t—do what they want or need, the price doesn’t matter. Sing on, Brother Alan OK, I know I’m preaching to the choir with you on that subject. So, why is it that when we’re the customer, we do exactly the same thing? Why do we default to price first, instead of asking, or at least looking for, better questions? You can call it hypocrisy, irony, or just human nature, but it happens all the time. What prompted this article are instances where the wedding and event pros have put price before return, and it stood out, not because it happened, instead because it happened so much. In one case I have a couple of proactive, success-minded businesses, that are trying to organize a Mastermind Day with me in their city. These are people who’ve seen me speak, many times, so they know from personal experience the value of having me with them, and a small group, for a full day, sitting around a table and talking business. Their challenge is getting others to feel the same way. While they’re seeing that investing in their businesses pays big returns, they’re running into others who don’t share their vision. Now that in and of itself isn’t unusual, nor is it unique to our industry. You’re asking what? What struck me was that the first question these other businesses asked them is “How much is it going to cost?” Rather than “What will we discuss?” or “How will I benefit?” or “Will we get to discuss _____?”. No, their first question was the same as their customers, about price. So, I did what I ask you to do, and that’s put
By Alan Berg
yourself in their position. Just as your customers don’t know how to shop for what you do, most wedding and event pros don’t know how to shop for training or consulting, because they’ve never done it. You’re just as ill-equipped to ask better questions as your couples are with you. You need a better vocabulary. You need a benchmark. If you’ve previously participated in training, but it was paid for by your employer, you wouldn’t know how to shop for it. It makes sense, just as it makes sense that your customers don’t have the vocabulary or benchmark for what you do. I’ll go to the next one The other thing I’ve noticed is the wedding and event pros skipping educational opportunities, be it local, national or virtual. Rather than blocking off time for learning, they wait until the last minute to decide if they should participate. Ask any event promoter, and they’ll tell you that most of their registrations come in within the last month, if not the last two weeks. I’ve seen way too many meetings and conferences canceled or postponed due to lack of registrations. Just as with a wedding or corporate event, the venue/hotel needs a headcount commitment well in advance of the event. If registrations aren’t coming in, the promoter may not want to take the risk of not getting enough attendees, and be on the hook for paying for more people than actually came. It’s hard to blame them, especially if it’s their first conference. Sound familiar? That’s why we tell couples to get their RSVPs in early, so they only have to pay for those that are coming to their weddings. As a member of several associations, including the National Speakers Association, I’m always investing in my education. While I love to speak at events, and along with sales training and website reviews— that’s how I make my living—I relish the opportunity to sit in the audience and learn things to help my speaking/training business. Your businesses and mine are very similar in that respect. Your couples don’t think about your catering/photography/ entertainment/fashion/officiating/transportation business, or whatever it is you do. They care about the craft of what you do, as they want the outcome you’re going to deliver; but they don’t think about what it takes to have a successful wedding or event business. In all of my years in this industry, the people I know who have the most successful companies aren’t always the ones
Alan Berg Continued On Page 9
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Creativity Killers Can Kill Your Business
Disc Jockey News • March 2019 • Page 7
By Harvey Mackay
Creative ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. Those ideas often involve taking a risk or challenging conventional thinking. And that can be daunting to those who are perfectly satisfied with the status quo. But in my view, creativity is a trait that should be celebrated and encouraged. Innovation never happened by supporting the same old, same old. We can’t imagine living today without the benefits reaped from some bold, creative thinking. Fortunately, despite the fact that a lot of people shot creative ideas down, determined innovators prevailed. But here are a few prime examples of what might not have happened if folks listened to the naysayers. “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us,” according to a Western Union internal memo dated 1876. Silent film star Charlie Chaplin said, “Moving pictures need sound as much as Beethoven symphonies need lyrics.” “I do not believe the introduction of motor-cars will ever affect the riding of horses,” said Scott-Montague, MP, in the United Kingdom in 1903. An engineer at IBM in 1968 commented on the microchip, “But what is it good for?” Cambridge University Aeronautical Engineering Department’s response to Frank Whittle, after viewing his pioneering designs for the jet engine, “Very interesting, Whittle, my boy, but it will never work.” “Television won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night,” said American movie great – executive Darryl F. Zanuck. Phil Wrigley, one of the owners of the Chicago Cubs, said in commenting on night baseball in 1935, “Just a fad, a passing fancy.” (In 1988, the Cubs, at last, started playing night games.) “The personal computer will fall flat on its face in business,” said Ken Olsen, president of Digital Equipment. Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, received the following response from his Yale professor on a paper outlining his idea for an overnight delivery service: “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.” Advertising genius Alex Osborn integrated creativity with everything he did – every day. Considered the “father of brainstorming” – a term he helped coin in 1939 – Osborn devoted his life to promoting and teaching creative thinking. And the fiercest enemy of creativity, he believed, was criticism: “Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more and better ideas if our efforts are appreciated.” Beware if you hear yourself utter-
ing these statements. They are the most likely to kill creativity: It’s not in the budget. The boss will never go for it. Great idea! Let’s form a committee to tackle it. It will never work. That’s against our policy. Who will we get to do it? Let’s think about it for a while. Let’s discuss it some other time. Why not leave well enough alone? It’s too late to fix it now. It’s too soon to fix it now. We have done it this way for so many years, and we still make a profit. Why fix it if it isn’t broken? We tried it five years ago and it didn’t
work. That’s not how we do things around here. That’s the kind of idea that cost your predecessor her job. It will take a long time to research this idea. That’s not my job. The competition already does it that way. The competition doesn’t do it that way. Let’s let the competition try it first and see what happens. That isn’t in our job descriptions. If we do it, they’ll wonder why we didn’t do it sooner. It will create more work for the rest
of us. Sounds like a good idea . . . Let’s run it by legal. (Okay, so this actually might be necessary.) Mackay’s Moral: Don’t be afraid to be creative – be afraid not to be creative. 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 • March 2019
Linkedin Is GREAT For Business - I Mean SMART Business By Jeffrey Gitomer
I am NOT a LinkedIn expert, but I do have more than 26,000 LinkedIn connections and almost 30,000 followers. How many do you have? I may have more visibility and notoriety than you do, but we are equal in exposure and linking possibilities on the LinkedIn platform. And almost all of my LinkedIn connections are the result of people wanting to connect with me because of the value messages I consistently post. NOTE: I do not accept everyone. I click on everyone’s profile before connection. Many are impressive. Most are average or less. Some are pathetic. LINKEDIN SUCCESS QUESTIONS: • Are you utilizing the power of LinkedIn, or just “on” LinkedIn? • How compelling is your profile? • How SEO is your profile? • How many recommendations do you have? • How are you communicating with your connections? • How expert are you at searching for leads and connections? • How many sales leads are you able to secure? • How many sales appointments are you able to secure?
• How are your connections helping your sales numbers? • How are your connections helping your career? • What are you posting? • How often are your postings being liked, commented on and reshared? Your LinkedIn profile is a powerful social media image. Maybe your most powerful. And you choose exactly what it is and what it says. When others search for you on Google, LinkedIn is one of the first links they click on. You have a chance to make an immediate positive business and social impression. THE GOOD: When I realized the business significance of LinkedIn, I immediately sought professional help. I hired an expert to help me with the keywords, layout, and what to include on my profile page. But I didn’t keep up. Several years later, my friend and partner Jen Gluckow told me my LinkedIn profile page sucked. She showed me how the NEW LinkedIn worked and the significance of having a powerful SEO page. She also taught me what and how to post. It must be working. I had about 21,000 connections and was “LinkedIn flat” In the two years since I’ve hired her, I have attracted more than 5,000 organic connections. Or should I say, more than 5,000 potential customers. Huge opportunity. At an acquisition cost of ZERO. REALITY OF LINKEDIN: I receive requests to link and I also get messages. Some are very nice, some are self-serving, some are insincere, and some are stupid (very stupid). And ALL messages are a reflection of the person sending
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them. That would be you. Here are some THINGS about LinkedIn to make you think, re-think, and act: • Your picture is NOT an option. Show a professional, but approachable, image. Be proud of who you are. Smile. • Have a LinkedIn profile that gives me insight, not just history. Not just what you’ve done, but also who you are and how you help. Your profile is both an affirmation of your expertise, and your pathway to attracting connection. • DANGER: DO NOT USE stock LinkedIn messages. It shows your laziness, lack of creativity, and overall lack of professionalism. Standard LinkedIn messages need to be replaced with your own. EVERY TIME. • If you’re looking for a job, or working a lead, tell me WHY I should connect. (Where’s the value?) • If you’re looking for leads, I use the keyword feature (rather than the job title option) in the “advanced search” link to the right of the search box. It’s free, and you’ll find hundreds of people in your industry or in your backyard that you never knew existed. • Why are you sending me an ecard on Easter? I’m Jewish. Not a good move. Three words that will help you: Know your connections. Three words to ask yourself with any message you send or post: WHERE’S THE VALUE? Ecards are a total waste, unless it’s family. I don’t want a birthday card, I want a sales lead or a referred connection. • If you’re asking me (or people) to join your group, TELL ME WHY I SHOULD (how I will benefit). • If you’re asking me to connect you with one of my 2nd degree connections, DON’T. The only way to ask (and the only way I refer) is from 1st to 1st. And tell me in a sentence or two WHY you want to connect. Don’t ask people you don’t know to make connections for you. You have to have a deep connection with your first degree connection first. • Asking for a recommendation or endorsement is BAD. If you’re thinking about asking your connections for a recommendation: DON’T. It is perhaps the dumbest, rudest thing on LinkedIn. Think about it, you’re asking people to “please stop what you’re doing and tell me about ME.” Two words: GO AWAY. If you have to ask, it’s probably because you don’t deserve it. Think about that. Give a valuable message, don’t beg for self-serving info. • Don’t tell me you “found something interesting” in your group message, especially if the link is to join your
MLM down-line or attend your “free” webinar. • Allocate 30-60 minutes a day to utilize this vital business social media asset. THE BAD and THE UGLY: Here are some examples of MESSAGES and INVITES I have received on LinkedIn. Hopefully they’ll make you think, rethink, and act… BAD: Hi Jeffrey, My name is ---with ----, a leading ---- provider that helps organizations connect with their customers through email, mobile, and social networks. I would like to connect about a potential partnership to help Buy Gitomer, Inc. increase their interactive marketing ROI. This is a typical self-serving (and deleted) message. Why not give me a tip, and ask if I’d like more like it? And stop using dead sales words like “ROI,” and “helps organizations.” Help me, don’t sell me. DUMB: Hi All, As I continue to work on building my network, can I ask that you do me a huge favor and endorse me here on LinkedIn? I would be more than happy to return the favor and endorse you as well. Thank you for your support! (name withheld to avoid public embarrassment) Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. Give me a break. Spare me. Beg someone else. BAD AND DUMB: I got this in my message box (I get a few like this every week) (subject line) Your Opinion please. (name withheld) Supplier Business Executive If you’re hoping for an endorsement or a recommendation on LinkedIn, or anywhere, here’s my two-word mantra: EARN IT! Three more words: GIVE ONE FIRST! LinkedIn is the business social media site of today AND tomorrow. Harness its power, do not abuse its options, and you will reap its rewards. Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, CustomerSatisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email himpersonally at salesman@gitomer.com.
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A Customer’s Best Interests Is What Matters! By Brian Kelm
Everything we do in business and ultimately in life should be for other people. This mindset begins as a belief system, then is manifested through our personal life works where we see it in action. We then take the lessons we’ve learned and apply them to our customers. After it becomes a discipline practiced consistently within our businesses, our heart feels great and is fulfilled by the work we are doing for others. Eventually, these skills and talents are honed, developed, and become a way of life that is practiced daily in life and business. An Ancient Proverb says, “To serve is to rule.” Remember, without our customers; we have no business, lifestyle, retirement, or reputation for sharing with the world. Humility goes a long way here along with hard work, appreciation, and gratitude. To act and serve a customer with their best interest in mind first implies we know them on a deep level, care about them, and are collaborating with them to create their experience with the desired outcome in mind. It is impossible to stand up for a customer and be their voice if you know very little about them or don’t know/trust you. Next, this mindset and way of thinking is logical, rational, common sense, and a little bit emotional. Yet, not personal since that
gets in the way and becomes our take on things not as a director, collaborator, or partner working with the customer. Also, it takes being on their side throughout the process to work effectively. This happens moment-by-moment throughout the planning process until the desired outcome and experience has been created. Viewing everything as related to the customer’s best interest is a powerful place to be because it enhances our commitment to them, all the value we provide, and how much they trust us to be there for them and what they want out of their event. Consider the following items to make your customers best interest a part of your mindset forever! 1. Help – no matter what. 2. Make it easy – Remove their stress and take it on for them. 3. Love them unconditionally. 4. Forget about the money – “Service before self.” (Thank You dear friend Lucas Henrichs for this Air Force quote) 5. Take action – Getting things done with integrity is the ultimate success. If you commit to your customers, show them how much you authentically care, that you want to know more about them, be a part of their lives, and collaborate with them the skies the limit into how much they value, trust, and will allow you to serve them because they know you have their best interests at heart! 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
Disc Jockey News • March 2019 • Page 9 Alan Berg Continued From Page 6 with the highest technical or craft skills. grow their businesses, but they don’t— Oh, they’re talented, they just may not be or won’t—invest in themselves first. I the very best. know that they’ll benefit from education, It takes different skills be it technical or business. I also know You see, the skills it takes to have a that many of them know that as well, successful floral business or invitation they don’t prioritize it. When I’m at the business are very different from the ones annual National Speakers Association it takes to deliver your product or service conference, I register for the following at a high level. Are you investing in both year’s conference. I’m committing to inparts of your business? Besides keeping vest in myself going forward. The date is up with the latest trends and styles in your blocked off on my calendar, and I won’t industry, are you also keeping up with the take a speaking or training gig during latest business tools? Are you investing in those days. Am I losing income because better sales, marketing, accounting, and of it? Absolutely not. I’ve profited way technology? I block off the dates of two more from the ideas I’ve learned, and the or three national speakers’ conferences connections I’ve made. I know that every every year, and I serve on the board of time I attend an event is an opportunity my local National Speakers Association for growth and business. chapter. I invest thousands of dollars evEducation is about having an open ery year to improve my speaking craft and mind business. Why? Because, just as I say to I don’t go in with any particular agenyou from the stage, I invest in business da either. I trust that it’s going to happen equivalent to how I want others to invest because being there is the most imporin mine. If I want you to have me come in tant step in that process. If I don’t attend, for sales training, or do a website review, I can’t benefit. I also know that if I only or present at your conference or event, looked at the dollars, I could save thouand pay me well to do so, then I had better sands of dollars, each year, by not attendmake sure I’m on top of my game. ing. But the most I can ever save is those What I’ve noticed is that I see many thousands of dollars. The most I can earn of the same top speakers at all of the from what I hear, and who I meet, it virconferences I attend. These are the same tually unlimited. So, the next time you’re people who are revered in our profession, presented with an opportunity for learnyet they’re sitting in the audience, right ing, whether it’s your technical skills, or next to me, taking notes on how to im- your business, or even something that inprove their businesses. What each of us terests you, who are you going to bet on? has learned is that we will never know ev- I’m betting on myself and the upside of erything there is to know, and things are attending, who are you betting on? always changing. What worked last year Alan Berg has been called “North may not work this year. What works to- America’s Leading Expert and Speaker day may not work next year. on the Business of Weddings and Events”. Make it part of your business plan Find out more about his speaking, website That’s why I budget thousands of reviews, consulting, books, DVDs and audollars every year for my education. dio presentations at http://www.AlanBerg. That’s also why I get frustrated when I com - email or call Alan, 732.422.6362 see wedding and event pros who want to
PAGE 10 • Disc Jockey News • March 2019
The Way I See It: Adding A Touch Of Personalization By Michael J. Lenstra
The term is McWedding, and Lucas Henrichs of Lucas Henrichs Events in Fairbury, Illinois, describes them on his Facebook page as “the same wedding, the same way, over and over again.” It’s a routine that can become monotony for your clients and even have you feeling uninspired after a time. But it does not have to be that way. “There are so many diff e r e n t personalizations that we can do. We’re only limited by our imagination—and our budget,” says Lucas. For Lucas, the art of creating a personal, customized wedding begins right from his initial contact with the client. “I ask, ‘What did you like about your cousin or co-worker’s wedding? What would you like at your wedding, whether that’s getting their attention during the cocktail hour or right when they enter the room? We really want to convey this is going to be different. This is going to be spinning emos. This is going to be Tom and Marianne’s wedding.’ I want to make every reception the best reception they’ve ever been to.” To begin the process, Lucas does a search to see if the couple has a Pin-
terest board on the web. “I’ll do a little research on what they’re looking for, maybe what different ideas they pin or what ideas their friends pin to them,” says Lucas. That information helps him when the planning meetings take place. During those meetings, a unique wedding reception begins to take shape. “We can really free-flow a lot of ideas . . . maybe we’re looking for the couple that wants to redefine traditional,” says Lucas. In Petoskey, Michigan, Thomas Heath, owner of A+ Event Entertainment, takes nearly the same approach. “Doing a different wedding for each couple is vitally important to our business,” he says. “We want to ensure that we are doing weddings that have the couple’s stamp on them.” The first step, Thomas says, is discovering what their needs are versus their wants. “One of the things that we tell our couples is that every wedding reception is like a play that has four acts: The first act is the ceremony, the second act is the cocktail hour, the third is the dinner, and the fourth, of course, is the dance party at the end.” Thomas considers each one of these “acts” to be like blocks among themselves that can be somewhat interchanged. “The first dance can be done before dinner. I’ve done it before or during cocktail hour. We can do it after dinner. We can do it after the parents’ dances,” he says. Like Lucas, Thomas says it’s vital to have early planning sessions, ideally three to four months before the wed-
ding, “That’s where the juices start flowing from both sides,” says Thomas. “We try not to be salesy in this process. We are just genuinely concerned with what is best for them in their mind and what will flow best utilizing our experience as professional wedding entertainers.” CUSTOMIZATION VS. MICROMANAGEMENT Of course, there are those couples who wish to have a customized, personal wedding, but their ideas may not really be what’s in their best interest. Examples include the couples who want no slow dances, or the couple that has 30 slow songs on a must play list, or even those who try to pre-program their whole wedding and give it to the DJ on a Spotify link or flash drive. In those cases, it’s best to do a bit of digging. “We have to ask ‘Why?’ We have to find out the reasons for these decisions. We want to make sure they have their best chance for success at everything they do,” says Thomas. A good question to ask in those situations is, “What is your barometer for success? Do you want people out on the dance floor or do you want people to just stand around listening to your eclectic music?” “People dance to what they know,” Thomas continues. “I want the soundtrack of your wedding to fit your personality,” he tells his clients, “but we have to put these things where they will fit properly for the desired outcome. Being the expert—but not being the bossy expert—is really the key to this.” To that, Lucas adds, “As an artist, and I use that term loosely, I have to express ‘What’s going to happen if we play that song and it bombs? What’s the next step? Do I play the next song on that list or is this just a guideline for me? Is this a must play list? If it is, what happens if [the songs] do not work toward the intended outcome you wished for?’” WORKING WITH OTHER VENDORS Creating a personalized wedding with your couples though maybe only half of the struggle. Getting the other wedding professionals who will be a part of the event such as banquet managers, catering staff, and videographers and photographers - some of whom are completely content with doing the same ritual from
wedding to wedding - may generate another dilemma. “Who’s going to keep the timeline flowing?” is a question that Lucas puts forth to his clients if that arises. “There has to be someone there that is going to be the accountability expert. If it is me, I need a little bit of control.” Thomas echoes that same sentiment. “Our second meeting is our Type A meeting about three months before the wedding. That’s when we create an order of events, and once we create that order of events, we send that out to the other vendors.” If couples start getting different timelines from all of the other wedding professionals that will be a part of their special day, Thomas advises, “We tell our couples if you have other vendors everyone is going to give you the timeline that works best for THEM. My timeline will work best for your event. This team is going to have a quarterback running the event. The venue manager is not going to get on the microphone and tell everybody to please be seated. The photographer is not going to tell everybody, “Hey, it’s time to cut the cake now.” The way I see it, customization of your events may be essential to stand out among others in your market. To accomplish this, Thomas advises, “Listen more than you talk. Ask open-ended questions but remember we are experts. It’s [about] being emotionally involved in what you’re doing and not just there to collect money or to be the coolest guy in the room.” That’s only step one of the process. Getting all of the other wedding professionals you’ll be working with that day is also essential. But, when done correctly, it makes for memorable events. And Lucas adds, “You get to celebrate this life event with these amazing people, and it’s only going to happen one time, and to me, that’s an honor.” ~ 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
The Power Of Positive Vibes By Kilma
The Power of Positive Vibes From Solution Finders - DJ Spotlight Feburary Recap In this month’s DJ Spotlight’s it became apparent to me very quickly the on going theme. Everyone in the series talked about the importance of throwing out negative vibes and replacing them with the good ones. Why? As Mark Grimace says, “You can be a part of the problem or a part of the solution.” Jack Sleiman makes this very apparent in his episode when he talks about
how he escaped war and continued his business elsewhere. In my interview with Miz Megs she talked about how certain negative people in her life had more of an impact then she released and how people around other positive, passionate and driven people can have such a positive impact. Last but not least we end off our interview series with the incredibly vibrant and heavily involved singer, songwriter and DJ Flavia. DJ Kilma Sunday DJ Spotlight: https://djntv.com/category/sundayspotlight/ #AskKilma Monday Tips: https:// djntv.com/category/askkilma/ If you would like to be part of the Sunday DJ Spotlight Interviews with DJ Kilma, please share a short bio and a suggested topic with Kilma at the email below. You can reach Kilma at kilma@ discjockeynews.com
Disc Jockey News • March 2019 • Page 11
Top 50 Recurrant Charts for March 2019
The Weekly Printable Charts (Top 50, Recurrent and Billboard Singles) are available at http://www.DJNTV.com/charts Sponsored by iDJPool.com Pop Recurrents 1 IMAGINE DRAGONS Natural 2 CHARLIE PUTH How Long 3 KODAK BLACK Zeze f/Travis Scott & Offset 4 CHEAT CODES No Promises f/Demi Lovato 5 DRAKE In My Feelings 6 CALVIN HARRIS & DUA LIPA One Kiss 7 PORTUGAL. THE MAN Feel It Still 8 IMAGINE DRAGONS Whatever It Takes 9 IMAGINE DRAGONS Believer 10 LOVELYTHEBAND Broken 11 G-EAZY & HALSEY Him & I 12 IMAGINE DRAGONS Thunder 13 NIALL HORAN Slow Hands 14 KYGO X SELENA GOMEZ It Ain’t Me 15 BRUNO MARS & CARDI B Finesse 16 ARIANA GRANDE No Tears Left To Cry 17 ZEDD & ALESSIA CARA Stay 18 BEBE REXHA Meant To Be f/F.G.L. 19 MAX Lights Down Low f/Gnash 20 THE WEEKND & KENDRICK LAMAR Pray For Me 21 DRAKE God’s Plan 22 POST MALONE Rockstar f/21 Savage 23 MARSHMELLO & ANNE-MARIE Friends 24 LIAM PAYNE Strip That Down f/Quavo 25 HALSEY Bad At Love 26 ARIANA GRANDE God Is A Woman 27 DEMI LOVATO Sorry Not Sorry 28 NF Lie 29 ED SHEERAN Perfect 30 SHAWN MENDES There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me... 31 TAYLOR SWIFT Delicate 32 JUICE WRLD Lucid Dreams 33 SHAWN MENDES In My Blood 34 CHARLIE PUTH Attention 35 CAMILA CABELLO Havana f/Young Thug 36 CAMILA CABELLO Never Be The Same 37 ZEDD/MAREN MORRIS/GREY The Middle 38 NF Let You Down 39 POST MALONE Psycho f/Ty Dolla $ign 40 SELENA GOMEZ Back To You 41 CARDI B I Like It f/Bad Bunny/J Balvin 42 BAZZI Beautiful f/Camila Cabello 43 LAUV I Like Me Better 44 DUA LIPA New Rules 45 BAZZI Mine 46 ARIANA GRANDE Breathin 47 MAROON 5 Girls Like You f/Cardi B 48 POST MALONE Better Now 49 KHALID X NORMANI Love Lies 50 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Youngblood Urban Recurrents 1 FUTURE Mask Off 2 BRUNO MARS That’s What I Like 3 CHILDISH GAMBINO Redbone 4 SZA Love Galore f/Travis Scott 5 MIGOS MotorSport f/N. Minaj & Cardi 6 MIGOS Walk It Talk It f/Drake 7 CARDI B Bodak Yellow 8 FRENCH MONTANA Unforgettable f/Swae Lee 9 JACQUEES B.E.D. 10 GUCCI MANE I Get The Bag f/Migos 11 KENDRICK LAMAR LOYALTY. f/ Rihanna 12 RICH THE KID Plug Walk 13 H.E.R. Could’ve Been f/Bryson Tiller 14 NICKI MINAJ Good Form 15 H.E.R. Focus 16 QUEEN NAIJA Medicine
17 YO GOTTI F/NICKI MINAJ Rake It Up 18 DJ KHALED F/RIHANNA/B. TILLER Wild Thoughts 19 MIGOS Stir Fry 20 SADA BABY Bloxk Party f/Drego 21 KENDRICK LAMAR HUMBLE. 22 BLAC YOUNGSTA Booty 23 MIGUEL Sky Walker f/Travis Scott 24 JUICE WRLD Lucid Dreams 25 DRAKE God’s Plan 26 CARDI B Be Careful 27 THE CARTERS Apes**t 28 DRAKE In My Feelings 29 GOLDLINK Crew f/Brent Faiyaz/Shy Glizzy 30 KENDRICK LAMAR LOVE. f/Zacari 31 COCA VANGO Sauce All On Me 32 G-EAZY No Limit f/A$AP Rocky, Cardi B 33 YG F/2 CHAINZ, BIG SEAN, NICKI Big Bank 34 BLOCBOY JB Look Alive f/Drake 35 SHECK WES Mo Bamba 36 CARDI B I Like It f/Bad Bunny/J Balvin 37 TYGA Taste f/Offset 38 YELLA BEEZY That’s On Me 39 DRAKE Nonstop 40 ELLA MAI Boo’d Up 41 DRAKE Nice For What 42 CARDI B Ring 43 TORY LANEZ & RICH THE KID Talk To Me 44 LIL DUVAL Smile B*tch f/Snoop & B.Greezy 45 JACQUEES You 46 LIL BABY Yes Indeed f/Drake 47 ELLA MAI Trip 48 GUCCI MANE/BRUNO/KODAK Wake Up In The Sky 49 TRAVIS SCOTT Sicko Mode 50 MEEK MILL Dangerous f/Jeremih, PnB Rock Hot Adult Contempory Recurrents 1 HALSEY Bad At Love 2 BRUNO MARS & CARDI B Finesse 3 CHEAT CODES No Promises f/Demi Lovato 4 NF Let You Down 5 JASON MRAZ Have It All 6 TAYLOR SWIFT Ready For It 7 MARSHMELLO & ANNE-MARIE Friends 8 LUIS FONSI & DADDY YANKEE Despacito f/Justin Bieber 9 SAM HUNT Body Like A Back Road 10 ED SHEERAN Castle On The Hill 11 CHARLIE PUTH How Long 12 MAROON 5 Wait 13 KYGO X SELENA GOMEZ It Ain’t Me 14 DEMI LOVATO Sorry Not Sorry 15 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Sit Next To Me 16 ARIANA GRANDE No Tears Left To Cry 17 MAROON 5 What Lovers Do f/SZA 18 KHALID X NORMANI Love Lies 19 DUA LIPA New Rules 20 POST MALONE Better Now 21 ZEDD & ALESSIA CARA Stay 22 JAMES ARTHUR Say You Won’t Let Go 23 NIALL HORAN Slow Hands 24 P!NK What About Us 25 IMAGINE DRAGONS Believer 26 IMAGINE DRAGONS Natural 27 CAMILA CABELLO Havana f/Young Thug 28 WEEZER Africa 29 CHARLIE PUTH Attention 30 AJR Burn The House Down 31 SHAWN MENDES In My Blood 32 CAMILA CABELLO Never Be The Same 33 THE CHAINSMOKERS Something Just Like This
34 BEBE REXHA Meant To Be f/F.G.L. 35 SELENA GOMEZ Back To You 36 ED SHEERAN Perfect 37 MACKLEMORE Good Old Days f/Kesha 38 ZEDD/MAREN MORRIS/GREY The Middle 39 DAN + SHAY Tequila 40 IMAGINE DRAGONS Thunder 41 ARIANA GRANDE Breathin 42 ED SHEERAN Shape Of You 43 MAX Lights Down Low f/Gnash 44 PORTUGAL. THE MAN Feel It Still 45 IMAGINE DRAGONS Whatever It Takes 46 SHAWN MENDES There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me... 47 LOVELYTHEBAND Broken 48 TAYLOR SWIFT Delicate 49 LAUV I Like Me Better 50 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Youngblood Country 1 OLD DOMINION No Such Thing As A Broken... 2 MAREN MORRIS Rich 3 THOMAS RHETT Craving You f/Maren Morris 4 DARIUS RUCKER For The First Time 5 JAKE OWEN I Was Jack (You Were Diane) 6 MORGAN WALLEN Up Down f/Florida Georgia Line 7 SCOTTY MCCREERY Five More Minutes 8 CHRIS STAPLETON Broken Halos 9 BRETT YOUNG Like I Loved You 10 BRETT YOUNG Mercy 11 KENNY CHESNEY All The Pretty Girls 12 MORGAN EVANS Kiss Somebody 13 CHRIS JANSON Fix A Drink 14 BLAKE SHELTON I’ll Name The Dogs 15 OLD DOMINION Written In The Sand 16 LANCO Greatest Love Story 17 DYLAN SCOTT Hooked 18 LUKE BRYAN Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset 19 LUKE COMBS When It Rains It Pours 20 DYLAN SCOTT My Girl 21 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE Simple 22 BILLY CURRINGTON Do I Make You Wanna 23 KIP MOORE Last Shot 24 DIERKS BENTLEY Woman, Amen 25 LUKE BRYAN Most People Are Good 26 THOMAS RHETT Life Changes 27 MITCHELL TENPENNY Drunk Me 28 KANE BROWN What Ifs f/Lauren Alaina 29 BEBE REXHA Meant To Be f/F.G.L. 30 JASON ALDEAN Drowns The Whiskey f/M.Lambert 31 THOMAS RHETT Unforgettable 32 JORDAN DAVIS Singles You Up 33 JASON ALDEAN You Make It Easy 34 DUSTIN LYNCH Small Town Boy 35 D L MURPHY Everything’s Gonna Be Alright 36 OLD DOMINION Hotel Key 37 CHRIS YOUNG Hangin’ On 38 LUKE COMBS One Number Away 39 KENNY CHESNEY Get Along 40 KANE BROWN Heaven 41 KANE BROWN Lose It 42 DIERKS BENTLEY Burning Man f/Brothers Osborne 43 DAN + SHAY Tequila 44 RUSSELL DICKERSON Blue Tacoma 45 DAN + SHAY Speechless 46 DUSTIN LYNCH Good Girl 47 LUKE COMBS She Got The Best Of Me 48 JIMMIE ALLEN Best Shot 49 THOMAS RHETT Sixteen 50 JASON ALDEAN Girl Like You