The internet has opened up the marketplace when it comes to looking for suppliers for your wedding or event.

There are literally thousands of DJs across the UK all trying to grab a piece of the party pie.

When I did a survey of the first 100 of them I found on Google when searching for “wedding DJ”, I found that less than 20% actually showed a price on their website.

But why?

A price is useful.  It tells you if that DJ will fit into your budget.  It’s not just limited to DJs either.  The whole wedding industry seems to have this problem of putting a price online, even if it’s just a range or a ball-park figure.

I put a post on a Facebook group this afternoon, asking couples planning their weddings if they looked for a price on a website.  As of writing this blog post, 100% of the replies so far were YES!  There were a few no’s however but I don’t count those as they all came from DJs and photographers 🙂

Here are some of the comments on the post…

“I’d only talk to someone if I knew their price range. I don’t want to waste people’s time if I can’t afford it”

“I personally am really put off when suppliers do not out any prices on their website. I generally will not enquire as I think either their prices will be really high which is why they are hiding them or if I do get in touch they will spam or hound me.”

“I won’t contact anybody who doesn’t have at least a starting price on their website. Our budget is up to 20k so we’re not exactly scrimping, I just like transparency.”

“I would prefer to see starting prices as trying to plan a wedding and yes on a budget I’d like to get a rough idea to what things cost and how much to budget for. Sometimes it can be a shock at how much things cost until you realise the time and equipment/materials etc are needed.”

“Yep, I definitely like knowing what the ballpark figure is mainly so I don’t waste the suppliers time. It also helps me to formulate a budget.”

“A lot of suppliers require you to email them just to get an idea of their costs, so I had to contact a lot of them just to find they were out of my budget. I didn’t bother replying in that case. I think it would help so much if suppliers simply have their costs available in a transparent way.”

Clearly, based on the comments above, you’d be crazy to not show some numbers on your website.  But why do so many DJs, photographers, videographers, toastmasters, etc. avoid it at all costs?

Here are some of the reasons…

1/ Every event is different!

Every supplier should know the minimum that they would charge for a disco, photo booth, or whatever it is they supply.  It’s in their business plan!  They must know how much they want to earn in a year, and how many gigs they need to do to earn that figure.  It’s basic business 101.

They could put a range of prices.  How do you get a range?  Simple!  Make a spreadsheet of all the events you did in the last 12 months.  Sort them from low to high by cost and there’s the range!  It’s really not rocket science.

2/ I like to make a connection before making the sale…

I get this 100%.  In order for couples to ensure that you are the best fit for their wedding, you need to meet, or at least have a phone call.  But that still doesn’t stop you giving them a rough price first, just so that they know that you fit within their budget, or are close to it at least.

3/ Couples don’t know what they want!

Ahh, that old chestnut!

Couples are savvier than some wedding suppliers think.  The internet allows you to research everything.  Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, for example, can open your eyes to a multitude of amazing ideas that you may not have thought about, so wedding suppliers should never assume couples don’t know what they want.

4/ They’ll just end up compare prices!

As above, give folk a bit more credit, please!

If your marketing and values resonate with the person looking at your website, that will entice them to delve deeper and get in touch with you.

5/ They’re scared!

I’ll be honest, I get this… I’ve been that DJ.

Putting your prices online is a massive leap of faith but they do matter to people.

DON’T put them online and you could stop people getting in touch altogether.  DO put them online and you run the risk of stopping them from getting in touch because you don’t fit in with their budget.

One thing is clear though…  No pricey, no likey!

Based on the responses I got on social media today, wedding suppliers need to get out of the habit of pushing customers away by closely guarding prices as a big secret.

Aha!  Just thought of another reason…

6/ My competitors will know what I charge and try to undercut me…

Newsflash! Be under no illusion, your competitors probably know your prices anyway!

There are many ways of finding out what your competitors charge, just get your family and friends to pretend to be a prospective customer.  This has probably happened to me many many times over the years!

DJ’s need to stop worrying about what their competitors are doing and start focusing on being a great DJ.

To start a conversation about your wedding or event, feel free to call or text me on 07799 782764, email me directly at ian@discofever.co.uk or fill in my short contact form.  And for prices, click here 🙂