All that money for four hours?

People often question the time and dedication that the professional DJ puts into his (or her) job. "All that money to play four hours of music?"

Let me drop some knowledge! 

Over the past 3 weeks I've been on no less than 12 meetings. I've driven up to an hour each way. Each meeting takes about an hour to execute and during such time I pick up the tab. It's the least I can do for their time... after all. Some book, some don't. Some answer their phones when I call them back, some don't. Some have the courtesy to tell me "thanks but no thanks", and some don't.

Last night I went to sleep with my mind racing. "How can I better serve my brides? (Sorry grooms--it's all about the ladies and you'd do well to learn this!). What can I offer by way of service that I'm not already doing? How can I instill trust? How can I communicate that the most important day of somebody's life can be made better by me being there?"

The answer? Read more books. Speak to more brides. Ask my clients what I can do--past, present, or future. They're the ones who know what they want. It's my job to learn it, offer it, promise it, and exceed it. 

I don't sell DJ services. I don't sell speakers, mixers, songs, or lights. I sell peace of mind. Actually, I don't sell at all. I educate. I empower. I offer all of my energies and skills that I've learned over the past ten years of service. I've learned from the best of the best: Dan Hawkins out of Lutherville, Arnoldo Offerman way down in Florida, Eric Massey in Delaware. Most importantly, I've learned from myself. I learn at every event that I perform for. I learn most when I admit that I don't know everything. Fact is, I know very little. But, I know enough to know this, and to never stop learning. 

The thought isn't "when does my DJ start working for me"? It is "does he ever stop"? The answer? No.