Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland and Washington DC Since 1978
Rates/Availability Upgrades FAQs How To Hire A DJ Music/Planning Forms References Links Pay Online Contact Home
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Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland and Washington DC Since 1978 Rates/Availability Upgrades FAQs How To Hire A DJ Music/Planning Forms References Links Pay Online Contact Home |
There are major issues you want to know about before calling or interviewing prospective DJs. First, know the date, time, and exact location at the bare minimum. Rates can vary on ALL of these items, and without these, a price quote may not be accurate.
1. Make sure you have a binding contract
2. Sales, discounts and high pressure tactics
3. Make sure you have a choice of personality
4. Hire a DJ that has experience!
5. Do not rely simply on an interview with your DJ
6. Make sure your DJ will have a backup DJ AND backup equipment.
8. The DJ Factory - do you want to be another number?
9. Look for a reliable full time operation
11. Will your DJ use digital technology?
MAKE
SURE YOU HAVE A BINDING CONTRACT
If you do not put down a deposit AND sign a
written agreement, you do not have a binding contract. Without one,
don't expect your DJ to arrive at all (let alone on time). Customers
call us on a regular basis because the DJ they hired (usually the friend of a
friend) has either failed to show up or cancelled on them. Contracts are the best way to avoid
miscommunication about the most important details of your important day.
SALES, DISCOUNTS AND HIGH PRESSURE
TACTICS
"We are having a sale that ends
soon." What you won’t be
told is that there will be another "sale" within a week. A sale is
not a sale if it held weekly! If you feel your DJ plays an important
role, don't try to save money on the
lower end service. Discounted rates mean inexperienced DJs who are both the lowest
paid in the industry and who are the lowest in demand.
"We do not give quotes over the phone". While there are many factors which determine a price quote...and it can all be done online or over the phone! If the pricing is so complex that it cannot be given within a few minutes over the phone, you can assume the service will get a slick salesman coming to your house to give you the high pressure sales pitch. They are always overpriced and you will not receive services that are any different than ours.
MAKE
SURE YOU HAVE
A CHOICE OF
PERSONALITY
Some events require a heavy interaction, while others need a DJ who will
remain in the background. Many prefer someone in between or - a moderate
personality (also described as a master of ceremonies). The type of
personality should be your choice. Watch out for words like
"fun" and "good"- these are very subjective. Always be as
specific as possible regarding what you want your DJ to do at your special
event. Most independent (single
operation) DJs have one personality...their own. So, they
will do the same thing at EVERY event and cannot be flexible with your
needs!
HIRE A DJ THAT HAS EXPERIENCE!
Do not risk hiring an inexperienced DJ just to save a few dollars. A polished
professional can calmly deal with the nervous family member, or a crowd that
just won't dance, while keeping the event enjoyable. Your DJ should be
experienced at YOUR type of event. A DJ whose resume accentuates night club
experience may not be best suited for the professional atmosphere that is
necessary for weddings. And, ask how the company trains their DJs-you may
surprised at their answer! The inexperienced DJs are usually packaged
with the companies who pressure you to use their service.
DO
NOT RELY SIMPLY ON AN INTERVIEW WITH YOUR DJ
Although it is important to speak with or
interview your DJ before the event, don't let the interview be your only
criteria! Customers often make the mistake of hiring a DJ they
"liked" only. You can like someone and still get terrible
service. Most importantly, an interview will NOT tell you what their
personality (how much a DJ will interact on the microphone) will be at your event.
It gives you little insight of the DJ's ability
to read a crowd,
organizational skills or reliability to follow instructions. Otherwise, all companies would simply have you interview a
DJ. So, why do customers
still have complaints after an event where they interviewed their DJ? Often, the complaint
is "I told him to do something
and he didn't do it." Obviously, a meeting does not solve the
problem. What is more important is the guarantee you will get such as
music and personality. You can meet with our DJs before or after you sign a
contract - just don't let that be your only criteria.
MAKE
SURE YOUR DJ WILL HAVE A BACKUP DJ AND BACKUP EQUIPMENT
If there is no backup, a common response
you may get is: "We have NEVER had a problem," or "I work with
several DJs (network of DJs) that will be on backup for me." Both of
these answers means they do NOT have backup! Make sure it is written
into your contract. What if
your DJ is sick or is involved in an accident? Is that a gamble you want to
take on your special day? Independent DJs and small companies with less than 5
DJs on staff are the highest risks since they will usually book all their DJs,
leaving you without a backup! If it is not an issue, it will be in their
contract without the need for you to ask.
PAY
WITH A CREDIT CARD
It is important that you are able to pay with a credit card. If the DJ
does not comply with the contract agreement, you can dispute it with your
credit card company and get money back. Second, it shows the credibility and
seriousness of the business with which you are dealing. If its customers are
important, the DJ company will eat the very small cost involved with credit
card transactions and will let the customer have the convenience which credit
card transactions provide. Any DJ company which is in the business as a
professional service organization, will likely accept credit cards.
THE DJ
FACTORY - DO YOU WANT TO BE JUST ANOTHER NUMBER?
Some companies will boast of
having hundreds of DJs! This is misleading because NO DJ company has that
many employees (however, they may subcontract a large
number). These huge companies do not formerly train their
DJs. "Training" is
memorizing a script, then asking him to play music for an hour to see how he interacts
to a room of 3-4 or their DJs. Their focus is so much on quantity, they are
more concerned about hiring DJs to fill
the slots (even if they are not qualified). We know this because those SAME
DJs have applied with us thinking the interview process would be easy, and we have rejected their applications.
The other end of the spectrum is the individual DJ trying to dazzle you with exaggerated numbers and boosting their highly inflated ego. Check their math! If they claim to do 3000 weddings per year and have 15 DJs, that means each DJ is doing about 200 weddings per year (4 per week)...HIGHLY unlikely!
LOOK
FOR A RELIABLE
FULL-TIME OPERATION
DJ companies come and go every year - especially independent DJs! Remember, DJs perform a customer service, and how they handle
your initial consultation and promptly answer your phone call can give great insight into how they work as a whole.
DO
THEY HAVE A WEB SITE?
Believe it or not, some DJs do not have a web site! If they are serious about
their business, a professional DJ should have professional material, equipment
and just as important - an informative web site. If they are not "good
with computers" they probably cannot troubleshoot the complex DJ
equipment and that can be a major issue.
WILL
YOUR DJ USE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY?
There is absolutely no reason why a DJ should not be using digital media
such as CDs or MP3s. The most reliable source is CDs (which is digital). MP3
is great, however it depends on how it was ripped (recorded). Some DJs
download their music from the internet (legally and illegally), and never know
the source or the sound quality from which it was recorded.
WILL YOU BE
PROMISED THE "BEST" DJ?
Why would anyone EVER want anything less than the company's
"best" DJ? Be cautious of services who package their DJs as
"SUPERB" or "DELUXE". This is a tactic to have you pay more money for the
same service. Don’t be suckered into their idea of what is a
"good" - it may be drastically different than yours. Conversely, if
only a handful of their DJs are labeled as "BETTER", just what does
that really say about the remaining ones? You may even see things like "Best
wedding DJ in the US". There is no national
gauge or even a standard that can measure this subjective description. Any
DJ who could fit that description would never need to advertise and would be
booked every weekend for years in advance.
DRINKING ALCOHOL -
WHAT IS THEIR POLICY?
Do your DJs drink alcohol on the job? This is a legitimate concern. A professional DJ will not drink on the
job. Make sure to ask about the drinking policies of the DJ services you
are considering.