by Alan Dodson
Saturday Night Special’s are compact handguns with high availability and low cost. This makes them attractive to many buyers despite their poor quality.
Every market is also plagued with Saturday Night Special DJs. These people are cheap and dangerous because they never attend trade shows, trainings or conferences either because “they can’t afford it” or they just don’t see the value in learning. Most do not have business licenses or insurance, and have no industry affiliations.
These bottom-feeders are not professionals in the true sense of the world. They try to compete on price alone, and are sharks who take advantage of an uneducated public. More often than not, it’s too late for a client when these DJs show up late or not at all, aren’t prepared or dressed properly, and have sub-standard equipment.
Top Gun Pilots
Those of us who consistently strive to create amazing events for our clients, who are always looking to improve our abilities and are willing to share with others our personal knowledge and training have a correlation to the Top Gun pilots.
The Advanced Fighter Weapons School was established in 1969 as a result of studies done involving losses of aircraft and crews in Vietnam. Its objective was to develop, refine and teach aerial dogfight tactics and techniques to selected fleet air crews, using the concept of Dissimilar Air Combat Training.
This concept was to utilize different aircraft to replicate real world combat situations. Air crews selected to attend the Top Gun course were chosen from front-line units.
A Thirst to Be the Best
If you have a thirst for knowledge and are willing to take the necessary steps to ensure that you are attending every training opportunity, you too can be a Top Gun.
Multi-Op owners/managers have an opportunity to mentor the DJs in your company. Helping others excel will, by default, make you even better because you will be practicing the skill set that you have while teaching it to others.
As a Solo-Operator, I take time to teach and assist other Single-Op DJs and wedding vendors in my market. Many of us network together to share leads and ideas that helps everyone.
Our industry is littered with people who are afraid to share knowledge and information with others in their own market. I believe that most times this is due to misplaced paranoia that somehow helping others will make you lose business to them.
The fact is, if you help them, you are raising the bar within your marketplace and ultimately will result in your getting more business, which nets you a higher income.
There’s a famous saying that goes:
You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.”
Which are you?
Alan Dodson – Wedding Wizard
Alan Dodson is the Entertainment Director of An Unforgettable Event (ThoseWeddingPeople.com), and has been entertaining at and producing events since the early 1970’s. He has also worked as a voice talent on radio and television, nationwide.
Alan specializes in weddings, and is a co-producer of the Tri Cities Bridal Show (tricitiesbridalshow.com) as well as producer of bi-monthly workshops for grooms (aPerfectGroom.com).
He has written numerous articles for business and trade magazines, and has been a speaker on implementing social media into wedding DJ businesses. Alan is a founding officer of the E. TN Chapter of the ADJA (adja.org/chapters/etenn), where he now serves as President. He maintains an informational wedding blog on his website (TopDiscJockey.com).
Alan can be reached by email at [email protected].
