This Is Why You MUST Follow Up With Your Clients - Ep #39

What if following up with clients could transform your DJ career? Dive into this episode of The Clever DJ, where I reveal the secrets to building rock-solid client relationships and securing repeat bookings. From my own journey as a DJ rookie to becoming a seasoned pro, I share invaluable insights on how consistent and effective follow-ups can set you apart in the competitive DJ industry.

Ever wondered how to turn a one-time gig into a steady stream of referrals? Discover practical strategies for gathering client feedback, showing professionalism, and maintaining reliability that can lead to long-term relationships. We’ll also explore the power of creating a referral network, offering incentives for word-of-mouth marketing, and the importance of timely follow-ups within 48 hours post-event. Learn how demonstrating genuine care for your clients' needs can manage expectations and cement your reputation.

As an added bonus, get ready to enhance your post-event client interactions with actionable tips on addressing issues and providing additional services. Hear about my experiences with new production equipment like the OBS Bot Meet 2 camera, and how such tools have upgraded the quality of my content. Whether it’s sending personalized playlists or encouraging photo reviews, these small touches can make a significant impact on your DJ business. Tune in and discover how to elevate your client follow-up game to new heights!

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Transcript

Client Follow-Up for DJs

Ilia 0:00

Today's episode is about following up with your clients . Following up with your clients , it's an extremely important thing to do , whether it's before the event , during the event , after the event . We're gonna get into all of those points . Welcome back to another episode of the Clever DJ . A quick intro about the podcast before I begin .

Ilia 0:37

My name is Ilya and I've been a DJ for just about three years now , and this podcast is here to capture my journey from absolute beginner to pro . We are on episode 39 now , I believe , and I had to change a little bit of the production . As you may know , if you've been here before , this used to be a podcast with two people . There was a co-host . Now he had to leave for personal reasons . He may be back in the people . There was a co-host Now he had to leave for personal reasons . He may be back in the future , maybe not , we'll see .

Ilia 1:13

But I had to make some decisions about the production , the lighting , the camera . I have this tablet here now , so if my phone is not around , it's incredible , I can just use that and it's just . It's way more convenient . And I got an amazing camera If anyone needs a webcam or something for their gigs or just just a camera for podcasting , whatever it is for streaming , for podcasting , whatever it is for streaming . It's good for everything . I just got the OBS Bot Meet 2 . It came out very recently and it's not expensive . It's like $130 US dollars , $180 Canadian dollars Incredible . The list of features that you have , all the things you can do and the quality 4K and great sensor , great lens , like it's just an amazing camera . And it's this small , it's tiny , it's like two of my thumbs , not even from the start , from the middle . So , yeah , this is just here . I'm here to capture my journey .

Ilia 2:19

I started just about two to three years ago . It's hard to say exactly when because , honestly , the first time I got a controller was , I think , 2015 or 2016 . And then I played around with it . I didn't get what I was doing , I left it . Then I met someone . He showed me a few things . I left it again , met someone showed me a few things . I left it again and , uh , at some point I was bartending and , um , I was working at a venue . Uh , a few venues . And then , and one of them , I met a DJ and I told him listen , I also , I'm also a music producer and , um , if you will agree to let me shadow you and you show me , teach me how to DJ properly , cause I I got back into it , I'm starting to kind of get it , but I need someone to really speed this up for me so I can start doing gigs . Right , I will intern , I will provide whatever I can as a music producer for your business . We became friends , we discovered I have pretty good photography and videography skills as well .

Ilia 3:26

I leveled up his social media game , pr skills and all that stuff and all of that came in , came together like a package for my own business , for my own DJing career , and from practicing at home , here and there , to getting a few gigs , to getting some consistent gigs . I just for the first time and if you were here before , you know I've never done it before For the first time I did my own from start to finish my own wedding gig . So , yeah , I'll , I'll need some applause , um , so what happened ? Was I ? Um , I , I took this podcast , took a lot of my time and , um , I started gigging less and I was learning about um , just like I , I got really interested in podcasting and , uh , you know , teaching others .

Ilia 4:24

Uh , what I know ? Uh , I do have a couple of students . Uh , at this point I'm teaching absolute beginners , people who never ever touched a controller , and it's for me , it's really easy to teach them . I find that I'm I'm a pretty decent teacher . They're learning quick , quickly , and they're loving it . Uh , and it's great because when you teach someone and they respect you and you appreciate how they learn , you can add them to your team . So now I have two people who I can trust to bring to gigs with me , especially when they get to a certain level where they can do things on their own , and I can send them to separate gigs to get even more money and more exposure for my company . Right , and that's what's amazing about teaching someone . Sometimes you can charge them because they're coming in as students . Sometimes it's totally free because they're coming in just to learn the skill .

Ilia 5:23

I am really against keeping someone for too long for free . At some point , if you're starting to get value from them , you got to pay them . It sucks to lose another 100 , 200 , 300 bucks technically , but remember how it was before you got an assistant , how much you're benefiting and how much they're leveling up your game with all of their help , and you know their company and everything . And you know you got to pay them and also , if you were in their shoes , you probably would want to get paid . So for me it's really personal , because I've been on either side and only later I understood that you know , like , maybe I should have gotten paid , uh , at some point , right , uh , but again , different people will will treat the situation differently and if , if you're finding that you're benefiting from something , stay . If not , leave , but don't burn any bridges . That is definitely something you need to remember . Uh , in business , set your ego aside as much as you can . If you can't , if it's something that you just have to deal with , okay , it's a one-off . But trying to start wars with anyone unless you , really , unless you can finish them and be the one who wins ? But I kind of started rambling . I almost lost my train of thought there .

Ilia 6:44

What I believe , what I was going to say , is that I really started focusing on the podcast and less on actually gigging . And you know I did different gigs . I did birthdays , I did different kinds of birthdays . You know I did house parties . I did , you know , like certain things in venues as well , but never a wedding . I was absolutely terrified of the idea of me doing a wedding by myself or even helping someone . Now , this was a simpler wedding , still had all the aspects of a regular wedding , but they were trying to save some money . They were more modest , they weren't on my case with everything , but it made it easier for me to be the best version of myself and not be nervous , and I prepared as much as possible . I'll tell you something about preparing for this wedding .

Ilia 7:38

So the first one was actually my second client for weddings , the first client that's coming up in October . Um , so what happened was I got my first client . I was really happy . I have like a month . I'm good , uh , and then , um , then I get , I get a message and I only see it a day later , like 24 hours later , and I'm like they need to . They need a DJ for Saturday , like this . So it is Saturday , and then they need a DJ for next Saturday , for September , the 21st . Um and uh , I'm like , can I do it ? And I'm , and I'm with my friends and I'm I'm like almost like jumping off my seat . I'm like , can I do it ? It's a second client . Do I say yes to this ? Like I need to really make sure that I'm acting correctly here and I'm like , yeah , I can do it , I'll figure it out , I can do this and I respond . I think they didn't want to call first . They kind of want to kind of feel it out with with a chat later I understood why they did that , um , and explained everything .

Ilia 8:48

I was actually really strict about things . I was like you know what ? Do you want me there a week from now less than a week from now , technically , because I'm I was not even home . So sunday was going to be the first day I was going to start preparing . Really . Then you're going to have to pay some sort of premium . So I charged the first couple a decent fee , almost as much as a professional DJ would charge , and on a platform where usually you can only charge up up to half of that . So that was . That went really well .

Ilia 9:19

And then I charged these guys a tiny bit more . A tiny bit more because I felt for them . I didn't know if they're going to get their deposit back . Uh , they're never going to go with a DJ again , cause apparently they . I asked them did your DJ bail on you ? And they said yeah , so I'm kind of fast forwarding . That's after they already wanted to make a uh set an appointment , set a meeting on zoom , and their DJ double booked . And again , I don't know if I'll ever be in that situation I don't think I will , because I'm extremely like , organized with this kind of stuff but , um , he double booked and he said , apparently you know , I'll send someone else and then I'll I'll switch . And I heard about this kind of stuff and , uh , people who mentored me , showed me how to DJ and took me to gigs with them . They did that too right . So some people really don't like that though . So they backed away from the deal and they seemed like really nice people , and I'm very you already know that about me if you've watched some episodes Very spiritual , very trying to help everyone , and I just find that it really really like what goes around comes around , and more often than not , I benefit from it in one way or another , like , for example , one time I fixed someone's computer an old lady and the old lady was going to get her money and said , well , how much would it be ?

Ilia 10:49

And , um , cause , I told her like approximately 300 bucks for what she said . But then it was such a simple fix . It was just she didn't know what she was doing and she just it was as simple as as um , something not plugged in , but not exactly that . Something not plugged in , but not exactly that . So I I told her you know what this one's on the house , but the only thing I'll ask you for is to call me when you actually have a real issue , because that's not a real issue . I got three more calls from her and I got paid nicely and I got paid with a tip and tea and cookies and everything . That's just one way that I benefited from something like that . So I just find it that being nice is generally something that's really going to help you . So I give them a good price too , but definitely not cheap , not the way I used to price things before . And that's really what I'm getting at .

Ilia 11:40

And I'm sorry I'm kind of rambling here . It's just so much has happened in the last few weeks and I'm really trying to put it together in my head . I actually , for the last few episodes , I was reading off a script . I was trying to kind of get used to being on this podcast on my own and now I'm just chatting with you guys . So you know I'm trying to not forget my train of thought .

Ilia 12:06

So what happened was I didn't gig for a long time and then the first thing I get is a wedding . Once I started like advertising myself again and stuff on on on our uh , on one of our most like known platforms that I mentioned in the past . Um , I get , I get a wedding and then I get another one with like five or six days to prepare and , by the way , when they messaged me back , it was like five or four days like away from the wedding because she never messaged me back after my message . It took her like two days to get back to me and then another day to like actually have an appointment , like a meeting or a few more hours , like half a day . So , yeah , I went back into the world of gigging .

Ilia 12:45

It was hard . It was hard to switch from doing this to that . I was kind of thinking , you know , like I'll get it , I'll get back back to it when , when the time is right , like right now , I'm doing this . But I knew that like , hey , summer's almost over , summer's pretty much over in the us it'sa little longer because everyone goes back to school a bit later in September . Um , but um , I was like , if I , if I'm going to get any , any , any gigs this year , I need to start again now . So , yeah , that's uh , like I honestly don't remember . I had to cut , cut , cut earlier because I totally forgot what I was talking about .

Ilia 13:26

But then I kind of got back to what it was and I'm just I'm exhausted this weekend because it took everything out of me to be prepared for this gig . And guess what ? They were absolutely grateful and satisfied and it just it went so well and I'm not nervous at all for my next DJ gig , my next wedding gig , because it went extremely well and I've done so much in one week , or less than a week , that it really elevated my game and showed me just how much I'm like , how much I'm capable of like , how much I'm capable to like of achieving in such a short , in such a short period of time . So , yeah , I'm just absolutely exhausted . This weekend there were other responsibilities I had to tend to and that's just the DJ life , right , I mean . For for those of you who are just like me and not doing it full time yet , you have a lot of other responsibilities

Client Relationship Building for DJs

Ilia 14:29

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Ilia 14:29

So today's episode is about following up with your clients . Following up with your clients . It's extremely important and it proved to be important in any business I was a part of , and I have a list of points that I wrote down here and some honorable mentions towards the end , because I like doing that . You can't really put everything in one list . So number one is building strong relationships . Following up shows that you care about your clients beyond the initial booking . It helps you build long-term relationships which can lead to repeat bookings or referrals . A simple check-in after an event shows appreciation for their business , creating a positive , positive , lasting impression .

Ilia 15:20

So it's honestly important to follow up with your clients before , during and after , so communicate with them all the time Now , don't drive them crazy , but make sure to find a good time to follow up with them before , during and after . So before would be to set expectations and to make sure you're on the same page . During , make sure that everything is going according to the plan and they're happy , because you don't want something to snowball and then after , which is really what . Following up is what I meant in the beginning . That's how this episode started . I was thinking you know what . This is really important . Let me talk about it . But at the end , the event is over . You'll go up to them and you'll make sure they're happy and everything went well . But after the event and I'll tell you later when it's important to follow up with them as well , and it's again all about building a strong relationship with your clients .

Ilia 16:24

Number two is ensuring client satisfaction . Follow-up allows you to gather feedback , ask clients questions like was the music selection what you hoped for or is there anything we could have done differently ? It shows that you're committed to delivering the best service and resolving any issues post-event helps maintain a strong relationship , even if things didn't go perfectly and , by the way , I had a couple moments in my gig where , you know , things could have gone better , but because of the way we communicated , they were extremely happy and they didn't even notice certain things that I noticed . Obviously and that happens a lot you think , oh , they're going to notice it for sure , and even if they did , they may not care as much as you do . But again , depends what it is . Number three professionalism and reliability . Regular communication shows professionalism and reliability . Regular communication shows professionalism . It reassures the client that you're organized , reliable and invested in their event .

Ilia 17:32

Now take me personally . If somebody works for me or with me , I'm not difficult to deal with . As long as you follow what I asked you from the start and why I'm paying you , I'm not going to expect anything more out of the ordinary . I tell you from the start this is why I'm hiring you and these are mistakes I'm willing to let go , and these are things that you cannot do . Can you take the job ? And it's important to me to know that the person that I hired is invested in my event , in my cause and what I'm doing . So you should feel the same way .

Ilia 18:19

When somebody is hiring you , whatever they're doing is likely a very important event , um , and even if it's not very important , even if it's not a wedding or something very important , um , and it's just like a party or something , it's still important to them . So you need to show that you actually care , um , and you care and you really should care , not just act like you do . And timely follow-ups , like confirming details before the event , reduce the risk of miscommunication and help manage expectations on both sides . It's very important . Number four it's very important . Number four opportunities for future gigs .

Ilia 19:00

When you follow up after a successful event , you can subtly position yourself for future gigs , mention upcoming events or your availability for other types of parties , which I did , and it actually worked very well in my favor , and clients who feel valued are more likely to recommend you to others or hire you again . And that's what I was going to say . It was pretty funny . He said the groom said I'm not planning to get married again and I laughed and said I hope you don't . I hope you guys stay together . We laughed it out , but he said if anyone else is getting married , I'll definitely recommend you . And I said hey , I do all kinds of events , not just weddings . He's like yeah , anything , anything , we have your information . And we spoke a few more times before they left . They were definitely a very nice couple , very nice family . Both sides were just amazing . It was just such a pleasure working with them , celebrating with them , and I mean , why shoot yourself in the foot ? Speak to them .

Ilia 20:14

Number five creating a referral network . Ask satisfied clients if they know of anyone else who might need a dj . So we're kind of tying it into the other point . This can naturally extend your network and generate leads . Offer a small incentive for referrals , such as a discount for future events which encourages word of mouth marketing . It's just , it's like a beautiful recipe , all these things that I'm telling you right now , if you actually do it and again , you may not be a natural at first . You know it's easier for me to talk to people than the next person . I just that's one of my skills . I just that's one of my skills , uh , but um , it's just . Even even on this podcast , like even though I'm good at public speaking and just coming up with stuff on the spot , this was hard for me . This was something new , this was something that I was nervous about , but I was like you know what I want to do this . So I did it and I learned , I got better and I'm still obviously improving and same with what you're doing . Your business requires you to do this if you want to get somewhere . If you want to get somewhere , you know , like you want , you don't want to just remain small . You want to actually evolve and expand .

Ilia 21:39

Number six collecting testimonials and reviews . After a successful event . Ask clients for testimonials or reviews . Positive feedback on your website or social media can help attract new clients . That's extremely important because most of the times when I get new clients , they're asking hey , can you show us some reviews or some validity to what you're saying right , you're saying you're a good DJ , you're saying you can do this , this , this and that , but can we see some videos , some reviews ? So make sure you actually have something prepared right . Set up a camera , make sure they're okay with it . If they're not totally okay with it , ask them if you could tell them you need to take some promotional material . So far , nobody has ever told me no , and it's actually going to work in their favor in the end too , which I'll get to that . But make sure that you actually have a footprint online with previous clients and whether it's reviews , videos make sure you do that . And if you don't collect those reviews , then it kind of seems like you've never really DJed to them , sometimes because they're like , okay , well , you only have three reviews , but you've been a DJ for what ? 10 years ? Are you sure you've been doing this for 10 years ? You may not get a chance to prove it to them with your skills right , and you can even create a short follow-up email template requesting a quick review , making it easy for clients to share their thoughts , posting a quick review , making it easy for clients to share their thoughts

Effective Client Follow-Up Strategies for DJs

Ilia 23:19

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Ilia 23:19

And that's not how I do it , but maybe I will in the future , and that's something I saw online and I thought I'll write it down , and you know it was for another business , but it actually works really well for this one as well . It's the general thing you should be doing . What I do is this so I'll walk up to the client and I'll say , hey , how , how did everything go ? You know , oh , like time flew by , whatever small talk , and how did everything go ? Is there anything you'd like you'd like to tell me ? I , I hope you enjoyed everything , but please , please , honestly , tell me if there's anything I could have done better .

Ilia 23:54

And then , uh , they'll say , oh , you know what ? Everything was perfect , except the music was a bit loud for half the night , a bit too loud . We couldn't hear each other speak . But if you're on the dance floor , that was good . But for those who weren't on the dance floor , just wanted to speak , it was really hard for them to hear each other . They had to step outside , um , and then you know you could say something to save yourself , kind of not really blame someone , but everything is your own responsibility . But you can say hey , it was quieter earlier . You're right , and I did change that because I got several people walking up to me telling me it's too quiet . You know what ? I should have checked with you . So really , here you're , showing that you were doing that to make it better for the guests , but you kind of maybe dropped the ball a little bit .

Ilia 24:43

You should have spoke to them , asked them or maybe follow up , like actually go and double check , right ? Hey , I just raised the volume , like what do you think ? And go , stand there and listen . Every once in a while you should go and check out , you know the audio and see , and go stand there and listen , right , every once in a while you should go and check out you know the audio and see how it sounds to others , right , because unless you have a monitor , it's really hard to tell how it sounds . And then also the monitors , usually a small speaker , the two big speakers or however many you have , are pointed at a crowd and they're in front of you usually or to the side . So , yeah , it's extremely important to speak to them and double check that you actually are on the same page .

Ilia 25:30

So , after you ask them that and they give you an answer , you can then say something like this so , first of all , if you didn't like their answer and they really didn't like the way that you DJed or whatever . They had too many complaints . Don't bring up a review . You don't want them on that page . But if you think that they're going to give you a good review and there's no way to know for sure , but if you think they're going to give you a good review , you can then bring it up . You can then say something . So I kind of feel it out Okay , they're generally happy , or like they're extremely happy . They have one point that they mentioned that was like just because they wanted to say it and I'll say that's awesome , I'm so happy that this is how you feel , and I may not say anything about a review , but then I'll say , hey , I will follow up with you guys after the event , just so you know . If that's okay with you , I say , yeah , sure , but I don't tell them exactly when , and that's because I want to create some suspense and I want to show them that I care to follow up right after the event . So a day later I'll leave them alone for maybe one day and I'll follow up the next day , or maybe it'll be the day after the wedding .

Ilia 26:49

It depends on how late we finished and how tired everyone is and what their plans are . Sometimes you know what they're doing . Some of them are going to like an after party at a hotel , or they're staying up all night , so , and then I'll speak to them about the review on that phone call or email or whatever . Right , usually it's a phone call , it's an email than a phone call . Um , so I , I , I , I subtly follow up by sending an email first , given , you know , giving them a moment to kind of respond to it . Give them , like a few hours . If they don't respond to it , I will give them a phone call If they respond to it , but our phone call is still recommended based on the situation . I'll call them anyway , right , and that's how I ensure good client relationships .

Ilia 27:36

What I could also say is , if they're really happy and sometimes they'll offer it themselves they'll say , hey , yeah , we loved it . And , by the way , do you need a review ? We'll , we'll review , we'll , we'll give you a five-star review . It's a no brainer . Say , yes , here's my website or here's where you're going to review it . Or , hey , I'm going to send you once I get home , when you have a moment tomorrow , on next weekend , whenever you can . I'll be really happy if you leave me a review . I even told them hey , if you don't mind , add a photo . I really liked that photo we took together and that's why every event I take a photo with a client if it's appropriate . So far it's been always appropriate . We did a photo booth photo shoot and then we did like a with a cell phone and then the photographer also took a few photos of us . So I sent them all those photos in an email and I said you know , like I have some amazing reviews on my website and I'd love I'd love it if you added another , another review for me . So that's another way of me saying hey , can you give me a five-star review without saying ? Can you give me a five-star review without saying can you give me a five-star review ? I think this is golden advice for anyone who doesn't know how to approach the situation .

Ilia 28:43

So , number seven uh , closing the loop , a follow-up after the event uh , completes the client journey . Uh , it's a professional way to thank them for their business , ask for feedback and remind them that you're ready for the next event . And that's really what we just spoke about . But I kind of wanted to to explain that this is . This is where the last stop is for me . Me , like I said , I still will , you know , do like a kind of an intricate follow-up . I ease them into it . So an email , and it's important what you write in the email I gave you a few examples and then a phone call , almost always , if necessary , or a text or something . In my case , they always won't talk and I never forced them into it or make them feel uncomfortable . Obviously , if it makes no sense , it makes no sense . You don't do that , but in my case it's always been welcomed . So that's it for those seven pointers , from start to finish , from building strong relationships to closing the loop , and now for some honorable mentions .

Ilia 30:02

I just want to get into a bit of detail . So a personalized touch , that's number one . Number one is a personalized touch . Personalizing your follow-up can make a huge difference . Mention specific moments from the event , like a special song request or a unique interaction to show you were fully engaged and attentive . This level of attention can turn one-time clients into repeat customers who feel a personal connection with your brand .

Ilia 30:33

Now , I kind of touched on that earlier . That's why I said I'll talk about later about a few of these points , because they all come up here in the honorable mentions . That's the extra that I like to add up . Add on the email I sent them had some information about the event , some , you know , like how I feel , how they feel things . That happened , right , and it's a very short email but , like , I found the right wording . You know , a few paragraphs , very short paragraphs , right , easy for them to read , instead of one chunk of text and it's all there . It's elegant , right , the delivery is just perfect and it shows them that even after the event is done , it's such a pleasant experience dealing with me , right . That's what I'm trying . I'm hoping that's how they feel , right , and , like I said , this level of attention can turn one-time clients into repeat customers because they felt a connection with your brand . They felt , wow , nobody's ever done this to us or with us . This is such a different experience and that's how I feel .

Ilia 31:42

When somebody gives me that experience with their booth , wherever we go , or someone we hired , right away I reach into my pocket for a tip and I say , yeah , you know , like I'll , I'll see you again in the future . Definitely we will . We will be speaking again because I mean , why not ? Like , I found the person I'm going to hire for all my events or all my needs , for the whatever that was , um . So have a personalized touch . Don't just act like a robot with everyone . Do what everyone does . Do like .

Ilia 32:15

Remember , remember certain parts about your clients , certain things about your client . Remember funny things that happened . For example , I'll give you an example . I bumped my laptop and the song cut off like the , the USB like just like kind of disconnected , and it was a slow song , it was all of me and it was crazy . I'm like , at that moment , like I felt my head heating , heating up like , like , like it was like a thousand degrees Cause I was so nervous , like out of nowhere , like I was so happy running towards the laptop to do something . Somebody requested something , and I do that .

Ilia 32:55

Sometimes I walk to the dance floor or like aside to the table If I see that they're like they want to talk to me , but they don't know how to approach me . Like you always have to communicate with them , you always have to look at the crowd . It depends on the event too , but in this one it made sense and it was really cool because everyone started singing , like at a show . You know where something happens to the mic and you can't hear the singer . Everyone , like at a show , you know where something happens to the mic and you can't hear the singer everyone started singing . It was absolute . I'm happy it happened . It was such a nice moment and everyone loved it .

Ilia 33:29

And then , you know , I fixed it and I restarted the song from that chorus not from the very beginning , but from the chorus and , like you know , I faded into it and it was just beautiful and it made things better , and that's you need to know how to fix those kinds of things . And I don't even know how . I knew that . It just it was instinct . So , yeah , sometimes I'm like maybe I'm not as much of a beginner as I used to believe , because it has been a few years after all , right , a couple of years . And why I say two to three years , like just under three years ? Because I took breaks . I why I say two to three years like just under three years ? Because I took breaks . I took breaks . I didn't practice in the very beginning almost at all . So you know , that's why when you ask someone , oh , how long have you been singing for , how long have you been playing guitar ? For People kind of like stop sometimes and they don't know what to answer , because they bought a guitar like 15 years ago and then they messed around with it for a couple of years and then they left it and they came back to it so and then like at some point I just stopped being a beginner , right it just it's just funny how that happens . So have those moments kind of noted down and you can mention it . So I mentioned it and I know they're going to have a good laugh and it's going to kind of create that personal feeling with them , without me even being in the room , wherever they are reading that email or I'll say it on the phone or something . So that's just one example , like a real example . I mean it just happened like 24 hours ago .

Building Client Relationships Through Follow-Up

Ilia 35:02

Number two timing is everything . The timing of your follow-up matters . That's what I was saying . I'll talk to you later about this because it's coming up . So the timing of your follow-up matters . A quick follow-up the day after the event shows that it's priority for you . It's a priority for you , but not rushing . It gives the client time to decompress and reflect on the experience . So go ahead and follow up right after the event , a day after , if it makes sense . You know , like I said , they might be up very late and maybe you should give them an extra day , but within 48 hours you should definitely follow up . If you're not sure if you should call , text them , text them the next day and then call them the day after that . But feel it out , some people might , might take it as you know you're being too much . So it depends on , again , you should know your client and uh , so that's really important .

Ilia 36:03

And for longer term follow-ups , weeks or months later , it can be as simple as a checking in message to stay on their radar without being intrusive , because , again , you have their phone number , you have their email , doesn't mean that you're their best friend now and now . You should be messaging them every holiday . So I make it a habit to message my clients once or twice a year and that's enough , like twice is more than enough . I have two clients who I message maybe four or five times a year because we're very , very close and I'm checking in like hey , is this happening ? Like just hey , just letting you know I'm getting really like booked for this month , just letting you know if this is happening . I need to know soon , right ? So again and that shows them how , like wow , he remembers that that's that's when his birthday is , or that's when this is happening , or that's when we go on vacation , you know , and he may be free around that time , but we may not be like , I just know their schedule , I know everything about them that I need to know in order to give them a good service , and it's important to do that because they'll remember you and they'll give you more work , and it's really awesome where you can get more work from the same person . You already have a rapport with them and it's easy . You know them and you know what they like and it's just honestly like it does not require as much work as it would if it was a new client . Right , repeat clients are usually way , way more fun and easier to work with because you already have a relationship and a set of standards and expectations .

Ilia 37:47

Number three offering additional services . When following up , it's a great time to mention other services you offer , like lighting , emceeing or sound system rentals . If they had a good experience with your DJing , they might consider you for their next event full package . So remember how I told you when the groom said oh , if there's any other weddings , I'll let you know . And I told him oh okay , well , I do other parties too and they already know about all of my other stuff , because I told them what I do and I told them like kind of gear I have for different events and kind of packages I have and everything . But again , if it didn't come up yet , then do it later and if you have nothing else to talk about , then at least mention that . So this is especially useful . This is especially useful if your client is hosting multiple events like weddings , corporate parties or holiday celebrations . One of my clients actually was . He said that hey , my company requires a DJ twice a year and that was a birthday for his girlfriend , that I was DJing at a bar . But out of that gig I got a couple other gigs . So I got one corporate event for his company and then I got another private event for him but like for his family members , someone else in his family . So it's definitely useful to do that .

Ilia 39:20

Number four client loyalty programs . That's something I like to do . A follow-up can be an opportunity to introduce a client loyalty program . Offering a discount or special package deal for repeat clients can create a sense of exclusivity and drive loyalty , highlighting that they are a valued customer through such programs , can lead to ongoing business online . That shows you that , hey , if you help our business , we'll help you know , we'll pay you or we'll give you certain like special , you know offers . You need to do that too . So if you're going to get them working for you , technically bringing you business , you got to find a way to match what they're doing for you . So if you know that money is tight for that family , offer them a serious discount for the next event . Because here's the thing Sure , you're discounting 10% , 15% , which is quite a bit , but at the same time you're getting an extra $1,000 , $2,000 , $3,000 .

Ilia 40:36

And then , likely , now that another member in that family or a group of friends hired you and now they're seeing you again , likely someone else will and someone else will and someone else will , and it happens Now . It didn't happen to me personally yet , but I've seen it happen to some bigger DJs , people who've been doing it for more years and stuff like that . People who've been doing it for more years and stuff like that . I just didn't have that client yet who it just like snowballed into , like so many people from that same family or friends I had , like I said , the one that had a corporate also , and then another family member , but then that's kind of that's kind of where it ended , right , and from time to time we still chat and , and you know , he knows I'm there and the other one who hired me knows I'm there too . But it can really become something consistent with time .

Ilia 41:32

Now staying memorable . Number five staying memorable Very important . Send something memorable along with your follow-up , like a custom playlist from the event or a short recap video with highlights from the night . This is not only to keep you in the client's mind , but also creates a sentimental connection . It's a way to offer more than just DJ services . It adds an extra layer of value to their event experience . So that ties into what I said earlier , with a personalized touch . Like I said , I told you I send them photos of us together , right , so I'm kind of like putting it all together elegantly . But I also and what I said earlier , earlier that I'm going to mention why the video is actually good for them too .

Ilia 42:24

Some clients don't have a videographer , sometimes don't even have a photographer . They , the family's taking videos and photos for them and , um , I'll never get it like , unless it's just a serious money issue . I'll never get how , like , at least hire someone like friend or someone like you know or have , have them make that your wedding gift for you . Get them a hundred dollar gimbal or something and tell them , hey , like , try to get as nice footage as possible , right , and like you'll be doing that the whole wedding . Um , I don't know something , right , just get , get your memory , get your memories . Like , get them , get them on footage , get footage for your memories . Like , get them on footage , get footage for your memories .

Ilia 43:06

Now , what I do is I tell them hey , you said you were okay with me recording your entire event . So the way it's recorded is behind my shoulder it's really showing me and then showing the entire dance floor and a bit around the dance floor . But , um , I can , I can share highlights from that for you . Uh , because it's it's a pretty , it's a pretty cool uh video to have , right , um , and then on top of that , I between tracks and um , you know , especially if I have an assistant with me , I'll take videos and photos and stuff like that . And they're very nice , it's a nice camera , it turns out really nice . So I'll spend some time , I'll maybe edit a few photos . I'll make sure that I'm sending them only the stuff that I'll want to get , and then I send all of that with a Dropbox link . Now they don't have to get all that at once or load it in an email . Now they can load the Dropbox link or Google Drive link and I'll send a little set of instructions in a notepad or an email and explain to them how to access it , and that they can download only what they want or view it . The link is going to be good for a very long time . So , yeah , that's what it's all about Create an experience for the client , build a relationship , remain in their hearts and minds .

Ilia 44:34

So following up with your clients is a very important part of your business . It's a way to ensure that the relationship continues past that event . So you're not cutting ties just because the event is over , and return clients usually bring more business with them . So word of mouth that's usually when this happens because they're coming back to you . There's a reason why they're coming back to you and if anyone's ever going to ask them for a DJ , they're likely going to recommend you and sometimes , without even somebody asking , they'll say oh , you should check out this DJ at my last event or at my wedding , and maybe they just want to show off , maybe they just wanted to just , you know , enjoy showing a really cool clip . That in turn , created an idea in the other person's mind . Hmm , maybe I could use them . Hey , do you have his phone number ? You know ?

Ilia 45:25

So there should be absolutely no reason for you not to follow up with your clients , whether you want to keep them or not , for whatever reason . It's always important because I actually never even went over that . Always important because I actually never , I actually never even went over that . If , let's say , you don't want to keep the client or you don't think they'll , they'll want to have you for the next event . Yeah , maybe don't start calling them after the event but , um , at the end of the event you can discuss . You know what , what , what could have gone better ? Uh , based on the experience , you can personalize kind of some sort of some gesture , something that will make them feel better . If you could , maybe don't offer your business again if you know that they don't want to hire you again , but try to lessen the blow , try to do something instead of just walking away , because they're going to be talking about this . So you better just not ignore your clients .

Ilia 46:24

Now , this episode was mostly about people who want to return business from the clients and things went well . But this is important to remember even when things don't go well , make sure you speak to your clients . If you think they're going to be nice about it and they would actually want to discuss this with you on the phone , sure go ahead . Likely , this is not going to be the case . You have one chance right after the event . You can discuss things with them , apologize , offer some sort of resolution and , who knows , maybe because of that they'll give you another chance , or maybe because of that they'll forgive you or whatever it is .

Ilia 46:59

You lessen the blow . Usually that works . Or maybe because of that they'll forgive you , or whatever it is . You lessen the blow . Usually that works . But for everyone who wants return business because things went well , follow this guide , follow this video , everything that or this audio , whatever you are , whether you're watching this or listening to this , this is going to seriously elevate your business and make your life easier , because when you have return clients , you already know . You already know who they are , what they like and they know you . And it's not new . You don't have to build that relationship all over again , and even if it's someone from the family or a friend , likely you were already in the same room together before or they know quite a bit about you and it's just a more fun interaction in some cases . So that would be all for tonight . Thank you very much for joining another episode of the Clever DJ . See you in the next one , stay safe . See you in the next one , stay close .