I saw my music mixer’s face first and I knew there was something wrong. He had the look of sheer terror.  I’d just introduced the bride’s dance with her dad and that song (My Girl) was playing so I knew whatever was troubling him wasn’t about that song. I was on the far side of the room and since I live by that 1980s deodorant commercial “never let them see you sweat” I kept my game face on as I made my way back to the DJ table. The first thing I looked at was the deck playing My Girl. There was 1:54 remaining. In less than 2 minutes I’d be introducing the song for the groom and his mom.

Hopefully.

“What’s up?” I asked as calmly as I could .

“It’s not cuing!” My music mixer was pointing to my Pioneer MEP7000 and indeed the big blue “load” button was blinking and nothing was loaded on that side. I looked my mixer in the eyes and whispered, “this is not a problem.”

Even though I said that I wasn’t quite sure yet. I’d never seen my Pioneer do this so I didn’t know if it meant the unit was broken or the track we were trying to load was corrupted. We tried to load a different song on that side but now it was frozen. 1:41 left in My Girl.

I keep all my music on an external hard drive and I also have a thumb drive that not only has the essentials for DJing but also every event’s special requests. I clicked over to view the thumb drive and tried to load that on the side that was blinking but it was still frozen. 1:27 left in My Girl.

Besides the thumb drive I also back up all my special requests onto my iPhone and I have an extra channel on my mixer with an 1/8 inch jack to RCA wire. I gently pulled that wire out of my top half and stuck it into the headphone jack on my phone. 1:02 left in My Girl.

I found the playlist called “Requests for the Weekend” and located the song for the groom and his mom. In my mind I was saying “Please play. Please play. Please play.” I hit play and grabbed my headphones. The sweet sound of Rascal Flatts singing “I Won’t Let Go” came through the cans. I took my first full breath in over a minute. :38 left in My Girl.

I re-cued the song on my iPhone and showed my mixer how he was going to start it and which channel it was coming in on my board. :22 left in My Girl. I took a step away from the table and then froze. I’d forgotten one vital thing. I grabbed my iPhone, navigated to Settings and switched to Airplane mode.  Just in case somebody called me while that song was playing now it would be blocked.  My Girl was beginning to fade. I strolled onto the dance floor, got a round of applause for the bride and her dad and then asked the groom to escort his mom to the floor. I turned and pointed and wouldn’t you know, the song started and played just fine.

While the Rascall Flatts song played on my phone we tried loading the track from my thumb drive to the other deck. It froze that one too. We had to restart my Pioneer unit before we could load anything else and we made it through the rest of the night with no problem.  I’ve come to find out that the track is corrupted.

So here’s what I did wrong in this near-miss of a tragedy. I’d downloaded the Rascall Flatts song from iTunes and listened to it in my office but when my mixer and I rehearsed bridal party introductions we went through the songs for the parents, bridal party and bride and groom to come in to and then the wedding song. But we stopped there. Had we previewed the parents dance songs (which, let’s face it are just important as the couple’s first dance) we would have caught this problem in advance and set up the iPhone backup without the stress of doing it under fire. Also I should always pull that 1/8″ wire from my top half before an event so if I need it in the case of an emergency I don’t have to go fishing around for it while music is playing (and possibly dislodging a crucial wire).

But here’s what I’m proud of: I had multiple backups and I kept my cool. Since I switched to the Pioneer unit and stopped bringing CDs out I’ve backed up all my weekend’s music onto a thumb drive and onto my phone and iPad. I’ve never once had to use these sources but for over two years I’ve done it. And now I can see why.  And in keeping my cool I was able to think straight and not panic and no one else in the room (except my music mixer) knew there was ever an issue.

I’ve made the comment before that back up equipment and music is like bringing a condom on a first date.  You’re probably not going to need it but if you do you’ll be thankful you have it.  Well, it’s been a long time since I had a first date so I don’t know if that saying is true or not but I can tell you one thing, I’m thankful that I’m still so diligent about backing up my music every weekend!

As the producer and host of DJ Times DJ of the Year competition each year at the International DJ Expo in Atlantic City, I’m constantly in search of great DJs and MCs who are willing (and brave enough) to get on the stage and compete for the coveted titled of DJ of the Year.  So I decided to speak with last year’s winner, Jack Bermeo and see what led up to him competing and if the title has made a difference in his professional life.

First of all – congratulations once again on your win. It’s been 6 months since I read your name as DJ of the Year for 2011, can you tell me what you remember about that moment.

It was definitely surreal. I immediately thought about all the years I spent watching the competitions and wondering, when am I going to get up there. Just as I grasped the situation, I was being bum rushed by my own crew and at that point I just rode the feeling.

What was the impetus to competing last year? Did someone suggest you do it or did you watch it the year before and think “I could do this?”

A little of both. The year before I threw my hat in the ring, I consulted with my partner, Jorge Vincentty, and thought that we could make a solid go of it. Then, when we approached Marcello about how to go about entering, he asked simply that we make him a promise that we would put forth a solid and heartfelt effort. We shook on it and promised that one year from that day, we would have at least made him proud by competing. The win was the icing on that promise.

The routine that you performed was to PitBull’s I Know You Want Me. Tell us about how you prepared for this.

There was a lot of discussion and brainstorming with my team. We would go through different mixes and different steps. Then we would try it out at various events, judging the routine, reaction of the crowd, and how easy it was for them to grasp the steps. Then I basically listened to the song and did the routine in my head over and over again.

Did you seek out anyone for advice before performing, maybe a past finalist or winner?

Honestly, I was in my own zone. Being that I was the last slot, I tried to keep my composure and focus on one thing…the performance. I went through the routine with my crew and felt comfortable knowing they had my back and would put forth their every effort to make us look good. Once I was secure, all I thought about was the performance, not even the chance of winning.

Have you been able to utilize the title of DJ of the Year in any marketing? How has it helped your business?

The title has definitely increased my visibility on the net and we have been making a push to brand our service throughout the NJ, PA, and NY area. (editors note: take a look at Jack’s web site and Facebook page.  He’s done a tremendous job of “pushing his brand” and promoting the title of DJ of the Year)  Being that my personal performance is now in higher demand, not only did my rates go up, but my team has now been working more events than before because of the residual weddings that I cannot host. It has certainly helped the bottom line. We also noticed many more professionals within the industry have come to know me and my company. I bumped into a DJ from California who told me that he follows us on Facebook.

If you’re interested in competing this year, reach out to me as soon as possible.  You can email me at Mike@EliteEntertainment for the quickest response.  We only have room for 10 or 11 finalists and there are already 4 of those spots taken.

Left to Right Dominic Sestito CoHost, Jack Bermeo DJOTY, Mike Walter Host and Producer

Jack Bermeo on stage at The Casbah for DJ of the Year 2011

Jack Bermeo competing for DJ of the Year 2011

Sometimes I think about what we sell, as Mobile DJs, and I get dizzy because of how esoteric it all really is. But understanding it is half the battle so I endeavor to figure it out and make sense of it all.

Which brings me to a little revelation I had at a Holiday Party I attended a few months ago. It was a get-together at a friend’s house and they did this “grab a gift” thing. Everyone had brought a wrapped present with them and then we were all given numbers. The person with #1 picked first from the pile of gifts and then opened their present for all the room to see. The person who had #2 then had a choice. They could take #1’s gift or pick from the pile. If they took #1’s gift then #1 picked from the pile again. I’ve been to similar house parties with similar games and inevitably one or two gifts become the hot items, being taken from the person holding them numerous times. It can be fun.

So at this particular party, the hottest item was a set of wine charms. Wine charms are those things you put around the stem of everyone’s wine glass at a dinner party so you don’t accidentally drink out of someone else’s glass. All glasses of white wine might look similar but if you remember that you have the picnic basket wine charm, you should be safe from someone else’s backwash.

Why these particular wine charms became the hot item, in my opinion, has a lot to do with what we sell as Mobile DJs. Here’s what I mean:

Think about what a set of wine charms says. It says that there will be fun times in your future. You don’t need wine charms when you’re having a glass of wine by yourself.  Or even a romantic dinner for two. You need them when you have a house full of guests. And not just any guests but guests who are moving around the party, mingling, picking up and putting down their wine glasses so much that confusion could reign if not for these lovely little wine charms. As someone who loves a good meal, a great bottle of wine and stimulating conversation, the promise of wine charms and what they mean when they are taken out is exciting. It’s says, “clasp me around the stem of your wine glass and hang on, it’s gonna be a fun night.”

I think that’s why those wine charms became the hot item. They represent the promise of a fun evening. It’s like the old sales axiom, Nobody wants a drill. What they want is a hole. A drill is just the best way to get there. I don’t think anyone cared about these specific wine charms. I mean they were nice but certainly not diamond covered and I’m sure you could find a similar set in any Bed Bath and Beyond. But it’s what they represented — the promise of them — that people coveted.

And there’s one other reason I think they became the hot item. Not only do wine charms hold the promise of a fun evening, but needing wine charms says something about you. In a room full of people who are evaluating every gift that is opened and also why someone might select an opened gift as opposed to the exciting mystery of a wrapped present, grabbing wine charms says, I’m popular. I host great evenings and I need these. It became a positive peer pressure thing that took on a life of itself. After awhile, as the numbers got higher and the number of people selecting gifts began to diminish there was a palpable excitement in the air. Who would wind up with these wine charms?

That’s what we sell. We sell the promise of a fun evening. We sell all the excitement and anticipation that comes along with that. We sell to brides months, sometimes years in advance of their day. So before we actually deliver, we have to leave them believing that we will deliver. That, like those wine charms, there is an exciting and fun evening laying in wait for you. We also sell positive peer pressure. Every bride wants her friends to be slightly jealous of the choices she made. Much like those wine charms, it’s as much what they say about you as it is actually needing them. If a bride selects you for her wedding, what does that say about her? Most of the time, she hopes it says she’s smart and fun and maybe even savvy. Do you deliver on that promise? And even before you get the opportunity, do you provide the anticipation that you are going to deliver on that promise? Doing so will not only lead to sales but it’ll lead to pre-event referrals. Imagine that, a bride who you haven’t even DJed for yet, telling her friends how awesome you are. How awesome you are going to be.

All that from a set of wine charms.

As I state in the beginning of my book, Running Your Multi-Op, I often feel like I am defending the concept of having a Multi-Op and building depth. On the chat boards and at DJ Conferences, it’s often a common theme to bash the big boys. Apparently our size makes us easy targets.

But as often as I’ve defended some of our practices, it still took me by surprise at this year’s Mobile Beat DJ Show and Conference when Mark Ferrell (in his day one seminar “Getting What You’re Worth 2.0) showed some help wanted ads from various DJ companies (including one of my own) seeking people with “No DJ Experience.” Indeed, I’ve promoted this practice so much at my seminars and in my articles in The Disc Jockey News that I felt all eyes at the seminar turned to me when he was making his point (in fact two attendees have told me they did seek me out to see what my reaction was, which makes me happy to say I showed no outward emotion). Mr. Ferrell harped on this “no experience” fact long enough, (with the condescending disdain that he usually reserves for “bottom feeders”) that it was clear to me he doesn’t understand the process that we go through.

So for Mr. Ferrell, anyone who may have been in attendance at his seminar in Las Vegas, and any other DJs who may have seen a help wanted ad like this and not understood what I (and so many other DJ companies) are looking for, please allow me to explain:

We are seeking individuals who have a lot of the innate talents that will make them a good DJ and MC (out-going personality, well-spoken, good looking etc) but have never DJed before. What we aim to do, is hire individuals like this and then thoroughly train them to become MCs. This is a process that is not unique to our industry. When you think about it, anyone in their jobs, even someone who has reached the very peak of their chosen profession, started at some point with “no experience.” We don’t come out of the womb with the skills to be a great surgeon, computer programmer, or MC. Someone eventually has to teach you all the things that will prepare you to be successful.

This practice is much more time consuming than simply finding some DJs in your market who have some dates available in their calendars and booking them. But if you are interested in building a company that has consistent talent from top to bottom, and unique DJs who work exclusively for you, it is simply the only way to do it. I, and so many of the Multi-Op companies I network with, have intense, codified training programs that will take this “non-experienced” talent and turn them into awesome MCs. I’ve seen it happen time and again on my own staff as well as on the staffs of so many DJ companies.

But the thing that really boggles my mind about Mr. Ferrell’s consistent harping on the fact that we hire people with “no experience,” is that I know he loves this industry (he says so often in his seminars). And I know he wants to see this industry continue to grow and evolve and become respected (a task, by the way, that Mr. Ferrell said he has “failed miserably at” — personally I think he’s being too hard on himself. I’ve seen this industry grow leaps and bounds in the past decade and his “Worth Movement” can take a lot of credit for that). I share these traits with Mr. Ferrell and I’d argue that Multi-Ops like my own, who train and develop talent, are sowing the seeds of the next generation in this industry. Would Mr. Ferrell prefer that new DJs teach themselves how to MC, using the trial and error method that so many veteran DJs say they went through? Isn’t the next generation of DJs going to be better off having gone through proper training and education, just as a surgeon or computer programmer receives before they begin their own careers?

I have great respect for Mark Ferrell and I’ve told him before that he was instrumental in helping me get over the “thousand dollar hump” so many years ago. I have often sat in his seminars and felt the passion for his message like few other speakers can convey. This is precisely why this one topic confused me so much and why I felt the need to reply. He stated publicly in his seminar that he was bound to “piss-off” some Multi-Op owners. I can’t say he got me angry, just simply that he left me wondering if such a smart man could really have missed such an obvious point. No Multi-Op I know of looks for people with “no experience” and then sends them out into the field doing their own events right away. We all train and educate our newbies until they are truly ready to graduate to their own events. It’s a fact that Mr. Ferrell should be aware of. And if I may be so bold, a fact that he should even endorse. Where else is the next generation of Mobile DJ going to come from?

About a month ago I took one of the boldest steps I’ve ever taken in my professional life. I purchased office space for Elite Entertainment. We’ve always rented (or leased) space, going back to our first office which was two small rooms for $500 a month. But with my current lease coming up I spent a lot of 2011 looking for new space and I closed the deal in mid December.

At this point I’m about halfway through fitting the place up to match the image of my company. I’ve changed everything from the ceiling tiles to the carpet and the color on the walls. It’s been an exciting, nerve-wracking and, of course, expensive project.

And along the way I’ve met a few really good people. One specifically who I’d like to discuss here and tell you what I learned from. I had asked my office manager to price out some sign companies. I really want something in the lobby that will grab people and make a great first impression. Plus we had a new logo done for us last year so there’s no chance that’s changing anytime soon. So Lynn contacted a few local companies and narrowed the search down for me. One in particular really gave us a lot of information and a pretty detailed estimate, even if it was on the high side. So I went to see him and check out his work.

From the moment I walked into Sign-a-Rama and met Justin I was sold. His enthusiasm for the project was evident. But it was also sincere. I can read people pretty well and this wasn’t someone trying to act excited just to close a deal. This was a creative guy who was looking forward to landing a creative project.

He showed me examples of things he’d done and also told me why some things wouldn’t work. He was honest and open when he said, “this will be a great sign. I really hope I get the chance to build it for you.” Now, maybe if I was a better negotiator I’d have said, “well, if you want to build it so much how about knocking something off your estimate.” But that’s not my style. Justin’s work spoke for itself and while his price was high, I felt I’d get good value for my money. And, this was an important decision for me. I have high expectations for this piece.

So I thought, when was the last time I sat with a bride and said, “your wedding sounds awesome. I really hope I get the chance to play for it.” I don’t know that I’m ever that open in the sales process but based on how Justin made me feel, I’m certainly going to try to be in the future. I heard Mark Ferrell suggest once in a seminar “be fascinated by their wedding.” Fascination. Enthusiasm. Whatever you want to call it. These are key elements to good sales. But they have to be sincere. Faking those emotions is probably worse than not even showing them. But if you feel them, let your client know. It just might make your next potential Bride forget about your price and get wrapped up in your enthusiasm.

Next week, as we flip the calendar to 2012, many of us will be tempted to make New Year’s Resolutions. You know, those promises you make to yourself of things you are going to do (or stop doing) that will surely make you healthier, wealthier and wiser . . . all by mid-February. They are probably eerily similar to the resolutions you made last year (and the year before) but this year is it! You are finally gonna stick to your promises and drop that weight or start going to your kids soccer practices or whatever is on your list.

Don’t do it!

Resolutions are destined for failure. They are short-termed changes to your normal routine that are not tied to any great master plan or goal and they come at the worst possible time of the year. Your body doesn’t care that it’s a new year. And despite the fact that you toasted at midnight (and maybe even toasted a little too hard at midnight) your mind doesn’t care either. Unless your birthday is January 1st, New Year’s Day is just some arbitrary, one-out-of-365 day occurrence that usually features a bunch of college bowl games that you try to get into (but this year features a bunch of NFL games that almost everyone I know IS into.) And it’s the worst possible day because so many of us wake up just a bit (or a lot) hung over and want nothing more than a little comfort food and to enjoy the day relaxing. Plus it’s the part of the year with the least amount of sunlight so dragging yourself to the gym in the pitch black is depressing and non-motivational. Spring seems so far away, why not keep these extra 20 pounds on during the winter, right?

But the biggest problem with January 1st is you tie your resolutions to that day, fail in the first two weeks of January (if not the first two days) and then have to wait a-whole-nother year for it to come around.

As they say back in New York where I grew up “Fuggedaboutit.”

You want to make a change in your life? Instead of picking a date to begin by, pick a date to end at. If you want to lose weight, tell yourself, “by April 1st I’ll have lost ____ pounds.” This way when you stumble and have four slices of pizza on January 5th you won’t throw everything out the window and see yourself as an abject failure. You’ll just realize you have to be much better on January 6th to work off all that melted cheese and that delicious crust and that pepperoni that has just the right amount of spices and . . . sorry I was having a pizza fantasy.

You can do this with any “resolution” you are tempted to make next week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have goals. I’m all for them. I never would have grown Elite Entertainment to its current size or run 15 Marathons or published a book last year if I didn’t have goals (and deadlines.) But I’ve learned that tying my “life-changing moment” to some random date on the calendar is merely a recipe for failure. And I don’t want to wait a whole year to get a second shot at success. So set your goals long ways – as in: by April I will ____ or by June I’ll have _____. And then figure out a plan to make it happen. And if you don’t get started till January 2nd, don’t sweat it. I’ll be glued to the couch that day watching football too.