As DJs we rely on the artists to provide us great songs and Donna Summer certainly gave us the best party closer ever.

But there was so much more (musically) from the recognized “Queen of Disco” wasn’t there?  I still play “Hot Stuff” at a lot of my events that want some 70s music (although now that my mixing skills have improved I no longer “cheat” and play the mixed version from her greatest hits that goes into “Bad Girls.”)  And when it’s time to recognize the hard working ladies at a party “She Works Hard For the Money” never fails.  Even as recently as 1999 Donna Summer was helping us pack dance floors with her version of “Con Te Partiro.”

So as you can imagine I was very saddened when I heard the news today that Donna Summer had passed away.  Her Greatest Hits Volume I and II album will always hold a special place in my heart.  Long before I was DJing, at the tender age of 13, my older brother and I were given a stereo for our bedroom.  At the time the only music I listened to was KISS, but along with the stereo I also got 2 albums: Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” and Donna Summer’s Greatest Hits Volume I and II.  Listening to those two albums NON-STOP through the winter of 1980 completely expanded my musical horizons.  And while I came a little late to the disco party (by the time I could get into clubs the hey day of disco music was long over) Donna Summer was the first to turn me on to dance music.  I still hear songs like “Enough is Enough” or “Dim All the Lights” or the hilarious “MacArthur Park” and remember trying to dance around my bedroom like John Travolta.

So to a musical legend, a woman with a voice of gold and a sense of rhythm like no other, I say Thank You for the many years and the many tunes.  And to those who have spun her music so often at our events, I hope we can keep her memory alive.  As she sang so powerfully and beautifully: “I can’t be sure that you’re the one for me but all that I ask is that you dance with me.”

Rest in Peace Donna Summer!

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!

I was floored.  Me?  Really?  What an honor it was, especially when they told me the other two names they had in mind: Alan Berg and Peter Merry.  Wow!  Talk about being in some illustrious company!

So Bridelive has launched their Consultants Corner officially now and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.  Besides getting the best video-teleconferencing available for any wedding professional, Bridelive users will now get regular webinars and have the opportunity for one-on-one consultations with the three of us.  With Alan’s expertise in marketing, Peter’s in sales and mine in operations, it seems to me we can assist any wedding vendor to take their business to the next level.

If you have any questions about Bridelive in general or specifically the Consultants Corner, I direct you to the Bridelive Boys (Bob Jay and their pair of Pete’s) Contact them and they’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.  Meantime I look forward to seeing you on a webinar or talking to you one-on-0ne for a little consultation on how to grow your business!

Then this week, in my regular article in The Disc Jockey News, I enumerated 15 ideas for filling these meetings with great content that will not only educate your staff but will keep them interested and seeing the value of these meetings.  Since space is limited in The Disc Jockey News, and since I’ve accumulated so many DJ Meeting Themes through the years, I’m listing five more ideas here.

If you want to read this whole thing as one long piece, start with my blog on ProMobileDJ.com, then read my article in the Disc Jockey News and then come back here and finish up.

Generating referrals. Staff generated referrals are the life blood of any good DJ company so this topic can’t be over-discussed.  We review everything from having business cards on you at all times to the subtle and clever ways you can mention who you are at your events (without sounding like you’re begging for work at someone’s wedding).

Quiz time. Every once in a while I’ll start a meeting with a pop quiz.  Maybe it’s on music history, maybe it’s on current events. But it’s a great way to keep my staff guessing and not let them get bored. I always have a prize for the winner and we usually embarrass (in a friendly way) whoever came in last.

What’s Hot – This is a new music recap, led by one of my younger DJ’s who has his finger on the pulse of hot new dance music and trends a lot more than I (or some of my older DJs) do.

O. P. P.  which in this case stands for Other People’s Property.  There are so many great DVDs on the market like Randy Bartlett’s 1% Solution Series. From time to time (especially when I lack content for a monthly meeting), I’ll show a half hour of one of these and then we’ll discuss what we just watched.

Who’s Who – a recap of the names and positions at the banquet facilities we work at regularly as well as a review of any specific “house rules” that exist at certain locations.

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

I live that way and so it’s always amazed me when others do not.  Most people are too humble about their own accomplishments and they don’t give themselves nearly enough credit when they achieve something.  And with that, most people are too quick to pass along the blame for their failures.  This philosophy has always made me shake my head because IMO it leads to more failures.  After all, if it wasn’t your fault to begin with, then you don’t really need to change anything (especially your own actions) and so more than likely that same failure will come around again.

I’ve seen this with many aspects of our business.  When some DJs can’t get people dancing they’ll say “Oh, this crowd sucks.”    When some owners have failed to grow their Multi-Ops they’ll say “You can’t find a DJ who is loyal and will stay with you.”

And when some DJs can’t sell to a particular bride they’ll say “She’s cheap” or “She doesn’t understand what I offer.”  They’ll attack the competition by saying something like: “They promise to do everything I can do at less money” or “They’re just undercutting me.”  (If I hear one more DJ blame a “bottom feeder”…)  Or they’ll blame the economy and say: “People just aren’t spending what they used to.”

Instead of saying these things, I urge you to take responsibility.  The excuses can still be (mostly) the same.  But when you verbalize them, begin with “I” and go from there.  So instead of “She doesn’t understand what I offer” say “I didn’t sufficiently explain what I offer.”  And “They’re just undercutting me” becomes, “I didn’t demonstrate how different I am from my competition.” “People just aren’t spending what they used to” turns into, “I haven’t found the clients who are still spending money on entertainment.”

Seth Godin, who I follow religiously and  I have promoted to so many DJs to check out, had a blog recently about this same subject.  As he so succinctly put it:

Someone who chooses not to buy from you isn’t stupid. They’re not unable to process ideas logically, nor are they unethical or manipulated by others. No, it’s simpler than that:

Given what they know and what they believe, the prospect is making exactly the right decision.

So the next time you find yourself blaming outside forces for any of the failures in your life (big or small) stop for a second and look in the mirror.  More than likely, that’s the culprit right there.  And instead of being dejected by that fact you should jump for joy.  After all that person staring back at you is the only one in this world you can control and really make a difference with. So don’t let yourself off the hook by blaming others.  Go toe to toe with the face in the mirror and insist on better results.

But remember, when you get them — that’s the person who made it happen!

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.

We sat there for a coupla innings and then Gary Carter got a game winning base hit right up the middle. As soon as the ball left his bat he thrust his hands in the air and ran to to first with that huge Gary Carter smile on his face. That win sent us to Houston up 3 games to 2. We won game 6 and then it was off to that historic World Series against The Red Sox.

That was my team. I was twenty years old, kinda clueless with what I wanted to do but, as Tom Petty says, the future was wide open. And the funny part is, I didn’t even really like Gary Carter on that team. There were so many great personalities on that ball club, and so many guys closer to my age, Carter seemed like the older brother, keeping everybody in line and not having any of the true fun. He was a family man. A religious man. He didn’t close the bars down like the rest of the team. And he didn’t use cocaine which apparently was rampant on that team. Ron Darling was talking about Gary Carter recently and he said “He was always a good husband, a good father, a good humanitarian. It took me a while to learn how to do all that.” I guess at 20 years old that seemed kinda boring. Now looking back on it, you have to respect a guy like that. He got the most out of his talent. That team had prodigies like Dwight Gooden and Daryl Strawberry who never reached their full potential as players because they did get caught up in that lifestyle. Partying too hard. Cocaine. Things like that.

So the news struck me. Really hit me hard. And I’m sure it’s because a part of my youth has passed away. But it also reminded me that no matter how much you take care of yourself and focus on your well-being you really never know what’s going to happen. If you’d looked at that ’86 team and thought Whose gonna die first? You wouldn’t have guessed Gary Carter. Too many others driving drunk or using cocaine or going to jail. You never would have said Gary Carter, and yet 57 years old, no, 57 years young and he’s gone. Makes you realize that living your life for today is extremely important. I don’t advocate spending every last penny and being homeless because you gave zero thought to tomorrow, but I do advocate enjoying everyday to its fullest. Because you never know when your planes gonna go down. Or you’ll step in front of a city bus. Or in Carter’s case you wake up one day with brain cancer.

I know that sounds kinda morbid and I don’t mean it to be. I mean it to be optimistic. When I think of Gary Carter, I think of that smile on his face as he ran down to first that day, arms pumped into the sky. He was happy. I think he was a man who enjoyed every moment of his life. At least he seemed that way. And while 57 is not nearly enough time on this planet, something tells me Gary Carter made the most of those years. I’ll miss ya Kid

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?