The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's who are making huge amounts of money and then there are other DJ's who are struggling to find any gigs at all.

If there are some DJ's who are thriving with their business and you are not, there is something you can do to change that completely around where you become booked with as many gigs as you can handle.

To do this, you have to understand how to use a concept and differentiate yourself from the other DJ's.

So I need to ask you this question.

How different are you from any other DJ?

Do you provide services or products that another DJ doesn't? Do you provide better quality? Do you have the cheapest rates? Do you offer follow up services? Do you offer advice? Do you offer more solutions?

What do you offer your customer's that is different from your competitors?

This is the million-dollar question you need to be asking yourself.

A lot of dj's don't have any idea how they are different from their competitors. The answer is usually ? 'we offer great service and excellent sound quality' or 'we offer the best range of music'. This is not being different from your competitor's as this would be exactly the same answer they would say.

The problem is you look the same as everyone else.

If you look the same as your competitors, how does your customer know whom to choose? They just choose whoever don't they?

I will put it simple. Pretend all of your competitors and yourself were in a room and a customer opens the door and has to choose only one of you. Your competitors and yourself scream out ? 'pick me, pick me'. The funny thing is you don't get picked because the customer didn't even see you. You all 'looked' the same.

To overcome this, you need to be unique. Stand out from the crowd and be different. Be different means you are going to get noticed. But you have to go a lot further than that. You have to develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

A USP is some area of your business that offers a solution to your customer's problems. A USP is the reason why a customer does business with you. It determines whether they choose you or not. Not only that it allows you to charge above your competitors without losing any customers. This way, you don't get bogged down in a price war and lose profits.

There are several areas that could be a USP for a business:

Price

? At Electric DJ Services, we offer the lowest price. Guaranteed.

? At Joe's DJ World, we offer the cheapest prices. If you find it cheaper somewhere else, we will match it and give 5% off our price

Service

? At 'Dj Sound', we are open longer than any other DJ from 8.00am to 11.00p everyday

? At 'hillside sound quality' we understand that sometimes your guests at parties want to hear certain tracks. Well have nearly all tracks available and we will play upon request. And if we don't have it available you get an extra ? hr of our playing time.

Value

? When you book us for any children's party, you get a free dance video thrown in for each child to take home.

? Our business services provide the best sound quality there is. If you find that our sound quality isn't the best you heard, you don't pay. We stand behind our equipment 100%

Exclusivity

? At 'Big Bens' DJ services, we only use a special sound system that there is only three other companies are using in the world.

? At Electric DJ's, we have the largest range of music tracks available anywhere.

By having any of these areas (you may have a niche one) allows for customer to choose someone who is providing the benefit and solution that they are after.

How do you choose an USP?

That comes down to understanding your customers. What are their needs, wants and desires? What questions do your customers ask themselves before they buy? For example:

Why should I choose this business?
What are they going to do for me?
What promises will they make for me?
What exceptions will be granted for me?
How much value are they going to add to my life?
What cost is it?
What support systems are in place?
How convenient is it to use this business?
Will I suffer any consequences from going to this business?
How much pleasure will I receive from doing business here?

And so on.

Find out what your customers wants. ASK THEM.

The easiest way to develop your USP is to find out what is your customer's problems are in dealing with your competitors and solve that problem.

Here's how Jay Abraham describes how to put it into practice.

You know how?

Well, what we do?

? You know how you have to wait in a line for over 20mins in banks to be served. Well, what we do is if anyone has been waiting in line for more than 10mins in our bank, we credit your account $10.

? You know how most mechanics need your car overnight to fix and leave you stranded without a car. Well, what we do is supply you with a car to use overnight so you wont be inconvenienced.

? You know how most personal trainers charge you and if you don't get to your desire weight, they charge you more sessions. Well, what we do is if you don't reach your desired weight within a given period, you don't pay any money until you reach your desired weight.

Now your turn. Grab a piece of paper and write a few responses.

You now how??.

Well what we do is??

It's that easy. Find a problem that your customer's are experiencing with a competitor and solve it. You have then developed your USP.

You must therefore investigate what your competitors are doing. For instance:

You must know how they are treating their customers.
What they are offering them?
What their prices are?
What extra benefits do their customers get?
What support and advice do they get?
Where are they letting their customers down?

By knowing these answers is very powerful. It allows you the feedback on how to develop your business and not fall in the trap that your competitors are setting for themselves.

You must do the opposite to what they are doing. Offer more solutions than your competitor is the key. Offer more value. Offer more convenience. Offer more advice. Offer more.

Now you can understand that when most DJ's say our USP is that we offer better quality and service, this doesn't stand up because that is what your competitor is also offering. You must fine a problem in the quality or service and solve that area.

If you don't do this, you will become a business of 'pick me, pick me'.

When someone goes to the Yellow Pages, they are looking for a solution aren't they? They are trying to find someone to provide that solution.

This is what a customer's says ? " I want?and who can provide that for me?"

What does your yellow pages or advertising say? Does it tell your customers you have a solution to their problem? Or does it just describe the features?

You must advertise your USP everywhere

In every little bit of your marketing, you must state your USP.

It is no use having a killer USP that will bring an unlimited amount of customers if nobody knows about it.

It must be in your sales letters, headlines, when you answer the phones (if applicable), your ads, your yellow pages ad, your brochure etc?

Everyone must know what it is.

How about having this as your headline:

The average mark up for a DJ is 70%. Our mark up is 40%. You save 30% off the industry rates every time you book through us (USP: Price)

Or

Most DJ's don't take request. Well with any of our DJ's they take all requests no matter how old the song is. (USP: Service)

Everyone knows what you are on about.

Owen Nicholson has been showing DJ's all over the world how to increase their gigs and profits. For a free report on 'Advertising Mistakes that DJ's Make', go to http://www.disc-jockey-profits.com