Thread: Value-Added vs. Cheap: Adapting With the Times (LONG post ahead)

This question of "bellynomics" has been on my mind lately, as I look at the bigger picture and how advertisers have changed their messages to reach cash-strapped audiences.

Wal-Mart and McDonald's seem to be two of the only companies that are really thriving in the recession. Louis Vuitton is doing coupons and Starbucks just rolled out instant coffee and a "value" menu. All around, it's goodbye to aspirational marketing and hello to "buy one, get one." Of course, this would seem to clash with our positioning. We're elusive, we're exotic, we add ambience to any occasion....and, as so many of us love to tell the bargain shoppers, "You get what you pay for." We're a luxury item. (Well, those of us who don't wear nippletassels are, anyway).

Locally speaking, I've noticed a couple of dancers plastering bargain basement rates on their website - some are even touting their services as "affordable," charging on a per-song basis (as low as $35 per song, minimum one song), and throwing in freebies (a free hip scarf with every 15 classes). It scares me, because I've worked my little butt off to build my brand equity as a high-end dancer. I refuse to lower my rates or attempt to compete on the Nippletasslers' front.

It makes me wonder if a redefinition of value is in order.

For example: A value-added dancer makes life easier for her clients by communicating efficiently, offering excellent customer service, building outstanding rapport and leaving them with the feeling that they're in good hands. A cheap dancer makes things difficult, either for a lack of professionalism or by embarassing her guests with nasty crassels. A value-added dancer takes extra loving care to understand her audience's needs before she performs so she can craft the perfect set. A cheap dancer is just happy to be in front of an audience, period. You get the picture.

(Side note and real-life example: Hyundai and Ford have done wonders with their security program - if you lose your job, they'll foot the bill for 3 months worth of car payments. This, to me, is a good example, because they aren't "slashing prices" like all their competitors. They're solving problems and understanding their clients' needs.)

My question to you is this: how do you communicate this message to your clients? Do you have a loyalty program? Do you bring some sort of token to a Guest of Honor when you do a party gig? Do you bonus your favorite restaurant clients with a free costume change if they book two sets? Do you do none of the above, but make sure to stay on top of your customer's needs and consistently deliver against their expectations?

How do YOU set yourself apart from the "pack" and make yourself indispensable in today's economy? Let's discuss!

To answer my own question:

I don't teach, so I can't bonus classes and I'm having trouble coming up with a loyalty program for performances. It's hard to incentivize customers to refer a friend or book additional gigs unless you offer a significant discount (which kind of scares me).

I add value by asking my clients a million questions about their event, their preferences and their guests during the booking process, which creates a beautiful rapport and really makes them feel confident that I have their best interest at heart. I return all calls within an hour. When I bring my boyfriend, who is a professional photographer, to my gigs, I send my clients one or two professional keepsake pictures of me interacting with their guests. I bring marketing and event-planning expertise to the table, which gives me a profound understanding of my restaurant clients' target markets and how to keep them happy.

I know my strengths and uniqueness, but I'm still working on a standardized way to communicate this. Maybe a "Why Carrara Nour?" segment on my website?

I honestly don't think people give a crap about value in this economy - they are looking for CHEAP, and don't care if what they are paying for is garbage.

I think that I offer a great value to my clients - I am professional, I do things professionally (contracts and deposits like a REAL vendor), answer phone calls and emails right away, and put on a great show. That used to work for me. But now, people see the bottom line as "who is CHEAPEST?" and that's really all that matters.

I continually loose out on jobs on Gigmasters to dancers who underbid me, and just yesterday found out that a friend of one of my students - who was given a personally recommendation by my student to book me because I am "excellent" - is booking someone else because they charge less. i was charging $200 for 20 minutes - what used to be on the lower end for my area. She found someone to do 30 minutes for $150. That is disgusting. That is so low, no respectable, PROFESSIONAL bellydancer would charge that in this area. And the client is apparently aware that you get what you pay for, and is sad she can't hire me, but she needed to find the cheapest entertainment she could, and so I got the boot.

Yes, I am bitter.

Excellent post.

Part of the problem is that we start at a disadvantage. How many people in the general public know good belly dancing from bad? Sure it seems like even to the untrained eye, it should be obvious, and sometimes it is. But if people go in wanting to like what they see, and the dancer shows up in the right outfit, she's already won the battle.

People who hire belly dancers aren't always looking for good dance. They're looking for something cool, unique, exotic, sexy or some other connotation of what it's all about.

I know this is a lot of generalizing, but I think it's out there and it's part of it - just like that woman who saw you teaching class and deemed you not exotic enough (I was just at the Obvious Request thread).

And I agree w/Daniela. People care about the bottom line. I think people assume that a dancer is a dancer, like a clown is a clown and a plumber is a plumber. Of course quality varies, but very few people consider that and just go with whoever is first up on google.

Then there's the fact that they probably don't know how good you are until after the event. They don't realize how great the experience will be - they don't understand what they're paying for.

I'm being negative and not helping.

I like your "Why Cararra" idea. There you could talk about these things that will go into a show. You can talk up the interaction, the skill, the class, the costuming, and so on. Basically teach people that there's more to belly dance than shaking.

I wonder if there will be a backlash eventually, the pendulum will swing back to excess and then the more you charge and the more expensive you look, the better. Let's hope so.

One of the oldest tricks in the book is to give an incentive item that has value to the customer, but costs you very little. "...With your $100 donation to your local PBS station, you will receive this lovely tote bag (that cost us $4)."

Can you cross-promote with another business such as a restaurant? (Restaurants are struggling in this economy, too, and might be willing to go into some sort of gift certificate arrangement with you.) You could put together a little swag bag of tourist-y Middle Eastern import items. You could have coffee mugs, umbrellas, tee-shirts, or tote bags custom screen printed with your logo or name or a cutesy saying to give out. Even cost-conscious people can be swayed by the thought that they're getting something "free."

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

Yes, I am bitter.

Me too. I'd love to have the ability to put on the blinders, retreat to a land of unicorns, and pretend that this is none of my business. But the truth of the matter is that the selfish, attention-starved behavior of even one or two dancers affects us ALL.

And my local community seems more concerned with its own "togetherness" than resolving any legitimate problems facing us all as entepreneurs, which kind of makes me feel even more at a loss for solutions. I bring it up in conversation with my dance friends all the time, and they agree that it sucks, but I don't know if anyone really has the courage to throw this delicate issue out there for discussion.

It just scares me because we have so much prestige and brand equity tied into our pricing, in addition to the obvious hard costs and billable hours. We're all so concerned about appearing like strippers, which is a legitimate concern - but I don't think any self-respecting stripper would leave her house for $35 or "exposure" (no pun intended).

You know that the pricing and the image don't line up when BDers are becoming a cheaper alternative to strippers ..c::

what you can do is reach out to former clients and provide "discount for repeat business". Not a huge discount but a "thank you for your repeat business".

I think it is a great way to drum up response.

Originally Posted by LeylaFahada

I wonder if there will be a backlash eventually, the pendulum will swing back to excess and then the more you charge and the more expensive you look, the better. Let's hope so.

This is what I'm prepping myself for. Even in a tough economy, there are "artificial lifts," like stimulus checks, peaks in the stock market, people getting jobs after being unemployed for months, etc. Not to mention, things will eventually get better. I won't beat myself up for losing gigs to the $35-per-song crowd, but I will go above and beyond for those who feel like big spenders and want to treat themselves to something top-of-the-line.

Tons of HUGE companies (Trader Joe's, iPod) got started during recessions. Businesses that advertise do twice as well when there's an upswing as those who retreat into the bomb shelter. Those who slash their prices, skimp on customer service and OD on coupons are the ones who generally go under when times improve, while those who stay true to their brand and offer added value are the ones who come out on top. All of these are hopeful signs.

Maybe I'm just dumb, or maybe my marketing background makes me overthink these things, but I just don't make the connection in my head between "rich, opulent entertainment from exotic lands" and "Low prices! Book now and get a free Snuggie! Offer good while supplies last."

Originally Posted by ravenadesigns

what you can do is reach out to former clients and provide "discount for repeat business". Not a huge discount but a "thank you for your repeat business".

I think it is a great way to drum up response.

I did this. I emailed over 100 former clients and only got one gig out of it....

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

I did this. I emailed over 100 former clients and only got one gig out of it....

Me too, albeit on a smaller scale since I'm not as busy as Daniela. About 45 emails and not a single taker.

IMO, if people are price shopping there's little to nothing you can do about it. You can explain it until you're blue in the face, and give them every logical reason in the world - but at the end of the day, if all they care about is getting the "best deal", they are going to go with the cheapest option every time.

Personally, I have no problem telling potential clients that I won't leave the house for less than my minimum. I had a lady email me about a month ago that another dancer offered to come out to her house (in one of the most affluent suburbs in the area!) and teach a 1 hour lesson in costume with a short performance for $30. I emailed her back and said that my price for the same package was $200, and she was shocked, I tell ya. Ironically the $30 dancer was not available on the date they needed, so they did hire me for a seriously modified package - $50 for a 30 minute on-site lesson with no costume and no performance.

Some people shop at upscale department stores - others shop at Walmart - and still others shop at thrift stores and garage sales. I'm not sure that any advertising or educating can change the basic makeup of most of the GP - people are who they are and have the values they have.

I'm not sure that any advertising or educating can change the basic makeup of most of the GP

yeah this is very true. I personally think it just comes down to what someone is willing to sacrifice. Especially in times like these. Applying the same theory to what Surida said, naturally on economic upswings people are more willing to pay for the extra value-added. When having to make a sacrafice what is is going to be? Well people will take less quality for a cheaper price. In the end it is a counscious descision. Its worse now! We are a culture of "Super Size me", you can double my meal for only $0.39 more! Always looking for hte BEST deal even though we don't NEED it nor does it mean its about the best quality.
Its hard since I have a day job so this isn't about me getting a whole lot of gigs. I AM able to set a minimum and keep to it. Would I like to do more yes...
Even in good economic times there is always gonig to be the struggle of "undercutters" in this business. Hard economic times makes it worse.
THis is a great thread and some good ideas!
xoxo,
-NJ

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Maybe I'm just dumb, or maybe my marketing background makes me overthink these things, but I just don't make the connection in my head between "rich, opulent entertainment from exotic lands" and "Low prices! Book now and get a free Snuggie! Offer good while supplies last."

No! This is what I kept trying to say and deleting before I finally just posted. I am drawn to 2 for 1, or 33% More Free next to that smiley face drawing a slash mark over numbers thing for cereal or toilet bowl cleaner. I would not think opulent, luxurious, or mysterious if I saw that next to anything though.

You're right, if we brand ourselves as infomercial-quality, good for a laugh, wow your friends at half the price, we won't ever climb out of that.

I just picture a website with flashing yellow and red sale slogans strewn across pictures of dancers and it makes my skin crawl.

I take the "i'm a professional" route as much as I can. My clients get a human being when they call (not a voicemail message...that drives me nuts when I call somewhere and get voicemail 100% of the time). I have a 24 hour rule on responding to email, although I usually respond within the hour. I make sure that I'm friendly yet business like when interacting with people. I use contracts for everything that I do...and volunteer the information that I carry liability insurance (when appropriate to do so). I also send hand written thank you letters to each client after the gig and include photos and/or videos if I have them. In short, I do everything I can to ensure them that they are dealing with a real, professional business that does indeed take itself seriously. After all, this is my day job! Most of my business comes off of referrals from the last client.

So if they call Suzie Nippletassels, they get the heebie jeebies and don't want to deal with her because she comes off as not having it together. <grin>

With my students, I have a loyalty program. I formed a street team called the Bellyvangelists. Doesn't cost them anything to belong...they just have to let me know that they want to participate. For every student they refer who signs up for a least a 4 class card (smallest card) they get $10 off their tuition. There is no cap on that, so they can earn free tuition for life if they want to. I also give a 10% kick back on gigs they refer me...also in the form of a tuition break. And they dont' get the break until I actually get paid...cause we all know that gigs fall through sometimes. My students tell me that they love it and its not really any skin off my back...if they are bringing me 5 new students a month, its totally worth eating their $50 tuition. My street team is responsible for more than just bringing in new students and gigs...they also help me put up fliers, help work booths at any event that we do, pass the word about upcoming public gigs, volunteer to help clean up after an event, etc etc etc. All of that is purely volunteer of course...but the ones who go above and beyond will get perks. I'm looking at getting them t-shirts made up and I plan on giving them more incentives like discounts and/or free tuition to workshops, and possibly even prizes like hip scarves, etc.

Originally Posted by LeylaFahada

No! This is what I kept trying to say and deleting before I finally just posted. I am drawn to 2 for 1, or 33% More Free next to that smiley face drawing a slash mark over numbers thing for cereal or toilet bowl cleaner. I would not think opulent, luxurious, or mysterious if I saw that next to anything though.

You're right, if we brand ourselves as infomercial-quality, good for a laugh, wow your friends at half the price, we won't ever climb out of that.

I just picture a website with flashing yellow and red sale slogans strewn across pictures of dancers and it makes my skin crawl.

I like the 2 for 1 idea. Hits a little close to home, though. There actually are dancers here who offer duo shows for the price of one pro dancer.

This would be a great spinoff thread, though - infomercial slogans for BDers!

Outside the development seminar for recovering Suzie Nippletassles, one could over hear quiet, solemn chanting
"I am NOT a Blue Light Special, I am NOT a Blue Light Special, I am NOT a Blue Light Special..."

Slashing prices smacks of desperation. Let others be desperate. While they do so remember that most often clients who buy based solely on price are a serious pain in the butt. You are SERIOUSLY better off without them.
Added value is the key. Satinworship you are not over-analyzing.
Figure out what your customers REALLY want. The more you provide WHAT THEY WANT (and positively communicate that), the more VALUE you have to them and the less price matters.
YES, some people buy on price. Let's talk plumbers. Price Customer calls around to find the cheapest plumber. Cheapy plumber messes up. Is that savings really all that important when the client's toilet is backing up? No.
Price customer who feels like the smartest in the world for saving $50 or $100 bucks won't feel so smart then. He/she will relate in the future either by learning "you get what you pay for" (then they're no longer a price customer), OR "all plumbers suck, I'm sure as heck not going to pay any MORE than cheapest". How do you think continued Price Client then ends up treating these "professionals"?
All of us here knows plumbers should have been hired based on trusted referrals, experience, professionalism, qualifications etc. Just because I've never hired a plumber before doesn't mean I have absolutely NO SENSE in my head. If I'm paying someone to DO something I want to pay someone who is capable of doing a GOOD JOB.
The bad plumber experience is the equivalent to when your guests at a party are EMBARRASSED for the poor person trying to perform but lacking the experience, knowledge or skill set. People CRINGE. People look away. People do not enjoy it when it's really dreadful.
Someone with a faabulous , professional site, good communication skills and professional pictures obviously comes across differently (to even the most doltish client) from Suzy Nippletassels free site that has the sparkly stars running after the mouse and pictures her boyfriend took in the garage.
There ARE people who buy value. There ARE people who can *still afford* to buy value. Showing that you provide value and demonstrating that goes a long way.*
*this "long way" is of proportional to the number of actual clients you have in your area and will vary from region to region.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Maybe I'm just dumb, or maybe my marketing background makes me overthink these things, but I just don't make the connection in my head between "rich, opulent entertainment from exotic lands" and "Low prices! Book now and get a free Snuggie! Offer good while supplies last."

I used PBS as an example of how people can be convinced to view trinkets as valuable incentives. I didn't mean you should advertise as "book now and get X." You would need to be more subtle. For example if you regularly performed at a restaurant, and you could get them to offer coupons for free dinners or whatever, you could leverage that when your potential customer says, "...But I talked to Dancer So-And-So, and she is only charging $100 for our party." You could respond by saying that you've partnered with the restaurant, and as your own little "stimulus package," the guest of honor is going to get this dinner deal. If you had a merchandise item, you would sell the idea that you're going present that to the guest of honor as a lovely and rare item to remember the occasion, something that Dancer So-And-So isn't going to be able to afford to do on her cheapie budget.

You don't want to sell yourself short, but the fact is, people are giving fewer parties and spending less on the parties they do throw. If somebody is hiring a belly dancer to wiggle around for Uncle Herbert's 50th birthday, is their party really going to know the difference between a $100 dancer and a $200 dancer? Maybe not. Ethnic events probably will know the difference, but in many parts of the country, a belly gram audience has very low expectations.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

I used PBS as an example of how people can be convinced to view trinkets as valuable incentives. I didn't mean you should advertise as "book now and get X." You would need to be more subtle. For example if you regularly performed at a restaurant, and you could get them to offer coupons for free dinners or whatever, you could leverage that when your potential customer says, "...But I talked to Dancer So-And-So, and she is only charging $100 for our party." You could respond by saying that you've partnered with the restaurant, and as your own little "stimulus package," the guest of honor is going to get this dinner deal. If you had a merchandise item, you would sell the idea that you're going present that to the guest of honor as a lovely and rare item to remember the occasion, something that Dancer So-And-So isn't going to be able to afford to do on her cheapie budget.

Tourbeau, I actually liked your ideas of branded merchandise and cross-promotion. In fact, I'm looking into some of those options as we speak, because I liked your input to much! So I hope my snuggie comment didn't come across as a dig - it's just that highly flammable blankets with sleeves were the first absurd cheap item I could think of to prove my point. I don't think I'd be ready to part with my Amish Space Heater ..l;,

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

I did this. I emailed over 100 former clients and only got one gig out of it....

Originally Posted by laura 2

Me too, albeit on a smaller scale since I'm not as busy as Daniela. About 45 emails and not a single taker.

But keep at it ladies. I had stopped doing emails for a while. I did one recently- over 800 sent. Got a few "hey! nice to hear from you" emails, 4 different people emailed me to find out my schedule so they could come see me in public (hey, it's good for the restaurants, it's good for me), I got a few class questions (and I think one direct sign up) and a couple gig referrals. It adds up over time.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Tourbeau, I actually liked your ideas of branded merchandise and cross-promotion. In fact, I'm looking into some of those options as we speak, because I liked your input to much! So I hope my snuggie comment didn't come across as a dig - it's just that highly flammable blankets with sleeves were the first absurd cheap item I could think of to prove my point. I don't think I'd be ready to part with my Amish Space Heater ..l;,

This really makes me want to get hip scarves with "Samira" written across the butt in different colored coins!!! ..l;,

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Outside the development seminar for recovering Suzie Nippletassles, one could over hear quiet, solemn chanting
"I am NOT a Blue Light Special, I am NOT a Blue Light Special, I am NOT a Blue Light Special..."

Samira, once again, I don't know what I'd do without you! You're always a voice of reason when the 'Tasslers come a' callin' ..l;,

You're right on about giving the customer what they want, and delivering. Now, I'm just shooting to put it all into words and pictures somehow, communicating "quality" in every aspect of my ad copy while others are splashing their pages with "BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE!"

Add value, be valued....right?

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

I like the 2 for 1 idea. Hits a little close to home, though. There actually are dancers here who offer duo shows for the price of one pro dancer.

This would be a great spinoff thread, though - infomercial slogans for BDers!

I feel you. I'm part of a duo, so people seem to think that they should pay even less b/c there's two of us, so as individuals we have to do less total dancing!! That makes no sense .... it's not like there's 100% dancing, and we each just contribute a piece to the dancing pie ....

Doubly annoying is that we work with a band and we can't seem to make them understand that if someone books them and wants us too, that promoter should pay extra. The band pays us out of pocket, but why? Why give the client the benefit of free-to-them belly dance? Make them pay for us!

Haha, and I'm enjoying the infomercial slogan thread too.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Samira, once again, I don't know what I'd do without you! You're always a voice of reason when the 'Tasslers come a' callin' ..l;,...
Add value, be valued....right?

..l;, Happy to be of service Ms. SatinWorship.
You summed it up nicely "add value and be valued..."
For a book that sums it up nicely I recommend "Little Red Book of Selling" by Jeffrey Gitomer. The line that convinced me to buy it was "People don't like to be sold...but they love to buy". It's SO true and his principals all come from this aspect and from an ethical point of view.
I'd add- even in "this economy" people are spending. People are still buying ice sculptures.
People are still buying cakes. Anyone watch Ace of Cakes? The first time I peeked at his site, the minimum order for a cake was $500. That was maybe around a year ago. His prices have gone up. DOUBLED in fact with a minimum order of $1,000...AND he's mostly booked up already for 2009 and even into 2010! (wishing I could afford one of his cakes- they're AMAZING!)

In the doom and gloom of our economy- there are different levels of being effected. Yes, there are people having a hard time making ends meet. I don't know about all regions, but here in DC/VA/MD that's not our main clientele for parties. There are others effected differently; people having a "staycation" at home- and throwing a party instead. There are people who have to "suffer" through not buying a new boat- but they can still throw a smashing party, caterer and all. They might not be able to take little Sally to Disney for her birthday- but they can still throw her an Arabian Princess party... you get the picture.

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

In the doom and gloom of our economy- there are different levels of being effected. Yes, there are people having a hard time making ends meet. I don't know about all regions, but here in DC/VA/MD that's not our main clientele for parties. There are others effected differently; people having a "staycation" at home- and throwing a party instead. There are people who have to "suffer" through not buying a new boat- but they can still throw a smashing party, caterer and all. They might not be able to take little Sally to Disney for her birthday- but they can still throw her an Arabian Princess party... you get the picture.

Precisely. We may be a small-ish indulgence compared to things people enjoyed in better times, but we do have the power to transport party and restaurant guests away from their troubles and create lasting memories.

Of course, a skilled and seasoned entertainer who understands the needs of her clients is in a far better position to whisk her audiences away than a six-week wonder who's just happy to be in front of any crowd.

I'll have to check out that book! You know, I may have hated my last job (radio ad sales), but all of the mandatory selling courses we had to take have helped me immensely in my dance "pitch."

Hen parties - do they have those in the US? - can be a very affordable way for dancers to bring in a decent per-event price, but you must be prepared to teach. Satin, I'm sure you said you *were* teaching at one point so it's not as if you have no experience at all.

Hen parties are parties for brides to be and their girlfriends. I've done packages where I will dance for the bride and pals, and then get them in hip scarves and teach them some basic, quick, fun things to do. A bit of extra fuss for the bride. Whole thing lasts about an hour and I get to take home more than I would at a restaurant. Booking a BDer seems to be something many hen night organisers like to do as a classy yet slightly naughty activity. Almost every hen party I have done has been in a private house, often a very *expensive* private house, and late afternoon or early evening, before the women go for dinner and on to, perhaps, more drunken and badly behaved hen activities in the city.

These are usually arranged by a head bridesmaid. The best thing about this kind of gig in this kind of economy is that all the guests will usually be asked to pay a per-head price which, if there are ten or more of them, works out at not much at all for each person, a nice wad for you. It would not be hard, if you wanted to push it, to create a set of really nice wedding packages. I've often thought a cheap but sweet gift for the bride to be (good luck card with her and her bridegroom's name and an evil eye pendant or genie bottle or similar) would be a nice addition.

Every single hen party I have done has been a joy. I think I had one where the bride was totally drunk (and I got the assembled guests to dance for her in her back garden) but every other one has been extremely classy and fun. There are usually mothers in law and grandmas present as well.

Oh AND! Another thing you could consider is getting together with someone else who offers a complimentary service and creating pamper packages. People don't have a lot of money now and one thing people love to spend on when they have not much money is escape and pleasure (and food). The key, I think, is per-head price. If you can offer something that costs not much more than a night at the movies per head, but that can be offered to small/medium/large groups of friends, you may have a win-win situation.

Hen Party = Bachelorette Party here in the US. They're great for gigs!

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Hen parties - do they have those in the US? - can be a very affordable way for dancers to bring in a decent per-event price, but you must be prepared to teach. Satin, I'm sure you said you *were* teaching at one point so it's not as if you have no experience at all.

Hen parties are parties for brides to be and their girlfriends. I've done packages where I will dance for the bride and pals, and then get them in hip scarves and teach them some basic, quick, fun things to do. A bit of extra fuss for the bride. Whole thing lasts about an hour and I get to take home more than I would at a restaurant. Booking a BDer seems to be something many hen night organisers like to do as a classy yet slightly naughty activity. Almost every hen party I have done has been in a private house, often a very *expensive* private house, and late afternoon or early evening, before the women go for dinner and on to, perhaps, more drunken and badly behaved hen activities in the city.

These are usually arranged by a head bridesmaid. The best thing about this kind of gig in this kind of economy is that all the guests will usually be asked to pay a per-head price which, if there are ten or more of them, works out at not much at all for each person, a nice wad for you. It would not be hard, if you wanted to push it, to create a set of really nice wedding packages. I've often thought a cheap but sweet gift for the bride to be (good luck card with her and her bridegroom's name and an evil eye pendant or genie bottle or similar) would be a nice addition.

Every single hen party I have done has been a joy. I think I had one where the bride was totally drunk (and I got the assembled guests to dance for her in her back garden) but every other one has been extremely classy and fun. There are usually mothers in law and grandmas present as well.

Oh yes, I love the hen's party market! They pretty much pay my mortgage through the warmer 'wedding' months. If you put together a package you can charge a lot more, plus customers love having all the choices made for them (you get this and this and this!!). Make it a set price for any number of guests and it really is affordable entertainment for bigger groups. And hen's parties locally seem to be getting bigger, more elaborate and much longer time-wise. My feeling is that these will survive the recession - no-one wants to be seen as skimping on giving their friend a royal celebration on this very special occasion.