Thread: customers 'fainting' at the mention of my price

that's like the 4th person this month who calls for a show and totally balks at the price (175E for one set) and is clearly going to continue calling around till they get a student in a student costume for a penny.

"dont you know anyone else". "yes, i know several other professional dancers, the price will be about the same"/

sadly i know they'll find someone for almost free, and then in future will think that's what you pay/get for a dancer.

this hadnt been bothering me for a while, but it's really one after the other lately, even with the prices on my site.


(grumpy)

happens to me pretty much every time and my price is almost exactly the same. I actually had someone say "no way! I can get my cousin to do it for $40."
You can't hire any party entertainment without paying in the $200 range at least. Belly dancing shouldn't be any different.

I *totally* hear ya!

Good thing that most of my requests are through mail, so I usually just don't hear back from them. The fainting part isn't so obvious then lol

One time, I actually got the question if I couldn't just send them a student at a bargain price, because they didn't really care if the dancer would be pro or not (!!!)

WORD!

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

I actually had someone say "no way! I can get my cousin to do it for $40."

Then why don't they get their cousin and stop taking up your time! Honestly!! How annoying!!! ,m::

Originally Posted by aazura

Then why don't they get their cousin and stop taking up your time! Honestly!! How annoying!!! ,m::

And they'll get what they paid for. Really, they think that all you gotta do is shimmy a little and sashay in to the room and that's a really poor imitation of some kind of bellydance.

People pay big bucks for a clown to do a birthday party. Why should our rates be any lower?

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

"dont you know anyone else".

this is my personal favorite its a very rude question.
"why yes! not only am i a professional belly dancer, but i am also in the business of undercutting myself and giving all jobs to the competition. let me recommend miss 6ww and her broom skirt of wonders. she will dance an hour straight for $1 and a spoonfull of hummus. you will love her"
*facepalm*

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

"why yes! not only am i a professional belly dancer, but i am also in the business of undercutting myself and giving all jobs to the competition. let me recommend miss 6ww and her broom skirt of wonders. she will dance an hour straight for $1 and a spoonfull of hummus. you will love her"
*facepalm*

Sad thing is, though, there are teachers who will eagerly pawn off their students for less than the going rate or pro bono. While this request may seem egregious to any self-respecting BDer, there's always a "minus one" in every bunch .w.:..c::

Broom skirt of wonders. *snerk* I only find broom skirts wondrous when paired with Camel Tassels of Delight, or Coin Bras of Glory. .w.:

So then would it be odd or detrimental to quote prices of other professional entertainers such as DJs, magicians, etc. to give them some perspective?

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

happens to me pretty much every time and my price is almost exactly the same. I actually had someone say "no way! I can get my cousin to do it for $40."
You can't hire any party entertainment without paying in the $200 range at least. Belly dancing shouldn't be any different.

I had a former Laker Girl call me and offer me $75 because that is what she was paid for her personal appearances. . .

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

that's like the 4th person this month who calls for a show and totally balks at the price (175E for one set) and is clearly going to continue calling around till they get a student in a student costume for a penny.

"dont you know anyone else". "yes, i know several other professional dancers, the price will be about the same"/

sadly i know they'll find someone for almost free, and then in future will think that's what you pay/get for a dancer.

this hadnt been bothering me for a while, but it's really one after the other lately, even with the prices on my site.


(grumpy)

I haven't read all of the replies yet, but yes this kind of thing is happening to me lately too. I used to mostly avoid this by having prices on my website but the way the calls are going lately its clear that these people have already called other dancer and got quotes much lower than mine. I think in my area this may be due to a lot of newer dancers who are not aware of the going rates and other being unsure about charging full price due to the economy. I've tried restarting the discussion on NYC dancer groups, but I don't know, not sure if its reaching the right people.

People may also think you'll be prepared to negotiate on price given the economy.

Originally Posted by mariyah13

...I used to mostly avoid this by having prices on my website but the way the calls are going lately its clear that these people have already called other dancer and got quotes much lower than mine. I think in my area this may be due to a lot of newer dancers who are not aware of the going rates and other being unsure about charging full price due to the economy. I've tried restarting the discussion on NYC dancer groups, but I don't know, not sure if its reaching the right people.

Mariyah, What I've noticed in the DC area is that it seems to get worse in waves and right now is a big wave. It seems that the ones who are uneducated in the business end most commonly (but not always) are also less educated in the dance. They simply lack the skills (business and dance) to keep going long...and with undercutting they put themselves in a position where as gigging loses it's "excitement", they're not being compensated by reasonable pay to make up for it. A year or two (if that) and they're gone; although some end up finding good teachers and developing themselves into contributing members of the community. ..g.:

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I had a former Laker Girl call me and offer me $75 because that is what she was paid for her personal appearances. . .
{{{HUGS}}}

That wouldn't pay for implants and fake tanning. OK. That's bad, but has anyone heard the requirements for being a cheerleader?

Originally Posted by zumarrad

People may also think you'll be prepared to negotiate on price given the economy.

Answer: "my business costs have increased, I'm sorry I can't go lower than $XXX"

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Mariyah, What I've noticed in the DC area is that it seems to get worse in waves and right now is a big wave. It seems that the ones who are uneducated in the business end most commonly (but not always) are also less educated in the dance. They simply lack the skills (business and dance) to keep going long...and with undercutting they put themselves in a position where as gigging loses it's "excitement", they're not being compensated by reasonable pay to make up for it. A year or two (if that) and they're gone; although some end up finding good teachers and developing themselves into contributing members of the community. ..g.:

This is true...a lot of the "burst on the scene" newbies who lack experience/skills/ethics seem to burn out between 1 and 3 years. I'm noticing this trend in my area too.

Originally Posted by nisaasaintlouis

This is true...a lot of the "burst on the scene" newbies who lack experience/skills/ethics seem to burn out between 1 and 3 years. I'm noticing this trend in my area too.

I WISH this was true in my region. Our worst undercutters have been at this for years - evidently, there's still a huge market for crap out there .

Plus, I've been checking out Gigmasters stats and it looks like even some of the established pro's around here are dancing at a deep discount. Maybe they feel like the only way they can be competitive is to offer a lower price. I wish everyone understood that you don't have to lower your standards to book new business in a down economy ,f::

From a marketing standpoint, dropping prices is NOT a smart strategy for anyone who is working and prospecting in the high end market. There are so many studies out there that show a high correlation between your pricing strategy and how customers see your brand - cheap products are classically viewed as defective or low quality. What works for toilet paper does not work for belly dancers

Our favorite was the potential customer who wanted a dancer for $75 at her party. She didn't understand why she should pay more when last year's dancer came in for $75. When asked why she didn't call last year's dancer for a repeat, she replied 'That dancer was awful.'

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Our favorite was the potential customer who wanted a dancer for $75 at her party. She didn't understand why she should pay more when last year's dancer came in for $75. When asked why she didn't call last year's dancer for a repeat, she replied 'That dancer was awful.'

..l;,..l;,..l;, Speaks for itself!!

I'm sorry, but I keep reading this title as "Customers Farting..." ..l;,

"Marge, how's the belly dancer search coming? And - phew! What's that smell?"
"Uhh....nothing, Larry. It was the dog. (pause) But I'll be darned, this Carrara Nour sure is expensive! Let's see if we can get Nancy No-Pants to cut us a deal."

I had a potential customer come up to me right after a performance just gushing about how great I was and how she wanted me to dance at her next party. I gave her my card and she asked how much I charged. When I told her, she did the faint thing, and said she had a dancer at her last party that she only paid $100 "and she danced for a whole hour." I just politely repeated what my rate was and invited her to call me if she was interested.

She tried to argue for several minutes. "Look, I KNOW what the price of a bellydancer is. I paid $100 for a whole hour last time. And she was from Lebanon. This isn't your full-time job is it?" ("No") "So I'm not going to pay more than that. But I really want you to perform at my party."

I just sent a quote to a potential client to read cards at her Halloween party. The gig is in Northern SD county, which is about an hour and a half drive away, she wants me there for two hours with a hold for a third. I quoted her $600. I wonder if I will hear from her again. . .

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Our favorite was the potential customer who wanted a dancer for $75 at her party. She didn't understand why she should pay more when last year's dancer came in for $75. When asked why she didn't call last year's dancer for a repeat, she replied 'That dancer was awful.'

LOL ..l;,..l;,..l;,

then

..cr.:..cr.:..cr.:

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Our favorite was the potential customer who wanted a dancer for $75 at her party. She didn't understand why she should pay more when last year's dancer came in for $75. When asked why she didn't call last year's dancer for a repeat, she replied 'That dancer was awful.'

ROFLMAO. Crazy.

ha, happens to me all the time when people ask how much a shoot or wedding or event is (200 for a shoot, 2000 for a wedding/event starting)

I get a mix of people that are serious and know what they are looking at in my offer that don't bat an eye. And others that I guess are either thinking about some friend of a friend with a canon rebel that shot a wedding for 300 bucks or a sears portrait for 50 bucks and almost drop my card when they hear the price.

Personally though, I try not to let it bug me. Sometimes I feel defensive, like I want to explain. But normally I just let it go and figure if they really care about the work, they will pay for it.

With the amount of BD I've shot, I get requests as well for events and I think they probably see an even greater number of amateur shooters for events than someone would come across shooting weddings. So I get that reaction from people putting on shows a lot. Plus I know some are putting shows together with a very limited budget. But at the same time, I realize how much work I'm putting into a shoot (and it's way more than the time I'm there pushing the button on my camera). So anymore I just can't negotiate lower prices, it's just not worth it to feel like I'm working my butt off for chump change and it's not fair to other clients that pay my full price for the same service.

And frankly, I've seen the work of some of the cheaper people. You get what you pay for.

Originally Posted by JShane

ha, happens to me all the time when people ask how much a shoot or wedding or event is (200 for a shoot, 2000 for a wedding/event starting)

So, JShane, how do you feel about that guy who does all the belly dancer photo shoots for free? (or used to, I guess I don't know what he's doing now)

Originally Posted by ssipes

So, JShane, how do you feel about that guy who does all the belly dancer photo shoots for free? (or used to, I guess I don't know what he's doing now)

Oooooohhhhhhhhhhh this is gonna be good

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Our favorite was the potential customer who wanted a dancer for $75 at her party. She didn't understand why she should pay more when last year's dancer came in for $75. When asked why she didn't call last year's dancer for a repeat, she replied 'That dancer was awful.'

HAR! ..l;,..l;,..l;, Did you laugh in her face? My gawd, I would have!

(But I'm a very bad person at heart. )

Originally Posted by wigglewhiz

HAR! ..l;,..l;,..l;, Did you laugh in her face? My gawd, I would have!

(But I'm a very bad person at heart. )

No, those are very stupid people. I would have laughed, too.

Originally Posted by JShane

So anymore I just can't negotiate lower prices, it's just not worth it to feel like I'm working my butt off for chump change and it's not fair to other clients that pay my full price for the same service.

There's so many pressures and variables involved, especially in times of economic hardship, but these are good reasons to hold the course.