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[Brian Jojade]

I get this situation a lot, they describe what they want and I give a quote for a couple of thousand and then they come back with "oh wow, we were only thinking $500". I revise and give them the $500 SOS version instead.

Yes, this is all too common.  Reality in what production costs are and what the customer expects are often way out of line, especially for someone that has never hired sound before.  That's why knowing rough budget numbers is important.  Yes, you could simply provide an SOS package for $500 and do nothing to upset them on what they actually need for the event, but if you took the time to get them to tell you what they need for the event to be a success, they will then have motivation to find the funds to do the job correctly.  This works best when you get the client to tell you what they need out of the system for it to be a success. You can guide them in determining their needs.  If all they know is they have $500 to spend on sound, they are probably not going to get the best solution to their problem.

I regularly take events with a $500 sound budget and turn it into a $4-5K production budget.

[Tim McCulloch]

Yes, this is all too common.  Reality in what production costs are and what the customer expects are often way out of line, especially for someone that has never hired sound before.  That's why knowing rough budget numbers is important.  Yes, you could simply provide an SOS package for $500 and do nothing to upset them on what they actually need for the event, but if you took the time to get them to tell you what they need for the event to be a success, they will then have motivation to find the funds to do the job correctly.  This works best when you get the client to tell you what they need out of the system for it to be a success. You can guide them in determining their needs.  If all they know is they have $500 to spend on sound, they are probably not going to get the best solution to their problem.

I regularly take events with a $500 sound budget and turn it into a $4-5K production budget.

That's why you're profitable.

[Jamin Lynch]

Yes, this is all too common.  Reality in what production costs are and what the customer expects are often way out of line, especially for someone that has never hired sound before.  That's why knowing rough budget numbers is important.  Yes, you could simply provide an SOS package for $500 and do nothing to upset them on what they actually need for the event, but if you took the time to get them to tell you what they need for the event to be a success, they will then have motivation to find the funds to do the job correctly.  This works best when you get the client to tell you what they need out of the system for it to be a success. You can guide them in determining their needs.  If all they know is they have $500 to spend on sound, they are probably not going to get the best solution to their problem.

I regularly take events with a $500 sound budget and turn it into a $4-5K production budget.

I would like to know, and I'm sure other people would also like to know, how you are able to turn a $500 sound budget into $4-5K. That's 10 times the original budget. What's you're magic?

[Scott Wagner]

I would like to know, and I'm sure other people would also like to know, how you are able to turn a $500 sound budget into $4-5K. That's 10 times the original budget. What's you're magic?

I don't think there's any magic to it. You know their needs, because you asked. You now their budget, because you asked. You show them how far apart the two are. The rest is a matter of priorities of the client. I guarantee you, he doesn't turn every job into 10x original budget.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

It all evens out.  Cheap promoters hiring ankle-biting wannabes can turn $5000.00 jobs into $500.00 jobs...

[Chris Hindle]

It all evens out.  Cheap promoters hiring ankle-biting wannabes can turn $5000.00 jobs into $500.00 jobs...

... with the expected results 
Chris.

[Brian Jojade]

I don't think there's any magic to it. You know their needs, because you asked. You now their budget, because you asked. You show them how far apart the two are. The rest is a matter of priorities of the client. I guarantee you, he doesn't turn every job into 10x original budget.

Exactly.  If I only ask the budget question, or I only ask the needs question, chances of things fitting together are unlikely.

Example of how to turn a budget around. Customer calls looking for sound for their event. Has an unrealistic budget.  However, they also need staging, lighting, curtains, etc, etc,  While they called with only one small piece of the project in mind, engaging the customer in the dialogue can turn the simple sound event into an event production.  Yes, there's a lot more work involved in a $5K production than throwing out an SOS rig. Getting the customer to decide they NEED all of that production, and not just some sound system is key to making it happen.

No, not every event is going to open their checkbook and add everything suggested, but if you don't ask, they won't either.

[Mark Cadwallader]

A political announcement SOS job offers lots of add-on possibilties:  lectern, flags (federal, state, local), pipe and drape. Offer to make a digital recording of the speech, suggest line-out feeds for the media to plug in to. Lights, too, so they don't get washed out by video lights (or have bad shadows). There are no doubt things I'm forgetting.

[Jamin Lynch]

Exactly.  If I only ask the budget question, or I only ask the needs question, chances of things fitting together are unlikely.

Example of how to turn a budget around. Customer calls looking for sound for their event. Has an unrealistic budget.  However, they also need staging, lighting, curtains, etc, etc,  While they called with only one small piece of the project in mind, engaging the customer in the dialogue can turn the simple sound event into an event production.  Yes, there's a lot more work involved in a $5K production than throwing out an SOS rig. Getting the customer to decide they NEED all of that production, and not just some sound system is key to making it happen.

No, not every event is going to open their checkbook and add everything suggested, but if you don't ask, they won't either.

Well OK....You're now talking about providing more than just sound. I'll agree that's a good way to increase your portion of the budget....if you have all the other items.

[Ray Aberle]

Well OK....You're now talking about providing more than just sound. I'll agree that's a good way to increase your portion of the budget....if you have all the other items.

Well, you can also be the production provider, where the end client writes one check to one person-- you. You sub rent in anything else you need. This morning, I was at a major product launch event for a certain small software company in Redmond, WA. I was brought in by another audio company (it was there event) for 8bx of VT4888 and 8 SRX728s. They provided a PM5D for FOH. Another company provided the other 16bx of VerTecs, 8 VT4880s, snake, Si monitor board, wedges/stage kit. A third company provided 10 channels of ULXD wireless and a couple of drive snakes for the video tent. And now, we had to bring in an Avid Profile and SC48 for the band playing tomorrow, per their rider. (I wasn't even originally planning on being there, but ended up being the RF tech.)

Naturally, the main company is marking up all of our other invoices to the main client, but it's their show.

If you are able to cross rent P&D, staging, lighting, video, etc, and arrange for these other companies to do their thing, and you pay them and then bill the actual client yourself, you should make a minimum of 25% on the cross rent to marked up final invoice.

-Ray

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