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ARTICLE
I had not played a note. The journey had already done the work.
We get into this game because we love records, rooms and reactions. We live for that moment when the crowd sits in our hands. No one starts because they enjoy spreadsheets, chasing invoices or nudging enquiries. The admin is necessary, but it should sit in the background. That is the job of a good system.
Fast forward to the event. The first spotlight moment was set to a familiar favourite. We talked about a subtle twist that would make it theirs.
At 6.12pm, somewhere between Brixton and Victoria, my phone rang. I had just sent a booking link and planning login. I braced for the familiar question every DJ hears sooner or later: “We love you… can you do it for less?” Instead, I got this: “Tony, I tried your portal on the train. It’s brilliant. If you care this much about planning, the night will be amazing.”
I built a short custom intro in my DJ software, rehearsed it a week before, and kept a clean fallback. When the room hushed and the strings swelled, it felt personal. Not because a robot read the floor, but because the dull work had been handled early enough for me to focus on the moment that mattered.
That is the promise of DJ Manager. It will not choose your records or decide your blend. It makes the unglamorous bits smooth, reliable and mobile friendly so you have time, context and calm when it counts.
What ‘smart’ actually looks like
A smart CRM should be helpful, not flashy, and the best ones provide replies that sound exactly like you, because they are built on your own communication style. When you first switch on the drafting tool, you simply give it a voice primer: five to 10 of your best past emails, your preferred greeting and sign-off, and a few simple rules. You can tell it to use British English, keep paragraphs short, or be friendly but professional while avoiding words like “awesome”. The AI then drafts a new response based on your examples plus the live context of the enquiry, including the date, package, and last message exchanged. You always have the final say – you simply review and send. It’s an invaluable tool for assistance, and not an autopilot; you can update your primer any time to keep your communication perfectly on-brand.
A cohesive workflow
Beyond the initial conversation, you’ll find a series of guardrails in place to protect your business. Human approval is always required for sensitive topics like pricing, making promises, and important client messages. To keep things concise, you can simply ask for “three to five sentences, plain English” if a draft looks too long. This entire system is designed to be refined over time, so be sure to refresh your voice primer quarterly with two new strong emails while removing anything that feels dated.
The old way of working – sending a generic “Hi there, thanks for your enquiry” with an attached brochure – is replaced by a more personalised and proactive approach.
Now, with your unique voice, you can generate a draft that reads more like this: “Hi Alex, thanks for getting in touch about your summer event at The Grand on 12 July. I have attached a short brochure with two options we spoke about. If helpful, here is a 90-second clip from a similar night last month. Happy to jump on a quick call to shape the first hour.” This makes the booking process feel frictionless and moves things forward more efficiently.
Once a proposal is accepted, a contract and invoice are automatically generated. Your client can then e-sign and pay the deposit within minutes, eliminating the need for late-night chasing. The system also takes care of your timelines by sending nudges exactly when they’re needed – a planning form at 60 days, music requests at 30, and the final timeline to the client and key suppliers a week before the event. This creates a consistent, predictable and calm workflow.
At the heart of it all is a connected back office that many of us wished existed a decade ago. It ensures that deposits automatically hit your accounts, your calendars stay in sync, and your mailing lists are updated the moment someone books. You’ll find that AI is integrated into this system, but not in a way that writes your setlist for you. Instead, it helps by collating details into emails, spotting patterns in your numbers, and even nudging your prep with suggestions based on your tagged library. But remember, you still have the final say.
The automated business: Admin on autopilot, without losing your voice
Time is the only resource we cannot get back. Most of us have set payment reminders for 1am and hated ourselves for it. Older automations were rigid, and completely ignored context. That’s why DJ Manager’s Automations are different. Found in the App Centre, they marry automation with AI, so the system drafts from your templates using live context.
This includes previous messages, the specific service booked, the venue, deadlines, and who else is copied. Think of it as moving from a flat, one-size template to a layered, three-dimensional draft that already understands the specifics of this job.
In practice, this is how it looks. You get a new enquiry and the system drafts a context-aware follow-up that includes your brochure, references the exact service they asked about, mentions the venue if known, and offers two relevant options. You simply adjust one line and send it – it reads personal, not robotic.
The intelligent booking and payment flow is just as smart. Once a client accepts, a contract and invoice are instantly generated. They can then e-sign and pay by card via Stripe or Square, or even by instalments via Klarna or Clearpay where appropriate. The system also handles tailored add-ons. Instead of a generic upsell, it drafts a short note that fits the brief: premium lighting for a black-tie awards night or a retro photo booth for an 80s birthday party. You get the final say on approval.
When it comes to supplier coordination, a clean, client-approved timeline goes out automatically to the venue and photographer a week before the event, eliminating last-minute phone calls. Finally, your review requests sound human. The day after a gig, a thank-you goes out with a real detail you’ve added at the approval stage, and the review link lands a few days later.
The connected DJ: Breaking down the walls
For too long, business software has sat in walled gardens, unable to communicate with your other tools. Modern platforms tear those walls down. With native connectors and Zapier-level integrations, DJ Manager acts like a universal translator so your tools can finally hold a proper conversation.
This means you can have seamless accounting where, when an invoice is marked ‘Paid’ in DJ Manager, a matching sales receipt is created in Xero or QuickBooks.
Your accountant sees tidy books, and you get your Sunday evenings back. Marketing becomes effortless, as when someone books, they are automatically added to a ‘Current Clients’ mailing list, and, after the event, they move to ‘Past Clients’ for long-term nurturing. Your calendar becomes bulletproof with a two-way sync to Google Calendar or Outlook, so a booking in DJ Manager blocks your phone calendar, and a dentist appointment on your phone blocks availability in DJ Manager. For multi-op businesses, it even assists with team project management.
When an event is booked, a project board is automatically created in Trello or Asana, assigning the DJ and pre-loading a checklist. And, to help you close more sales, the system can connect with your website forms and analytics so new enquiries arrive with useful context like their source campaign or pages viewed. This isn’t creepiness; it’s just enough information to tailor your first conversation to what they already care about.
Getting the most from integrations
Using integrations can make your life easier, but a few simple rules will keep you sane and ensure you're getting the most out of them. First off, be sure to use tracking tags on links (UTM parameters). These are short labels you can add to your ad and email links so your analytics can track exactly where an enquiry came from.
Next, you'll want to keep your permissions clean—only the data you need should be stored where it belongs. Finally, make it a habit to review your integrations quarterly to avoid "stack bloat" and mystery charges.
A quick jargon buster
The world of business software is full of terms that can be confusing. Here are a few simple definitions to help you out:
UTM parameters: Tiny labels you add to a link to track where a visitor came from.
API: A standard way for different apps to talk to each other and automatically swap data.
Zapier: A service that connects apps without needing any code. Think of it as: "When this happens here, do that there."
Two-way sync: Changes flow in both directions. For example, add a booking to your business calendar and it automatically blocks that time on your personal calendar, and vice-versa.
Merge tags/fields: Placeholders in your templates that automatically pull in real data, such as a client’s name.
Voice primer: A small pack of your best emails and simple rules that teaches an AI to draft new messages in your unique style.
E-sign: Legally binding digital signatures, so you can sign contracts without printing or scanning.
GDPR: A UK/EU data protection law that ensures you only collect the data you need and store it safely.
BNPL (Klarna/Clearpay): "Buy-now-pay-later" options, useful for deposits or staged payments.
A week in the new world
This is what a week with an automated system could look like. On Monday at 9.10am, an enquiry comes in, and the draft reply already mentions their venue, offers two relevant options, and includes your brochure. You add one personal line and hit send. By Tuesday at 2.30pm, they accept, and the contract and invoice are automatically sent. The e-signature and deposit arrive that same afternoon. On Thursday at 11am, the system reminds you to ring for a quick detail check, and in five minutes you learn the host’s dad loves Northern Soul – that’s gold for shaping your run. A week before the event, a clean, client-approved timeline goes out automatically to the venue and photographer. The day after the event, a genuine thank-you email is drafted. You add a single sentence about that Northern Soul moment before approving it, and a few days later, the review link lands. It’s easy for them to leave a review, which makes it easy for you to win more business.
“But I have lived in my old system for a decade”
This is a valid fear – the move. Many of us still run on platforms built for a different web. They are loyal workhorses, yet they are rigid, not mobile-friendly, and awkward to connect. They rarely offer modern integration points, which is why moving data often requires technique rather than a simple switch.
But there is a calm way across to DJ Manager without the drama. The path is a safe migration process where you first export core records to clean CSVs and back everything up. You then de-duplicate venue names and normalise dates. Next, you map and import in the right order – clients and venues first, then events – and bring over your templates by pasting the raw text to preserve your voice. Finally, you validate your data like a professional, reconciling counts and spot-checking complex jobs. You can run this yourself if you enjoy the puzzle or use my white-glove service and start day one with working workflows. The aim is simple: you should feel the difference in your next five enquiries, not five months from now.
If I were starting again next Monday
I would not implement a platform all at once. I would fix one moment at a time. In Week 1, I would rebuild the first reply so it references the event date and venue plus one personal detail, letting DJ Manager draft it for my approval. In Week 2, I would switch on e-sign and card payments, run a test refund, and tell my accountant the sync is live. In Week 3, I would clean up the tags on my top 200 tracks so the crate suggestions are actually useful. And by Week 4, I would write a thank-you that sounds like me and schedule it for the day after each event. By then, you will notice you are thinking about the brief and the room, not the admin. That is the goal.
The quiet pride of a smooth journey is something a client won’t hire you for, but they will hire you for how the night feels. And the night feels better when the path to it is easy, personal, and modern.
A good system will not hold the crowd for you, but it will stop the small stuff from holding you back, so you can hold the room in the palm of your hands. And that starts long before the doors open, sometimes on a train at 6.12pm.
We get into this game because we love records, rooms and reactions. We live for that moment when the crowd sits in our hands. No one starts because they enjoy spreadsheets, chasing invoices or nudging enquiries. The admin is necessary, but it should sit in the background. That is the job of a good system.
Fast forward to the event. The first spotlight moment was set to a familiar favourite. We talked about a subtle twist that would make it theirs.
At 6.12pm, somewhere between Brixton and Victoria, my phone rang. I had just sent a booking link and planning login. I braced for the familiar question every DJ hears sooner or later: “We love you… can you do it for less?” Instead, I got this: “Tony, I tried your portal on the train. It’s brilliant. If you care this much about planning, the night will be amazing.”
I built a short custom intro in my DJ software, rehearsed it a week before, and kept a clean fallback. When the room hushed and the strings swelled, it felt personal. Not because a robot read the floor, but because the dull work had been handled early enough for me to focus on the moment that mattered.
That is the promise of DJ Manager. It will not choose your records or decide your blend. It makes the unglamorous bits smooth, reliable and mobile friendly so you have time, context and calm when it counts.
What ‘smart’ actually looks like
A smart CRM should be helpful, not flashy, and the best ones provide replies that sound exactly like you, because they are built on your own communication style. When you first switch on the drafting tool, you simply give it a voice primer: five to 10 of your best past emails, your preferred greeting and sign-off, and a few simple rules. You can tell it to use British English, keep paragraphs short, or be friendly but professional while avoiding words like “awesome”. The AI then drafts a new response based on your examples plus the live context of the enquiry, including the date, package, and last message exchanged. You always have the final say – you simply review and send. It’s an invaluable tool for assistance, and not an autopilot; you can update your primer any time to keep your communication perfectly on-brand.
A cohesive workflow
Beyond the initial conversation, you’ll find a series of guardrails in place to protect your business. Human approval is always required for sensitive topics like pricing, making promises, and important client messages. To keep things concise, you can simply ask for “three to five sentences, plain English” if a draft looks too long. This entire system is designed to be refined over time, so be sure to refresh your voice primer quarterly with two new strong emails while removing anything that feels dated.
The old way of working – sending a generic “Hi there, thanks for your enquiry” with an attached brochure – is replaced by a more personalised and proactive approach.
Now, with your unique voice, you can generate a draft that reads more like this: “Hi Alex, thanks for getting in touch about your summer event at The Grand on 12 July. I have attached a short brochure with two options we spoke about. If helpful, here is a 90-second clip from a similar night last month. Happy to jump on a quick call to shape the first hour.” This makes the booking process feel frictionless and moves things forward more efficiently.
Once a proposal is accepted, a contract and invoice are automatically generated. Your client can then e-sign and pay the deposit within minutes, eliminating the need for late-night chasing. The system also takes care of your timelines by sending nudges exactly when they’re needed – a planning form at 60 days, music requests at 30, and the final timeline to the client and key suppliers a week before the event. This creates a consistent, predictable and calm workflow.
At the heart of it all is a connected back office that many of us wished existed a decade ago. It ensures that deposits automatically hit your accounts, your calendars stay in sync, and your mailing lists are updated the moment someone books. You’ll find that AI is integrated into this system, but not in a way that writes your setlist for you. Instead, it helps by collating details into emails, spotting patterns in your numbers, and even nudging your prep with suggestions based on your tagged library. But remember, you still have the final say.
The automated business: Admin on autopilot, without losing your voice
Time is the only resource we cannot get back. Most of us have set payment reminders for 1am and hated ourselves for it. Older automations were rigid, and completely ignored context. That’s why DJ Manager’s Automations are different. Found in the App Centre, they marry automation with AI, so the system drafts from your templates using live context.
This includes previous messages, the specific service booked, the venue, deadlines, and who else is copied. Think of it as moving from a flat, one-size template to a layered, three-dimensional draft that already understands the specifics of this job.
In practice, this is how it looks. You get a new enquiry and the system drafts a context-aware follow-up that includes your brochure, references the exact service they asked about, mentions the venue if known, and offers two relevant options. You simply adjust one line and send it – it reads personal, not robotic.
The intelligent booking and payment flow is just as smart. Once a client accepts, a contract and invoice are instantly generated. They can then e-sign and pay by card via Stripe or Square, or even by instalments via Klarna or Clearpay where appropriate. The system also handles tailored add-ons. Instead of a generic upsell, it drafts a short note that fits the brief: premium lighting for a black-tie awards night or a retro photo booth for an 80s birthday party. You get the final say on approval.
When it comes to supplier coordination, a clean, client-approved timeline goes out automatically to the venue and photographer a week before the event, eliminating last-minute phone calls. Finally, your review requests sound human. The day after a gig, a thank-you goes out with a real detail you’ve added at the approval stage, and the review link lands a few days later.
The connected DJ: Breaking down the walls
For too long, business software has sat in walled gardens, unable to communicate with your other tools. Modern platforms tear those walls down. With native connectors and Zapier-level integrations, DJ Manager acts like a universal translator so your tools can finally hold a proper conversation.
This means you can have seamless accounting where, when an invoice is marked ‘Paid’ in DJ Manager, a matching sales receipt is created in Xero or QuickBooks.
Your accountant sees tidy books, and you get your Sunday evenings back. Marketing becomes effortless, as when someone books, they are automatically added to a ‘Current Clients’ mailing list, and, after the event, they move to ‘Past Clients’ for long-term nurturing. Your calendar becomes bulletproof with a two-way sync to Google Calendar or Outlook, so a booking in DJ Manager blocks your phone calendar, and a dentist appointment on your phone blocks availability in DJ Manager. For multi-op businesses, it even assists with team project management.
When an event is booked, a project board is automatically created in Trello or Asana, assigning the DJ and pre-loading a checklist. And, to help you close more sales, the system can connect with your website forms and analytics so new enquiries arrive with useful context like their source campaign or pages viewed. This isn’t creepiness; it’s just enough information to tailor your first conversation to what they already care about.
Getting the most from integrations
Using integrations can make your life easier, but a few simple rules will keep you sane and ensure you're getting the most out of them. First off, be sure to use tracking tags on links (UTM parameters). These are short labels you can add to your ad and email links so your analytics can track exactly where an enquiry came from.
Next, you'll want to keep your permissions clean—only the data you need should be stored where it belongs. Finally, make it a habit to review your integrations quarterly to avoid "stack bloat" and mystery charges.
A quick jargon buster
The world of business software is full of terms that can be confusing. Here are a few simple definitions to help you out:
UTM parameters: Tiny labels you add to a link to track where a visitor came from.
API: A standard way for different apps to talk to each other and automatically swap data.
Zapier: A service that connects apps without needing any code. Think of it as: "When this happens here, do that there."
Two-way sync: Changes flow in both directions. For example, add a booking to your business calendar and it automatically blocks that time on your personal calendar, and vice-versa.
Merge tags/fields: Placeholders in your templates that automatically pull in real data, such as a client’s name.
Voice primer: A small pack of your best emails and simple rules that teaches an AI to draft new messages in your unique style.
E-sign: Legally binding digital signatures, so you can sign contracts without printing or scanning.
GDPR: A UK/EU data protection law that ensures you only collect the data you need and store it safely.
BNPL (Klarna/Clearpay): "Buy-now-pay-later" options, useful for deposits or staged payments.
A week in the new world
This is what a week with an automated system could look like. On Monday at 9.10am, an enquiry comes in, and the draft reply already mentions their venue, offers two relevant options, and includes your brochure. You add one personal line and hit send. By Tuesday at 2.30pm, they accept, and the contract and invoice are automatically sent. The e-signature and deposit arrive that same afternoon. On Thursday at 11am, the system reminds you to ring for a quick detail check, and in five minutes you learn the host’s dad loves Northern Soul – that’s gold for shaping your run. A week before the event, a clean, client-approved timeline goes out automatically to the venue and photographer. The day after the event, a genuine thank-you email is drafted. You add a single sentence about that Northern Soul moment before approving it, and a few days later, the review link lands. It’s easy for them to leave a review, which makes it easy for you to win more business.
“But I have lived in my old system for a decade”
This is a valid fear – the move. Many of us still run on platforms built for a different web. They are loyal workhorses, yet they are rigid, not mobile-friendly, and awkward to connect. They rarely offer modern integration points, which is why moving data often requires technique rather than a simple switch.
But there is a calm way across to DJ Manager without the drama. The path is a safe migration process where you first export core records to clean CSVs and back everything up. You then de-duplicate venue names and normalise dates. Next, you map and import in the right order – clients and venues first, then events – and bring over your templates by pasting the raw text to preserve your voice. Finally, you validate your data like a professional, reconciling counts and spot-checking complex jobs. You can run this yourself if you enjoy the puzzle or use my white-glove service and start day one with working workflows. The aim is simple: you should feel the difference in your next five enquiries, not five months from now.
If I were starting again next Monday
I would not implement a platform all at once. I would fix one moment at a time. In Week 1, I would rebuild the first reply so it references the event date and venue plus one personal detail, letting DJ Manager draft it for my approval. In Week 2, I would switch on e-sign and card payments, run a test refund, and tell my accountant the sync is live. In Week 3, I would clean up the tags on my top 200 tracks so the crate suggestions are actually useful. And by Week 4, I would write a thank-you that sounds like me and schedule it for the day after each event. By then, you will notice you are thinking about the brief and the room, not the admin. That is the goal.
The quiet pride of a smooth journey is something a client won’t hire you for, but they will hire you for how the night feels. And the night feels better when the path to it is easy, personal, and modern.
A good system will not hold the crowd for you, but it will stop the small stuff from holding you back, so you can hold the room in the palm of your hands. And that starts long before the doors open, sometimes on a train at 6.12pm.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 133, Pages 50-54.
