Per my other story in blather and babble, Im feeling a bit degraded tonight. Not so much because of what happened but just how. I almost lost 2 bookings tonight that I needed badly (not that things have been slow, but had 2 major expenses this week). I did incalls from Sunday thru Thursday morning and only got 1 booking to show for. Made me feel silly for getting the room and low for only getting 1 client despite numerous ads.

Tonight I got my usual regulars, no need to mention the other...but one of them tonight wanted an extra service/time and although I 'luv' him I told it would be an additonal amount and he cancelled the booking to the point I had to change my mind, thank him for his tips he leaves, and insist he need the booking. It didnt feel so bad that we did end up meeting, but if he didnt change his mind I'd feel so low, like begging.

I know clients hate it when we put our rates up; or tack on extra fees which is why I do flat-rate by time, but sometimes they want more, yet want to give us nothing when we ask for more too. Its not so much degrading agreeing to do things for a lesser amount but the fact of them not giving us nothing if we ask for more. Or hold 'grudges' if a session is less than perfect. I have a high success rate but we all have bad days though.

These guys hire escorts over and over again, and I feel even more degraded when I put my all into the booking only to not get a return call back unless I change all my contact info to make it seem like Im a "new" guy. Well fuck I was good, why the fuck hell you rather take a chance with someone who may not be so great? Its so degrading! I've had so many clients in this town and yet even though its gone very well, good tips etc they have no interest in hooking up with an  escort more than once or twice no matter how good it went. Its like a movie already watched.

Now it's my turn to be blunt.
You need to toughen up and sort out your business life once and for all. Make it all inclusive or have a menu, whatever suits you best. Has it ever occured to you that maybe the reason nobody re-books you is because you keep chopping and changing your prices and pictures so much you don't know whether you're coming or going. And if you don't know what you're doing it probably reflects in you constant changes. I know you probably do it to keep on top of your market, but believe me, if you're good at your job, you don't need to keep making changes. Sometimes being consistent is good.

And if you're going to take it personally if somebody doesn't rebook you, you're in the wrong business. There are too many of us out there that guys don't have to choose you again if they don't want to. Some guys love the option of having a plethera of escorts to choose on-line from, that's part of what makes having paid-for sex such a thrill. But then, as BH says, you get some guys who sees the same escort regularly simply because they're comfortable with them and they see no need to stray. Don't worry about what each person thinks after they've seen you. Move on and concentrate on your next booking.

Seriously, suck it up or get out of the business. And please Joey, enough with the swearing. It does my head in reading your posts.

Brandy, chopping and changing myself is what has actually made the bookings come forth. Im not totally changing but being totally consistant for months on end feels stale. It wasnt til I revamped that I began seeing a change of pace. And also I have other ads elsewhere that remain untouched so those regulars (lower priced sites) can find me easily while the more costly sites (that dont generate regulars) have to be redone. So you see where Im going. Its a small world here, so throwing in a new guy its like dropping a steak on an art farm LOL. (sorry had a dream I was covered in ants last night). But I appreciate your harshness LOL, and I'll try to write my sentences without the cursing, lest they be edited LOL

Yes, but reinventing yourself doesn't really resolve your marketing problems do they? It's a temporary fix. You've said yourself that when a client realises it's you, they don't always go through with the booking. How many times can you do it?

If you want to feel less degraded, stick to your prices and your services. Don't offer services you don't feel comfortable doing, don't offer less money if it's going to make you feel uncomfortable, just to get your booking. It's as simple as that, really. There's nothing less that can set an erotic pace than having been beaten down on either your services or your prices. Keep control over yourself, what you offer and what you charge. You're the service provider. The customer doesn't have to offer you anything else other than your agreed upon price. Men are men, they will try it on. It's up to yourself to stick to your guns.

There's nothing wrong with consistency, with the odd periodical change in photographs. But I do understand things are different in your community.

It does no harm really to revamp yourself now and again, did it recently myself because after a year working im really not the same escort. Weve all had days where on opening the door to a client 30 years your senior(complete with man-boobs!) has looked you up and down and he has  grudgingly said "ok then." Its not you he is saying it to, its just the persona you created. Brandy is right keep it seperate from you. If I was a gay man id be your regular hun!

Quote from: strawberry on 08 August 2009, 11:14:03 pm

The other thing I've learnt is that in this business once you given discount most clients will hold it over you indefinitely - some will turn up with that exact amount next time, or refuse to book you if you tell them you are charging more. By all means come to arrangements with regulars but keep your rates consistent.

That's why I don't offer specials, because your customer will come back the next time and ask for the discount he had previously. And it then puts you in an awkward position, you either have to turn him down, or you grudgingly offer it to him, which hardly puts you in the mood.

My prices are consistent and I'm cheap enough as it is, it ensures me steady work in a town where escorts are ten-a-plenty. That and I know exactly how to market myself to keep myself apart from everybody else.
I'll do a one-off overnight or dinner special if an occassion calls for it, like when I went to LA and I stayed the night before the flight in a hotel room. But I stress that it's a one time offer so I'm never asked for it.

Quote from: strawberry on 08 August 2009, 11:14:03 pm

A regular really wanted to see me, so he asked if I would shave him and give oral for ?60. I was not thinking straight and agreed. All I can say is that  I came away vowing never to do that again - it made me feel cheap.

Ever since then, even if someone says "I'm only interested in a massage" or "It's only oral I want" then it's still my usual fee for the time.

Absolutely. This is where we can play the "time and companionship" line. It doesn't matter what a customer asks for, it's still going to cost them my regular hourly rate. That goes the other way as well.
Sometimes, as Joey says, you do work a booking as hard as hell and a customer's wrung everything out of you, but sometimes you get an easy customer who's paid for an hour and is gone inside half an hour. It evens itself out. But that's escort life, some customers are harder work than others. That's why you never reduce your rate when they ask you. That way you don't feel crap about yourself when you come away from a booking.

Thanks for backing me up!!!

I know from experience I'm right and we are like no other industry despite the cries of "I'll be a regular", or "What about the credit crunch" even "I can get a girl for less than that" not in my area and if you wish to visit the parlour down the way you can (and it will cost them time plus petrol not to mention any extras!), this is closely followed by "are you discrete". Excuse me you want a ?50 "job", it to be all inclusive and no-one to know what's going on at said premises, along with 2 costume changes. But you don't want to visit a parlour?

F ME!!!!!! No really don't.

Oh by the way you may wish to show your number if you want an appointment (yes I do talk to them but only to have a power-trip since they aren't getting anything anyway, a lot I do reject when I'm really "busy").

Isn't our job fun!

What they mean is do the neighbours know.

Funny how this always emits from the ones who ask for half hours..................if we advertised half-hours would that be the case?

Or even offered the on a casual basis.

Duurrrr.

Thanks for backing me up!!!

I know from experience I'm right and we are like no other industry despite the cries of "I'll be a regular", or "What about the credit crunch" even "I can get a girl for less than that" not in my area and if you wish to visit the parlour down the way you can (and it will cost them time plus petrol not to mention any extras!), this is closely followed by "are you discrete". Excuse me you want a ?50 "job", it to be all inclusive and no-one to know what's going on at said premises, along with 2 costume changes. But you don't want to visit a parlour?

F ME!!!!!! No really don't.

Oh by the way you may wish to show your number if you want an appointment (yes I do talk to them but only to have a power-trip since they aren't getting anything anyway, a lot I do reject when I'm really "busy").

Isn't our job fun!

Yeah, I love that. That's the new war cry, "there's a recession on y'know". Like it doesn't affect escorts as well.
I had somebody call me a few weeks ago, asking me if there was a discount on my overnight. I said, no, should there be? He mentioned the above line and I mentioned that I still had my own bills to pay. Imagine spending the night with somebody you don't know from adam, who thinks it's okay to ask for a discount, citing the recession as the reason. In a situation like that yes, I don't doubt that it would've been good to have the money in your hands afterwards but it would feel like you've given up a part of yourself. And doing that over a certain period of time can leave you less of a person than before you started.

I dont know though...I find it hard to separate myself from work. If my body is there at a booking, my mind and all...and all I can think of is the next calller, how do I separate it? Its all around me. I have very few diversions to take my mind off it. I like who I am, but when things go wrong my whole self feels rejected, degraded...This whole weekend has been a trying time for me, to learn lessons and stay serious about business. I let my guard down, I get too trusty with regular clients and then I get treated badly for no reason. I love what I do and equally I am too nice, or too trusty and get taken advantage off. And then Im revengeful as fuck and wont let no one cross me. At this rate I hope I dont end up in jail for fucking a client up for either short changing me, wasting my time or doing something stupid.

I understand what you're saying, but you do need to try harder to seperate your personal persona from your work persona. When you're at work, always think of yourself as Joey (or whatever working name you use). It's easy for me to say I guess, because it's easy for me to do. Maybe it's being nearly twice your age and I can handle it better than you, I don't know.

I'm pretty pragmatic about this job. I see it as nothing other than a wage to feed my family. I don't listen to anybody when they tell me they're going to become my regular, I don't listen to them when they say they're going to take me to their favourite villa (I even upset one regular recently because I didn't jump up and down for joy when he promised to take me away, I apologised and said that I'd heard it all before, it was nothing personal). I also don't see anybody that takes hard drugs (something you seem to attract in your business), therefore making them prone to erratic behaviour. I know it's something I wouldn't have the patience for. This job is hard enough as it is.

This sounds harsh, but don't trust clients. Don't trust anything they say or do. Get your fee upfront before anything commences. If you think you're going to be messed about then leave. Don't eff and blind at them, go and kick an inanimate object. And don't feel you always have to come away with something. There are some days you'll just need to chalk up to experience. Count them as a loss, learn from your mistakes and move on. Immediately make a note of your wayward customer so you never have to answer his call again, and you can derive a little satisfaction from hanging up on him when he tries to call again in the future. Because a lot of them will do.

I have my down days like everybody else, I just don't get them that often. I had a particularly bad day a couple of weeks ago with two cancellations, a no show and an idiot who did make a booking but then commenced bombarding me with texts asking me what am I going to do to him. He's somewhat of a regular and a bit subby so I put him in his place. I even took an extra fiver from him for all the stupid texts he had me answer. And unfortunately for him (or fortunately), he was the culmination of a bad day so I took it out on him. It was Domination he wanted, it was Domination he got.

So don't think I don't sympathise with you Joey. I do, but you really do need to toughen up.

Here, here! Good to have a place we can vent Think I might set up a business whereby you walk in, kick an inanimate object and go and lay down in a dark room undisturbed.