Slower this year

[zach_wilson]

So things have been a bit slower for me this year, which seam odd usually they stay at the same pace. Was wondering if anyone else was having a slow year? And any advice as to how to end the year a little stronger?

[Kevin Slater]

Last year was an usually strong year for me and friends with whom I discuss such things. My 2012 was a 35% improvement over 2011, my previous highest year. 2013 is trending more average. Fluctuation is natural, and based on the anecdotes given, we may just be regressing toward the norm.

 

More to the point, are you making enough to get by, pay off any debts, and hopefully save a few shekels? If not, that may bring up some bigger picture questions. From my vantage, you seem to be doing everything right as an escort.

 

Kevin Slater

[BaronArtz]

Have you considered lowering the fee a bit? Offering discounts during slower times of the week? Offering discounts to repeat customers? There are so many things you can do.

[+ FreshFluff]

Have you considered lowering the fee a bit? Offering discounts during slower times of the week? Offering discounts to repeat customers? There are so many things you can do.

 

I think that specials like tacking on an extra half hour are usually better than lowering the price. The latter is more likely to get people used to the "sale price" and/or make them believe that you're short on business. (That's true for products and services of all kinds.)

[JoeyBryant]

So things have been a bit slower for me this year, which seam odd usually they stay at the same pace. Was wondering if anyone else was having a slow year? And any advice as to how to end the year a little stronger?

 

This has been an unusually slow 'month' for me. Like zombie apocalypse slow. Looking back, I recall past Octobers being just as bad.

 

How long have you been doing this in Raleigh? Because really, the true answer is going to be the same: you have to travel. You can drop your prices to $40/hour or do buy 1 get 1 free specials for $200 and it still won't make a difference. Why? Because that's the nature of the business. Once guys see you a few times and you're in the area for awhile, things just come to a halt. We're no longer new anymore and you become "the same guys" on such and such website.

 

I'm way past due living where I am now. I should have moved long time ago. Like, around this time last year. It's great that Kevin can see the trends in his area, but it's too many different factors involved between where Kevin lives and where me and Zach live. Some states have a bit less patronizing views of escorts than others. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how good of an escort or how good of rates you can offer, sometimes the area where 1 is just isn't bringing in enough paying gay male clients. And when that happens, there's nothing you can do but just sit and wait until things improve themselves. You could take and place new pictures, drop the rates a litte, etc...but it won't make a world of a difference if you're staying in the same place. I know some guys say they don't need or like to travel, but that's hardly the case for everyone.

 

How to end the year better? Leave town, make em miss you, and have them begging you to come back...

[Kevin Slater]

I think that specials like tacking on an extra half hour are usually better than lowering the price. The latter is more likely to get people used to the "sale price" and/or make them believe that you're short on business. (That's true for products and services of all kinds.)

 

Absolutely agree. You price something lower, especially a hard-to-value service, people lock onto that as its worth. Later when you try to return to your regular rates, folk think "well heck, for that price I can hire a premium escort."

 

Kevin Slater

[wisconsinguy]

Does your being busy tend to go along with economic factors as a nation or in or area?

[Kevin Slater]

Does your being busy tend to go along with economic factors as a nation or in or area?

 

I've tried to correlate my data to GDP, the Dow, the Nikkei, precipitation, welfare payments, soybean futures, spot gold, school board elections... all with little success. One data point (the earning of one escort) is too small a sample set to glean useful information, and industry-wide data doesn't exist, beyond "uh... I had a hot two-hour client yesterday."

 

Kevin Slater

[gallahadesquire]

I've tried to correlate my data to GDP, the Dow, the Nikkei, precipitation, welfare payments, soybean futures, spot gold, school board elections... all with little success. One data point (the earning of one escort) is too small a sample set to glean useful information, and industry-wide data doesn't exist, beyond "uh... I had a hot two-hour client yesterday."

 

Kevin Slater

 

I'm retired and bored, not to mention having a housemate I used to hire - and his cat. Long story. Maybe I could set up the Excel file and start to get the correlations going.

 

For the bored: Follow the S&P. The Dow is only 30 companies, and highly weighted. (The wiltshire 5000 isn't such a bad idea, either.)

[Newly]

No real data here, but I would be amazed if escorting wasn't becoming more competitive. With wealth rapidly becoming more concentrated in the hands of fewer people ( and 100 super wealthy old guys won't hire as much as 1000 slightly poorer guys), more and more use of apps such as Scruff allowing people to connect directly, and changing public opinions on being gay making it more possible for gay people to date it would be amazing if the pool of potential clients wasn't shrinking. Although I agree with the posters saying that lowering prices will reduce the perceived value of the service the economic reality is that increased supply plus decreased demand will lead to lower prices. This won't apply to a few escorts with well established bases (well, at least until their base dies off) but overall when you mix up the above with the horrible job prospects for a lot of young men Econ. 101 says prices are either going to have to go down or the number of clients per escort is going to decrease.

[MiamiLooker]

As JoeyBryant states “…have them begging you to comeback...”

It may not require you leaving town, but you should be getting repeat clients. If not, then you need to understand why. If they’re really interested in seeing you again, they’ll find a way to afford it.

[+ azdr0710]

you should be getting repeat clients. If not, then you need to understand why.

 

 

very, very good point.....I also like Fluffy's suggestion of just hanging out for some time beyond the arranged plan....I hope you aren't doing what one very well-respected escort did to me exactly 119 minutes into a two-hour meet: very suddenly announced, "well, that was great...I'm going to shower and hit the pool now....great to meet you" (though I'd still meet with him because he was great during that 119 minutes)....."specials" and "sales" seem silly in this type business.....make yourself invaluable....

[Kevin Slater]

you should be getting repeat clients. If not, then you need to understand why.

 

+1

 

Kevin Slater

[JoeyBryant]

....."specials" and "sales" seem silly in this type business.....make yourself invaluable....

 

Hmmmmmmmmm. That's a hard call. (I know it's different, BUT) female escorts do them all the time and not just BP ones. However, they still have male clients who are only different in their sexuality.

 

But...I don't find offering specials changes things dramatically anyway. Usually in gayland, specials come in the form of clients who know they won't make it past 30 minutes or who just want to do a no recip type of session. Whether someone takes the lesser rate is entirely a personal choice.

 

No real data here, but I would be amazed if escorting wasn't becoming more competitive. Econ. 101 says prices are either going to have to go down or the number of clients per escort is going to decrease.

 

That is true, but in some areas that's hardly the case. As I said, one may have regulars but they can only come by so often. No matter how good of an escort someone is, once you've tapped into everyone...things will slow down. It's the same way in real-life.

 

That's why when one puts an ad on a dating website, they get 50,000 responses in 1 day. Because those guys have gone thru the available guys they are into and who are into them, and are standing at the door waiting for the next best thing. Only solution is time and travel. Either wait for things to balance out, or go elsewhere.

[+ dupontversDC]

My personally hiring has tracked both my economic situation, and also my schedule.

 

Last year was a personal record for me, even though I don't have detailed records going back. I hired 76 times.

 

This year, I've just hit 79, with a couple of months to go.

 

For me, its a number of factors, but having a great few years financially certainly has led to more hiring.

[+ deej]

One data point (the earning of one escort) is too small a sample set to glean useful information, and industry-wide data doesn't exist, beyond "uh... I had a hot two-hour client yesterday."

 

But we still want to hear about the hot two-hour session!

 

Have I mentioned recently how much I love your input on these topics?

[jojo307]

I was talking to a friend a few days ago. I know this man well and he told me until 1 year ago he hired approximately 50x a year but that has significantly dropped over the last year. I asked why and he told me it was because of the availability of "social sites" for gays and the numbers of participants on those site. He also remarked that more men seemed to be available and real these days on those sites. Not sure if that suggest anything relative to escorting. I read often that the "free" online porn has had a dramatic affect on porn studios and their ability to generate revenue. Might this suggest "old style" escorting is in for a "correction"?

[+ FreshFluff]

I was talking to a friend a few days ago. I know this man well and he told me until 1 year ago he hired approximately 50x a year but that has significantly dropped over the last year. I asked why and he told me it was because of the availability of "social sites" for gays and the numbers of participants on those site. He also remarked that more men seemed to be available and real these days on those sites. Not sure if that suggest anything relative to escorting. I read often that the "free" online porn has had a dramatic affect on porn studios and their ability to generate revenue. Might this suggest "old style" escorting is in for a "correction"?

 

Is your friend very handsome? Part of the point of hiring an escort, as I understand it, is getting the caliber of man would have hundreds of suitors on social networking sites. That could mean looks, a great body, incredible in bed, or some combination of those things.

 

Yes, the market for paid straight porn has dried up as a result of Xtube and other amateur sites.

[JoeyBryant]

My personally hiring has tracked both my economic situation, and also my schedule.

 

Last year was a personal record for me, even though I don't have detailed records going back. I hired 76 times.

 

This year, I've just hit 79, with a couple of months to go.

 

For me, its a number of factors, but having a great few years financially certainly has led to more hiring.

 

wow...thats like 8 a month. You must have quite the sex drive.

 

Obviously in your area though you have more options to choose from. You didn't specify whether those were a mix of repeat encounters or all new ones.

 

I know in my area, there's been some shifts in the market from what I can see. Not to mention, I've ran into a few former clients out at bars and clubs, some more than once. So it kind of tells me something.

 

The social apps are simply an additional outlet to the already many outlets out there. Before social apps, there was everything else. But the thing is, we still have to compete with the 1 thing that is a large part of gay culture. What is that, people? Easy-Free-Sex. That's just life, and we have to work around it.

[Michael Wayne]

where are your touring Zach? A properly well planned and executed tour is still a gold mine. Focus on starving and underserved big cities with affordable hotel prices such as: houston......atlanta.....new orleans (mon-thurs nights)...dc.......even Boston at certain times. Over the last year I have had enormous success is all these places

[jimboivyo]

very, very good point.....I also like Fluffy's suggestion of just hanging out for some time beyond the arranged plan....I hope you aren't doing what one very well-respected escort did to me exactly 119 minutes into a two-hour meet: very suddenly announced, "well, that was great...I'm going to shower and hit the pool now....great to meet you" (though I'd still meet with him because he was great during that 119 minutes)....."specials" and "sales" seem silly in this type business.....make yourself invaluable....

 

invaluable is good advice. as one escort I see says to me 'you don't find chanel at the flea market'

 

two hours is 120mins. You're angry because he stiffed you one minute? do you think all escorts should cover the overage? time is money and unless you've agreed to pay for any amount of time over the agreed, I don't see what this guy did as that terrible

[bigvalboy]

Hey Zach, lots of good advice here. My 2 cents is that any business will have highs and lows. The economy as a whole has slowed a bit, or more accurately, consumer confidence fell. That very often will reflect in many areas of the economy. When there is a general lack of consumer confidence, people tend to tighten their belts. If you follow the money trail, that means people at all levels will feel the pinch. Members talk all the time about their hiring being off because of the economy.

 

I posted about a dancer who came to South Florida from Dallas, expecting to reap the benefits of the 'snow birds' from the north. His plan was to stay for several months. He quickly found out that tipping was down significantly as a whole. He asked around and felt that things might just be off this year, so he cut his losses and left for home, where he knew that at the very least he had a steady clientele of guys who came to see just him.

 

Often best to tighten your belt as well, keep spending to a minimum and see how the winter months go. Mikey suggests traveling, might not be a bad idea. I would seek the advice of experienced escorts who do travel domestically. I personally have tremendous faith in the American economy. There are strong indications that next year we might see more growth. Hang in there.

[+ azdr0710]

two hours is 120mins. You're angry because he stiffed you one minute? do you think all escorts should cover the overage? time is money and unless you've agreed to pay for any amount of time over the agreed, I don't see what this guy did as that terrible

 

 

oh jim, the perennial grouch....no, I wasn't angry at all at that escort (and didn't say I was in my post)....my point was what this topic is about: thinking up ways for Zack to drum up business and get repeat clients....

[jimboivyo]

oh jim, the perennial grouch....no, I wasn't angry at all at that escort (and didn't say I was in my post)....my point was what this topic is about: thinking up ways for Zack to drum up business and get repeat clients....

 

sorry bout that. I misread and took it wrong. not a grouch but always wanting to play devils advocate. I stay away from group think.

 

I'm all for zack getting more clients. Hope all of this is help ful

[rickp]

I've found that this year, on the contrary, has been very busy. October is trending a bit slower, but the past 9 months were exceptional.

 

I agree with previous posts that discounting one hour appointments is an extremely bad idea. I did it on one occasion a few years back and will never do it again.