Originally posted by capitan
Just as a side note........
For any girls out there that are considering adjusting thier rate UPWARDS.......let me say that you must out of your minds......unless you are servicing the most elite and rich men in the country.
No, they are not out of their minds and are quite correct to do so as long as they have more clients calling for appts than they can accomodate whether they are dealing with the Donald Stumps or the Joe Blows.
For those who are unhappy with their current business and want or need to increase their income there is always the option of offering introductory specials or deeper discounting of multi-hr appts or early morning discounts or offering extra time at the same price in order to drum up business.
What happens, I think, with some women who work in this industry is that rather than strategizing their rate structure for the market, they somehow begin to equate the rate they receive for services with their personal value which is dangerous both personally and professionally for the woman who goes down this path.
When the internet prostitution business began to take off the amount of available money as well as the newness and thrill of shopping for escorts on line made it relatively easy for a woman to establish a successful business if she was reasonably hard working and orgainized. With less dollars and perhaps less interest in the market competition is stiffer and not all are ready or able to respond to these changes successfully.
I think that Betty's and Dee's strategy of offering occasional perks to established client's is the smartest approach to both maintaining client base and to holding ground when times are tough.
The issue of pricing and the current economy has more to do with new girls who have no reputation or established clientele as well as those in the upper pricepoints who are known to offer mediocre service. I also think that the economy has had more effect on the semi-pro market in that there are more women who are available and at lower rates than with established professionals.
At a certain point, the influx of new talent at a lower price may cause a shake-up in rates with established providers. However, unless the economy goes into the toilet, if price drops too precipitously there will be less incentive for a woman to become a sex worker because it is the good dollars which offsets the risk and the stigma of the job.
Although I sympathize with Kimmie and women like her who need to support their families if they are not making enough to cover your expenses then they need to change their strategy. If they are satisfied with their income then this discussion doesn't pertain to their situation.
Finally, it is generally established in the business world that the weakest reason to ask for a raise is that your salary doesn't cover your expenses.
