advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Thinking about moving on from nice small local but very grotty (and recently pretty sleazy) club, to somewhere more up-market. Most of my customers have been telling me I should go to a nicer club and I'm starting to agree with them.
Any tips for working in posh clubs? I'm freaking myself out before I even begin with thoughts of huge house fees and 10 times as many girls etc. When I started dancing it was in big clubs and all I remember is being stressed and overwhelmed, but I didn't know how to sell dances then! Even though I'm confident in my sales patter now the old omg-i-can't-do-this feelings are bubbling up... I think I've really let myself stagnate in my comfort zone.
Please help!
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Well, if you give the posher club a shot and find it still isn't for you, there's nothing stopping you from returning back to your dive club or trying somewhere more in-between. It's not like you're stuck there forever, basically, so the worst that can happen is you have a few mediocre shifts and then move on to somewhere else. No pressure!
If the posher club has a CR/VIP and your dive bar doesn't, I'd recommend reading up on all the threads geared towards selling those higher priced items, as they will likely be your money makers. There are a few linked in the Best of Hustle Hut thread, but you'll find more running a search in Hustle Hut.
The main thing to remember is that clubs with high house fees and many girls have them because (usually) the clientele can actually sustain them. If dancers were regularly not making their house fees and then some, there wouldn't be any of them there. It's certainly daunting starting your shift in the red by a large amount, but you WILL make it back several fold. Really, just brush up on the Best of Hustle Hut thread in general, go in with a good attitude, wear your favourite/money-maker outfit, and work that big club.
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ingumidoll
Thinking about moving on from nice small local but very grotty (and recently pretty sleazy) club, to somewhere more up-market. Most of my customers have been telling me I should go to a nicer club and I'm starting to agree with them.
Any tips for working in posh clubs? I'm freaking myself out before I even begin with thoughts of huge house fees and 10 times as many girls etc. When I started dancing it was in big clubs and all I remember is being stressed and overwhelmed, but I didn't know how to sell dances then! Even though I'm confident in my sales patter now the old omg-i-can't-do-this feelings are bubbling up... I think I've really let myself stagnate in my comfort zone.
Please help!
Im gonna tell you what sweetheart, your right. That being said, make sure its YOUR decision. It my experience, customers always have advice on whats best for your life.. they DONT factor in however, number of girls, house fees, availability of hours, number of regulars compared to new business. ( many regs come often, but for there preffered dancers) club politics, etc. simply because they "go" to clubs, not"work" in one. Huge diffrence. choosing a club should all boil down to brass tax. How much money can i make in one day. period. all clubs suck. Idc if your in vegas or boonetown georgia. theres money to be made at both, and sleezeball custies in both. do some research, visit these clubs as a customer before applying as a dancer, and view from a business aspect. then make your decision.
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Quote:
It my experience, customers always have advice on whats best for your life.. they DONT factor in however, number of girls, house fees, availability of hours, number of regulars compared to new business.
Indeed, as Shanna and triple point out, there are lots of issues to consider when contemplating a move to an 'upscale' club ...
- getting hired at an 'upscale' club in the first place
- being allowed to schedule the most lucrative shifts, versus days or off-peak weeknights
- how well you will 'measure up' against the higher level of competing dancers for attracting new customers
- how many of your former regular customers will actually be able to 'afford' to visit you at a more expensive upscale club
- how successful will you be under the different 'business model' where selling VIP / CR is where the 'real money' is at ?
- how much of your hopefully higher 'gross' earnings will be 'lost' to higher house fees, higher / more mandatory tip-outs etc.
- how much additional 'investment' you'll be expected to make in order to work / be competitive in an upscale club ( gowns, professional hair and nails, gym membership etc. )
Not wanting to draw any incorrect conclusions, but for a fact some 'top performers' in dive clubs actually owe a good portion of their success to being 'a big fish in a small pond'. And once surrounded by 'sharks' in the form of experienced, successful 'upscale' dancers, those former 'top performers' may not fare very well. So do your research, and don't 'burn any bridges' prematurely.
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
You never know until you try! Don't burn your bridges at the dive, but at least try out some shifts at the nicer place. I find a mix of upscale competitive and dive keeps me sharp. Maybe you can work at both so you aren't outside of your comfort zone?
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
When I said about me being too good for the place, I wasn't being up my own behind, LOL! It really has gotten really sleazy, I think there's two of us left there now that don't do extras, It's more like a brothel than a strip club. And I don't have a problem with what other girls do to make their money, the customers are just getting too handsy to deal with.... I'm certainly not planning to take any of them with me!
Thank you for the advice :-) xx
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
I have always bounced around from club to club and I've found for me that while I may not "bank" like some girls do at the higher end clubs, I feel a lot more comfortable in the dives which allows me to make money off of the little customer base dives or middle tier clubs have. Higher end or upscale clubs have a lot of negatives for me; gowns (I HATE dancing in gowns, huge pain in my ass), a slower hustle, higher house/tip out fees, size in general (I easily get overwhelmed in large clubs or clubs that pack customers in like sardines), and having a lot more women to compete with.
For me - I make less money if I work in an upscale club. My money is more consistent in a dive or possibly middle tier club. Even if the extras girls and pervy customers get on my nerves, I just try to roll with the punches and keep my mood upbeat. There are a lot of factors that can effect how much or how little you may make at any club.
Anything is worth trying once as long as you are comfortable with it. Better to try it out and know the answer, then to always wonder what if.
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lovelydancer
I have always bounced around from club to club and I've found for me that while I may not "bank" like some girls do at the higher end clubs, I feel a lot more comfortable in the dives which allows me to make money off of the little customer base dives or middle tier clubs have. Higher end or upscale clubs have a lot of negatives for me; gowns (I HATE dancing in gowns, huge pain in my ass), a slower hustle, higher house/tip out fees, size in general (I easily get overwhelmed in large clubs or clubs that pack customers in like sardines), and having a lot more women to compete with.
For me - I make less money if I work in an upscale club. My money is more consistent in a dive or possibly middle tier club. Even if the extras girls and pervy customers get on my nerves, I just try to roll with the punches and keep my mood upbeat. There are a lot of factors that can effect how much or how little you may make at any club.
Anything is worth trying once as long as you are comfortable with it. Better to try it out and know the answer, then to always wonder what if.
Thanks so much for all the replies and advice everyone, to reply to Lovelydancer, I agree, I feel weird dancing in a long dress, I'm scared of being overwhelmed by sheer volume as well as the way I used to get treated as a number rather than a person. At the same time, I did loads of sales training and the opportunity to sell (or up-sell) just isn't in my club, I feel like I could be earning more cos I know how to sell myself (not like that lol).
I will take everyone's advice, thanks to everyone, I'll just bloody try it. My overheads are really low, I make enough in two days at old club to live very comfortably if I don't splurge- I can easily try a couple of days somewhere else, and if it works great, if it doesn't I haven't really lost anything...
Thanks again to everyone who has posted advice for me, I really am appreciative of every bit xxxxx
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
newb2
are you in the uk
Sorry to just get back to the internet, yes I am! Are you? Any decent clubs you could recommend? Based in Midlands but used to traveling to work... sometimes I feel like I spend most of my life on trains and coaches lol :-) xx
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Melonie
Indeed, as Shanna and triple point out, there are lots of issues to consider when contemplating a move to an 'upscale' club ...
- getting hired at an 'upscale' club in the first place
- being allowed to schedule the most lucrative shifts, versus days or off-peak weeknights
- how well you will 'measure up' against the higher level of competing dancers for attracting new customers
- how many of your former regular customers will actually be able to 'afford' to visit you at a more expensive upscale club
- how successful will you be under the different 'business model' where selling VIP / CR is where the 'real money' is at ?
- how much of your hopefully higher 'gross' earnings will be 'lost' to higher house fees, higher / more mandatory tip-outs etc.
- how much additional 'investment' you'll be expected to make in order to work / be competitive in an upscale club ( gowns, professional hair and nails, gym membership etc. )
Not wanting to draw any incorrect conclusions, but for a fact some 'top performers' in dive clubs actually owe a good portion of their success to being 'a big fish in a small pond'. And once surrounded by 'sharks' in the form of experienced, successful 'upscale' dancers, those former 'top performers' may not fare very well. So do your research, and don't 'burn any bridges' prematurely.
Pretty much why I stay in my comfort zone.
Re: advice please, moving from dive club to posher one?
Your in the UK, so I would just find any club not too far from home where you can make decent money, Im in London and travel out to work at a dive just because its more regular money and its less stress, I have worked in all the most upscale clubs in this country, So I wouldn't worry about going upscale here, just be happy when you find regular money.