Managing/pacing your regulars
I'm somewhat new to the regular game; at my old club I had several guys that came in and bought multiple dances from me every time, but were not strictly MINE. At my current neighborhood type club, I seem to be garnering a few that come in looking for me, do not dance with anyone else, and want to exchange numbers. This sort of thing is new to me. I know that each guy has an expiration date and basically I'm looking to maximize long-term potential.
I have no problem with being able to entertain these guys repeatedly; however, I'm wondering if being not-so-available all the time might be a smart idea. One of them I have already seen money go down a little bit precisely because I work 3-4 days a week... I'm easy to get hold of, basically. Another came in last night, gave me his whole wallet, and wants to come in again tomorrow; as happy as I am to chat for 2 hours and make that, I don't want it to be "too much of a good thing".
I'm thinking along the lines of telling them I'm only there 2x a week (and working with non-regs the other 2 days) or else telling them I only work sporadically, that I'll let them know when I'll be there and calling one of them in each day.
What do you ladies do?
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
Idk, some girls I know with super high spending regulars basically treat them as sugar daddies...Going out to dinner, shopping, etc. My only long term, big spenders were guys who wanted *something* OTC-not necessarily sex, but some kind of girlfriend-like relationship. But I don't do OTC and now I don't even do phone calls or texting since I'm married. A lot of these guys seem to be looking for someone to "take care of" and spoil. They want to pay for your car repairs, rent, bills and stuff too. I have gotten them to pay for my stuff by bringing money ITC but I haven't been able to hold onto a big spender for more than a few months this way. They ALL eventually want to meet OTC and give you money OTC (at least for me.) This is just what I've observed and experienced but I'm sure it could be totally different for different girls.
I've always worked pretty much the same schedule and haven't noticed an effect on my regulars but who knows! You should definitely try it and see what happens. It could play into their "hunter, pursuer" nature.
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
If someone wants to come and see you every day and drop a nice amount of cash, I don't know why you'd tell them not to! You're right that every regular has an expiry date, so milk as much as you can before they move on. Being "too available" isn't a bad thing with regulars like that IMO, since it sounds like he wants to spend that much time in the club.
If he comes to the club this often and you lie and say you're not working but then are, you run the risk of him coming in anyway and finding out, and that could lead to you losing him a lot faster -- or at the very least an awkward conversation as to why you were trying to get rid of him. Just because they only see you when you're around, doesn't mean they won't see someone else if you're unavailable.
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
My regulars are my bread and butter. What I do is tell each of my high rollers a different schedule. So for Dave, I'll say I'm working Tues and Thurs 11-4pm. For Dan I'll say Mon and Tues 4-9pm. For Steve I'll say Friday and Sat 2-6pm etc. I usually have 4-6 regulars who visit me on a bi-weekly or weekly basis. I've got a few that come in once a month. I try to have at least a 1/2 shift a week that I set aside for hustling new regulars.
I have a google voice account and give out that number to my regulars to reach me. I make notes on their personal lives in the contact notes, so that way I can review what he likes/does any events he's mentioned that he's attending etc. When someone is spending $500-1000 on me every month, I make a serious effort to keep him coming back.
Yesterday was totally dead at the club, however, I managed to hang out in VIP most of my shift due to stacking regulars.
The real key to getting and keeping regulars is to keep a consistent schedule. When a customer knows he can count on you being at the club every Wednesday after he gets done with work, that is where you are going to make your money.
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
I don't think lying about your availability is a smart route to take. What if he comes in on a night you're not supposed to be there and spots you? This wouldn't be good for relationship building. Almost every dancer/regular has a "shelf life" so-to-speak. It's better to maximize it while you can, while at the same time developing new relationships with other regulars, so once one dries up you have the others you can count on. And like Wednesday86 mentioned above, a lot of regulars want something OTC. If that's not something you're comfortable with, they'll get the hint after awhile and either accept your terms or move on. In the meantime they might keep throwing money at you ITC trying to change your mind!
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
1: Regardless of what's actually going on during the 3-4 shifts a week you come in, explicitly or implicitly convey that your ITC availability has increased only because the demands of your ever growing regular base have as well. You are coming in more often solely to accommodate them. You don't rely upon one customer's money alone.
2: Take care of OTC communication through a google voice # to give the illusion of privileged contact info (an obvious work email address does not) while maintaining your own privacy. If they want to talk about more than their next appointment, cite your busy OTC schedule and reiterate how excited you are to catch up when they come to the club next.
3: If for whatever reason you do find it best/easiest to lie about how often you work, and if you are caught in a lie, say a last minute appointment just left or had to bail. You're so happy to run into him now. If the guy pays you a flat rate and you usually get it in two hours, tell him how lucky you both are that you have two hours and fifteen minutes before you need to freshen up for your next appointment. This way the time you spend talking doesn't drag on longer and longer for the same, or increasingly less, amount of money.
4: If a regular does start to take advantage of your time and he truly is worth the money, consider cutely asking for a raise if your persona allows for it. If coming across as too greedy is a concern, you can always groom him first over a session by telling him how much he means to you, and how much you know you mean to him. If he still balks, you can try dangling an upsell to your "relationship" that falls within your boundaries (mine have included editing work proposals, or giving him massages I learned at during my phony massage school). Ideally, this will raise your perceived value once things get stale for him, and justify the "added" expense.
5: Once you become more comfortable with your regular game, become more selective about who you invest in. The most pleasurable and longest lasting relationships come from customers who you have natural chemistry with (and not necessarily physical!). This way, teasing him for a raise can be fun, flirty, and mutually beneficial.
Hope this helps!
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
For me personally, what I feel has helped me manage regulars is working at multiple clubs. Since I live in LA this works out for me because there are so many clubs and I'm not confined to a schedule. I know this won't work for everyone depending on where you live/work. But reason it works out is that there is usually only one or 2 guys at every club that I can keep coming back for more so if I work at 3 clubs each once a week I'm tripling my chances of finding regulars. Also, they like coming to see me in a different environment so makes it easier for me to convince them into coming in. Also I agree with lol1337a in that mentioning your busy/ have appointments is a good thing will make them value your time more. Although I don't like saying I have clients/ customers coming in, I prefer the terms fans/ friends.
Re: Managing/pacing your regulars
I tell them when I'm "best available" - meaning I don't invite them in on Fridays or Saturdays when I know it's going to be insanely hectic, instead have them come in on my slow nights.
When they come in, I try to keep this formula: sit and talk for a song, then get a drink (get them to drink), and when the drink is in hand ask if they're ready to mosey to the back or invite them to my stage. Then I get dances until they don't have money, or until they say they want to pace themselves I say sure and tell them I'd love to talk more in a bit but right now I need to go say hi to so-and-so, or need to go on stage. Then in a little while they come up and ask for another dance, etc.
Texting is something I do very very judiciously, most regulars give me their numbers, every once in a while I'll text one back. If I do, it's only to discuss when they can see me at work.
I've never done anything OTC, not coffee, not shopping, not bill paying. I just don't feel comfortable doing that, not even single. I know girls at my club have gotten bills paid, cars, boobs, and more but I just don't have it in me - texting alone is hard enough. I like my personal time and I've always maintain that I'm way cooler ITC than out and I just don't feel comfortable meeting outside in the "daylight" lol. Of course this shortens shelf life but that's ok, there will always be someone new to replace an expired regular.