Working a room to your full potential?
That's something that I'm still trying to fully figure out. How do you work a room to your full potential? I read on here all the time of dancers that "work the room", how do you do it to your full earning potential? How do you work a room by selecting customers that will spend the most money w/o wasting all of your time? Thanks!!!
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
Think of it like playing chess. Master chess players never play the game and think one move at a time. Rather they think what their next move will be and what the counter move from their opponent would be and then how they would respond and so forth. I've read that true masters of the game can tell you who will actually win after just the first few moves because they've thought it out so far in advance. Working the room is a lot like that.
When you sit down with one customer, start plotting out who the second one is going to be. Even while you're giving a LD, glance around briefly and see who is going to be the next target. In time and with some practice, you'll be able to plot two, three, or even four customers out from the one you're currently with. This way, when you are with Customer 1, you have 2, 3, and 4 in your mind. So you move to 2 and customer 3 gets taken by another dancer. Now you have customer 4 as your target. Plot it out more effectively and you'll get better results.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
First off, I always pay attention to customers who "seem" interested in me. That interest can be shown by tipping me on stage, eye contact, being friendly, or a guy initiating conversation with me.
How they are dressed or what race the customer is really is irrelevant.
Another tip is to find something to compliment guys on who you approach. We all feel positive when someone compliments us don't we? For instance, the other week while working in Montana (hicky and cowboy country) a guy walked in with his weekend best cowboy clothes on. He had on a fancy cowboy blazer. Now I'm not into the country scene, but I told this guy as I walked by "That's a really nice jacket you have on". He beamed, started talking ot me, and I ended up selling him 10 dances.
Also, you can observe people's eye contact while you are on stage or while you are on the floor and approach those guys first.
It really is important to not profile customers, and just make your rounds. If a guy or group of guys seems cocky or condescending when you speak to them and try to probe and make conversation, say thank you and move on to the next guy.
When getting off stage, many girls go directly into the dressing room. That is not good. That is the best time to sell. Immediately approach the guys who tipped you, and if you are paying attention to who is looking at you while on stage, get over to that table while you are fresh on the guys minds.
We waste our own time by sitting too long with customers and not popping the dance questions soon enough. If a guy seems disinterested when sitting with him, pop the dance question, and if he says no, move on.
This really is a numbers game, but nowadays when the club is slow so often, and the dancers outnumber the customers, paying attention to guys who seem interested and getting to them quickly before the other starving dancers do is important.
Finding something to compliment the guys on really helps. It helps to try to build rapport with everyone you talk to. By smiling and finding something to compliment everyone you meet on, that accelerates the chance to get the guys to warm up to you. If they are dressed shabbily, compliment them on their pretty eyes. You can find something if you start looking hard for it.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
Yeah, what Tina said.
Also always be looking (discretely) for your next customer.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
i've noticed that the longer i've been dancing, the more aware i am of everything happening in the club. i can stare straight ahead and tell you the 360 view of whos sitting with you, who tipped who, who's been there how long and etc. lol actualy, it becomes kind of "second nature". i don't even notice i'm doing it anymore. it -does- help though, as DW says. it's all about what move you make and WHEN you make it, timing can be everything.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
This is very good advice!!! Just remember to keep a smile on your face and appear busy. Try not to sit by yourself looking bored and unapproachable.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
this sounds dumb i know but how do u look busy? that is, if u r really not?
esp when the club is pretty empty i find myself standing at the bar etc i dont know how to look busier
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
Sometimes what I've done on nights when it's that slow, like on those $50 nights, I'll get so frustrated I'll go back in the dressing room for a while and then when I come out a customer will say to me "Where have you been all night?" I'll lie and tell him "I just got out of the VIP room". So, maybe you could try something like that. Honestly, on nights that are that slow, I sometimes just get over it and refuse to entertain for free so I'd rather go in the back and read a book or something.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
I'd say you need to approach every customer if possible. Especially if you're having a bad night. I work the room no matter how few customers are there. It never fails that there will be 6 girls sitting in the back of the club together smoking cigarettes and bitching, complaining that there are only 12 guys there. And i'm working on getting dances from those 12 guys. Even if i sell only one dance for all of those customers, I still have a $20 in my garter that the bitching dancers don't have. I dont know about everyone else there, but i like to get paid for working. And you dont get paid if you dont work. Just like any other job.
Imagine that you are a waitress. They section off the rooms and HAVE to serve the customers in their section whether or not they look like good tippers. THey dont NOT approach a table for any reason. It's their job to serve them. It is your job to entertain. So make the rounds. You will eventually look busy and approachable to the customers there. It WILL eventually pay off, no matter how few customers, or how many other girls are there.
Good luck.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
Very well said PaintGoddess.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
On really busy nights I get overwhelmed and cant figure out who to approach first; I look at the room like the pattern of a dartboard. I work the outter ring of the room and work my way in to the middle.
If your club is shaped differently, you can lump in the room in sections, like a waitress. Tell yourself, "I will work this section untill everyone has been approached." Then move to the next section.
Its not so much about looking busy as it is looking like you have purpose. On slow nights where you can be spotted doing nothing--stay out of sight until you find someone to approach.
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
im going to put some of these ideas into practice on my next shift, thanks ladies
Re: Working a room to your full potential?
My approach for a dead room: find a centrally seated guy to hang with. Just ask him if you can join him while you have a smoke/drink, etc. Don't ask him for anything. Chat him up. Look VERY entertained, like you are talking to an old friend. Stay a little longer, but definately pop the question. If you are good, he will be charmed and buy dances. If he is broke or you're not his type, when you get up to say goodbye, laugh, give him a huge hug. Be VERY conspicous doing so.
Then, move on, keep working the room. If the next victim asks, tell him its a good old friend, or another dancer's spouse, the owner, whoever....
This will give you the facade of being happy, easy-going, and warm. Will it also cause other guys to think you spend free time sitting around? Possibly, but this is a dead-night strategy. Start the hustle on the next guy, as usual. I promise this will work! You've taken them off-guard, and if they're going to buy at all, it will be from YOU!