When are YOU available?

[SAdler]

So it's been bugging me over the years and I know it's meant to be helpful but ironically enough it turns into a back and forth fight wasting time on both ends -- which in essence was the opposite intent to begin with.

 

For example, this trip to DC I've been planning has turned into a "rates and when available" email extravaganza. This question is mostly to other escorts what they prefer but also to clients on how they feel about the concept.

 

Isn't it easier to receive an inquiry where the client tells you when THEY are available as opposed to asking the escort when they're available being told "that wouldn't work is there anything else?"

 

I dunno, I'm not gonna respond with "I have 6 - 8 available sunday, 10a - 11:30a and 4 - 6 on Monday, 9a - 10:15a and 2p - 4p Tuesday etc." Wouldn't it be more efficient for a client to ask if early afternoon on Tuesday is open?

 

Just a theory.

[Luv2play]

Maybe the (potential) clients are asking that because you are in travel mode and they are assuming you will be busy, with one thing or another, since you are not in your hometown. Normally I ask if an escort is available during a period when I would like to see him but this usually involves local escorts where no travel or hotels are concerned. Just a theory!

[SAdler]

>Maybe the (potential) clients are asking that because you are

>in travel mode and they are assuming you will be busy, with

>one thing or another, since you are not in your hometown.

 

Hence why I said over the years and not in this one case. It was just a general example. This has been happening since Day One. Plus the inquiries are not occuring in places where I'm advertising as traveling. About 80 - 90% of ALL inquiries no matter what the city (especially home) start by asking when I'm available

 

>Normally I ask if an escort is available during a period when

>I would like to see him but this usually involves local

>escorts where no travel or hotels are concerned. Just a

>theory!

 

But wouldn't it make sense to assume that since you're only going to be available in a certain time frame that it saves a step to tell the escort when YOU will be available as in essence without you being available the appointment can't really take place?

[+ deej]

I've seen some escorts put words in their ads like "please have a date/time in mind when you contact me" only to have them tell me "no, that won't work".

 

It goes both ways. And it isn't worth getting anyone's panties in a twist over either way.

 

If a client asks "how about Thursday at 2" and you reply that you're busy then, it's the same as you saying "I'm available Wednesday at 8" and the client says he's busy then.

 

The net result is the same.

 

What's important is communicating and finding a mutually beneficial time.

[SAdler]

>I've seen some escorts put words in their ads like "please

>have a date/time in mind when you contact me" only to have

>them tell me "no, that won't work".

 

Date/Time doesn't mean something perfectly specific. It means range of time that works for you. If you only have ONE hour available to see a particular escort then it apparently won't work

 

>If a client asks "how about Thursday at 2" and you reply that

>you're busy then, it's the same as you saying "I'm available

>Wednesday at 8" and the client says he's busy then.

 

Well if you said Thursday afternoon I could say that the whole afternoon is available or different parts are not. I would never say I'm available specifically at 8 PM.

 

The point is, asking for my entire availability is a little annoying and shows NO initiative on the part of that client to meet. The clients that I end up ALWAYS meeting up with are the ones that approach me saying they want to meet "some time Sunday evening" or "mid morning during the week."

 

If someone asks "when I'm available" I immediately assume they're a typical AOL flake/fake and my responding is just going through the motions.

[+ deej]

>The point is, asking for my entire availability is a little

>annoying and shows NO initiative on the part of that client to

>meet.

 

OTOH, the client may just be showing some respect for the the fact that you actually MIGHT be doing something else some of the time. They might be wondering if you could possibly fit them into your busy social schedule.

 

The client may be genuinely clueless to your schedule. I'd think that's the norm, actually. ;-)

 

>The clients that I end up ALWAYS meeting up with are

>the ones that approach me saying they want to meet "some time

>Sunday evening" or "mid morning during the week."

 

Good to know.

 

>If someone asks "when I'm available" I immediately assume

>they're a typical AOL flake/fake and my responding is just

>going through the motions.

 

Again, good to know.

 

I still say communication is the important thing. If the starting point bugs you, just don't respond.

[SAdler]

>OTOH, the client may just be showing some respect for the the

>fact that you actually MIGHT be doing something else some of

>the time. They might be wondering if you could possibly fit

>them into your busy social schedule.

 

>The client may be genuinely clueless to your schedule. I'd

>think that's the norm, actually. ;-)

 

Well I can understand and TOTALLY appreciate that but lets be honest ... by writing you're trying to set up an appointment. Do you call your doctor (who is entitled to a social life as well) and say, "so when are you available?"

 

Yes, the secretary will usually give you available times but you typically choose the date and time of day.

 

>I still say communication is the important thing. If the

>starting point bugs you, just don't respond.

 

Communication is always key Not responding gives you a reputation for being a bitch and lord knows I wouldn't want that.

[alanalt]

As a client, it depends. If I'm contacting an escort while traveling, I will suggest a day and time period that works best for me and ask if that works with the escort.

 

However, if it's the escort who's visiting from out of town, then I will usually supply whatever evenings/afternoons I'm free for and ask if there's a time in that framework that works for them. I don't think it's an unreasonable way to approach an escort who's on the road with other bookings or may have personal plans to attend to while he's there.

 

I've not really ever had a problem with this approach, though sometimes there's been times where e-mails have gone back and forth while we work out the most mutually convenient time, but that can happen setting up a meeting in almost any business setting I can think of.

[raulgmanzo]

SAdler writes:

>Do you call your doctor (who is entitled to a social life as

>well) and say, "so when are you available?"

 

No but I sometimes ask "What are the doctors office hours?"

And the secretary or the doctor/dentist/lawyer often says "were here 10a till 5p and saturdays noon - 4p."

 

So when a potential client asks "when are you available?" I assume he

wants to know my "office hours". You know of course that there are some escorts who don't see folks on certain days, when they work another job, or sundays or after midnight etc.

 

In my case I'll potentially set up an appointment anytime and often respond that my schedule is flexible but afternoons, evenings and nights are best. I'll also mention right off the bat if I'll be out of town or am pretty busy on a given day.

 

I think once the client knows the general hours/days an escort has on appointments then it makes sense for the client to suggest a times that are good for him.

 

Raul

http://men4rentnow.com/escorts/gay.escort.raulgmanzo.html

[alanalt]

>Do you call your doctor (who is entitled to a social life as

>well) and say, "so when are you available?"

>

>Yes, the secretary will usually give you available times but

>you typically choose the date and time of day.

>

Actually, I almost always make an appointment that way with a doctor. Either it's a timely thing and I'm looking for the next available opening, or I'll suggest a week and we'll narrow it down to date and time from there.

[+ newatthis]

So here's another theory. Maybe the question "when are you available?" doesn't mean (as you interpret it) "give me a complete list of the specific time slots you have free at the moment", but rather "what's the general time frame in which you're willing to see clients?". The answer expected is along the lines of "afternoons and evenings, but not mornings" or "only after 7 pm" or "only on weekends" or "never on weekends" or "I have a 2 am curfew."

 

(I see that as I was in the process of writing this, raul posted exactly the same idea.)

[+ ArVaGuy]

Scott, your post has me rather bemused by your frustration with "availability e-mail tag" and I mean no offense.

 

Just wait till you have one of these awful office jobs one day and you get caught in a round robin of cc's from various colleagues replying to an availability inquiry for a meeting or conference call.

 

Instead of replying directly to the lead more than a few idiots will hit "reply all" and then everyone gets the "I'm available 11:00 to 2:00 on X" followed by the "I can do any time except 11:00 to 2:00" soon followed by the "whatever day it is I have to see the gynecologist" reply. Oh, and let's not forget the time zone confusions such as "EDT, CST, or PDT or Greenwich Mean Time?"

 

My point here is this is the nature of the e-mail beast especially when setting up any type of meeting. So...sorry to tell you this but your frustration is not unique and it's not just limited to escorts and clients.

 

Now in reference to your issue I will usually state in my initial inquiry the date and time I am looking to meet the escort. My presumption is that both of us have busy schedules and better to start with a firm point from my schedule than playing e-mail tag. I get enough of that from my colleagues.

[+ purplekow]

If I am travelling to a city and making arrangements, I will usually say that I will be in your town and available at the following times. Usually if I am visiting, my opportunities are limited and easy to lay out.

 

If the escort is travelling to my town, I will usually ask which might be the most convenient time for him and will try to work my schedule around his. My schedule is flexible and usually an escort will respond with several options.

 

If we are both in the same town, I will usually say something to the effect that Tuesdays in the day and Friday early are best but if those are not good times for you give me an alternative.

 

This is not a complicated procedure but I agree that the client is making the first contact and should make the first effort to establish a time. However, when an escort is travelling, they usually have time already blocked out for other appointments and offering a chance for the escort to set the time seems more polite. If I want to make the meeting, I will arrange my schedule.

[+ deej]

>Do you call your doctor (who is entitled to a social life as well) and

>say, "so when are you available?"

 

No, I generally call his receptionist and ask for the first available appointment and we negotiate from there to arrive at something that works for me as well as it works for him. But that scenario pretty much supports my point in the first place. :7

[Louis]

What I would do when I hired escorts where I used to live, was ask them to choose the time of the apointment. There were reasons for that

1. Jared, is a student, and I wanted to work an appointment around his availability.

2. Andrew is also a personal trainer, so again, I wanted to work around his schedules.

3. Jeff had a job outside of escorting, so I wanted to work around that.

4. Will would come to my place by car from Mississauga, he was also a personal trainer, so I wanted to take those things into account.

So I always would start out by asking them what works best for them, because my time was always quite flexible.

Generally if I see an escort a second time, and I send them an email telling them what weekend I would like to see them, and they would just reply back and automatically give me a time.

[Rick Munroe]

Personally, I don't mind if it sometimes takes a few emails to figure out the right day/time to meet, and I also don't care if it's me telling the client the possible times we're available or the other way around. Each additional email gives us a chance to get to know each other more, or flirt, or ask additional questions that may have been overlooked. I enjoy the whole setting up phase (maybe I'm just weird). :o (Also, I agree with Raul and newatthis that the question "When are you available?" is probably more general than specific.)

[Guest PWIT]

>Each additional email

>gives us a chance to get to know each other more, or flirt, or

>ask additional questions that may have been overlooked.

 

or establish theme songs ;-)

[+ deej]

>or establish theme songs ;-)

 

Here's a story, of a man named Brady..... }(

[+ purplekow]

>>Each additional email

>>gives us a chance to get to know each other more, or flirt,

>or

>>ask additional questions that may have been overlooked.

>

>or establish theme songs ;-)

 

Here's the one Rick and I decided on for me:

 

 

 

 

have never seen a purplekow;

I never hope to see one;

I can tell you anyhow;

I'd rather see than be one

 

Help there is a purplekow in my mirror

[Guest n2colour]

Scott, try this:

 

CLIENT e-mails: When are you available?

 

SCOTT e-mails: Would Thursday afternoon be good or is Sunday evening better for you? (Pick any TWO days/slots)

 

90% of CLIENTS e-mail: Sunday evening (or Thursday afternoon) works for me

10% of CLIENTS e-mail: Neither, how about Monday afternoon (actually they'll probably be specific about time, too) Very, very few will write back "Neither." with no alternative suggested. If they do, suggest two new alternatives. You'll quickly know if you have a time-waster on your hands.

 

SCOTT e-mails the ones who picked evening/afternoon or another day: Is X:00 good or would Y:00 be better for you?

 

CLIENT e-mails back: X or Y is fine. Or suggests Z:00

 

Problem solved in two easy emails.

 

This is basic salesmanship, "Getting the Appointment." Give people definite choices and they will respond - speak in generalities and you'll both be spinning your wheels. It works, Scott. (In your case, unlike most salesmen, the client wants to see you - so you have an advantage.)

[Guest novabear22031]

>

>The point is, asking for my entire availability is a little

>annoying and shows NO initiative on the part of that client to

>meet. The clients that I end up ALWAYS meeting up with are

>the ones that approach me saying they want to meet "some time

>Sunday evening" or "mid morning during the week."

>

>If someone asks "when I'm available" I immediately assume

>they're a typical AOL flake/fake and my responding is just

>going through the motions.

 

Well from a clients perspective, I do ask an escort that is on travel what times they have open on specific dates. It is not be a flake. But it gives me an idea of what might work for me, as well as for them. It is a sign of respect on my part. For I understand that bookings can happen pretty fast. With that I generally will only look at hiring on my days off, so time that they are available allows both of us flexibility.

[Guest n2colour]

Yes, it does. (That's my experience with my doctor, as well.)

[Rick Munroe]

>or establish theme songs ;-)

 

It's a nice day for a white wedding! :+

[Rick Munroe]

>Here's the one Rick and I decided on for me

 

Hmmm...I thought we had chosen "Please Don't Eat the Daisies."

[Vincent_Michael]

Scott I too agree with you on how it takes to long to go back and forth from time to time, I say though if a client or prospective client is willing to reschedule a trip just to be with you then great and I feel very complimented. I do also agree with you in the aspect that if there going to be some were and your not available that should be the end of it.