pricing strategies, confusion, and wtf?

[devonhunter]

howdy do!

 

if there are url's available for threads on this, please feel free to share them; however, i'm not finding the info i'm looking for on the discussion boards. my apologies for rehashing what must certainly be a "talked to death" topic...

 

#1 pricing strategies

i thought by looking at ads i'd learn a great deal about what to do and what not to do. that has been helpful in some ways; however, pricing baffles me. some really extra hot guys are underselling themselves, and some guys are obviously very confident. how do you establish what your hourly rates are to be in a market where they seem to go from $100/hour to $1,500/hour in the same cities?

 

#2 confusion

i thought it'd be more cut and dry... maybe i'm not looking at this from the perspective of potential johns, but i just don't get the pricing strategies at all. some in smaller towns (with less competition) charge more (despite not being particularly interesting/hot in their profiles), but then in the same area there'll be another person of equal or better quality charging less (perhaps with the idea that the demand is lower?)? on the flip side i see the same inconsistency in large cities.

 

# wtf?

i understand the basics of economics, and what is confusing me is how such bullish and bearish strategies can co-exist at the same time. it seems the "overpriced" would cut themselves short, but that the "underpriced" cut everyone short. what gives? what am i missing here?

[mmk123]

I think that some escorts might charge differently depending on what cities they are in and whree they travel too

 

I remember back in 2002 Chris Steele was here in my town performing at a local bar. I had emailed him about maybe getting together and he said his price was $300. I decided to pass.

 

Well, the next year I was on vacation in San Francisco and who was performing at the NOb Hill Theatre when I was there but Chris Steele. I thought "I am on vacation and he would provide a great vacation memory" so I approached him while he was performing there and asked him about getting together and he said $200. I decided to go for it and had a great time with him. (He was probably one of the nicest escorts that I ever met and performed exactly like he did in his movies.)

 

After our appointment I mentioned about his visit to Pittbsurgh last year and asked about the price difference. He said that in SF he knew he could get more appointments and could afford to charge less but when he travels he might not get many appointments so that is why he would charge more.

[Guest RianB]

howdy do!

how do you establish what your hourly rates are to be in a market where they seem to go from $100/hour to $1,500/hour in the same cities?

 

 

You have to find the average. Meaning what the majority of the ads are listed at. You already know $100 on the main sites (other than craigslist) is a going to be lower than average. And you also know that 1,500 is going to be much higher than average.

 

#2 confusion

but i just don't get the pricing strategies at all. some in smaller towns (with less competition) charge more (despite not being particularly interesting/hot in their profiles), but then in the same area there'll be another person of equal or better quality charging less (perhaps with the idea that the demand is lower?)? on the flip side i see the same inconsistency in large cities.

 

# wtf?

i understand the basics of economics, and what is confusing me is how such bullish and bearish strategies can co-exist at the same time. it seems the "overpriced" would cut themselves short, but that the "underpriced" cut everyone short. what gives? what am i missing here?

 

Dont read into it so much LOL. Its not as technically as it seems. But then again pricing isnt always easy either especially when starting out. For one, those in the smaller towns probably charge more for whatever reason. If its because of less clients, remember lowering the price only creates a greater demand for clients. $300 is alot better than $150 when a client may only come around once a month or so. I wouldnt underestimate the type of clients found in smaller towns, and since the competition IS so low, clients usually willing to spend more than in a big city where you can pick and choose and find someone for less. But there's probably less of them around than a bigger city.

 

And no; underpriced guys arent cutting anyone short. lowering prices to an extent and really doesnt make that much of a difference. You may get a few who take advantage of, but all in all people who visit the sites know what they are getting into cost wise.

 

Its also good to remember everyone on the sites are independents. They can charge whatever they want to. Having competitive pricing is good, but at the end of the day its your time and whatever you feel its worth at that point of time is what to go by.

[alanalt]

I can appreciate your confusion. Indeed, from a 'customer/client' point-of-view the confusion is enhanced by the quickly-learned fact that, often, you don't get what you pay for either... Sometimes the $100/hr 'sexaholic' who loves his job is much better than the 'burned out' $1,000/hr guy who's just 'going through the motions' or is 'coasting on his reputation'. And other times the $100/hr guy is a drug-addict who's looking to rob you - based on the ads alone, there's no sure way of telling in advance.

 

I think most escorts tend to find that setting their rates is a bit of a trial-and-error process, especially at first. Part of it, of course, is because working guys have so many different financial expectations/requirements. In other words, the guy with a full-time 'other' job who does a one/two calls a week for extra pocket change is going to structure his rates differently from a guy who's escorting to put himself through school or another guy who does it professionally full-time...

 

Therefore, my only advice is that while you should be fairly flexible about your rates when starting out (especially beyond the first hour), don't change your posted rates too drastically, too often. As a client, when I see an escort constantly varying his posted hourly rate, I view it as a bad sign that either the escort doesn't know what he's doing or that he's 'living too close to the edge' and will hence tend to view me as an ATM...

 

Regards and good luck,

Alan

[Guest zipperzone]

howdy do!

 

#2 confusion

i thought it'd be more cut and dry... maybe i'm not looking at this from the perspective of potential johns,

 

I think you should be more careful as to what you call your potential clients. Using the word "johns" shows a distinct lack of respect and puts you, IMO, into the category of "hustler".

 

If I knew I was being referred to as a "john", that escort would never get my business. Why would I want to meet with a "hooker"?

[Guest Rusty_McMann]

As someone who used to use the expression "john" (until quite recently), I just want to A) apologize for anyone I offended and B) point out that I used it as an "in-house" "term-of-art"... and with tongue planted firmly in cheek. People like using lingo and jargon and "secret languages"... I also sometimes refer to myself as a "hooker" -- but in the same (respectful) spirit.

 

Listen: I'm not making an arguement in favor of using terms that most people find offensive. Quite to the contrary; I appreciate the feedback and have learned my lesson. I am, however, offering an explanation as to how the eager-but-uninitiated might use unintenionally use a term without knowing just how offensive it is.

[jackcali]

First off, let me say that there's lots of good advice on this thread already, but I'd like to emphasize that alanalt and zipperzone are dead on, and you should listen carefully to what they're telling you.

 

Here's another thing to consider in pricing. The price the client pays is very important to the client in terms of how he feels about the encounter (regardless of the actual physical pleasure). To some extent, what you charge is part of the image you're creating for yourself. The client who regularly pays $500 an hour is looking for the same service as the client who regularly pays $200 an hour, and the same level of quality is expected by both clients, but the client who pays more has a different image of himself and of the escort than does the client who pays less. This can be true even if the two clients are seeing the same escort. The client who pays more feels that he's getting a premium service even if he can't describe the difference, and he feels that way because he's paying a premium rate. He likes that feeling, and that's the reason he chooses a $500 escort rather than someone less expensive. The client who pays less, because he knows he's paying on the low end of the range of standard rates (I'm using New York numbers here, I'm sure they vary around the country), may be very satisfied by the experience but sees it as a practical purchase, getting real value rather than wasting money on a luxury.

 

A few years ago, I saw an escort who advertised on craigslist with a lower rate and on rentboy with a higher rate. He was very clever so you wouldn't know it was the same guy looking at the two ads side by side, but after you hired him you would recognize him. His view was that rentboy's viewers were more upscale than craigslist's and the clients who came to him from rentboy would have thought him cheap if he charged his craigslist rate. He was a good escort and his rentboy clients, even if they figured it out, were willing to keep paying at the higher rate once they'd hired him.

[Businessguy]

A consumer's perspective

 

All points made so far are valid when put into their relative perspective. From a consumer's point of view, I suggest you research the competition for your area and price yourself near the middle. I view a guy priced too low as suspect for various reasons and will usually avoid the unknown. On the other hand, I expect a guy priced significantly higher to out perform the others in some tangible way, which, in my experience leads to a higher potential for disappointment even if they are on par with everyone else. So, I think the answer, which is marketing 101, is to create a "value". To do that, price fairly and then deliver beyond your client's expectations. Don't skimp, rush or hustle. If your client leaves feeling they got all that they expected and more, they will be back. Better a satisfied returning customer who speaks highly of you than one who trashes you on various sites. Your good reputation will earn you more in the long run than an extra buck in the moment.

[Guest jay1jay]

All very good valid reasons stated above. But my reason for being in the low park figure is not because of lack of confidence nor is it due to some elaborate strategy. After being on hiatus for a few years, I've returned to escorting to a new scene, the economy isn't doing so great, so I took that into consideration when determining a rate. I've been more busy now in the last couple of months than I did back when my rate was much higher.

[Guest Wetnwildbear]

What will the Bear bare?

 

I generally have a price point which I will not exceed, as do many clients in many types of

 

transactions.

 

Look at pricing as an excercise in math/logic and common sense.

 

Disregard the $1500 guy(s) and the $100 guy(s) neither is realistic. Pick 10 guys in the

 

midrange of reality in your area and figure the average. If you come out somewhere

 

between $175-$300 you are probably in/near the correct ballpark.

 

 

Also remember that you can make your higher price seem more attractive by offering

 

lower rates for multiple hours. Longer visits generate more cashflow - provide greater

 

opportunities to build repeat client relationships and reduce travel expenses, plus they

 

bring greater guaranteed cash flow.

 

 

I personally like Tyger's (Portland) approach - he advertises $350 - but that is 2 hours

 

He will not due less than 2hours. He gets greater cash flow per client - The client gets

 

a greater chance for deeper satisfaction and time to form more of a connection and both

 

have time to determine if theyd like to play together again.

 

 

For me the multiple hour reduction is a winner as I generally - even on a first time - tell

 

my gentleman caller that I expect us to spend 2-6 hours together - guaranteeing 2 and if

 

the chemistry is there - enjoying the company for more time!

[devonhunter]

my apologies for use of an offensive term. in my defense i had said multiple times that i am new to this. please excuse me. and thank your for your feedback.