October 1st, 2008 by myhoneysuckle - 14 Comments
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+22 rating,
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Hey there! I’ve put together the top ten mistakes I see most escorts making with their businesses. I wrote this to be a general guide to give you some food for thought.
So, without wasting any time, let’s jump right into it…
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Number 10
No Metrics: Not Tracking on Paper What is and What is Not Working
How many times have you said to yourself – “I’m not going to advertise there, because it doesn’t bring in any calls.” And then you referred to a spreadsheet that actually reflected what you were saying was true?
If you’re like most people, you store all of your data in your head.
The problem is, our brains aren’t very reliable when it comes to keeping track of really detailed information.
Most business owners would think you were crazy if you suggested they keep track of all their ad results in their head. So, why should your business be any different?
Every ad, every change you make to you ad, should be tracked and recorded in a simple to access spreadsheet of some sort.
That way, the next time you turn down a “25% off your ad” offer at XYZ.com, it will be because you referred to your data, and it’s telling you 89% of the potentials you got from your last ad there, were from complete time wasters.
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Number 9
Not Positioned as Unique: Trying to Appeal to Everyone, Not Being Appealing to Anyone
When you try to appeal to too large of an audience, what ends up happening is that you fail to appeal to any type of an audience.
Just as people are drawn to the unique qualities of the people they select as friends, a man looking for an escort is going to use the same type of selection process.
A client looking for your special attributes wants them to stick out more than the generic ordinary qualities that every girl has.
If you are a 5’1 half Latino, half Asian girl with a large bust, then proclaim your uniqueness. Don’t dye your hair blonde and play up your height.
Be an exotic petite busty adventure, not a blonde Barbie “girl-next-door” that every other girl is claiming she is, too.
If you are blonde, again, play up your uniqueness. Instead of trying to come across as the generic and overly claimed girl-next-door, take on the role of the femme fatale, a Bond Girl type of persona.
Remember, think fun, exciting, discreet, playful, elegant, and mysterious. Try to come up with a style that will set you apart.
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Number 8
Poor Rate Structure: Not Using Good Rate Techniques
It always boggles my mind when I see ladies using half hour rates on their ads and websites.
I know why they do it. I just wish they understood how much it hurts their impression on a new viewer.
You would think it might appeal to the man, causing him to think you are a very accommodating provider. Unfortunately, what it says to an upscale gent is that your time is worth so little, that you are willing to slice it up and put it “on sale” so to speak.
High class providers do not offer half hour rates. It is simply a waste of her time.
Another missed opportunity is not using the rate structure I’ve coined as the Rate Decoy. It uses the concept of starting with what you want your 3 hour rate to be, only knocking off $50 to come up with your two hour rate, then dividing that in half to get your one hour rate.
What you end up with is a much more compelling rate chart that actually subconsciously makes the potential want to book a 3 hour session with you!
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Number 7
Poor Screening Methods: Not Using Preventative Measures To Avoid Time Wasters
Another huge and unfortunate mistake escorts are making with their business is not taking simple steps to save time through pre-screening.
Instead of allowing anyone anywhere with a keyboard to send a time-wasting vulgar message directly to your email, put up a secure contact form as your only method of communication.
Contact forms are great, because they can contain fields that are mandatory to fill out before he can submit it to your inbox. This way, he cannot leave out any important details that you need.
One step further is charging a very small “one time fee”, so that only the most serious potentials get through.
This fee can be refunded during his first session, or it can double as a lifetime membership to your VIP newsletter, etc.
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Number 6
No Budget for Marketing, Advertising, or Professional Photography
I don’t know who started the rumor in the escorting biz that you should spend as little as possible a month on your marketing and advertisements, but it could not be father from the truth.
As a rule of thumb in business, if you market to the public you are going to want to be spending a higher percentage of your income on marketing and adverts than other businesses.
If you are an escort, then you are marketing to the public. So, already we’ve figured out you might be spending a bit more than other industries.
When an escort is new, launching a new name and persona, seeking new clients, or trying to gain exposure, then she should be spending at least 20% of her monthly revenue on her marketing and advertisements.
Once she is at a point where she’s satisfied, this percentage can be trimmed down to 8 – 10%.
What can be considered advertising and marketing is anything that gets you more exposure, gets your name out there, helps you make more money, and helps attract new people to you.
Professional photography is a key ingredient in making the most out of your advertisements and marketing and you should be investing in this regularly.
You have to give a little to get a little.
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Number 5
Bad Photography: Slutty Vulgar Images That Do Not Attract Good Clientele
Wow. I could talk about this one all day long.
It never ceases to amaze me how many escorts who are not considered “high class” or “upscale” post naked photos of themselves online.
Are they not taking notice that Amy Taylor doesn’t put pictures of her boobs up anywhere? ‘Cept maybe in her Private Member’s Area behind lock and key.
It also never ceases to amaze me when the same ladies who posted up nudie photos of their exposed boobs complain about all the vulgar emails they have to weed through.
Hello?
If you want to be taken seriously as a worthwhile escort, then put up sensual worthwhile photos of yourself.
This doesn’t mean your photos won’t be considered sexy. On the contrary, you can use a little known technique called the Peekaboo Law for maximum effectiveness in attracting upscale males.
The Peekaboo Law is when you cover up or hide the naked bits and pieces of your naughty places with a white sheet, bubble bath, shower curtain, etc. in order to entice a man.
Get creative with your photography, but no more of those exposed naughty bits! Save that for later.
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Number 4
Sloppy Ineffective Copywriting
Why don’t articles published in magazines feature misspellings, abbreviations, fragmented sentences, run-on sentences, or other bad grammatical errors?
Because magazines know those types of things do not compel readers.
Why some escorts think their ads and website copy should be written any differently than an eloquently written article is beyond me.
It is true that men make extremely quick decisions about your ad before they even begin to read your copy, which is why it’s so important to have good, clear, professional photos.
However, once he’s in, if you want to keep him in, then it’s your task to write compelling copy that leads him down the page to your contact information.
Stop using abbreviations in your advertisements today. You might see them used on review boards among hobbyists, but that doesn’t mean you should be using them in your ad copy.
Spell everything out. Leave nothing up for misinterpretation. While we’re talking about spelling, make sure yours is accurate.
Your ad copy should tell a story. Tell him what you have, what he’s going to get, and then tell him what you want him to do. It’s as simple as that.
As always, be sensual, creative, and discreet with how you word it. Just as you shouldn’t have slutty vulgar images advertising your beauty, you shouldn’t have slutty vulgar text advertising your services.
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Number 3
Their Website is “All About Them”, Not “All About Him”
When was the last time you were on some company’s website and found yourself reading page after page of information that was all about them, their history, their employees, where they grew up, what’s their favorite color, what’s their favorite band, how many kids they have, what their names are, how many pets they have, what their names are, what their hobbies are?
Probably never, because that sounds boring as hell.
You probably spend the majority of your time on websites that care more about your experience than shoving information about them down your throats.
Your audience feels the same way.
Sure, a potential is interested in you… to a degree. What he is interested in is finding the information he wants about you, namely your rates. More importantly, what he might not even be aware of is… he’s most interested in how your site is making him feel.
If you can make him feel like he’s already in session with you, after being playfully seduced, and now being spoken to by someone who knows exactly what he wants, then he’ll read your entire site, and then contact you for an appointment.
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Number 2
Not Building an Email List (mailing list, newsletter)
Practically every escort that has a website is missing out on a huge potential by putting a big scary disclaimer on her first page.
Instead of this, what she should be doing is using that most visited page to promote visitors to join her personal email list.
Without a mailing list you are at the mercy of the review boards, the forums, your ads, your search engine ranking, the economy, the political climate, the weather, and the strange whims of men.
Most people don’t purchase a product or service the first time they are exposed to it. This piece of psychology also applies to men looking for an escort. They typically surf directories for hours, and then end up returning to ads that have caught their eye more than once.
So, the last thing you want to do is rely on a man’s memory when it comes to your business. You need to sweetly remind him every once and awhile that you’re around, and you’re still available.
If you are always waiting for men to come to you, then you’re leaving at least half your business on the table.
Remember, escorting is not just the business of creating the feeling of a quick pleasurable encounter for men. Successful escorting is figuring out how to maintain and deepen relationships over time. That is the difference between a lady that is still hustling dozens of clients with few repeats, and a “high class companion” that has half a dozen wealthy benefactors.
The challenge is – half a dozen wealthy benefactors don’t typically fall in your lap in just one afternoon. It will take time to create this kind of lifestyle, no matter who you are or what you look like.
The way it’s done is by learning how to differentiate the worthwhile clients from the crappy ones, and taking extra special care to deepen the quality of the relationships with the good guys.
This is easier to say than do, of course, but a mailing list will profoundly help with that challenge.
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Number 1
Having Unclear Goals and Values: Not Treating Their Business Like it’s a Business
The number one mistake I see escorts making today is not treating their business like it’s an actual business.
Now, I don’t know if this comes from lack of confidence, self-esteem, or the fact that this industry is sometimes looked down upon by simple-minded individuals.
Regardless of what the rest of the world thinks, escorting is a very lucrative REAL business, and you should be treating it like one.
The first step to running a successful business is to get clear on your goals and your values.
Once you have that accomplished you can dig in deeper and explore your ideal client, what he wants, and how to effectively speak to him in your adverts.
Believe me, your clients will thank you for it 
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I hope that helped to give you a little bit of a perspective on some of things you might have previously overlooked.
Feel free to leave a comment and share me your thoughts and feedback.
Your Friend, Erin
