I didn't say women don't offer discounts for good reviews. I said that many men look at reviews of ladies who offer those discounts with a critical eye. How could any guy trust any review that was basically "paid for"? That's advertising, not a review. And comparing a discount for a good review to a discount for a screening service is silly. Sure, from the girls point of view they are both making her life easier (she doesn't have to screen as much and someone else writes her advertising). But from a potential client's point of view, one builds trust and the other reduces it.
If a review says "special" for the fee, of COURSE I am leery of it. If it is explained in the description that there was a barter or some other situation, that's one thing. But, no, a guy getting $25 off for a GOOD review is not acceptable. If the discount is just for ANY review, and I trust the reviewer, I might consider it reliable. An example would be this review of Trista herself. Fritz explained exactly what the discount was for, and I trust Fritz. But for a guy that I don't know, there's no way that I am going to believe a good review if I know the guy got even $25 to write it.
And I don't think I'm alone in this.
Originally Posted by KCQuestor
You may want to re-read what I wrote. I never said it was a guarantee of a "good" review.
I simply said many ladies offer specials to people who review. If her service is good, then that's just being a smart business person.
In my business life, since I make my living in sales, providing discounts or perks to those who refer clients to me is simply good business (this is with the assumption that I provide a good and valid service/product to said referral and am in no way damaging the credibility of the person providing the referral).
Regardless that the product is different, this hobby is a business, pure and simple.
Conversely, everyone having a different opinion on things is one of the things that makes this hobby interesting.
There is a big difference between being a shill and being offered a different rate due to standing and credibility in the community. I think shills are generally spotted pretty easily by anyone who has been around for more than a minute.