Poll - How is Biz these days?

my donation rates ave stayed the same low amount despite any economic turns....I see my biz as better than ever

{sure it gets slow some weeks,but for the most part i am doing better than ever....I have alot of regulars at home.. and most places I travel I have quite a few regulars}!!!!

I started out low, and stayed low offering discounts and specials...I am right where I want to be! I wouldn't change it for anything!

Reading through this thread I have noticed a few who suggest that the providers lower their rates due to the economy. Now I wonder how many hobbyists are willing to suggest to their employer that they should be given a pay cut due to the economy. I suspect not many of us including those that suggest discounted fees.

Now where I will agree is that raising rates at this time is not wise but it is not up to me to set prices. If it was then I would be driving a Masseratti.

As a hobbyist, I can tell you that my participation in this hobby has been drastically reduced as a result of this economy.

wildrev4u -
We don't know each other, but I must respectfully disagree with your statement, "Scratch away the media and political spin and things are not quite as bad as they appear." I grant you that it could depend on your perspective, but from my perspective, as one who's been out of work for more than two years now, things are every bit as bad as they appear, and for me don't appear to be getting any better.

Just my $.02 worth . . .

And, yes your companionship has it's benefits but seriously if we have to curtail our lifestyle maybe you could cut back on yours and bring rates down to a reasonable level. Originally Posted by youngatheart

I believe you're mistakenly thinking of hobbying and providing as the same thing, in an economic sense.

Your hobbying is reliant on discretionary income. When you see a reduction in your discretionary income, you are forced to make choices between seeing a provider, and for instance, taking a group of friends to see a concert. If you choose to do neither of those things, instead electing to save the funds you would have spent, then you are curtailing your "lifestyle," and while it may have some effect on your entertainment choices, it's not likely that you will struggle to pay rent, buy groceries or pay your bills because you chose to see a provider whose rates were a little higher than you'd like.

For many providers, the income they earn through the hobby is their only income. I know of many women who are actively seeking full-time, part-time or even internship work to either serve as their main source of income, or help further their professional careers, and they simply can't find work. For some, taking a full-time job that pays $500 a week makes little sense, knowing they would lose the opportunity to see 2-3 daytime clients and earn the same amount, if not more, while they look for a higher-paying job. Thus, they must rely on the hobby entirely. And for many providers, a very small amount, if any, of the income they earn is discretionary.

Suggesting that a provider "cut back on" her "lifestyle" and lower her rates so other hobbyists might consider seeing her is a bit short-sighted, in my opinion. And your suggestions that providers offer a discount to regulars, or run specials... do you even take the time to peruse the provider ads? I see discounts for regulars, military discounts, student discounts, and specials so low it makes my head spin on a daily basis.

I chose my rates after a careful cost-benefit analysis of several factors, including: the fact that taking appointments during the day (when most of my regulars are available to get away) prevents me from taking a full-time job; the amount of time graduate school takes away from my ability to hold a part-time job; the statistically higher risk of assault, injury or rape associated with rates below a certain threshold; the overhead and additional time involved in preparing for a meeting; and a simple formula: the amount of money I need to survive on a monthly basis divided by the number of clients I am willing to see on a monthly basis.

Not all providers are willing to see every client that contacts them and passes screening. I prefer not to see more than one client in a day. I feel I perform at my best, and provide the best service, when that meeting is the only thing on my mind. It's a personal choice, and for others who are able to do more, I applaud them.

Even when business is booming, I don't use my hobby funds to enjoy some sort of lavish lifestyle. Yes, I enjoy the finer things in life, and am not above treating myself once in a while. But the majority of my hobby income goes first to monthly expenses, then to school and existing debts (which are about 90% student loans), and after paying taxes, I manage to save a bit for the future. Between work, school, and the hobby, I can't recall the last time I took a personal vacation, took myself on a shopping spree, or spent a lavish night on the town. And, unlike many providers, I don't have any children or other dependent family members to care for, so I can't imagine how strapped those ladies feel at times like these.

Reading through this thread I have noticed a few who suggest that the providers lower their rates due to the economy. Now I wonder how many hobbyists are willing to suggest to their employer that they should be given a pay cut due to the economy. I suspect not many of us including those that suggest discounted fees.

Now where I will agree is that raising rates at this time is not wise but it is not up to me to set prices. If it was then I would be driving a Masseratti. Originally Posted by Wily Klitlicker

Yes, it would be foolish for a hobbyist to even hint to their employer that they should be given a pay cut due to the sluggish state of the economy, however, the economic reality is that many employers have already been forced to cut the pay of the employees that they have been able to keep. I personally know of many companies who have cut salaries by 30% and still laid off many workers just to stay in business.

This stubborn recession has been more severe and prolonged than anyone expected and a big reason for that is that Bush spent over a $Trillion dollars on an idiotic and unnecessary war in Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction, my ass!

If that money had instead been wisely invested in the economy of this country we would not be in the mess we are in, but what is done is done and we must hold our nose and start from where we are.

In deep doo-doo!

President Obama has the Herculean task now of reviving the economy, but has many entrenched opponents more hell-bent on breaking him rather than helping the country. It's not an easy task and it's going to require the cooperation of all the major world leaders because the problem is global now, not just local.

On a local note, I do feel for the providers because what they provide is a luxury and when the economy goes down the toilet, luxuries are the first thing that people will cut from their budget. That is just how human nature works.

I think that the only good thing to come out of all this, is that once this economic mess is over, people will be more careful with how they spend their money.

It seems to me that asking a lady to lower her rates is counterproductive.

Providing is not strictly a commodity product -- it is very much a personal thing and as a result there is often a great deal of tie-in to a lady's self-concept. In addition, guys are not widely noted for unambiguously wise decisions when it comes to their dealings with women.

I remember once inviting a lady for lunch at her full rate. She turned down the offer stating that she didn't want to spend time with men who didn't find her sufficiently attractive for sex. Well, it wasn't that I didn't find her attractive, I just didn't have time for after-sex cleanup. So I waited until I had time, and booked her for sex; after which time she was perfectly happy to have lunch as the attractiveness question had been answered.

This same lady and I had a conversation, and she felt that, volume aside, she felt better about herself and thus performed better at a higher rate than at a lower rate. There is a great deal of interaction there. It's a complex thing. It isn't like buying sugar for .79/lb instead of .99/lb. The woman is very conscious of her rate and there is an interactive portion that will affect her perception of the client, etc. She's a human being, not a machine, and anything that negatively affects her perception of the client could have an effect on her performance. And quite certainly, anything that negatively affects how she sees the client's perception of her could have an effect.

A provider doesn't cease to be female just because she hangs out her provider shingle. A female wants to be VALUED. The way to make her feel valued is to pay her rate plus throw in a little extra, NOT try to force her rate down.

So asking a lady to lower her rates could be counterproductive.

IMHO, if a hobbyist has to cut back, he should just see providers less often, but not try to force down rates.

Some providers will lower rates or offer specials or whatnot. Some will not. It doesn't matter. Just save your pennies and see who you want to see.

Practically any provider is within a hobbyist's reach if he is willing to postpone gratification.

Laurentius--you are very wise!

Well said, Laurentius. we're lucky to have such a gentleman in our presence.

I have certainly noticed a drop in one hour dates, but increase in dinner and overnight date requests.

That could be due to the fact that I am now have more flexibility as far as my time is concerned, or may be due to some other factors .. that I am not aware of

Lina

Fast Gunn...you are correct but until the November elections get past us doom and gloom will be the headline. Both parties are preaching this. Scratch away the media and political spin and things are not quite as bad as they appear. Originally Posted by wildrev4u

I am sorry but the economy is not all of a sudden going to get better when the elections are done this fall. As long as our politicians keep heading down the road of trying to buy our way out of a recession, things wont get better. I agree there is a lot of political spin on both sides(no surprise there), but this L shaped recession, not a double dipped one as once thought is going to be for a while no matter who is President and whoever wins November's election.

As long as this is the case, gents(the rationale or pragmatic ones) will realize a slush fund for hobbying will be better served mostly for savings or long term investments for their eventual retirement or other family needs. There is no empirical proof that this recession is soon going to go away.

I am not making a case for a lady to lower her rates. That is her decision and her decision alone. I can only speak from the client side. Power to any provider that can do very well in this bad economy.

There is definitely less activity out there!

A provider doesn't cease to be female just because she hangs out her provider shingle. A female wants to be VALUED. The way to make her feel valued is to pay her rate plus throw in a little extra, NOT try to force her rate down.

So asking a lady to lower her rates could be counterproductive.
Originally Posted by Laurentius

I agree with L, and particularly with passage cited here.

If we want women to be able to remain as providers, we should be willing to help make it worth their time and effort . . .

I have great respect for a lady that struggles to earn her living. She has the right to set a fee that meets her needs. I do not debate price with her. I simply wait until my budget will allow me to see the lady of my chioce.

At the expense of possibly alienating myself with the ladies here I'll add my two cents. I agree mostly with what Laurentius said. Now that that's out of the way, let me add this. What you women do, the time you put into it, the effort, the risk, the dangers, and everything else you do that my male mind cannot fathom to make a living in this profession is actually worth more than what most of you charge. That being said, when it comes to meeting a new provider it becomes roll of the dice for me, and probably most guys, when it comes to spending what your time is worth. Which is why I feel, (though your time is valuable), it would be so thoughtful to run a special every now and again. Don't look at it as devaluing yourself but as a business ploy to gain new clients and a reward for your repeat clients. There's a reason most providers don't charge $1000's an hour, though that may be exactly what they're worth. It's simple economics, how can you get the max out of what you do? Higher prices fewer clients, lower prices more clients.
This is not an offer to anyone to change how they do business, it's only a thought from a not so wealthy mans perspective. By the way, today I saw a provider I had interest in but would pass on her every time she came my way because of the uncertainty and her rates. Well this go around she had a special for my area, and so I felt there was minimum risk to my wallet. Had a great time and now I'm hooked and specials or not I'll see her every time she comes my way!!!