To the Highest Bidder?

Hi everyone. I live in Houston and have yet to visit the Dallas/FW area. Since we are so close, I was thinking of "touring." But, because I don't have any clients in the area, my rates are higher, and there are so many exceptional women in the area, I don't want the trip to be a losing proposition. I thought of lowering my rates to generate some biz and to meet some new friends that may end up becoming regulars for future visits. But, I couldn't come up with a donation.

I normally don't see more than one client a week. But, with "touring" I realize to pay extra expenses and make the trip productive I would have to book 2 appts a day. A morning (or lunch visit) and an evening (dinner/overnight appointment).

So I thought of an idea and wanted to run it by this board to see if it's a good idea or a terribly stupid one. I don't think anyones ever done this before and if they have, did it work?

I was thinking of actioning off my time. If, let's say no one wanted to see me on a Wed. night, you might score an overnight for $600. Whereas, if Friday lunch was a time that was popular, I may have someone offer me $3000 for the afternoon.

What do you think of this idea? Should I give it a try as an experiment?

Thats precisely what I did when I lived up north. Haven't done it down here though, so I can't really surmise a guess on whether it would go over or not.

nicolette, you wrote.....
I was thinking of actioning off my time. If, let's say no one wanted to see me on a Wed. night, you might score an overnight for $600. Whereas, if Friday lunch was a time that was popular, I may have someone offer me $3000 for the afternoon.
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i'm not sure your auction process is clear. for example, how would one "score an overnight for $600" - by bidding for the possibility or what?

not sure if this is what you are thinking about, but have you considered dutch auction?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_auction

best of luck on your travels and appointments.

I think she is saying let the market determine the possibilities.

I think it is an intriguing idea.

Nicolette, if you ever meander up to the Midwest and think of doing that, drop me a line. I would bid.

I haven't heard of this but that doesn't mean it won't work.

nicolette, you wrote.....
I was thinking of actioning off my time. If, let's say no one wanted to see me on a Wed. night, you might score an overnight for $600. Whereas, if Friday lunch was a time that was popular, I may have someone offer me $3000 for the afternoon.
============================== ===

i'm not sure your auction process is clear. for example, how would one "score an overnight for $600" - by bidding for the possibility or what?

not sure if this is what you are thinking about, but have you considered dutch auction?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_auction

best of luck on your travels and appointments. Originally Posted by pmdelites

Yes, I meant "auctioning my time" sorry about the typo.

I hadn't given it that much thought, it is just an idea. But, I was thinking like on ebay having a buy now price (my rate) and then starting from a very low figure. I could advertise what is still open for bidding (the days I haven't any offers or the offers are below my normal rates). For example:
Tues is open for day appt.
Wed. night is still open
Sat. afternoon is available for a bid over $500

In the above example, Tues night, Wed. day, and all day Thur. and Fri. are book at my normal rates. Whereas, I have an offer for Sat afternoon at $500 that I am planning on taking if I don't get a better offer.

Bids would have to close the day before (24 hours in advance) so the winner wouldn't get a last minute cancellation because a better offer came in.

Of course, ALL BIDS would have to be private and summited by email. I wouldn't want someone to be upset because of the GREAT deal someone else got that they didn't.


Don't know if this would even work. That is why I'm putting it out there for everyone's input. I guess I could call it SheBay.

I guess I could call it SheBay.

Or providerline.com

In principle, it sounds like a good idea and if I were still hobbying, I would certainly make a bid on an inexpensive overnight (and $600.00 is a very inexpensive overnight, so I would expect to bid more than that). You never know until you try, but there is certainly a lot of room for creativity in attracting clients. I'd say take the risk and go for it.

You go girl.

Airlines do it everyday. You will pay more to see the NY Yankees v. TX Rangers Saturday night than you do to see KC Royals v. Rangers for Wednesday day, though both are baseball games. Umbrellas get more expensive on the streets of NYC when it starts raining. And don't forget about dynamic pricing for rental cars, hotel rooms, long distance phone service, new automobiles, and even mortgages. Any commodity (no offense meant) that is perisable (cannot book a session for yesterday) is meant for dynamic pricing.

So I say do it; the devil will be in the execution.

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Yes, I meant "auctioning my time" sorry about the typo.

I hadn't given it that much thought, it is just an idea. But, I was thinking like on ebay having a buy now price (my rate) and then starting from a very low figure. I could advertise what is still open for bidding (the days I haven't any offers or the offers are below my normal rates). For example:
Tues is open for day appt.
Wed. night is still open
Sat. afternoon is available for a bid over $500

In the above example, Tues night, Wed. day, and all day Thur. and Fri. are book at my normal rates. Whereas, I have an offer for Sat afternoon at $500 that I am planning on taking if I don't get a better offer.

Bids would have to close the day before (24 hours in advance) so the winner wouldn't get a last minute cancellation because a better offer came in.

Of course, ALL BIDS would have to be private and summited by email. I wouldn't want someone to be upset because of the GREAT deal someone else got that they didn't.


Don't know if this would even work. That is why I'm putting it out there for everyone's input. I guess I could call it SheBay. Originally Posted by Nicolette Bordeauxva

Hmmmmm. . .

You may be on to something revolutionary. As far as the fairness and and privacy thing, just thinking aloud and there are plenty of holes in this idea, but:

The eBay thing. . .what if you used them doing something like this:




Gift Card Private Auction:
$1000.00 Victoria's Secret Gift Card

Opening bid: $450.00
Buy Now Price $995.00
Overnight S/H: $10.50



You make it a private auction which means only folks you give the web address and password to (ones you have screened and vetted) could see the auction and bid on it.

In the end, obviously they aren't getting a gift card, they are getting a block of your time as agreed and you would have to block that out and decide on scheduling. i am not sure how you schedule your touring, but maybe you can open it up to a larger region with the understanding it is for a slot of time when you actually visit their area next over a few weeks. That way you could route your travel based on winner locations and other scheduling. It might help make your travel more? Like I said, it has a ton of holes in it, but maybe it will spark another better idea.

If you click the eBay logo above you can read about how to make a private auction. If nothing else, it may give you a few ideas if you just design something yourself in a different venue.

Here is a bit more info:

Pre-approve bidders/buyers
Allows select sellers of high-profile listings to create a list of specific eBay members who may bid on or buy an item they are listing for sale. Each pre-approved list applies only to one item, so sellers can restrict bidding or buying on one listing without changing their other listings. Members not on the pre-approved list need to email the seller for approval before they can bid on or buy an item as a pre-approved bidder.
Privacy Policy
eBay's policy on how we use and protect your personal information. For more information, see eBay Privacy Policy. To see a summary of this policy, go to our Privacy Central page.
Private auction listing
A listing in which the bidders' user IDs are not shown to others. When a private auction listing ends, the seller and high bidder are notified through email. Sellers may want to use this option when they believe that potential bidders for an item may not want their user IDs disclosed to others.

Most of us don't care about auctions or the variable rate scale, we just want a price. If it's more than we are willing to pay, then we don't book. Makes it easy for you, makes it easy for us.

Big Head speaking: I agree with P45. Set the minimum price that you think is acceptable. If you're oversubscribed, then raise that price the next time you come up. Eventually you'll find that pricing equilibrium you're seeking.

Little Head's turn: Having said that, I just checked out your showcase. The possibility of a $600 overnight sounds awfully tempting....

Most of us don't care about auctions or the variable rate scale, we just want a price. If it's more than we are willing to pay, then we don't book. Makes it easy for you, makes it easy for us. Originally Posted by Precision45

But would you be interested in, let's say, 4-5 hours with a top notch provider for $250? That would break down to about $50/hour from a woman that is normally $400/hour. A rate that she wouldn't be able to work under and still stay low volume. But would be willing to do in the situation described. FYI: My 5 hour rate is $1500.

But would you be interested in, let's say, 4-5 hours with a top notch provider for $250? That would break down to about $50/hour from a woman that is normally $400/hour. A rate that she wouldn't be able to work under and still stay low volume. But would be willing to do in the situation described. FYI: My 5 hour rate is $1500. Originally Posted by Nicolette Bordeauxva

The obvious answer is yes, but how are you going to qualify the bidders? It would suck if you passed by a lower priced sure thing for someone that overbid and backed out.

OK, I'm going to give this a try. If you want to participate in this little experiment, check the provider's ad section.