Thoughts on Rates?

[TaylorREIGNXXX]

Hey guys,

 

So I have been in the industry for about 4 years now but sadly had to take a leave cause of that damn thing we don't speak of... School. But now that I'm done I'm jumping back into it and about to go on tour. Thought I'd give escorting a go but am finding that everyone I talk to seems to suggest a range anywhere from $300 - $1000.

 

Escorting ain't gonna be a job so I'm not too worried about how many clients I get but rather want it to be beneficial and fun for both parties. So far the couple guys I have hung with have made it fun and a great experience.

 

I guess my bipolar price changes are causing a scandal in another thread haha! So what are your thoughts? Hourly, couple hours, evening, over night, flying out, ect.

 

Thanks guys!

-Taylor REIGN

[+ Keith30309]

• I would take a look at the rates in your market - what is the average in your city? Where are you relative to the highest hourly rate? There's a psychological element to both being above average and the highest. There may be a few clients out there who want the highest-rate guy but not many. That may be the market segment you want....nor not. It depends on your preferences for how much you work.
  
• Using Venmo is good
  
• Offer a reduced second-hour can be helpful
  
• If you tour other cities adjust your rates to that market
  
• There's other threads on pricing overnights/weekends but the same principles apply
  

Hope this helps.

[bigvalboy]

Hey guys,

 

So I have been in the industry for about 4 years now but sadly had to take a leave cause of that damn thing we don't speak of... School. But now that I'm done I'm jumping back into it and about to go on tour. Thought I'd give escorting a go but am finding that everyone I talk to seems to suggest a range anywhere from $300 - $1000.

 

Escorting ain't gonna be a job so I'm not too worried about how many clients I get but rather want it to be beneficial and fun for both parties. So far the couple guys I have hung with have made it fun and a great experience.

 

I guess my bipolar price changes are causing a scandal in another thread haha! So what are your thoughts? Hourly, couple hours, evening, over night, flying out, ect.

 

Thanks guys!

-Taylor REIGN

 

@Keith30309 offers up some good advice, and I would definitely reach out to @Juan Vancouver. He's been around awhile and usually has solid advice for those trying to establish a consistent foundation in the industry. I would imagine pricing is one of those stumbling blocks that can be tricky. My hiring has shifted the last few years, so I'm not one to give advice.

 

 

And just to reiterate...Azdr0710 always gives good advice.

welcome to the board, Taylor....all kinds here!.....look around at all the subforums and discussions....lots of good ideas and thoughts.....stay healthy and don't take it too seriously!

[Bart]

Hi Taylor

Takes courage and guts to come on here and get a whipping.

At least you have a backbone, a bit jumpy but I guess you want to get your show going.

1. Rates - they are best based upon how much activity you are getting. If at $400/hr you are getting the right kind of business than tell us all to mind our business. That said if the phone is not ringing than not quite the spot. I guess for a new person, a bottom and Pacific Northwest and looking at competition I would have guessed $225-250. One of my best friends was a gentleman in Seattle it is not the easiest market. However you have a full time job so $250 seems a good price and should get an hour or two several days a week $225 would probably give a couple of calls daily, but than you can pick and choose. Sounds like you just want to augment your income and have some fun. Overnights $1,000 to $1,200, but no more. Again how busy do you want to be. Go to low and you get druggies and fakes, to high pretentious queens who ask so much you are forced to take a ton of baggage. So gage who is contacting you and adjust to fit the type of call you want.

2. Ad - for a me I am a bottom so not interested but your ad is definitely lacking. For a college grad with a job, you have to present yourself in the best possible light. You should toss the whole thing out. the verbiage in your ad should represent the type of person you are to attract the type of client you want. Sorry but when I read the ad I thought you were some used up has been who is a ex-porn queen. From your request on here on find you anything but. Tell gentlemen you are educated, conversational, companion worthy and love to travel. Dude some may like the pics but for me way to vulgar for the price you are listing. You have a good body and clothes look uber sexy. You should have some dress up shots so a client knows if you are good companion for a dinner date.

3. Listen - Don't jump on every negative comment you here. Count to ten before hitting the send button. If you ask for help you will get some negative feed back. There are some tired old queens on here who have not hired since before you were born That said when some does try to give help and maybe they did not quite understand or maybe they did not give you the comment you wanted to hear, all you have to say is thanks for the comment I will consider what you said and just move on.

4. Other cities - do your homework. All cities are not the same. Always try to do incalls and outcalls. Look at ads in the places you want to go. Review the competition. Use the Ask the escort section here and see what other gentlemen's opinions are. You are a bottom so some places are better suited for tops than bottoms. Like DC, it is expensive to go there but time of year means everything. But DC is great for visiting tops, not so much bottoms. This is the tourist season congress is out starting this week for a bit. Just because a city is big does not mean it can afford your prices. Chicago big city, small wallets. You charge anything more than $250/hour and don't do incalls your phone will be dead silent except for those jokesters. And know where to stay. For some cities airport locations will work, but not Chicago or New York. Stay by airport you will get crickets again.

5. Travel - after you clean up your ad because you are not going to get many travel requests with your ad as it is currently constructed, again for a new guy who is serious about travel $1,000/$1,200 a night. Again you have to have an excellent reputation to get more and bring a lot more to the table. Don't be afraid to model your ad after other gentlemen. Look at the ads of those highly reviewed in area and see what they are doing. Just don't copy word for word that is bad form. Be respectful of competition and your clients. Don't talk about other clients or gentlemen in front of other clients or gentlemen. This community is a lot smaller than you think and word travels fast.

 

Good luck and glad you took a chance by communicating on this forum.

[+ Eric Hassan]

Hey guys,

 

So I have been in the industry for about 4 years now but sadly had to take a leave cause of that damn thing we don't speak of... School. But now that I'm done I'm jumping back into it and about to go on tour. Thought I'd give escorting a go but am finding that everyone I talk to seems to suggest a range anywhere from $300 - $1000.

 

Escorting ain't gonna be a job so I'm not too worried about how many clients I get but rather want it to be beneficial and fun for both parties. So far the couple guys I have hung with have made it fun and a great experience.

 

I guess my bipolar price changes are causing a scandal in another thread haha! So what are your thoughts? Hourly, couple hours, evening, over night, flying out, ect.

 

Thanks guys!

-Taylor REIGN

 

I will echo many of the sentiments addressed above. The best place to start when determining your rates is to check the market in your area - see what others are charging, and use that as a basis for what you'd like to charge. Then be certain you're worth the money you're charging! Also, you might want to check out some other escorts to see what they're doing. For example, if you look at @Lance_Navarro - he has a site and has some basic info and a rate chart (http://www.lancesf.com/#!my-sessions/c12tp). The Legendary Dave also has a website with detailed info for clients on how to contact him, what to expect, and how much it'll cost you (http://thelegendarydave.com/how/). I also have my own website, and on it I have a page that includes rates, travel info, etc (http://thedudenextdoor.com/meet-the-dude/meet/). I would highly recommend that you come up with this type of information for your work ahead of time so that you have it to communicate to potential clients. You don't need to have a website, but you will need to answer questions like "How much will you charge me for an overnight?"

 

As for "going on tour," I would advise that you get a reputation first. Work your butt off in your city/area, participate in the forums, and then travel.

 

One final thing - put links in your signature. Make it beyond super easy for people to find out more and contact you.

[gezellig4u]

As someone that enjoys the company of compact little twinks, I recommend that escorts charge by the pound!

[Kevin Slater]

I recommend that escorts charge by the pound!

 

Our weight, or yours?

 

Kevin Slater

[gezellig4u]

Our weight, or yours?

 

Kevin Slater

Well played, sir!

[+ Lance_Navarro]

I will echo many of the sentiments addressed above. The best place to start when determining your rates is to check the market in your area - see what others are charging, and use that as a basis for what you'd like to charge. Then be certain you're worth the money you're charging! Also, you might want to check out some other escorts to see what they're doing. For example, if you look at @Lance_Navarro - he has a site and has some basic info and a rate chart (http://www.lancesf.com/#!my-sessions/c12tp). The Legendary Dave also has a website with detailed info for clients on how to contact him, what to expect, and how much it'll cost you (http://thelegendarydave.com/how/). I also have my own website, and on it I have a page that includes rates, travel info, etc (http://thedudenextdoor.com/meet-the-dude/meet/). I would highly recommend that you come up with this type of information for your work ahead of time so that you have it to communicate to potential clients. You don't need to have a website, but you will need to answer questions like "How much will you charge me for an overnight?"

 

As for "going on tour," I would advise that you get a reputation first. Work your butt off in your city/area, participate in the forums, and then travel.

 

One final thing - put links in your signature. Make it beyond super easy for people to find out more and contact you.

 

Great points and thanks for the mention! Mwah!

[beachboy]

Hey guys,

 

So I have been in the industry for about 4 years now but sadly had to take a leave cause of that damn thing we don't speak of... School. But now that I'm done I'm jumping back into it and about to go on tour. Thought I'd give escorting a go but am finding that everyone I talk to seems to suggest a range anywhere from $300 - $1000.

 

Escorting ain't gonna be a job so I'm not too worried about how many clients I get but rather want it to be beneficial and fun for both parties. So far the couple guys I have hung with have made it fun and a great experience.

 

I guess my bipolar price changes are causing a scandal in another thread haha! So what are your thoughts? Hourly, couple hours, evening, over night, flying out, ect.

 

Thanks guys!

-Taylor REIGN

Another welcome to the Forum. Love ❤ your style. Sure you'll have a great future. Stick around & keep posting. Hugs

[jawjateck]

Whatever rates you choose, please make sure they at least demonstrate ciphering at a middle school level.

 

I just noticed an ad where a provider listed 50 for 30 minutes and 125 for an hour. At those rates, I would choose two 30 minute quickies, preferably back-to-back. I love specials.

[+ Truereview]

Whatever rates you choose, please make sure they at least demonstrate ciphering at a middle school level.

 

I just noticed an ad where a provider listed 50 for 30 minutes and 125 for an hour. At those rates, I love specials.......two 30 minute quickies please, preferably back-to-back.

Omg! You are back! Yea!

[jawjateck]

Omg! You are back! Yea!

 

Well....we'll see how long it lasts. HAHA! By the way, you've gotten cute as heck while I've been gone!

[instudiocity]

Far be it from anyone to set your pricing for your services. That's strictly up to you. Hey, if you can get a grand per customer hour, go for it!

 

I was making a tongue-in-cheek comment about your pricing changing 3 times in the space of less than a day. First, not all of us are in your locale. Second, most of the posters here will only admit to paying $200-300/hour for services. Some brag that they are paying $150/hour and some brag that they pay $500/hour but mostly $200-300 seems to be the most frequently occurring rate.

 

My opinion is "You know what you're worth. You know what your income requirements are. You know what your 'pre-sale' activity is. This is a supply and demand world, you only need to supply enough of yourself to meet your income needs. If you can find enough demand at $1,000 per hour to meet your income goal, GO YE THERE FORTH AN PROSPER!

 

"If you find demand for your services isn't very good, you should probably consider moderating your pricing to kick up 'pre-sale' activity and hopefully draw more clients to your service. Pricing has to be based on supply and demand. IF there are more than enough guys with $100's out there to pay your rate, you should consider raising your rates, a bit. If there aren't enough guys calling you, you should consider lowering your rates."

 

There are escorts actively mentioned on the board who have established themselves as a premium service requiring earlier bookings, higher fees, longer sessions. Others are more in the Meet Now category. Depending upon how you structure your business, you could be an in-demand, high earner who only sees guys for extended sessions, overnights and vacations.

 

But I would warn you that changing your rates on the advertising boards on a frequent basis appears to many as flakey. You might be desirable, but a little crazy goes a long way.

 

Look around and see who's career you would like to emulate, the guys getting calls at midnight saying, "Come over now!" or the guys getting calls at 5 PM saying, "Let's set up a date next month."

[+ Keith30309]

Perhaps I'm starting to get escort fatigue and need to take a break but I find myself asking "What will be special about this hire? How am I likely to remember an encounter with this guy?"

I'm leaving some first-time encounters (of average hourly rates) thinking "Meh" - they weren't unpleasant by any means but just not particularly noteworthy.

When I see someone who is well above the average rate I really have to think there's going to be something special about the encounter based on lots and lots of positive feedback, to @Eric Hassan 's point. There's a handful of guys I've not met yet but about whom I have heard enough good things to go out on a limb and invest the higher fee because I'm reasonably assured that I'm going to have a really special experience. Example: I don't recall Mike Gaite's fee but I was willing to pay because I was pretty sure I was going to have an awesome time - and I did and am looking forward to the opportunity to do so again.

 

The point is that the higher the fee you are able to get a client to pay relative to other escorts the higher their expectations are going to be and greater the potential number of disappointments.

[TaylorREIGNXXX]

Thanks guys! All this was a good read and very helpful. I'll have to update it all tomorrow. Pretty damn excited! Also, I have had people asking me if I have friends or another escort for duo pricing. Clearly talk to neighboring escorts and discuss it with them but what's ur thoughts?

 

When I made my profile in Seattle a couple days ago I got hit with more guys than I could fit in my last three days there. It was pride so a lot of guys were visiting and wanting to celebrate.

 

Is it rude to tell them you're not free till the next week? Don't think I'm wanting to hang with multiple guys in one day; it'd take away from the experience quality and not my style.

 

Thanks guys!

[Mo Mason]

I have no idea what I'm talking about because I'm relatively new to hiring, but if you're new to escorting I would think that bringing in a partner/duo thing would not be good. You'd maybe be pushing away first-timers, the discreet types, shy guys like myself.... I dunno. I think you're attractive and friendly enough to do this all on your own.

 

And like keith said, reputation is important - even here in this forum. I've personally never talked to many of the escorts who contribute here, but if I were in the same city at the same time as them, I'd hire them in a heartbeat based on what I've read here....

 

And don't be negatively effected by mean people. Most of us are nice as hell.

[BigK]

It's not rude to tell anyone you're not available now but would be available next. That's just good salesmanship.

[BSR]

Instead of figuring out your local market, the high end, the low end, Backpage rates vs. Rentmen, and all that jazz, why not ask yourself one very simple question: What's it worth to ya?

 

You said you have a day job, one that apparently pays the bills just fine because it sounds like you've taken the escorting plunge more for the experience than the financial reward. Just looked at your ad - $400/hour, $1200/overnight. Now at $400/hour, beautiful as you are, you're not going to have a lotta takers at that price point. But if one or two appointments a week works just fine for you, dandy as candy, and toss out all the "market research" like yesterday's newspaper. $1200 for an overnight is a pretty standard rate, so you'll likely get more demand for overnights or extended appointments. If that works for you, again, Ba Da Bing! With a bit of trial & error, you'll figure out what pricing works best for you. Since escorting is a side gig and not your primary source of income, forget all the market research & set your prices according to what you're hoping to get out of escorting.

 

A little (hopefully) helpful advice: could you add a picture to your Rentmen ad of you smiling? There are a couple with a half-smile, or maybe a sly grin, but no pictures of a big ol' smile. You're a handsome guy. If you have a great smile, you'd be surprised how much of a difference it makes to us clients. A great smile is warm and welcoming, plus it makes a handsome guy even handsomer.

[LADoug1]

Reduced second hour rates work for me. So do pics where the escort is smiling!

[down_to_business]

Rates are a tangled web of epic complications. You will find you can't please everyone no matter what you do, seriously, so you shouldn't even try. For example, what is too high to someone that will not contact you because of it is going to be too low to someone else who will also not contact you because of it. For me, the things that drive me away are things like "ask" which I find completely unprofessional, uncomfortable and a waste of time. I don't want to walk into a restaurant, sit down, look at the menu .... and have to ask the waiter how much each entrée costs--- just to find out that I walked into a restaurant that is not in my price range. It's embarrassing and it is a waste of time for both of us. Others, however, don't mind asking this and don't find it uncomfortable at all. Some would even gladly sit there and negotiate the price of dinner.

 

So my thoughts:

 

Set your rates for you and what you feel comfortable doing

Don't change them every 5 seconds

Don't use ask me, varies, negotiable

 

And next available when or busy is fine and could result in a future hire, simply not answering someone is pretty rude and likely won't