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Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 12:48:50 PM   
JulieLACA


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I'm with a struggling Pro-Domme, that charges for men, but not for women. She takes me to private parties and different BDSM gatherings. I get to meet other struggling Pro-Dommes too. Generally speaking, they work at jobs they do not enjoy and would like to be a full-time Pro-Domme. I listen to their stories and complaints as to why they can't make it full-time. My Mom has her own business (non-BDSM) and I help her sometimes. I'm also getting a degree in Business. I would like to share my perspectives on why these young and attractive Pro-Dommes are struggling. These observations are not intended for successful Pro-Dommes. They are not for Dommes that work at jobs they enjoy and only want to see several clients a week.

I've asked several Pro-Dommes why don't they lower their prices so they can get regular customers.

There Are A Lot Of Risks Being A Pro-Domme. There Are So Many Weirdos & Crazies In This Field So The Price I Charge Compensates Me For This & If I Charge Lower It Wouldn't Be Worth The Risk
Excuse me? You have one of the safest jobs out there because you get to screen the people before accepting them as clients. There are thousands of other professions that are more dangerous than yours. Police officers, convenient store owners, anyone who works with the general public - they don't get to screen anyone.

Being A Pro-Domme Can Be Very Demanding & Stressful Because Of All The Different Personalities I Have To Deal With. What I Charge Compensates Me For This
You don't think this applies to everyone else? Everyone has a demanding and stressful job. Think of the cashiers at groceries or DMV workers. You act as if your job has special circumstances.

I Have My Own Dungeon With Expensive Equipment. I Need To Be Compensated & If I Charge Lower Prices It Isn't Worth It
Excuse me? Everyone who starts their own business has to buy expensive equipment: Dentists, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, etc. This is just par for the course. You act as if your special.

I Put A Lot Of Time & Effort In Being A Pro-Domme. I Wouldn't Feel Good Charging Less. It Wouldn't Be Dignified
So, you are working at a crappy job, and you feel dignified about that? You don't think other business people have to be competitive and cut prices to be successful?

From my perspective, Pro-Domme is just like any other business: supply and demand. If your doing everything else right: advertising, etc., then the reason might very well be your charging too much.

What do you think?
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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 12:53:18 PM   
MistressDarkArt


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Welcome to the boards, Julie. We recently had a similar thread here you might wish to read:

http://www.collarchat.com/m_4654521/mpage_1/tm.htm

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 1:00:04 PM   
AthenaSurrenders


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I'd like to see some statistics that back up pro-domming being one of the safest jobs out there.


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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 1:03:43 PM   
MissToYouRedux


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quote:

ORIGINAL: JulieLACA

I'm with a struggling Pro-Domme, that charges for men, but not for women...



Just out of curiosity, does your [admittedly] struggling Pro-Domme take your business advice?

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 1:33:21 PM   
OsideGirl


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quote:

ORIGINAL: JulieLACA


There Are A Lot Of Risks Being A Pro-Domme. There Are So Many Weirdos & Crazies In This Field So The Price I Charge Compensates Me For This & If I Charge Lower It Wouldn't Be Worth The Risk
Excuse me? You have one of the safest jobs out there because you get to screen the people before accepting them as clients. There are thousands of other professions that are more dangerous than yours. Police officers, convenient store owners, anyone who works with the general public - they don't get to screen anyone.


This is incorrect. None of the fields that you mentioned work in an environment where sex is the subject. And someone who is a police officer shouldn't even be included in the comparison. It's a job which by it's very definition is someone putting themselves into the line of fire. People who work with the general public also generally don't do so behind closed doors, where no one can see you or hear you.

Let's also add that pre-screening usually only catches the honest ones and not a lot of guys are going to be willing to have a background check done by the woman providing him with kink for money.

Lastly, you left out some things under the term "dangerous". It increases your chances of scrutiny from law enforcement, town hall, protection scams and the IRS.




< Message edited by OsideGirl -- 3/24/2014 2:20:00 PM >


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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 1:40:45 PM   
UllrsIshtar


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Male sub, sour grapes.

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 2:02:23 PM   
LadyConstanze


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quote:

ORIGINAL: UllrsIshtar

Male sub, sour grapes.


It sounds a bit "I would really like to pay less for a session, so I just claim it is business advise..."

Don't you love it if some dude who knows jack shit is trying "help women out"

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 3:08:16 PM   
SylvereApLeanan


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Whoo, boy...there's so much fallacy here I hardly know where to begin. I guess I'll break it down, point by point. For the record, I am not and have never been a pro-domme, struggling or otherwise. I have no plans to become a pro.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JulieLACA

There Are A Lot Of Risks Being A Pro-Domme. There Are So Many Weirdos & Crazies In This Field So The Price I Charge Compensates Me For This & If I Charge Lower It Wouldn't Be Worth The Risk
Excuse me? You have one of the safest jobs out there because you get to screen the people before accepting them as clients. There are thousands of other professions that are more dangerous than yours. Police officers, convenient store owners, anyone who works with the general public - they don't get to screen anyone.


First, I'm with Athena and I want to see a source cited for the assertion that professional domination is "safe." Because I can cite a lot more sources that state that sex work of any sort is one of the most dangerous jobs out there.

But even if sex work were safer than another high-risk career, such as police officer or fire fighter, there's still a huge flaw in your thinking. Police officers and fire fighters wear protective equipment. Police carry several weapons, such as pistols, a baton, and pepper spray, on them at all times. A pro domme has...what? Floggers? Single-tail whips? Paddles? None of those will stop an attacker at a distance. Police and fire fighters also have people backing them up either in the form of partners or by radio. A dominatrix does not unless she hires a security guard. A cop's partner is paid for by the city/county/state, depending on the branch. A dominatrix has to pay her guard out of her own pocket. Her rates need to reflect that.


quote:

Being A Pro-Domme Can Be Very Demanding & Stressful Because Of All The Different Personalities I Have To Deal With. What I Charge Compensates Me For This
You don't think this applies to everyone else? Everyone has a demanding and stressful job. Think of the cashiers at groceries or DMV workers. You act as if your job has special circumstances.


I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't agree that cashiers hold one of the most thankless and underpaid jobs. Maybe you've heard about the recent campaign to raise the Federal minimum wage in the U.S.? While job stress may not be as good a reason as safety, it's no reason to for the dominatrix to sacrifice making a living wage.

quote:

I Have My Own Dungeon With Expensive Equipment. I Need To Be Compensated & If I Charge Lower Prices It Isn't Worth It
Excuse me? Everyone who starts their own business has to buy expensive equipment: Dentists, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, etc. This is just par for the course. You act as if your special.


Excuse me? Have you seen what dentists, chiropractors, etc. charge? Are you serious? And why do you think they charge so much? They have to pay not only for the equipment, but also for the training required to enter those fields. They can get grants and take out student loans, but loans must be repaid. A dominatrix also has to pay for specialized training but there are no grants or loans to help offset her costs. She has to pay for that out of her pocket. Most people who start a small business also have the option of getting a grant, taking out a loan, or finding investors to back their business ventures. A dominatrix has none of those. She has to pay for that equipment somehow.

quote:

I Put A Lot Of Time & Effort In Being A Pro-Domme. I Wouldn't Feel Good Charging Less. It Wouldn't Be Dignified
So, you are working at a crappy job, and you feel dignified about that? You don't think other business people have to be competitive and cut prices to be successful?


I think feeling dignified is a red herring. What's really at issue is that she puts time and effort into her craft and she deserves to be compensated appropriately for her time and effort. She has to create her own website, her own graphics, her own content, her own advertising. So she not only has to be a good top, she has to be a web designer, graphic artist, writer, film maker, photographer, and marketing manager with a bit of psychologist thrown in so she knows how to make a session memorable enough for her clients to come back and/or recommend her to others.

So now she has to do seven jobs. Most of those career fields earn more than $10 an hour. The web designer alone makes $20-50 dollars an hour, depending on experience. Let's say she low-balls all of them at $20/hour and she spends 10 hours per week doing all of those jobs combined. If she gets one 60-minute session out of that, she needs to charge a minimum of $220 just to cover her labor costs, because that's $200 + another $20 for the hour she spent topping the client.

That doesn't even begin to cover her investment in equipment, wardrobe, paying to run a background check, the space she rented as a studio, or paying for a security guard. How much do you think those other things cost? Do you think they could be done for $100 or less? I don't, but let's say she can. Now we're up to $300-$350 for a one-hour session. That seems pretty expensive on the surface, but if you look at everything that went into that session, it's actually very reasonable.


quote:

From my perspective, Pro-Domme is just like any other business: supply and demand. If your doing everything else right: advertising, etc., then the reason might very well be your charging too much.

What do you think?



Honestly, I think you need to go back to school and stop trying to dispense business advice when you don't know what you're talking about. I also think your whole post comes across as very whore-phobic and full of slut-shaming, but that's just me. I really have to wonder what your goal was for posting...were you trying to learn what other people thought or were you soliciting validation of your views? In either case, I think you went about it the wrong way and you probably aren't going to get the responses you want.

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 5:36:59 PM   
MasterCaneman


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This may be slightly off-topic, but when I saw the thread title, I half-expected a pledge drive to help all the struggling pro-dommes, and the image of a leather-clad woman in stillettos, squatting on a curb and holding up a hand-lettered sign saying 'Will Domme For Food', with big, limpid, puppy-dog eyes.

Feel free to take shots at the target I've now painted on my back.

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The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. ~ Sun Tzu

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 6:24:09 PM   
TNDommeK


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I'm not gonna lie, I was disappointed too.

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Our snark-nado needs more cowbell


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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 6:26:55 PM   
SylvereApLeanan


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K should take a picture of herself with that sign and post it on the duck lips thread. #justsayin

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Grumpy Cat is my spirit animal.
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"There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick."— The Doctor

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 7:42:35 PM   
DarkSteven


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Typical business student thinking. You've seen the graphs of what will sell at a given price, and are buying that price is THE determinant of consumer demand.

In addition to what my girlfriend Sylvere stated above, how do you know that high price is the main deterrent to more business? It could be that

1. Potential customers are afraid of being outed to employers/friends/wives.
2. They have a preconceived notion that the venue is dirty/too bright/too dim/too noisy, etc.
3. Other.

If you start cutting prices for people who have legit non-pricing concerns, you'll simply be slitting your own throat AND antagonizing other local pros. Never fix a problem until you know what it is first.

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The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

Quit fretting. We men love you."

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 7:50:35 PM   
littlewonder


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quote:

ORIGINAL: JulieLACA

What do you think?



I think you're absolutely correct.

They make excuses for their reasons they are not making money because they don't want to admit they don't like pro-domming or don't know what they are doing but to say so would be hurting their pride.


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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 7:59:53 PM   
ExiledTyrant


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Why not hold a struggling Pro-Dom convention, toss in a box of assorted weapons, and fight for territory, yo?

West side pay-piggy floggers FTW!

Jus sayin

Exiled

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 8:00:31 PM   
OsideGirl


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quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder


quote:

ORIGINAL: JulieLACA

What do you think?



I think you're absolutely correct.

They make excuses for their reasons they are not making money because they don't want to admit they don't like pro-domming or don't know what they are doing but to say so would be hurting their pride.



Actually, I disagree. I own a service based business. I get to determine what my time and expertise is worth. Does that mean there are times when business is slower because I won't accept quantity over quality? Yup. But, it also means that that I have loyal customers who won't bail for a lower service fee and less expertise.

McDonald's is not going to give you the same experience as a gourmet burger joint. Orbitz isn't going to give you the same experience that I provide. Cheaper doesn't equate to a better business model. And cheaper doesn't guarantee success.


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Give a girl the right shoes and she will conquer the world. ~ Marilyn Monroe

The Accelerated Velocity of Terminological Inexactitude

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 9:44:32 PM   
mummyman321


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The biggest reason I have seen ProDommes struggle is that they actually do not know what the customer wants. First rule of business is to know what your customers wants. You can have the best dungeon in the world, but if you do not know what the customer is seeking, he/she will leave unsatisfied and will not come back. Knowing what the customer wants is not as easy as it sounds. The customer sometimes has a hard time verbalizing what he/she actually wants. A good ProDomme knows how to ask the right questions and read body language as well.

The 2nd biggest reason I have seen ProDommes struggle is they do not really know how to run a business. Many get excited on the thought of making the high dollars per hour and do not realize you have to actually work for that money. The more successful dungeons I have seen, the Domme will put 3 hours of work in for every hour of actual ProDomming she does. Things like dungeon prep, planning and setup for particular scenes, clean up and planning dungeon growth for the future all take time.

The last thing I will add is Customer Satisfaction. The customer must be delighted. Many will take this as just having a good time during the session. But it is a lot more than that. It is the whole experience. From the first time the customer talks to the Domme, to entering the dungeon, to the session, to aftercare and leaving the dungeon, the customer should be thoroughly delighted. If he/she is delighted through the whole experience, they will be back for more. If they are not happy, they will not come back and will also not give you a good referral to their friends. My Mistress, Lady Saskia, is very adamant on making the overall customer experience a very pleasant one. Simple little things like being served a glass of water and taking 5 minutes to talk about the session with the client before hand. Asking how the person's day is going. Helping the person get dressed afterwards. Personally walking them to the door afterwards. All small things but add up to a great overall experience.

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 9:47:55 PM   
TNDommeK


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quote:

ORIGINAL: SylvereApLeanan

K should take a picture of herself with that sign and post it on the duck lips thread. #justsayin


Hahaha! Wait...what sign?

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The working Fin Domme
Professional con artist, swindler, trixster, extortionist

Our snark-nado needs more cowbell


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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 9:57:50 PM   
LanceHughes


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When I read the OP, I was thinking, "Now what is the user name of that guy who was always bashing the pro-dommes 'cause he couldn't get laid for HIS price." All these same comments have been posted over and over again especially to his posts.

I think we have a sock puppet here, boys and girls. I think said sock is using a web-stolen pic. Anyone want to use ..... google-check-the-photo or tintype or whatever it's called? Still haven't figured that out.

Maybe the Mods can look up his ... ??? number (ISP ? No, that's not right... server(?) .... whatever) and slap 'em down.



< Message edited by LanceHughes -- 3/24/2014 10:05:43 PM >


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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 10:28:52 PM   
mummyman321


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I checked Google and Tiny Eye but got nothing.

I do find it interesting the thought of a "Struggling ProDomme" but said ProDomme does not charge women and only men. You are not struggling if you only charge some clients LOL

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RE: Struggling Pro-Dommes - 3/24/2014 11:35:44 PM   
joshua69


Posts: 84
Joined: 2/19/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

This may be slightly off-topic, but when I saw the thread title, I half-expected a pledge drive to help all the struggling pro-dommes, and the image of a leather-clad woman in stillettos, squatting on a curb and holding up a hand-lettered sign saying 'Will Domme For Food', with big, limpid, puppy-dog eyes.

Feel free to take shots at the target I've now painted on my back.


What a cock! No, seriously, when will the pledge drive start and will it be televised, you think?

(in reply to MasterCaneman)
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