There is one particular immigrant group in my country whose members I no longer wish to see due to a long and consistent pattern of bad experiences with them. Unfortunately, one of the largest review forums here is run by members of this group, so now they are blocking new reviews of my services. They aren’t slandering me with false bad reviews, but the lack of good ones has caused me to drop from visibility (I was formerly one of the highest-rated escorts on the site). I don’t think the ethnic exclusion is the only reason, either; companions’ fees here are very low compared to the international average, and though mine are still low compared to that, they’re about twice what is normal here. Because I have no trouble getting it, I believe the board members feel other girls will realize they can do the same and it will move the market. The men seem to be coordinating via email to squash the girls they decide should be squashed; I have seen this happen twice in the past year. Neither girl is in the industry any longer, despite being more beautiful than me and equally as good in service. I fear that I am next on the list.
I honestly think your best bet is to get away from that website entirely; no presence on the site at all is better than a poor rating. Work on maximizing the draw from your ads and your website, concentrate on regulars, play up your exclusivity and DO NOT lower your rates; in fact you might try an experiment. Start a new persona, with no pictures; set “her” rates even higher and play up “her” exclusivity even more. Just make sure that your contact information for the two personas is completely different so nobody even suspects they are both you.
Also, you need to expand your horizons. If the main problem is in your own city, I suggest a tour to other large cities in your country. Once you get the hang of touring you can expand it to neighboring countries, then eventually to the whole continent and beyond. I realize it’s a little scary to go so far from home, but unless there’s a problem with your passport you could certainly make a great deal more abroad than in your own country, not only because the rates at home are unusually low but also because in other countries you will be seen as “exotic”. An extended tour would also get you away from the politics at home and let the trouble die down, plus travel broadens one and a new perspective might help you to shake some of your remaining fears. Who knows, you might even enjoy the jet-set lifestyle and decide to tour indefinitely!
Since I have never toured at all (much less internationally), I’d like to invite my escort readers with experience on the subject to contribute any additional advice in the comments (or if you prefer it to be confidential, just email it to me and I’ll forward it.)
(Have a question of your own? Please consult this page to see if I’ve answered it in a previous column, and if not just click here to ask me via email.)
Outstanding advice … as far as the guys on that site … I thought you had to LIKE girls to engage in this kind of activity? I don’t understand men like that.
My advice would be the same. If she creates a new persona, stay away from that board and all others as well. While she is also concentrating on emphasizing her ads and website (if she has one), play up a social media presence as well: Twitter, blogging, etc…whatever she can keep in her control. And with Twitter, only accept connections from other escorts she knows and trusts and perhaps her regular clients if they have accounts.
Yahoo Groups, is a possibility too, but beware the corporate media.
I’ve never toured and I’m strictly a part-timer, as well as being only BDSM fetish as opposed to an escort.
However, I must second Maggie’s advice: DO NOT lower your rates. I tried that once, believing that it would result in a flood of new clients…oh, I received a ton of new inquiries, all right, from every drunk broke cheapass teenaged mofo in the Tri-State area! Please spare yourself, and NO NOT make my mistake!
I’ve found that the incredible truth is that as long as you are good at your job and give quality performance, you can charge whatever you want. I raised my rates to a sum I didn’t think that ANYONE would pay, and it didn’t hurt my business at all–in fact, it only increased my prestige. I think that for the men who can afford it, being able to pay more than the average escort/fetish/sex worker client is a status symbol. Men see what they want to see.
Finally: don’t let the review boards torture you. Like Maggie says, dodge out! I myself do not allow reviews. Tell your clients that you value your privacy, and theirs, so much that you will not sully or compromise it with online reviews. Say that intimacy, sensuality, and trust cannot be rated in virtual stars like a goddamned film. The clients I have told this to really respect it. Most of them want to keep everything private and discreet. Play up that angle, and they will understand.
Just my two cents. GOOD LUCK!
Dear Krulac:
I’ve read ‘The Honest Courtesan’ for many months and never commented until now. I’ve read many of your comments….
If you are as you seem from your comments, you are a ‘Real Man’ and I want to tell you what a RELIEF it is to know that men like you are out there. You always seem to want to defend women and take their side if they are being attacked in unjust fashion, and I really appreciate that. It touches me in my heart. I don’t know what else I can say without sounding corny.
Thanks bunches
Margo
Exotic sells, and not just with self-proclaimed xenophiles like me.
The lure of the exotic can be seen in Bollywood, even. The most successful bollywood actresses are mixed race (often anglo-indians) who show features from both parents. The hint of the exotic coupled with the aspect of the familiar proves alluring to both ethnicities. I’m willing to bed that this pattern gets repeated elsewhere too.