Bobbie in Atlanta sent me an email after listening to my interview on Playboy Radio last week. Thanks again Christy Canyon and Nikki Hunter for having me on Night Calls! Between squeezing each others boobs and talking about what Nikki used to do in the Champagne Room (she didn’t really) we were able to talk about some things that really matter in the industry right now.
Bobbie was asking about Economic Darwinism. If you aren’t familiar with biologist Charles Darwin, you may have heard the phrase “survival of the fittest.” In the wild, the strongest, smartest and most adaptable creatures were the ones who lived through tough times. The weak and those who are unable or unwilling to adapt are the first to die.
In the strip club, the fittest aren’t neccessarily the ones who are the most physically fit (but that never hurts.) Rather, those who have adaptable skills to this economy are the ones who will flourish. The pretty girl who sits at the bar because she’s too good to talk to the customers who “aren’t her type” are likely among those who will shortly be extinct (i.e. QUIT.) Anyone can make money in a packed club on a Friday night, but very few can make money in an empty or slow club.
I don’t want this post to be depressing, but lets face facts: some of us aren’t going to survive this recession because of the decreased customer traffic, fewer high rollers, and plethora of newbies. It is also entirely possible that some girls are going to do better in this economy than if it was a boom time because they are forced to work smart and adapt. Many of our students have chosen to invest in themselves so that they have the competitive advantage to survive this economic downturn. It doesn’t matter if you are a veteran or a newbie, the skill set has to be there.
This year’s theme at the Gentlemen’s Club Expo in Las Vegas (August 23-26th) is Teamwork. Does anyone remember the last time the clubs actually cared about teamwork? Disclaimer:some clubs always have and continue to do so. In ten years, I have never seen the entire strip club industry focus on it. What I think I’m seeing here is club ownership and management needing our help: not just to draw customers into the club but to have the skills to KEEP them coming back. Notice girls who have lots of regulars are not suffering as much as the club-hoppers and floor-hustlers in this economy. Many of the clubs that have girls who have lots of regulars are still doing fine.
Superstrippers aren’t just out for themselves, we are concerned about our club as well. I know of several mandatory meetings at a large chain mega-club in Dallas where they actually asked for dancer input on promotional ideas. When is the last time that ever happened? It is important that we help the clubs survive too, or else we don’t have a place to work!
If you “get” what I’m saying and you want the tools to SURVIVE this poor economy you have a few choices:
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2. Our $14.95 ebook Step by Step Stripping
3. A Full DancerWealth Membership for $89.10 (enter coupon code 05CA11BA for a 10% discount)
Here is a lesson in (lack of) teamwork that you can feel free to pass along at GCE. I won’t rip the club by giving out its name, but here is an example of how a club should not act.
I was away on business and went out with some clients to a club on a Tuesday night. One of our group of 4 was a VIP member of the club, very well known by the managers, bouncers and dancers. His VIP membership allowed him to bring only one guest without paying a cover charge, so they made 2 members of our group pay a $10 cover each on a Tuesday. Did I mention it was a Tuesday? A very slow Tuesday for them as our group was now 25% of the customers once we sat down.
We ordered a round of drinks and I gave the waitress a credit card to open a tab. I was asked for my license, which was no problem. Before bringing the drinks the waitress brings back a form for me to fill out and sign that has my DL and CC already copied onto it. This was not a charge slip for the round, just a form. Oh, and I was required to give a fingerprint on the form ‘for my protection’. Yeah right. It was for their protection and we all know that. So I declined and told the waitress I would pay cash. Then a bouncer appeared and told me I had to leave a fingerprint to open a tab. I told him I was going to pay cash. Then the manager came over and again gave me a song and dance about how the fingerprint protected me from my card being stolen. At this point out of frustration I basically countered everything he said about my protection (my fingerprint, DL and CC all imprinted on a form that I had no idea how it would be secured, etc) and again repeated that I would pay cash. Finally they let me pay cash for the drinks.
Then, after having some fun getting dances I ran out of cash … because of course I was now several rounds into the night paying cash for everyone’s drinks. Off I go to the ATM. Don’t get me wrong, I am expecting a higher ATM fee than a bank would charge, so when I see on the machine the charge is $5, I’m thinking ‘OK, it’s not too bad’. Well that thought lasted until the ATM only let me take out $60 maximum. I made the silly mistake of asking the Manager about this, and of course got the ‘it’s for your protection’ speech again. Needless to say I didn’t take out very much cash from the ATM.
Bottom line is this. The management’s policies at the club cost the dancers at our table something along the lines of $1,000 that night just from me, and the next time I am in town I will take my clients somewhere else. Nickle and diming the customers and making it difficult for them to spend money is not good teamwork.
Hopefully at GCE they will also ask the customers what they want in addition to the dancers. It’s funny how many businesses seem to neglect the customer’s needs when things get tight, when that is precisely what they need to be doing.