I thoroughly enjoyed the last few days off from stripping. Even though I didn’t work at the club everynight, the drive up to Vegas last Sunday, and the drive home from Vegas last Thursday counted in my head as “work.” Sunday night, I shot a message out to my Dancerwealth.com business partner that just said “I need a day to NOT think about strip clubs.” Good thing too, because I went back into the recording studio yesterday full of energy and insight!

I am really excited for the NBA All-Star Game this weekend. Even though the event is downtown at the arena, most of the parties are being held at the swanky hotels in Scottsdale. I’ve heard through the grapevine that the festivities surrounding it is similar to Superbowl…any comments?

Oh, and I sure am glad I held my short ES futures contracts! Those hedge fund guys from Friday were right. I came really close to having my first five figure day yesterday as the market tanked. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’ve been posting some of my basic option spread trades in Dollar Den on Stripperweb.

And finally, this article popped up when I closed out my hotmail today: Stop Listening to Suze Orman If you haven’t noticed, this market is different from anything we’ve experienced in our lifetime. Buy and hold isn’t the optimal investment strategy unless you are in your twenties.

Starting my long day now: manicure, work out, chiro, tan, and then Babes!!!

I’m in the first trimester of my longest work stint yet. Thus my posts have not been very original.

I was expecting the same fabulous forty and over crowd this week for FBR. That hasn’t been the case, and thus my first two nights were not stellar. Keep in mind, they were profitable which is essential for keeping a business going considering the plethora of businesses like the nations 2nd largest electronics retailer Circuit City which could not turn a profit.

The attitude we project at work is essential to success. Even if you think you are projecting a positive attitude, it doesn’t matter if the customer doesn’t interpret it that way.

I realized this last night when Gia said to me, “Are you okay? You just don’t seem like your normal self.”

Wow! Maybe that’s why my close ratio was less than normal. Even though I thought I was my normal SuperStripper self….apparently she (and coincidentally the customers) weren’t reading me that way. In retrospect, I was letting my own personal bias interfere.

So, right now, as of Day 3 I am NO LONGER going to let my personal bias affect my income. So what if FBR was better last year, or five years ago…it’s still an opportunity.

I spent over 5 hours in the recording studio (aka my desk with headset) yesterday working on the latest Dancerwealth Stripper Sales Training product. I still have a few kinks to work out, but I’m stoked. It’s going to be a BIG help for all those former secretaries/waitresses turned strippers.

This week is the FBR Golf Tournament here in Phoenix. I will once again, be working every available evening at Babe’s Cabaret in Scottsdale.

Good things come to those who work their a$$ off….

Babe’s was steady all night long with Iggles Fans. I even resurrected my accent to trigger their Friendship Hot Button. I never had a very thick Philly accent, but at times water comes out “wood-er” and the plural of you is “yous” or “yous guys.”

Met a bunch of guys who drove down from Vegas to watch the Iggles play. Also ran into a guy who was the bouncer at Mr. J’s in Orange County. He was “too cool” to buy a dance. C’mon…just because you worked in the industry at some point doesn’t mean you’re too cool to purchase the service that once supported your own livelihood.

I was freshening up in the locker room when I overheard the cocktail waitress tipping off another dancer: “Go to the two guys in a white shirts by the stage. The one just opened a tab with a black AmEx card.”

“Oooooh…..okaaay…I’m just going to finish doing curling this piece of hair…..and….I have to go to the bathroom….” the lazy entertainer said.

So…this SuperStripper walked straight out of the dressing room, found the guy in a white shirt sitting by the stage, and said, “Hi, I should fill your empty lap, huh?”

“Absolutely, we’ve been watching you since we got here.” Panda replied.

Sweet! Panda is in town for Barrett-Jackson from Dallas. He’s a self-proclaimed “Strip Club Connoisseur” with VIP memberships to The Lodge and Spearmint Rhinos. We instantly hit it off.
“I love strippers” he said.
“Cool, I love money!” I joked back.
“We’re a perfect match then.” he said.
His friend came back from the couches and Panda said, “I know you wanted this one, but I’m going to keep her.”

I got called to stage. “Can I buy you off?” Panda asked.

Of course you can! VIP was full at the time. Babe’s only have 3 tables in the VIP area. So we had to wait a bit for Kayla the VIP Hostess to clear out the table who didn’t want to buy another bottle of champagne. Panda and I did a few couch dances.

“Why do I always get the strippers don’t dance and just talk?” he joked.

“Because that’s what you WANT silly! You get back what you attract.” I responded.

“You got me. The mind is the sexiest part of a woman’s body.” Panda responded. As soon as the VIP section cleared out, the four of us moved back there. Panda was treating his client, who picked out Alexis, a gorgeous brunette.

About 45 minutes after buying me offstage, and joking that I haven’t really danced for him, Panda says, “I want to see you onstage.”

“Oh, my stage show sucks.” I tell him. Its true. I can’t dance. I can’t spin on the pole. I pretty much walk back and forth, smile and strike a pose.

“I know. I want to see you work though. Lets make it rain.” Panda handed Kayla two Franklins to exchange for 200 Washingtons. DJ Billy cued Panama. Kayla threw one stack of Washingtons into the air, as soon as they were done fluttering to the ground Panda threw the other. Then all the cheesy people at the stage-side tables grabbed the singles that fluttered onto their table, and held them up one at a time as though it was their dollar. It will be interesting to see how much of the 200 actually ends up in the tip bucket. The floormen help me sweep the stage, and I move over to Stage Two. There was another VIP table there tipping Lincolns and Hamiltons. After my one song on that stage I had two Hamiltons, and six Lincolns in my g-string. Not a bad take for 6 minutes of walking back and forth, smiling and striking a pose.

The four of us closed the bar down in VIP. He’s going to the Iggles Game, but should be back in tonight before he heads to Colorado to ski for the week.

As I cashed out my VIP funny money, the manager handed me my cashed in Washingtons from the stage rain: $201 I KNEW those posers by the stage weren’t using their own money to tip me!

Wednesdays have turned into my long day. It used to be Monday. I worked out with my personal trainer at 4pm, then did half an hour of cardio. Shower, change, spray tan, and arrive at Babes. I prefer to get ready at home, rather than in the dressing room of the strip club. However, my tanning salon is down the street from Babes, so once a week I just have to close my ears to the dressing room chatter.

Clocked in at 6:58pm for the $30 house fee. It goes up to $40 at 7pm. There was a table of six Canadians next to the stage. During my first set they just sat there and looked at me. A well groomed gentlemen walks over from the bar, pulls out a thick wad of cash, flips through the hundreds strategically placed on the outside of the wad, and tips me $5 onstage. “Let me demonstrate how it’s done.” After my stage set I immediately walk over, introduce myself, thank him for my stage tip, and begin asking him qualifying questions. My instinct was correct. He was a Blue: party guy, but not VIP candidate. He talked about how rich he was, and how he retired at the age of 35, and how he won 30K on the “Iggles” game last weekend. But he was a Snottsdale Bar Circuit guy: more interested in being seen out at several different bars and was on his way to the next place.

So I started working the Canadian table. They were in town for Barrett Jackson. Got two couch dances before I got called onstage again. Not enough girls for the rotation yet. A table of three older white haired gentlemen were seated by the stage opposite the Canadians. The one guy looked really familiar: like Santa Claus in a Hawaiian shirt. He tipped me $5 onstage.

I immediately went over to Santa’s table. Those three were from Washington, DC. Great! I triggered his Friendship Hot Button! Santa bought two dances and handed me a Grant. “Be sure to stop by and get my two buddies later.” You bet Santa! Another Stage rotation, and I went back to Santa’s buddy Rudolph. He wasn’t quite ready so I sat down and chatted for a bit. Santa taps Rudolph’s arm and says, “Get a dance, she’s the best!” I couldn’t have written a better script for the Dancerwealth Sales System: that comment triggered Rudolph’s Authority Hot Button. I took Rudy over to the couches. He was a wealth of information. Apparently the third guy, Donner hauled 7 cars from DC out here. They drove x-country in Donner’s luxury tourbus. There was a display of those tourbuses at Barrett Jackson last year, REALLY nice. Apparently Donner thought the same thing when he saw the display and bought one last year. Rudy did two dances and handed me a Grant. I love these guys!

More girls were showing up and the stage rotation slowed down a bit. I did a few more dances for the Canadians. Then went back to Santa’s table. I asked Santa if he was buying or selling this year. Barrett Jackson is a no-reserve auction. So, every car gets sold, but in some cases it may not bid as high as the the amount of restoration the seller put into the car.”Well, just drooling this year. Last year Donner made me buy back one of his cars that didn’t bid up to what he wanted. So he ended up paying 10 grand just to get his own car back. When he comes back, ask him if he learned when to stop bidding.”

Donner walks back to the table, nudges Santa and says, “you have $40?”
Santa hands him a Grant.
“So you don’t know when to stop bidding on dances either, huh?” I ask.

Santa and I do two more dances and this time he hands me a Franklin and his business card. I get called onstage. Santa, Donner and Rudolf leave for their dinner reservation at Drinkwater City Hall. It’s only 8:30pm. Sometimes the early bird gets the worm.

By 9pm the roster is full and my sales slow down. I just keep plugging away. The Canadians by a few dances each hour. Around midnight, I joke that they’re going to close the place down with me. The SubsistenceStrippers begin to leave, grumbling that there is “too many girls” I’m tired, but I stay and continue selling $20 dances. There is a table of medical device salesmen from London, a table of golfing Israel-ites, a Gen-Y bachelor party sitting stageside not tipping or buying dances, and a handsy attorney who informs me that in Florida you can touch.

The last half hour I approach the bachelor party of young guys who have been camped out for the last two hours. I really think Generation Y has very different body language. I approached the scruffy mid twenty-ish guy slumped in the chair with his arms crossed (which says to me: leave me alone) He immediately buys a couch dance and says he’s been waiting for me all night. Really? Then why no eye contact when I scan the room, or (gee whiz this is a no brainer) a dollar tip onstage since you’re sitting at the stageside table.

The last two songs of the night went to my Canadian friends. They did close the place down with me.

House Fees have been re-instated at Babe’s Cabaret. It was nice to have free house for the first two weeks of the month. They didn’t have to do that, and they achieved the desired result (lots of girls showing up from other clubs to work because it was free) Back to $40 at 8pm. I am very impressed with the annual report they printed out for me last night which includes total house fees paid and total funny money tendered.

The evening began with two sprinkler salesmen from San Francisco. I saw Steve sitting at a table alone by the stage. It was early and the club was slow, so I sat down and chatted for a bit. He wasn’t a dance guy. His friend Chuck (who was getting a couch dance from Random Blonde Chick) was. I waited until Chuck returned to the table. Chuck became instantly enamored with the girl onstage and asked me her name. I couldn’t remember her Babe’s Stage Name, but I knew her as Desiree from Christie’s years ago. Chuck then said to Random Blonde Chick who followed him back to the table from the couch and was vapidly hanging on him completely devoid of conversation, “Will you go get some change for me,” He then handed me a twenty and said, “Tip her onstage and then the four of us are going to VIP.” Random Blonde Chick wasn’t too happy when she came back with Chuck’s change, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Chuck was the owner of the sprinkler company and was treating Steve, his architect. Apparently it’s a tough economy to be selling indoor fire sprinkers since construction is down….but Charlie did well enough during to housing boom to cash in his fractional jet share and buy his own private plane, which he piloted down here and parked at Scottsdale Airport.

The four of us had a nice chat in VIP, and just a few dances. They were really nice guys who were looking for entertainment and conversation. Chuck reminded me of The Whale. He was very generous and tipped us both on top of our hourly rate. Many people mistake kindness for stupidity. Both Chuck (and The Whale) know exactly how much they spend at the club, on tipping, etc. No, they’re not stupid, or suckers. They’re just kind, and that tip is just a drop in the bucket for them.

Random Blonde Chick complained to the manager that Desiree “stole” her customer while she was getting him change. Please: if you can’t close the deal…move over and let someone else who can. Or wake up and realize “your customer” sent you on a wild goose chase to get rid of you.

The evening was spotty, but steady. I only have to sell half as many dances at Babes to make the same profit as Christie’s. So I kept plugging away. Most of the girls left at 12:45am (the new cut off time for being out the door) because it “sucked.” The 1am rush filled the club with three new tables of make it rain stage tippers. Not my target demographic, but a blanket of ones add up! Expecially when the stage rotation is every 20 minutes.

Between sets, I make eye contact with a guy at the bar. This is one area I need to work on. I alluded to it last year when I met Rebelyid at the bar at Treasures during World of Concrete. At Christie’s the bar guys went to the bar to avoid the pressure of the lapdance sale. At Babes (and in Vegas) I notice that the bar guys go straight to the $20 dances and Champagne room. So anyway, Mike from the bar walks over to me and says, “My friend Bob has been watching you aaaalll night and you haven’t come over to the bar. Will you take care of him for me?”

Of course I will! Mike and Bob hauled 5 cars here from Ohio to auction at Barrett-Jackson today and Thursday. I got called to stage again. More dollar rain. Then I closed the last four dances of the night out with Bob. They’re coming back in tonight…hopefully with the auction profits!