Is it just me or do agencies seem to be given a negative connotation vs. independent providers.  As a business person I'm puzzled by this because generally organizations beat out sole proprietorships.  

Weigh in -- are agencies bad?  Is it better for a provider to go independent?  What are the pros and cons of each?

I prefer an independent. I think they are more inclined to provide better service and I personally have had much better luck with them.

I prefer indies. And, when it comes to splits, the agency takes a 60/40 for their services.
I think there are a lot of ladies who need someone to do their advertising, booking, etc.but the entrepreneurs make the most money, if they have good business heads!

For my part, I have found dealing with indies is better service simply because you are dealing directly with the person that you will be seeing. I think they are inclined to give you better service because they want your repeat business. HOWEVER, there are 2 agencies that stick in my mind that give great service....My Coastal Companions and  GFE4NC. Both agencies are friendly and the ladies really care that you are having a good time. I think that girls that work for an agency dont really care (in most cases) if you are a repeat customer or not. These are generalizations and there are always exceptions to the rule.

Overall I find that independents provide great service, are reliable and are true as advertised.  I have had mixed results with agencies, with some ladies clearly not as advertised.  However, a good agency tends to be able to provide service exactly as requested on a timely basis.

Both will have their bouts with cancellations at the last minute and no calls/no shows.

If you find a good agency, it can be a great relationship.

My perfect scenario is a provider that starts with an agency then goes on her own. That way I get a chance to see her, then if she goes indy and charges more (and receives a lot more) for doing more work and a website herself, I know whether it is worth it. I would agree that when she goes indy they tend to focus more on their services and building a clientele.

However, I stay away from providers that pop up out of nowhere and start a web page (or worse last only a few months at an agency with average reviews), then go out on their own. They seem to think that putting in a few hours and maybe $100 into a web page all of a sudden makes their time worth $300+.

Finally, I stay awa from all "new to area" or traveling providers, unless they are from Charlotte or Raleigh and have a rep.  There is a reason they go to glamour shots or hire a photographer to make really nice pics, show up from out of town with no reviews, and have no reason to satisfy a client for repeat business. In most cases they think they have pretty pictures and thus have earned a premium price before they ever even meet you - and their performance shows that.

Agencies are probably a neccessary evil. Me being from Atlanta , there are really only a few agencies worth using: 1)Hush Agency and 2)JFL escorts , and probably a third , ER(Essential referrals). Now , the 60/40 split for agencies to ladies sounds about right; but actually it may sometimes may be a higher split than that for the agency. For , me I indy gals vs agency girls about 90-95% of the time. It's much more comforting to know that an indy lady gets the FULL donation. The 60/40 split thing leads to another few problems: 1) because agency ladies only get 40 (and maybe 50)percent of the donation , that leads to ladies who see a very high volume of hobbyists---in which , in the long run , the lady's quality of service suffers. 2)Agencies are obviously more likely to 'Bait and Switch' a client---definitely not a good thing to be doing, and 3) Agency ladies are more likely to do a 'cash and dash'---accepting a client's donation , and then limiting her services to one pop or NO pops in 15-20 minutes or less and then the session is over. Indy ladies are more likely to spend the full hr with the client and sometimes may look the other way and allow a client to stay 10-15 minutes over the alotted time (no clock watching = good customer service) which will certainly go a very long way to making new clients repeat clients. Now , there are exceptions to those things like MCC and GFE4NC in the Carolinas and ER , Hush , and JFL in Atl. But even just very recently I've learned some disturbing news about Hush agency in Atl....a very popular lady is longer with them , but the agency STILL has her pics up on the site (and she left the agency almost a month ago). If some hobbyists are concerned about specifics , then they are welcome to PM me.

My 2 cents

gug828

I met my ATF when she was with an agency and she eventually went solo. The scheduling was easier, but she already knew me at that point. Service didn't change.

I think its dependent on the lady. An indy who is a flake would be harder to deal with than if she works for an agency. Some people need the structure of an agency.

But in general, I don't accept your premise that organizations generally beat out sole proprietors. That's true perhaps when a lot of capital is needed. But I don't need a corporation to mow my grass; the independent lawn guy works just fine for me. Same holds true for escorting. The actual service is just one-on-one (or two-on-one but I haven't done that yet )

Maybe they are out there, but I've never heard of an agency taking 60% of the split.

I love being an Indie, of course, lol!

Steph

So much depends on the person(s)running the agency.  My two favorite agencies the proprietors are still taking clients on  occaision.  I find both of these agencies to be exceptional and have to think it is because the proprietors know exactly what their ladies are facing.  In speacking to the non proprietors they truly appreciate someone else handling the screening and advertising.  No knock against these ladies but only one of them seems to have the business sense to go on her own.  I don't know her reasons and don't need to.

I also spend a lot of time with independents and upon occaision find one who would be far better off working for an agency.  

As a hobbyest I can have a great time with either and indy or an agency lady.  I do think it is up to the lady which way she prefers to participate.

The agencies that I've dealt with take 50-60%, but they picked up the tab for the advertising, booking, room rental, and a few other things that only an agency/provider are aware of.

What endears me to indies... if the gal has a brain, is that they can make decisions on the spot! Also, if they go over 15 min. or half an hour, it can be negotiated between the two parties. There is no phone call two minutes after the hour!!! Some girls need an agency, because they can't handle the details. I guess that is a justification for both agencies, and indies.

Just my 2 cents.

Having never worked for an agency, I can't be sure of this, but I have talked with girls who worked for agencies. I think part of the problem with some agencies is they tend to keep the girls in the dark. They have no idea who is coming to the door until they open it. Many times, they don't even know the man's name or number. That's downright scary!

I imagine it is hard to be enthusiastic when one is not more involved. Perhaps the better agencies know how to motivate employees and make them feel wanted and needed. Who wants to feel as if he/she is a throw-away commodity? Make the ladies feel special and the results might be amazing. Giving them a good split, and maybe a bonus for each return client, ought to help too. What do ya'll think?

Good point.  I'd take a well recommended independent lawn guy to mow my grass over a well recommended corporation.

There are agencies in Gboro, none here in my town.  I mostly go with Indies I have seen before or have great reviews.