Before I discovered TER everything was like TOFFT. And I'm here to tell you, It's not worth it!  MY experience with CV, TM and BP was that for every one good experience there were four that were a total waste. Save your money, be safe, use TER and hobby happily.  

As a new provider, I have been wondering how many gents out there occasionally practice TOFTT? If so, what might entice you to to see a provider with no/few reviews, other than being able to report back and verify or dismiss interest in her from the board? Is it something that stands out to you about her appearance or regarding her description of services, or have you ever wanted to be amongst a provider's first customers (I don't want to be crude and say 'for the purpose of breaking her in'... but hey, I'm sure it's a reality for some) and shape her initial experience in the hobby?

Also, with the emphasis TER members place on reviews, trust, consistency and certainty, would you like to see unestablished providers build up a history/reputation on BP/CV/etc. before you are comfortable booking with them, or do you have other criteria by which you judge their 'readiness?'
Thank you so much!
-Harlowe

-- Modified on 9/28/2011 9:18:12 AM

It strikes me that the dilemma that Harlowe (and others) face could be solved by establishing a new service.

We could form panels of experienced and reputable TER reviewers -- maybe a half-dozen guys in each major city -- so that new or relocating providers could apply for a minimum certification pending the expansion of their reputations by multiple reviews.  The panel would accept all applications.

For providers, there would be no waiting for a random TOFTT encounter,  and for hobbyists, quality would be consistent.

What do you think we should charge someone like Harlowe?

I haven't been to a meet and greet in a long time, but the last time I went I found a couple ladies that I really liked that were unreviewed.  They'd been staying below the radar for various reasons and, as a result, were basically unknown to TER members.

So while your question is what would you need to do to get a guy to  TOFTT, maybe the real question is how do you go about making some initial contacts so you can get those first reviews.  For me, a face to face meeting is better than a review anyway, so I suggest you attend the next M & G in October, and make some contacts with guys you'd like to see.  After they've written reviews, you'll be good to go.

You need to up your game and get some better pictures of yourself, especially if you're not reviewed.

The two shots you currently have on your website don't do much to convince someone they should take a chance with their $300.  The pictures have to reinforce what the words say.  If they don't, you have what they call dissonance in marketing.  

The rest of your site looks OK, but that's a moot point if the pictures don't present you well.

Aesthetics aside (they're purely subjective) some indicator of services and respective pricing. A Non-reviewed/UTR via referral is one thing; but I'm not going to gamble $$ or more on just a pretty face, slick pics, and some smarmy, self aggrandizing advertising text.

Alright, I respect that, although I'd argue that all advertising is inherently aggrandizing to some degree...  I don't think any provider would say her services are merely decent or state that she knows she's robotic but she's super hot so WTH.

Either way, I do understand your position and I get that reviews are more telling/reliable than advertising.

I sometimes TOFTT by seeing an unreviewed provider from a known booker -- these are sometimes less than spectacular, but never a ROB or a total waste.... In a sense, then, it is not a true TOFTT experience, usually....

I have on occasion seen asian providers with no reviews and no connection to a known, reputable booker, and as it turns out, these have been pretty damn good...  But that is anecdotal evidence, and not indicative of your odds of getting a ROB or bummer in the long run....

RT

-- Modified on 9/28/2011 10:15:37 AM

I completely agree!  You should check out the websites and images of some of the more established providers on TER.

Whether you think of it in these terms or not, you're currently attempting to build a brand- the Harlowe Dahl brand.  So all the same rules that apply to any other brand now apply to you.  The good news is right now you're working with a blank page- that puts you way ahead of people that are trying to fix a bad brand image.  But it also means that people can and will form all their impressions by what you give them.  That includes your website, your posts, how you present yourself at a M&G etc., so that has to be very carefully considered.

I've done this for 30 years, and am currently doing it again for my own web business, so this is all top of mind for me right now.  Let me give you a few principles of brand building to remember as you go forward.

1. Consistency.  Everything you say, do or put on your website should reinforce the brand image you wish to create.  Your pictures didn't, so you were smart to take them down.  Something is NOT better than nothing if it's contributing to the wrong image or sending out inconsistent information.

2. Understand what you're selling- A brand can only stand for one thing.  Sit down and think about the 2 or 3 things you really want people to take away from visiting your site.  Studies have shown that most people can't remember more than one brand attribute, some will retain two, but almost nobody will remember three.  This means you have to be careful to tailor your message  and focus so you don't try to be everything, and end up being nothing.

3. What is your "Unique Selling Proposition?"  A lot of girls have trouble with this, and I'll admit, it's a challenge.  You all have great appearance, enthusiasm, class, education- or so they say.  Think about what really makes you unique and how you can succinctly tell people that.  The most successful brand messages can usually be distilled down to no more than a few words, and one word is the ultimate.  This isn't easy for any business and it's even harder for individuals, but it brings some discipline to the process of creating your marketing message.

4. Remember you're selling a premium product.  The girls on TER toss around $300/hour or $500 for a session like it's nothing.  But most people don't spend that much on too many items, so that puts you in the range of a premium product.  You're a luxury purchase (sorry, I don't mean to commodify you) so you have to act accordingly in your presentation.

That doesn't mean you can't be a down-to-earth GND if that's who you are, it just means that most guys aren't dropping that much money on too many things during the course of a week, so you have to keep that in mind.  Most girls get tripped up trying to create a false sense of exclusivity or class when they don't have anything to back it up.  It creates that dissonance I was talking about above and comes across as BS.  More girls have tripped over the word "classy" and broken their WalMart tiara in the process, than any other single thing.

There's room for everybody in this business, so decide what your strengths are and be yourself, because that's the only brand image you'll ever be successful at selling.

Now, you may think this is crazy for a provider to have to think about all this.  Well, you need to think about it so your customer doesn't.  If you keep these three things in mind as you go forward, your customers will get the message you want, and they won't even realize it.  Making it seamless and invisible is always the ultimate objective.

I'm sure you'll do a great job because you seem to have the right attitude about being here and asking advice.  Best of luck!

Thank you for the input-  I have looked at many, many provider sites and the pictures are only a temporary placeholder while I wait on pro photos. I'm still setting up my business and won't be booking clients for another week or two; by the time I actually start advertising I will have much better photos. I will also be offering discounts as incentives to establish reviews, although the 'certification panel' veritasse mentioned sounds interesting... you might have something there, hehe... :P

G2, thank you for the M&G suggestion... I was unaware they happen every month and I will definitely try to make the upcoming one if I can.

Overall I'm rather discouraged that so many members have had bad/inconsistent experiences with new/unreviewed providers... that's unfortunate and doesn't leave much room for enthusiastic, honest new providers to gain clientele. :/

if someone has a limited number of reviews, then the history of the reviewer becomes important.  a young lady with one review, who was reviewed by someone, who just so happened to only review her and no others, smells of a set up.  but if someone who reviews a new provider has a solid history of reviews, and she "fits my bill" then I would probably be willing to see her.

Ahh, some hope!   I hope others think as you do!

(sidenote-  taking down photos until pros are done... I suppose I mistakenly assumed that some visual was better than nothing... back to being mysterious!)

There IS, and will ALWAYS be room for "enthusiastic, honest new providers". There are many TER hobbyists who like the thrill of the "gamble" along with the fuck. Prove yourself to one of these journalistically canted satyrs and promulgations of his joyous find will soon evince a friendly stampede.

What pictures?  I didn't see any pictures on her website.

... and that included photo's that appealed to me followed by some form of communication, be it email or telephone, and sometimes even a casual 1 on 1 meet n greet at a public place, usually for coffee or a drink with no expectations, but high hopes for a connection.

Granted, it helps to have a good reputation as a hobbyist when initializing such a first encounter, and no doubt, that was a mitigating factor in the decision several of these ladies made to meet me for a casual "off the clock" encounter. They knew I wasn't running game, or looking for some sort of quid pro quo.

But that's also how you make and establish ongoing "relationships" between hobbyist and provider. The ones who are willing to invest a small amount of time, will often reap much greater rewards in the long run.

Find out when the next Meet n Greet is scheduled in your local area. I used to host them in LA and Vegas, Astra hosts occasional cocktail parties, and Beatpoet has held several successful luncheons; in fact, the next one is scheduled for early October. You should plan to attend if at all possible

I just looked at the "new" reviews for LA and out of 15 total reviews, 4 were first reviews.  I've done a number of them.  Like Doc, when I toftt there's more email communication before the date, than when I see a reviewed provider.  My last toftt was Reagan Moore from Phoenix, it was a home run.

Will you trade creative and copyediting services for a session? :P (j/k, j/k)   I hope to do just as you mentioned, and thank you for your candor.

I'm glad there have been some successes! I definitely understand the emphasis on communication with a new provider... I'd want the same thing if I were a potential client so I wouldn't feel completely blind going into a session.

*Jawdrop*

Thank you for that extremely sound and informative advice. FWIW, pictures aside, I did put a lot of thought into succinct branding (dare I confess I was inspired by seeing 'branding guru' Martin Lindstrom on an episode of America's Next To...  nevermind, lol) and came up with the 'Irresistible' tagline because I felt it adequately described/implied playfulness, attentiveness, and the esoteric quality of 'je ne sais quoi.'
However, you are right about the 'placeholder' pictures- they weren't consistent with the type of brand I want to build. I considered using 'modern' or 'irreverent' but decided descriptors like those would narrow my market and allow for too much subjective interpretation.

I have had interesting discussions with other sex workers (I've been a dancer/UTR provider for about 6 years) about the nonchalance with which people toss around the word 'classy...'  I think you hit the nail on the head with 'Walmart Tiara,' and I might steal that line! For the record, the only time I've been in Walmart was to find a sash (that later read 'Miss Wasilla') for a marvelous Halloween costume.

Thank you again for an excellent post.

What else do we have to go by if there are no reviews.
Usually I won't answer an ad without several reviews and
from reliable reviewers, but I've taken a chance several times based on the pictures
and was pleasantly surprised especially with K-girls.
They usually don't disappoint.
If you get the right photographer you will get shots that will
attract attention and certainly get some of us to TOFTT.
As they say a picture is worth a thousand words or at least
300 to 500 depending on the mood.

one's compatability with a provider

Speaking of K-girls, in my experience you can pretty much pick one and have a good time.  Although, even for them, I prefer to read reviews first.  For sure, some offer lackluster performance, but even so, you know what your going to get with little to no surprises.  It's just a matter of will you have a so so time or a superb time?  Either way, it's not a lot of out of pocket so it's difficult to go wrong and from what I've heard or haven't, I don't recall any instances of getting ripped off.