If you were only able to see one provider, and that would also be your first, what criteria would you use to determine who to spend time with?

Going by your question of only being able to see one and it being your first you would really not be able to know if you have chemistry or how well you click so I guess the only things left would be 1. attractiveness, 2. menu options and  
3. price. Now as for what would keep me going back 1. personality/chemistry,  
2. attractiveness and 3. menu.

I would look at the Mn. top 100 and work my way down until I found someone who suits my taste and is willing to see me as a newbie, quite the opposite of the way I actually started.

When I started it was AMPs and Backpage. Then mostly body rubs.
When I wanted to try FS for the first time in the hobby I tried Porsha.
Needless to say if starting over would like to find her clone. That being said since following TER there have not been any bad experiences although some were better than others

With an old girlfriend and a provider.

Looks, menu, price.  Next I spend a lot of time reading reviews and anything else I can find on her because now I am looking for someone who handles the logistical side of the business well and, at least as best I can tell, is someone I would simply enjoy spending time with.

We're all different people, and click best with differing personalities, so how to know in advance that you'll do so with your first & one & only provider? Easy, if they post a lot on the discussion boards, or if they post ads that vary & provide glimpses of what makes them tick. Hard, because there are so few who do either, never mind both. In most cases, provider website prose isn't as useful as it could be, because it's static & a lot of it sounds alike from site to site. Twitter feeds can give you a feel for what a person thinks about, but they're not widely used in the hobby at this point.

I agree. It's impossible to tell if there's chemistry prior to meeting.

Thanks for the feedback

REiscussion board posting

I go on this listing:
1. Looks
2. Menu
3. Donation
4. Personality

I hit a home run on my first time. Perused BP for the body rubs. Looked for someone who claimed they could give a legit massage and also had what looked to me as a gorgeous smile. She and I were both right - her in her claims and me in my assessment. I love being right.

Be nice.  Bong water is beyond gross.  Lol.