Thanks for your insight. I'm getting a better understand, but don't think I'm trying to 'argue'.
I understand the "times are tough", but it seems hard to believe that it's true. Not that what YOU'RE saying isn't true, but it seems like the tough times were just a temporary thing between 2009-2012. Looking back, things are worse now for me, than even in the 'official' recession. In my local area, they talk about how things are booming, jobs are being added, and people are flocking to move here, and rents are soaring. But I haven't seen a single iota of increase in business. If anything, it's just gotten worse over the last 2-3 years, and especially the last 6-8 months. I don't understand how that's possible, unless it's the wrong jobs being added and wrong people moving in.
As for being haggled, I say it because I've experienced that when I was first going to new, underserved cities, I could charge whatever I want, and get it. But I noticed when Denver started getting the increase in certain 'types' of escorts, the rates started being haggled down. Just last night, I had to regulate on a client for the last time. He's seen me 3 times, but yet for the past several months, he hits me up only to complain about my rate or cancel out on me. When I showed him a link to my ad, and he says, "I've seen you for less, so I need to think about it." I had to tell him straight up, you complain about $50 extra, when I already told you from the start, that it would be discounted every OTHER session."
It just gets on my tits when these guys know I'm good, but they say things to make me feel like I'm not worth what I ask for. And it's not like I'm even asking that much to begin with. I could charge $300/hr, but I know that won't get me any business locally. But I know I can get it, because I've gotten it in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and DC, and even in Denver it's not out of the normal. Thing is, I just can't save up any money to move to those places, and I need more than 1 or 2 $300/hr bookings per month.