Standard Etiquette for Sex Work Advertising

I know this because we often have to contact people through their work phones and emails, and hear what their clients would hear. Some people also answer their phones while in our office and photo studio, and this is also a good opportunity to hear both "dos" and "don'ts" of the phone answering.

A short guide to making ad views into dates

Part 1:Your phone is YOU

written by Lovings Webmistress

Someone just saw your online ad. It's classy, well written, with hot hot photos you just got from your favorite glamour photographer. With a shortness of breath and a gleam in his eye, he dials your number to make a
date he just can't wait to get his hands on such a hottie who's also so reassuringly professional and articulate!

The phone rings...
And rings...
And rings...

• A loud blast of rap music keeps going and going till the length limit of the message, followed by a beep. Not a word from you.
  He hangs up and never calls you again.
  
• Your boyfriend/cousin/friend answers the phone in a deep R&B radio voice.
  He says that "his girl" is busy right now, but you can give him your phone number.
  He hangs up and never calls you again.
  
• A recorded message tells him that your voice mail is full and doesn't accept new messages. Same thing tomorrow and the next day. The entire week, in fact.
  He eventually gives up and never calls you again.
  
• A little old church lady answers and complains to him that people are constantly calling, and that she'll call police. Yes, you lost your cell phone again, or forgot to pay your cell phone bill, and the number is already reassigned.
  He hangs up, completely freaked out, and never calls you again, even when he eventually sees a new phone number in your ad.
  
• You answer the phone with "What d' ya want", sounding like he's inconvenienced you by being alive. A baby is crying in the background, and you interrupt the conversation to scream at it to shut up.
  He makes some lame excuse, hangs up and never calls again.
  
• Multiply by 50 to 150 for every day that your ad runs under a "What's new this week" section of an online escort guide, or in the local newspaper.
  
  That's 300 to 1000 potential dates you just lost in *one* week! In addition, everything you paid for the photographer, the make up artist, and your advertising just went down the drain.
  
• Your phone message and manners are your business face to the world, a first impression and you know that the first impressions are the most important ones. It's important that this impression be consistent with the image you present in your ads, and show you in the best possible light. People who call you are often nervous about it (even if they pretend they're not), and are ready to "bolt" on any signs of weirdness, flakiness or rudeness especially the ones who're not "players" or have more to lose; the stable, shy, well employed ones that would make great regulars, and are more likely to keep appointments and not haggle. Make their experience of leaving you a message pleasant, a start of their fantasy date, and the call will be much more likely to end in a meeting.
  
• Get a cell phone with a large voice mail box, and don't change the number often. Pay your phone bill on time, religiously. Every time your number is disconnected, you lose a good number of old clients and anyone who wrote down your phone number because they were not able to call you right away.
  
• If you're touring regularly, get a local phone number. Nowadays, you can get a cheap second or third local number anywhere in the US and Canada, that forwards the calls to your cell phone from a place like
  www.tossabledigits.com . It's funny, but the same gentleman who's prepared to pay $300 for an hour of fun will think twice about calling long distance... You can also give out this number only to the local clients
  you've already seen, as a courtesy and encouragement to contact you again when you're in the area.
  
• Check and delete your voice mail messages often, and, if you're on vacation, include a vacation notice and the date you'll be back in the greeting. Never let your voice mail fill up!
  
• Your voice mail greeting should be clear, friendly, sensual, reassuring and to the point. Your caller is interested in what you sound like and when can he expect a callback, not in what your favorite song is. Most
  importantly, he wants to know that he's leaving his phone number with you, not with a misdialed number!
  
• If you have more than one persona and don't want to use a particular name, at least let them know what phone number they reached. Sound relaxed, friendly, confident and nonthreatening. Make sure that there are no distracting sounds in the background of your recording (people shouting, babies crying). Always ask them to leave a message with information on what is a good time to call back and instructions on how discreet you need to be.
  
• Your message is also a good place to give out some additional important information or requirements (such as "Incall only, please" or "I'm looking forward to talking to you, but please note that my rates are
  nonnegotiable"), but keep it reasonably short and not too direct. Do NOT record detailed description of your services and techniques!
  
• If you're answering the phone in person, do it only when you're in a situation in which you won't have to sound hurried, nervous, or like you're in the middle of an Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day. Answering while you're shopping or preparing for a photo shoot is ok you can make it short, playful, and ask to be called back at the better time, or quickly jot down the caller's phone number. Saying "Hi, can you call me back in an hour, I'm shopping for some very sexy lingerie would you like me to model it for you tonight?" or "I'm getting some new hot photos right now, you'll see them on my web site in a few days; please call me back" is just fine :). Answering in a middle of a screaming fight with your mother is not.
  
• Remember - what you're really selling is a fantasy, pleasure and adventure, an escape from stress of your caller's daily life, guided by you, a professional sensual expert. This should be clear to your potential
  customer from the moment he dials your number. He needs to be reassured that he'll have a great time, your full attention, that no drama or harm would come his way, and know that you're a responsible professional and expect him to be a responsible, respectful adult too.