Originally started by Laurisa on Stripper Web 09/29/11
Okay ladies, I'm a little high on Vicodin because my knee is killing me (I got a hairline fracture and tore my MCL five months ago), so I'm in a loving mood and I'm extremely bored. I decided to write up some tips about strip clubs, and I may elaborate on some ideas for hustling as I write.
Here are some general tips for almost all strip clubs:
1.) Approach everyone, be genuine, have a positive energy
2.) Never appear bored, sullen, lonely, depressed, or angry (except Mediocrity)
3.) Don't lounge with customers too long, they'll expect your time for free if you waste too much of it sitting at the table. 1-3 songs depending on how fast the hustle is at your club.
4.) Never become intoxicated, high, or otherwise disoriented. It will hurt your business and make you look vulnerable to customers.
5.) If you are new, milk it. Tell customers you are new there (even if you have danced for years at other clubs) and that you are excited to have your first lap dance with them.
6.) Tip people who can make your life easier. You don't have to tip the creepy cleaner that looks ready to kill everyone if he has never said a word to you, but be sure to show your appreciation to the DJ, bouncer, and other staff who interact with you regularly and help your business.
7.) Be friendly to management, but not too friendly. Try to keep your relationship with them as professional as possible. Bringing your manager coffee once a week is a nice gesture, I do that with my manager. You'll be shocked at the favors you get when you surprise management with nice tokens of appreciation.
8.) Try to make friends with top earners. Their persistence, work ethic, and hustling skills will rub off on you--I promise.
9.) Bum the DJ a cigarette when he needs one. I have never seen a DJ allowed to leave the premises during their shift, and if they are low on smokes offer them one. That's a quick way to make friends with the DJ. If you are running to get fast food on break you can offer to buy them a burger too.
10.) Keep your area of the dressing room CLEAN. Clean up q-tips, gum wrappers, tampon strings, and put everything away when you are done using it. Other dancers SHARE the space with you, and you will make friends faster if you don't interfere with what they need to do.
11.) Always return to a customer when he says to come back later. If he keeps making excuses, move on. A good hustler knows when to call it quits.
12.) FIND A WAY TO RELATE TO YOUR CUSTOMER. If he sells carpet then you tell him that you are looking to have some carpet laid over your hardwood floors. Ask him for a recommendation. Alternatively you can talk about how your Uncle lays carpet for a living and that he is a hard worker. Stroke their ego, make them feel important. I don't care how boring the topic, or if you have to lie to relate to them, make them feel special and fake that "connection".
13.) Following up on point #12, DON'T GET CAUGHT IN A LIE. If you are conversational in French, don't tell them you are taking your certification for translation services next week. You never know when you'll run into someone who is knowledgeable in the topic you're discussing--then you'll look like an idiot and lose the sale.
14.) Include little details about yourself that are TRUTHFUL. It is very difficult to fake a persona 100% of the time. If someone asks what you do for fun, and you don't want to tell them your life story, you can tell them about how you were on the track team in high school and that you are an avid runner in your free time. If you have a weird habit, SHARE IT. People are more receptive to you when you share quirky habits. It makes you seem more human.
15.) Make up a fake nickname for yourself. This is very important. Studies have shown that on dating websites and in speed dating scenarios (which is essentially what we do with our customers) that people who share their nickname that they are known by friends and family are more likely to be perceived as honest. My stage name is Laurisa, so I tell people that my friends call me Laura.
16.) Being personal is key. If you have trouble coming up with things to say on the fly then try to come up with 5 one-liners that you can use to open up a conversation and cycle between them. If you say the same thing over and over it can make you sound like a robot. You want AND need customers to perceive you as honest. Honesty is key to making the sale. Human psychology has proven time and time again that people will buy from salesmen that seem honest. Trust is a huge factor in making a sale. The reason for this is because people tend to blindly follow the ideas and suggestions of people they trust. If someone trusts you then they will not ponder an idea (like buying a lap dance/CR/VIP) as intensely as they would if they distrusted you. You want customers to be in "automatic" mode versus "logical mode". Strip and Grow Rich discusses that concept more, buy Dancerwealth if you want to learn more about that.
17.) Use subliminal messaging. Brush your hand across your chest, nibble on your lip subtly, bat your eyelashes quickly, smile a big grin--FLAUNT YOUR ASSETS. You can phrase a question as a statement to encourage people to buy from you. "You're ready for a lap dance now, right?", or "You want to do a second song, don't you?".
18.) Accept failure with grace. Walk away from tables that you have been rejected from at a normal pace, don't run or speed walk as if you are running from a murderer. People will pick up on the fact that you dislike rejection. You have to act as if you are there to have fun, not there to make $1,000. Smile politely and touch their shoulder as if you have just finished a conversation and are leaving on your terms--not because you were rejected. Other customers are always watching and someone is bound to see you stomp off with a scowl.
19.) Don't gossip god damn it. If you don't like Mary Jane's dance moves then discuss it privately with a dancer friend when you are at her house. Don't bring drama to work. Be really careful who you discuss personal problems with, girls will share it with other girls and it will get back to customers. You don't want your customer finding out about your baby daddy/child support drama, do you?
20.) You are ALWAYS having a great night. If a girl uses the "how's your night going" (aka how much money have you made?) then say "oh, I'm doing great tonight, how about you?". If she says she's doing poorly then compliment something about her and continue on your way.
21.) Know your audience. If your audience isn't there then re-think your approach and make the sale. If you have a complete aversion to customers and no one good is there to hustle, head to the dressing room for five minutes (no more than five), touch up your make up, fix your hair, and change your underwear. Go back upstairs, grab a drink (even a soda is fine), and sit down with someone so you appear busy. If there is no one you can reasonably sit with, talk to a bouncer, the DJ, a manager, the cleaner, the bartender, etc. Make small talk, appear busy.
22.) When in doubt, grab another girl and head out. If there is a packed club and you and most of the other girls can't make a sale, try grabbing a dancer you know and double hustling for a couple songs. Two girls can divide and conquer a group of four easier than one. There is a lesser chance they will make rude jokes, and more often than not they will agree to a double dance. Make sure you ask the dancer ahead of time what she charges for dances and how much touching she is OK with (if any).
23.) Maintain your look. Have your hair cut, nails neatly trimmed, clean outfits, shoes in good condition, fresh make up on, and your teeth brushed. This is a no brainer.
24.) Take a break when you need one. Did a guy just insult you? Did a customer touch you inappropriately? Someone throw a quarter at you on stage? Go smoke a cigarette or suck on a lollipop downstairs or outside. Take your ten minutes that you need to recoup. Don't think about what happened. Get on your cell phone and check facebook, send your pen pal an e-mail, read a book, check tomorrow's weather, watch a funny youtube video, look at pictures of your kids. Get your mind in a happy place and then re-enter the work scene with a fresh attitude.
25.) If you're burnt out, you're burnt out. Take one day off. ONE day, it will make you feel better. So often do we feel trapped, lonely, and alone because of our lack of support. If you are burnt out then take one day off, and either stay home and have a wonderful night alone (or with your SO) watching movies/doing something fun, or have a blast going out with friends. Make it a day that is the complete opposite of work, everything you need it to be.
26.) Plan a vacation at least once a year. Give yourself the OK to relax, and it can't be a work related vacation. I don't care where the vacation is, or who you go with, just make sure it is fun for you and that you can afford it. Nothing is worse than taking a vacation you can't afford and having to work 5x as hard to compensate when you go back to work. Try to make a definitive date for the vacation so you can count down the days to your relaxation.
27.) Save your money. If you make $100/night then save $25. If you make $400/night then save $100. If you make $1000/night then save $250. Try to save 25% of what you make OR MORE. If you have trouble saving then 25% of what you make is a reasonable starting point. Don't save less than 10% of what you make or your efforts will seem pointless and you will give up. Have a goal for your savings. A rainy day fund is great, but for starters you can do something like this: say "I'm going to save $5,000, and when I hit $5,000 then I will spend $1,000 on furniture".
28.) Think of your bank account/cash on hand as your net worth. It pretty much is, but really think of it that way. Print out a FORBES magazine cover and put a picture of yourself on there. Work toward a high net worth. This will encourage you to save.
29.) Gently touch customers when you sit with them. Studies have shown that physical contact is important. Premature babies in poverty-stricken countries can survive by laying on a woman's skin naked for several hours a day. This regulates their body temperature and helps control their heart rate. It's called Kangaroo Care, look it up. My son was premature. Men don't have the ability to regulate a human's body temperature, but women do. Try to touch their bare skin, such as their hand, neck, etc. It is more effective than touching their sweater which is covering their arm.
30.) Imagine you are talking to your boyfriend/husband/love interest/make someone up that you want to sleep with. Get that sparkle going in your eye. Envision them next to you and project your feelings of love, admiration, and desire for closeness onto the customer. They will receive your energy and the experience will seem more authentic for them.
I hope this helps!
-Laurisa