“How do you get customers to stay in VIP so long?”

A few years back I had a colleague ask me this, and it kind of blew my mind.

Because her stage performances were awesome, she was super friendly, and stunning.

But she was still struggling in this area.

Why were customers still holding off on staying in VIP rooms with her for multiple hours? 

Well, it’s because they’re different skillsets!

Your presentation, your stage skills, and your communication skills are all different ways you can make income..

And being great at one isn’t a guarantee you’ll be great at the other!

Now, I don’t want to be mistaken for braggadocious...because a stage performer I am NOT. And while my work look is put together, I am not the most stylish person in my everyday life. 

However, getting customers to VIP is something I’ve had a lot of practice doing and I seek out clubs where this is the primary skillset on display. 

And while there are tons of ways to get it right, if this is a stopping point in your income at the club, here are some tips that may help you get more wins on the floor:

Identify what you’re selling

What is it that your customers get for their money? 

And don’t tell me “a fun time” or “a dance” or “more privacy.”

Sure, that’s what he gets.  But he can also get that with any other dancer at your club.

 

I mean what does he get when he buys from YOU?

 

What’s the unique experience you’re selling?

What can you do with one hour...much less 5 hours together?

And by the way, what can you do with that time within your boundaries? 

 

If you can answer that question clearly for yourself, you’re going to get a lot more mileage out of VIP.  

And if you can’t yet answer this question, I encourage you to take advantage of my FREE list of 50 Ideas for Things to Do In VIP here.

While having plenty of ideas is great, the good news is you only need to do 2-3 things really well to DRASTICALLY improve your VIP sales and renewals.

So, what is it that you’re selling? 

Before you sell it, buy it yourself

I know, I know, cheesy.

But it’s true! 

You will get pushback, and objections, and rejection, and doubt…

And if you can’t overcome them, you can’t make the sale! 

So, when I say buy it yourself, I don’t just mean believing in yourself, or affirming yourself, or hyping yourself up (which are all good too, by the way). 

What I mean by “buy it yourself” is to start practicing your responses to all the common objections and excuses customers will give you not to spend.

Show up completely sold on what you’re selling and ready to answer their questions.

You must be ready to tell them why they should buy and be confident that what you’re offering is exactly what they need in their life.

Which, by the way, means you’ll need to... 

Change up your lines

Do you know what every customer hears, multiple times every night?

“Hibabydoyouwannahavesomefun/wantadance/hihowsyourday?”

After a while, you’re going to sound like a broken record to your customer... 

Like every other entertainer that has approached them.

Like a big blog of text that blends into the rest of their day.

Like something that won’t capture their attention or make them change their course of action.

If you want your customers to pay attention to you, pay attention to what you say.

From your first approach to your closing lines, you have so many options to upsell and connect with your customers!

Give your customers a reason to buy from you by stepping up your lines. 

By the way, if this sounds like a lot of work, consider... 

Not Preparing is MORE work

Getting thrown off your game by easy objections (like “it costs too much!”, “what happens in the back?”) is WORK.

Missing out on great tips because you’re not sure about how to ask is WORK.

And walking through the room again and again because you think can only connect with 1 or 2 customers in the room (while missing out on all the other ones) is a ton of work!

Instead of avoiding work or settling for less, the last tip I’ll drop here is…

Face the music

Every single customer will tell you no. 

There will be no perfect customer.

Even the best customer will have a spending limit and a time they leave the club.

And the worst thing a terrible customer can pay you is $0.  

Most customers you interact with may pay you $0, but it’s not about them! They are only extras in your story.

Your goal is to find supporting characters that will be happy to pay for the privilege of your time and company.

And you will find them so much faster once you stop being afraid of rejection! 

The single best way to find more customers, to learn more lessons, and to earn more income, is to get excited about rejection! Yes - EXCITED! 

I promise you that rejection is something you can train your brain to love.

And once you do, you’re going to see better results.