Does customer service really matter?

Have you ever had a bad customer service experience from a business in the service industry? Almost all of us has at one point or another.

Think back to an experience you had that was particularly bad. I'm sure you can still remember that experience pretty vividly, even now. You probably didn't even go back to that business for a while--if at all. You even made it a point to tell your friends about it.

Well, the same thing applies to your strip club, or chain of clubs! What if a customer was treated rudely by one of your employees? What happens to the money he was going to spend? Is he going to tell others about it?

Today's topic is going to detail the importance of customer service. Being in the service industry, upscale gentlemen's clubs should have a mission of providing the best possible experience for guests, employees, and talent alike. But is customer service all that important in the world of strip clubs? Does it really matter? After all, having a cabaret license is almost like gold in many jurisdictions--you can get away with a lot if you're the only game in town.

Here are just a few good reasons why customer service matters:

Competition. It is important to understand that your club is selling essentially the same thing that your competitors are selling, and you need every method of differentiating your product as much as possible. You never know if that 30-something guy you were rude to last night is looking for a new place to have bachelor parties for him and his friends, or perhaps a new home for after work happy hours for clients. Don't miss out on lost revenue just because someone had a bad night!

Reputation. Many clubs erroneously believe that by virtue of being a strip club, they can address guests any way they'd wish. But the strip club sub-culture is rather small. Most of your customers have visited competing clubs in your city, and these customers share information with each other about which clubs to avoid. Fortunately, the reverse is also true--customers tend to look out for one another and will share information on good clubs as well. Certain upscale clubs even have guests make dedicated trips to fly in just to be entertained at their specific club. This is the type of clientele you need!

Perception. Customer service is very much applicable to the way your coworkers and clients interact with each other. No one wants to be around negative coworkers, and especially negative strippers! This energy does eventually transfer to the guests. Your staff members are a direct reflection of your business, so keep this in mind when hiring new employees and recruiting new talent. Having a good attitude is half the battle!

Branding. Corporate chains need to be especially wary of their customer service practices. If you run a nationwide chain of strip clubs and a guest has a bad experience at one of your clubs in, say, California, that customer is going to avoid every other club around the country that's affiliated with yours because your chain will be associated with bad customer service. Maintain a strong brand image by doing it right the first time and every time.

In our next blog post, we'll give you some simple customer service tips you can use right away at your club!

The Three Main Types of Gentlemen's Clubs: High-End, Mid-Tier, & Downscale

As frequent guests of gentlemen’s clubs all around the United States, we here at Cabaret Marketing Group can attest to the diversity inherent in our business with regards to talent, clientele, and more. 

Many people outside of the strip club industry, however, don’t seem to have a clear understanding of how the business works, and they like to label our business as monolithically as possible—which couldn’t be farther from the truth!

There are three main buckets that gentlemen’s clubs fall into: high-end, mid-tier, and downscale. In this post, we’ll be discussing the characteristics that clubs in each of these buckets tend to have. Some bars won’t fall exactly into a single bucket; they might have aspects of two buckets, or—in rare cases—all three!

HIGH-END

High-end gentlemen’s clubs:

• represent 15 percent of all clubs
• get 50 percent of strip club traffic
• get 50 percent of the dollars
• tend to be bigger, have more overhead, and higher costs of doing business
• are often corporate-owned, which may present more consistency in terms of branding
• independent, or non-chain, clubs in the high-end bucket can be a bit more laid-back compared to their corporate-owned counterparts
• are less reliant on regulars and advertise heavily for this reason
• attract a sophisticated, discerning type of customer who value aesthetics and are willing to pay a premium for it
• typically offer upscale amenities such as valet parking, premium sound, etc.
• are found only in major metropolitan areas or markets that experience heavy tourism

MID-TIER

Mid-tier gentlemen’s clubs:

• represent 35 percent of all clubs
• get 35 percent of strip club traffic
• get 35 percent of the dollars
• are typically well-known clubs that have a neighborhood feel, and are usually less upscale than the high-end bars
• will offer some of the same amenities as the high-end clubs, such as meal service and reserved seating
• are more reliant on regular customers than high-end clubs, but less so than downscale clubs
• are the most diverse  in terms of clientele and have a tendency to be make everyone feel welcome
• often run more promotions and specials compared to high-end clubs
• can often be found in medium-sized to larger cities, but usually not small towns 
• tend to be independent and not corporate-owned
• represent the prime target for corporate acquisition, branding, and franchising within the next 10 to 15 years

DOWNSCALE

Downscale gentlemen’s clubs: 

• represent 50 percent of all clubs
• get 15 percent of strip club traffic
• get 15 percent of the dollars
• tend to have a blue-collar, hangout vibe which represents a large part of their appeal for most customers
• may operate within a variety of niche categories and themes
• rely heavily on regular customers and may have limited advertising resources
• are found all over the country, from rural areas to small towns to larger cities
• can be very lucrative for their owners as they don’t have the overhead that the mid-tier and high-end clubs have to deal with
• are almost always independently owned and operated

As you can see, the strip club business is far more diverse than people give it credit for!

Now that you know which bucket your club falls into, understand that the effectiveness of the marketing tactics you use to boost your bottom line will depend heavily on the category that your club belongs to. What might work for your competitors may not work for you, and vice versa.

Get in touch with Cabaret Marketing Group today and we’ll tailor a custom strategy specific to your business in order to make your club as profitable as possible.

Remember to follow us on Twitter at @CabaretMG. For inquires, contact us at cabaretmarketinggroup@gmail.com.

The importance of valet parking

Valet parking is an important aspect of the upscale gentlemen's club. Today's clubs are about creating the strongest possible experience for your employees, your talent, and your guests. If you are not utilizing valet parking services at your strip club, you are missing out!

Today, we're going to cover why valet parking is critical to your club's success. There are many reasons why your club should take advantage of valet parking aside from providing an additional revenue stream for your business. Here are a few of the more common reasons:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS 
Valets are the very first people your guests and talent are going to interact with. When customers and prospective dancers drive up to your bar (or arrive in a taxi), their first impressions are going to be solidified by their interactions with the valet--not the property, not the landscaping, not the stage talent, not the interior, not the atmosphere, not the door girls, etc.

Creating a solid first impression right out of the gate is going to demonstrate to a prospective guest or dancer that your club is the real deal, and this will give them the confidence that they're going to have a fantastic time! It will also give prospective talent the impression that your club attracts the best possible clientele.

REINFORCEMENT
Having mandatory valet parking demonstrates to guests that your club is an upscale establishment and that generous tipping and spending is to be expected. It's important to have that reality conveyed quickly and efficiently, and the presence of a valet does an excellent job of doing this.

SECURITY
The most important responsibility that a valet has is protecting the property of the guests, staff, and dancers. Because of restrictive zoning regulations and licensing issues, many strip clubs are often located in locations that are sparsely populated. Further complicating things is the fact that eighty percent of your business takes place from 7pm to 3am.

So...expensive vehicles + after dark + few people around + no security = gold mine for criminals!

If nothing else, valets give added peace of mind and help to keep your property secure.

AMENITIES
In areas that experience harsh climates, such as in the Midwest, valets can also assist with warming up cars and clearing snow from vehicles. Small gestures like this are often the difference between a guest coming to your club or your competitor across the street when he's ready to return next week.

Of course, many guests and dancers have mixed opinions on the usefulness of valet parking. Whenever you hear those types of comments, though, be sure to remind them of the above points to help frame their thinking about it. Remember, perception is reality! The most important thing that you have to remember over anything else is that clubs are mainly selling an experience.

If the usage of valet parking is cost prohibitive to your club because of insurance or other reasons, understand that there are many ways to structure the financial arrangement. You can also sub-contract the valet services to outside companies.

The next post in this series will explain why the type of valet you use is equally as important as the presence of a valet.

Contact Cabaret Marketing Group today if you would like more information on how to implement valet parking at your club or to utilize a better valet parking strategy! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at @CabaretMG and on Facebook at facebook.com/cabaretmg.