Quote:
Originally Posted by CarlaHollandStrange
I am trying to figure out what to do when things are so slow I cant pay room rent? or Eat? In the last 2 weeks I have had 4 calls total. It is so hard for me to tour because I am one that needs roots and a steady home base. But this is getting to be such a serious problem that I cry alot.
I love my work and that is why I always back out of retiring, but what is the point of sticking if no one really wants to see you anyway. And reality is that there arent alot of guys lined up to white knight and come rescue a scarlet damsel in distress.
Hotel life sucks in that it cost everything you make just to keep a roof over your head and it takes so much that it is impossible to get enough money together to rent a real place.
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Honestly you have to think about this with a business mindset, if the phone isn't ringing sulking over your last penny isn't going to help the situation, when things get skinny it's time to take action.
There are two ways to make money, sell more to the same people or sell more to different people. Do you have repeat clients? If not the problem is value, defined by the quality of product and service divided by the cost (Product + Service)/ (Price) = Value. Improve the offerings or lower the price to acquire repeat clients.
Are you acquiring new clients? If not there are two determining factors, referrals and exposure. If the referrals aren't flowing in then look to the above paragraph; now this industry isn't one for word of mouth like the average business, but I think the referrals are reflected in the reviews. Secondly exposure is the means in which you advertise your offerings. This is a funny industry for advertising, it's flooded with fake pics, bogus adds, out of focus pictures etc. Some decent photographs can go a long way to entice a new buyer. Find more ways to advertise, either online adds, chatrooms, in person or through other media.
I won't approach pricing structure because I know that's a controversial topic, but I don't understand why most providers charger the prices they do for certain amounts of time...but that's another topic.
Anyway, the bottom line is you have to eat to live, and you eat what you kill. If this isn't paying the bills it's time to trim your living expenses and start finding alternative forms of income.