Pros contacting non-pros first

I recently had a pro @kjoy82 contact me. I don't think it is professional to be doing this. I don't think it is appropriate for a pro to contact you about a "sale" until you contact them. I did respond by simply saying I am not interested in a "pro" for cuddling. But @Mark is this something that you allow or not?

pmvines

I have been contacted by a few paid cuddlers. Not to offer services, more so just to say hello and to make small talk. Which I don't mind, I think its smart business acumen to network and make connections. The ones who contacted me weren't in my area even, so its not like I could have booked even if they wanted me to. One of the paid cuddlers has turned out to be a best friend now, so I'm really glad she reached out to me.

quietman775

@navyvet76, I'd have a hard time believing there is some kind of rule against it. And IMHO, there's nothing inherently unprofessional about it. Labeling it "inappropriate" seems like a bit of an overreaction. Pro cuddling is a business. I'm not aware of any business in any field where the marketing plan consists entirely of waiting for potential customers to reach out to them. Most businesses prospect proactively, because the ones that don't usually don't survive. That's why you get junk mail, and junk email, and telemarketing calls from businesses of all sorts. Flyers under you windshield wiper blades. People who aren't interested in receiving these can unsubscribe from email lists, join the Do Not Call registry, throw out their junk mail unopened, and toss the flyers unread.

Think of it this way: This is a site where people have self-identified as being interested in cuddling. How can it be inappropriate for the cuddle providers to say hello to the members? You can always do just what you did --- say "no, thank you." If it really bothers you, I would suggest putting a politely worded "no professionals please" on your profile, which would largely eliminate any unwanted outreach from pros to you.

I actually appreciate getting the outreach. I had a great session with a NYC pro who reached out to me first. I have pros waiting for me to book when I go to CA in the Spring because they reached out to me. I'm glad they did, and I definitely wouldn't want such a harmless gesture to be prohibited.

To me it is like telemarketing and I have blocked her.

pmvines

Maybe I see it a bit differently as I have no illusions of not likely really meeting anyone on here as nobody really is in AL. So in that regard I am on here more so to goof off a little and make some online friends. If we get to meet one day great, otherwise I'm ok with what I have. I am also not really interested in a paid cuddler, though I know a lot of them on here and some I speak with outside of the site. I don't really mind them reaching out to me first for I'm a bit shy anyway, and I'm looking for friendship above all. Some are happy to be friends with the knowledge that I will not be a customer, whereas others aren't. Either way no real skin off my back.

quietman775

Understood. While it was unlikely that she would have reached out a second time after you told her you don't see pros, blocking is probably the easiest way to assure yourself of that.

Mark

It's allowed for now but that's not a solid position. It's just not much of an issue right now as there haven't really been any complaints and from what I've noticed most Pros don't outreach.

Morpheus

I don't see that as a big deal at all and I don't think you should have put her name out there like that. I think you should have either asked Mark privately or if you were going to ask on the forum, left her name out of it especially considering, she's broken no rules.

Sorry you think that but I think it was out of line. If a person puts in their profile not looking for pros and is still contacted by one to see if I want a session, I feel that is not appropriate.

quietman775

@navyvet76, does your profile in fact say that you are not looking for pros? I just visited your profile and did not see that. If I'm not seeing it, maybe she didn't see it either. If it's not there, her only "crime" was doing something that irritated you --- but not breaking a rule, and not even doing something she had any way of knowing you wouldn't like. It may be true that your search parameters are set to exclude pros, but there is no way for other members to know what your search parameters are. If it's important to you not to be contacted by pros, you need to say so in your "About" paragraph of descriptive text.

I don't think anyone can fault you for your preferences. It's just that your response to her outreach seems unduly harsh.

Morpheus

I have to agree with @quietman775 and still feel that she shouldn't have been called out on the forum considering she broke no rules. A bad opinion of someone can easily be made about someone based on what someone else says about them on a forum.

Mike403

Where in your profile does it say you're not seeking pros? Maybe I need better glasses.

mellow

Nope, I don't see it either.
And I have been contacted a few times in the past mostly to say hello and to offer services other times. I don't see anything wrong with that, I just say hello and move on, unless I am interested and then communication begins.

Mike403

I hate to be blunt, but I think the OP's post is juvenile at best. There is absolutely no reason to put someone on blast like that just because you were contacted by someone you weren't interested in. You can either politely respond with a no thank you or not respond at all and move on with your day.

It is no different than telemarketing. Should not be done in my opinion. I guess i edited my profile and forgot it was not on thrre. But it is not something I want to do.

It is on there and all nearby pros are blocked be nice if you had an option to block all pros at once.

@navyvet76 I totally disagree with the telemarketing thing. Telemarketing is doing cold calls to random people. Contacting people on a cuddling site as a paid person asking if they are interested in the professional side isn't telemarketing at all. The online version of telemarketing would exactly mirror the situations of phone telemarketing, just online.

tbh I was wondering about how people get business - is there a section of the board? Is Cuddle Requests for that too, or just people looking for cuddle buddies unpaid?

After thinking about this for a bit - because I honestly think your thinking/reaction on it is weird unless she kept messaging you - do you perhaps have negative thoughts about professional cuddling? People that provide it as a service? This isn't an accusation and everyone on this site isn't here to pay so it's a possibility.

Advertising. Marketing. Reaching out. Call it whatever you want but it's an essential business tactic.

As a business you need to let people know you exist.

I'd never heard of Forks & Chopsticks Gourmet Chinese Restaurant. I received one of their flyers in the mail and now I order from them at least twice a month. Kung Pao Tofu...zomgzzzzzzzz

quietman775

I believe that most cuddle pros are waiting for business to come to them. They are hoping they show up in people's search results, and that someone will contact them as a result. More reactive than proactive. I agree with @chococuddles; those that truly view it as a business will think of some way to proactively let people know they are here.

One very mild-mannered marketing approach is to do what you just did, @Tera: participate in conversations on the forums. People who see your posts will often click through to see the profile behind it. (I just did!) You can also send Friend requests to forum participants whose postings you routinely like, and to local people whose profiles you like.

I don't think most guys here object to a pro sending a PM to say hello. I know I don't. Even if I'm not in a hurry to book with a particular pro, I don't mind chatting. I had a great session with the first pro I ever met here, a young lady from NYC, and it only happened because she reached out to me after seeing that I had visited her profile. So if you do some "soft" outreach, I think you'll find negative reactions as strong as OP's to be the exception rather than the rule.

Mark

@Tera

I was wondering about how people get business

It's normal to wait for members to contact you. It depends on the area but outreach is often unnecessary.

poolman

@tera - did u get started?