Slow Season For Cuddles?

1Sweetheart_1Sweetheart_
edited March 21 in Pro Cuddling

Ive been logging in more frequently, lowered my rate, changed my pictures and profile and still am not getting any new requests for booking. 😿 Staying hopeful for new cuddles

Professionals are not permitted to advertise on the General or Professional Cuddling boards and this post is borderline. However, the conversation has broadened into a discussion of why cuddling volumes may be down so I'm going to let it rest.
Remember to keep it cuddling related and don't stray into politics. @CuddleDuncan

Comments

  • RomeoSapRomeoSap

    Ain't nothing wrong with your profile except distance. Stay positive

  • rosejerryrosejerry

    Perhaps with higher gas prices and stock market being down, people are just more tight with money? Seems like more job and economic uncertainty now since Covid. I’ve heard other cuddlers mention a slow down as well. Lowering your rate probably won’t make much difference?

  • DinnerSpoonDinnerSpoon

    Recession indicator lol

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    Spring time can be slow in some areas - people still recovering financially from the holidays, saving up for summer trips, etc. Then there's life just being busier.

    Being active in the forums can help get more eyes on your profile. Logging in at least once a day, more if possible, keeps you towards the top of the list in your area for recents/online. You can also try building word of mouth business, get referrals from previous clients, attend local cuddle events to network, etc.

  • coolrunnings12coolrunnings12

    I’m not really an active cuddler these days, but I still enjoy the forums and community. I can say despite having a pretty decent salary as a psych nurse, times are challenging and the economic landscape feels very unpredictable at the moment. I’m really prioritizing the most important spending to come first

  • disneysamuraidisneysamurai

    I’ve had to cut back on some cuddles and even cancel/postpone some I had prebooked. I’m having the same issue with dog sitting with clients not booking as frequently as they used to.

  • HuggycatbearHuggycatbear

    This year alone in America our healthcare premiums have doubled or tripled.

  • beaublissbeaubliss

    I would say that the area in which you live just may not have an active cuddling community. If you considered traveling to another place for a weekend, you may find your profile would be quite appealing :)

  • cozycuddler4youcozycuddler4you

    Curious what is the average weekly number of bookings sitewide? And does it fluctuate seasonally? It is stated on the site that there are over 600,000 members; how many members book appts and at what frequency? Any data that could be shared would be helpful for pros on the site.

  • LadyVelLadyVel

    Saw several companies letting hundreds or even over a 1k people go...

    My work just let go of a bunch too.

  • Smiley_BountySmiley_Bounty

    It’s a hard time to be soft~🧸 The economic struggles are real, and the need for connection and being seen remains, keep being cuddly ⭐️

  • jonnyquestjonnyquest

    I had a potential session this coming weekend that I had to cancel due to the fact that my job cut my hours from a 5-day work week to a 4-day work week.. While I can still pay the bills cuddling is going to have to take a back seat for a while until either the economy gets better or I find another job.. I'm pretty sure a lot of people are in the same boat I'm in.Paying the mortgage and paying the bills are a lot more important right now..

  • CarrieCACarrieCA
    edited May 14

    Thank you for starting this discourse.
    It’s been like pulling teeth.
    I have the same amount of views of my profile, if not more than I was getting when I was getting booked regularly, but it’s come to a near standstill and I’m getting burnt out and vocally annoyed.
    Just started picking up traction this week.
    Jan-March I was lucky to get one booking the whole month and about 75% of my bookings cancel same day and refuse to pay a flake fee.
    I’ve changed my photo each week, omitted nearly all of my rules, condensed my profile, restructured it, lowered my pricing and have a promotion, and I message every person that visits my profile to get the conversation started.

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    I would not remove the rules from your profile. You probably don’t want to create more problems for yourself by accepting badly behaved clients due to desperation.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    Everyone I know is reprioritizing their spending. Prices are surging everywhere; I’m sure discretionary spending here reflects that trend also. Regardless of the importance of what cuddling can offer.

    I’d echo @Carrie_Anne ; please keep to your vetting processes and clear rules to keep yourself healthy and safe.

  • beaublissbeaubliss

    Wow! Most comments assume that a downturn in business is due to some kind of "slow time for cuddles".....instead of looking at various business models that no longer work.

    When a teacher encounters listless students, or notice a lack of engagement....or restlessness, they often blame the students....instead of looking at the lessons they brought and ponder whether they can do a better job or not.

    It's not that different for pro cuddlers. Do not assume it's a bad season for attracting new clients, even though it may be. Instead, look at your business.....I'll list a few things that I believe make a huge difference between the consistently highly successful pros and the others:

    1) Messaging.....for me, the #1 area that virtually all pros can improve upon
    2) Photos.....do you have too few? Too many? Do you change them up? Do they accurately portray who the client meets?
    3) Pricing....are you priced competitively in your market? Do you offer discounts for returning clients or longer sessions?
    4) Description.....is your profile inviting for new clients? Have you sought out others advice, especially from men?
    5) Standing out.....is there something about you and your sessions that separate you from your competition?
    6) Travel.....have you considered weekend trips to other areas to create new regulars?

    We can think like we are victims of circumstances, or we can be creative and imaginative as regards our own transformation. It's a choice :)

  • cozycuddler4youcozycuddler4you

    @beaubliss agree with you that it is important to improve internal/controllable factors like profile content and communication. Also important to consider external factors like economic conditions and current consumer habits. It is not one or the other. The value of a message board like this is to discuss challenges with others in the community to see if it's a trader trend or isolated issue. Would be great if the site would provide users (or at least pros) aggregated metrics like messaging volume and booking volume to determine conversation rates and understand trends over time.

    (I'd argue that the teacher in your example would benefit from a comprehensive approach, as well. It is lazy to assign "blame" to one thing, whether the student or the teaching method. Could be many other factors impacting the student like food insecurity, friend group problems, family turmoil, etc.)

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne
    edited May 18

    I wonder if the number of new members is a factor, new Pros would result in more competition. But I also imagine there are far more potential Clients joining per month than Pros.

  • cozycuddler4youcozycuddler4you

    ^^ would be great to know. Any amount of site would help pros engage more effectively. In the forums I hear more complaints about pros not responding than too many pros to choose from … but hard to know without access to relevant data.

  • Velvet_HeartVelvet_Heart

    @cozycuddler4you

    I was actually thinking about starting a discussion on this very topic.

    Over the past month, my business has slowed down dramatically—almost like night and day compared to before. I have a couple of theories, although I'm not sure if either one is correct.

    First, I've been a pro on this site for about six months now, and I wonder if the novelty of being the "new girl" has simply worn off.

    Second, I live in Arizona, where just about everything slows down during the summer months (except A/C companies and swimming pools!). Many locals leave town to escape the heat, and summer definitely isn't our peak tourist season.

    That said, I'm curious whether other pros across the country are experiencing a similar slowdown, or if this is more of a local issue. Professional cuddling is currently my sole source of income, so the decline has been challenging.

    I'm planning to lower my hourly rate to see if that helps generate more bookings. However, I've tried reducing my rates before and didn't notice much of a difference. I also recently calculated the average rates for pros in my area, and I'm already pretty much in line with the local market.

    Wishing you lots of positive vibes and hoping things pick up for you soon as well! 🙏🤞☺️

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    In the first year I was a Pro here, I kept very busy with sessions several times a week. I definitely didn’t expect that at all. I had very low expectations going into this honestly so it was a nice surprise. But going into the second year it dropped to just a few a month if I remember correctly. I do believe being new is a factor. There’s also so much more competition now.

  • Dcuddler4UDcuddler4U
    edited June 27

    As the cost of living goes up, the disposable income of clients go down.

    At the same time as the cost goes up, the need for women to take side hustle jobs also goes up.

    So you have clients with less money to spend and more and more women coming on as pro. There is a much fierce competition for every dollar.

    Looking at my budget right now, I am far less likely to try someone new, and even my regulars I have to cut back on how often I see them.

  • MsCinderellaMsCinderella

    I noticed it too but I also am moving and I told my clients and those that I've communicated with this so I don't know if that's why or something else.

  • Velvet_HeartVelvet_Heart

    Whew... it's a relief to know it's not just me, although I'm definitely not happy that others are struggling too.

    I expected business to slow down once summer arrived, especially here in Arizona, but I never imagined it would be this significant. Over the past couple of months, I'd estimate my business has declined by about 85%. Lately, I've been averaging only one or two clients a week. Since this is currently my sole source of income, it's been incredibly stressful.

    That said, I lowered my hourly rate by 25% last week, and this week my bookings have increased dramatically. I'm not sure whether it's a coincidence or if the lower rate is truly making the difference—only time will tell. Either way, I'm incredibly grateful to see things picking back up!

  • NewEverythingWDNewEverythingWD

    It's too damn hot for cuddles ToT

  • Velvet_HeartVelvet_Heart

    I keep my AC at 60 degrees so no excuses! Lol

  • disneysamuraidisneysamurai

    Like I mentioned, it’s the same thing with dog sitting. This year I’m projected to make about half of what I made last year. Clients are cancelling their trips or are either getting friends/family members to watch their pets or are just bringing the pets with them on their trips.

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