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OK - this is going to be a bit of a rambling post. I hope Patrick can tolerate a little bit of promotion as well. I log on to this site every 2 or 3 days and read for 30 minutes or so. Its a form of entertainment. Thanks Patrick ;-)
 First I want to say thanks to Calipro and Dominguin for posts that are never less than interesting and mostly very revealing.
To Dominguin I say "kudos for your intelligent posts - you are able to question and probe without being offensive. Also where you are coming from is a great place for the rest of us to try to get to".
To Calipro I say "amazing! you have been where others dream of going. You seem to have an almost bhuddist acceptance of what has happened to you - that's very admirable".

Now for those of you who remember - 6 weeks or so ago I said that I was setting up an agency in Ecuador. Well, it's almost presentable.
Skip on over to www.Latin-Women-Gold.com and have a look. But before you go - you should consider the following:-
a/ this is an ongoing project and everyone has to start somewhere.
b/ this has all been done on a very tight budget. If I had more money I would do things differently
c/ rather than copy other sites i've tried to come up with a few fresh ideas
d/ as of this posting I have 1 guy signed up to my newsletter and zero customers - so things can only move on up
e/ the women in Ecuador are not as pretty as the Calenas. But Hey! -where else has Calena's?

As well i'd like to ask for constructive and imaginative suggestions on how to do the following:-

increase the number of women on the site.
make more sales ( think laterally - what would open your eyes if you chanced upon a new site)
get the pricing deal right?

Come up with a good suggestion and i'll stick your details on a page on my site. Big deal? Well, you may very well get some emails from some cute Ecuadorianas for free and that can't be too bad.

Ecuador is not a country that's often mentioned on this board and that is really, really surprising.
For sure the women are, on the whole not as attractive (from what i've heard) as Calenas. But to be sure there are some women here in Quito ( and even more in the coastal areas) who are drop-dead gorgeous. Just today I was in the QuiCentro mall and believe me! there's enough pretty women floating around to keep most guys happy
- although admittedly Calipro's ex is at another level! Today I was sitting at a coffee bar on ther top floor, head in the newspaper, and suddenly I was being offered a rose and a hand-written poem to read by a sweet looking blonde Quitena. It was some kind of deal to promote a web-site - but it's nice that they approach us. This is not the first time this has happened by any stretch of the imagination in the last 14 months. And bear in mind i'm fairly reclusive - little money to go out and new baby etc. + I'm mostly out with my women anyway.
 One big advantage down here compared to what i've heard about Cali on this board is that the women just are not used to loads of men turning up to meet them. If they want to meet a foreign guy they need to try to attract the attention of the backpackers passing through town on the way to the Amazon  or the volcanoes. In general most of the women here have never met a foreign guy in their lives.

The other reason to come down here if you ever get a chance is for tourism reasons. No hassles with kidnapping. And Ecuador,being packed into an area the size of Nevada, means that you can get to see a helluva lot of territory in a short time.

Anyway - wasn't/isn't my intention to drag on too much about my site or Ecuador - just wanted to alert you guys to another country and another agency.

PS. Some of you guys have mentioned the idea of starting an agency in Cartagena or other locales. I intend to post about my experiences developing LWG - so consider me the guinea-pig ;-)

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

This is great.... Congragulations... I wish you success.  Just remember who the customers are, and it looks like your off to a great start!!!  Good luck!!!

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

Congratulations QuitoMan,
I'm always encouraged by someone who turns their dreams into a reality. In order to support you with your new agency, I have some feedback that I hope will help your chances of success:

(1) Provide free internet access to your female clients. As a potential customer, I'd hate to think that I'm placing a financial burden on the ladies everytime they decide to write to me (assuming they have to go to an internet cafe to do so). Of course this is a "business cost" that needs to be shifted over to your male clients. I'd be willing to pay a little more to encourage the frequency of correspondence.

(2) No need to put Colombia, or any other Latin American country, down to encourage us to go to Ecuador.
Obviously, Ecuador is blessed with natural beauty and its women are part of its gorgeous landscape. I think the women in your agency are as beautiful as women in Cali. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Therefore, why revert to "scare tactics" (i.e., references to kidnappings in Colombia and Peru) to persuade us to go to Ecuador. I'd encourage you to delete any negative commentary on Colombia, Peru, etc. Focus on the positive and let the potential client do the math.

(3) As soon as you hit your 50-member target, go back and edit much of your information. I think one can get lost in so much text. I'd prefer to read the information on services, etc. in outline form.

(4) I like the set of pictures you use for each lady, especially the combination of close-ups and full-body photos...leaving little room for surprises.

(5) Realize that there is a direct correlation between the women's desires and the correspondence they'll receive. I noticed that many of them were quite specific in their desires in terms of age, etc. Nothing wrong here, but at 34 years of age, I've gotten the message "need not apply" loud and clear from many of the women in your agency.

(6) Your extra services are great and the price is very reasonable. As a potential client, I especially appreciate your assistance with lodging and transportation from the airport to the hotel upon arrival.

Best wishes for your success. May many loving relationships develop from your endeavour.

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by Seeker on Sep 28, 2003

Thanks for all that feedback. I've had an overall very positive feedback from PL members, both in forum messages and by email.
The cost to the women of writing the emails is the least of it - a few of them have never used a computer before so I will need to show them how to reply ;-)
 I'll bear in mind what you say about Peru and Colombia. I've not been to Cali so all is on hearsaye - but the truth about Ecuador is that there really are some eye-popping beauties walking around - eye-popping by anyone's standards.
 When you mention editing the text are you talking about on each of the girls pages or on the more general pages?
 As for age I would definitely consider applying and here is a very honest answer as to why. Most of the women have a fixed notion in their heads as to what they want in terms of a man's age. But it doesn't correlate very well to what they would happily accept. I think its because most Latin men down here let themselves go after they are married and just don't age very well - afterall the life is tough down here - even office workers are working 12-14 hour days sometimes. This means that a 34 year old guy from a western nation most probably looks in a lot finer shape than a simarly aged Ecuadorian man. I'm 42 and not particularly well-preserved - wrinkles and bald - but Alejandra has told me many times that she has been told by other young women that I am very good looking and that she is very lucky. Just the other day one of the girls enlisted said that if she good get another guy 'like me'  she would be very happy.
   So I say to you and other guys take a chance - send your photo - most of the woman will relent when they see you are not some shrivelled up old prune ;-) - and there's no way you should be at 34 years old ( nor for that matter up 'til the age of 60 at least) - you are in the prime of your life!!
 
Thanks for you good wishes Seeker. Good luck to you too.

... in response to 34 years old and not wanted - give me a ..., posted by QuitoMan on Sep 29, 2003

QuitoMan,

I mean editing the general pages, the information you provide on the women is never enough. Your reply was encouraging. Thanks.

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by Seeker on Sep 28, 2003

First of all I wish you the best of success and my only comment is that I would condense some of your material just a bit. I also don't think mentioning the safety of Ecuador compared to Colombia is a bad thing. Hell, 11 people were killed today in a town not to far from Bogota, a small child and two policemen were among the victims. As the entreprenuers entrepreneur I will support your efforts and look for me in Quito as early as January 2004.
JSlo

... in response to Re: Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by JSlo on Sep 28, 2003

See you in Ecuador JSlo - we're looking forward to receiving our first visitors.

... in response to Re: Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by JSlo on Sep 28, 2003

See you in Ecuador JSlo - we're looking forward to receiving our first visitors.

... in response to Re: Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by JSlo on Sep 28, 2003

I think the bomb went off in Florencia, the capital of the Caqueta province which is crawling with FARC from what I am told. Americans would have no business being in that part of Colombia. I'll take my chances in Cali any day. I still think crazy americas are more dangerous than FARC.

... in response to Re: Re: Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by Calipro on Sep 28, 2003

I couldn't agree with you more, however that doesn't remove the need to use caution while in Colombia. I been fortunate to visit several countries and live in DR for a few months recently, and I am back in Cali at the end of the month. Who knows, maybe I be a regular in Ecuador soon. The point is you have to have your guards up while in Colombia and be careful where you venture.
JSlo

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

Where ever did you get the idea they aren't as pretty as the Colombian women? More 'Indian' looking yes, but some (including me) perfer that look. Maria V. 390 and Anita C. 398 are fantastic!

Ok, you asked for suggestions: 1) (maybe this is just nitpicky) You have a few gramatical errors 2) Where you are explaining the extra charges, you need to make it clear that the translation service is OPTIONAL. You finally explained that at the very bottom of the page, after some other unrelated optional services, but it would be so much clearer to potential clients if you explained it within the same paragraph that you offer it. 3) Extra GOOD is that for each lady (at least all the ones I looked at, about 1/2) you put your personal notes about them. Good, shows that you've met them and interviewed them rather than just accepted anything that crawled through the door. When you get more and more ladies, I hope you have time to keep doing that 4) BIG drawback (if it was any other type of business endeavor, I would say this is your personal life and not open to public discussion, but this IS a MARRIAGE agency, right?) So how come you and Alejandra aren't married??? The very fact that you aren't kind of takes away from the credibility and sincerty of your lady clients. Maybe you could rephrase that sentence and leave out the word 'girlfriend', simply say 'Alejandra and I want to welcome you' (that will fix one of the grammer problems too, ha ha). If anybody straight out asks you 'How long have you two been married?' don't lie to them, but don't volunteer unless/until you are asked. (BTW, cute baby). 5) If Alejandra speaks passable English and/or you speak good Spanish, both of those facts would be valuable to mention, gives a non-Spanish speaking client some confidence that Alejandra will be able to understand him if he's there in person and has a problem or question, and if you can speak Spanish, it will also give him the confidence that you can handle problems with the staff or taxis or (God forbid) the authorities should it be necessary.

All in all, I think it's a well done web page and a good business concept (every service is here availble for your use, but pay only for what you actualy use). You certainly don't have to appoligize for it ala 'well, we're just getting started and our girls aren't that pretty....'. If I were grading it, I'd give it 100% for a novel way of running an agency, 95% for attractiveness of ladies (you need to sign up a few in their 30's to draw in the 45yo+ gringos, but when good words about you start circulating among the locals you probably will), good prices, looks like an agency you can trust. I predict that your agency will be a minor success. By 'minor' I mean you won't put Cali out of business, but by 'success' I mean that you will be able to stay in business, will make some money and (best of all) will make some gringo/latina couples very happy. Best luck to you and your clients.

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by Michael B on Sep 28, 2003

Thanks Michael for all your constructive criticism. I invite you to send your details and a photo and i'll post them on a web-page and translated - for free as a thankyou.

I'll have a scan for the grammar errors - maybe its my English English as opposed to American English that's the problem - although having spent some years in the States I should be familiar with all the diferences by now.
 I'll look at the wordiness and putting the translation details a bit clearer.
  I do intend to get to know the ladies as well as time and distance permit in the future.
 Alejandra likes all "cute baby" compliments - i've passed them onto her. No - we're not married, mostly because I was waiting for a complicated divorce to come through - although it now has - so soon we may be getting married - no firm plans yet.
  Anybody who has taken early retirement could live  comfortably in Ecuador on $1,000 per month as long as you don't want to be out every night - as that what costs all the money.
 My Spanish is passable so I can sort out problems easily enough. Alejandra's English has a way to go yet.
 My next priority is to get more women signed up. Many express an interest but getting them to turn up for photos or fill in our forms is another issue - its a Latin thang ;-) ...... I have at least 15 more women where i'm missing either the ladies details OR her photos.
 Lastly I hope that your prediction comes true. If not it won't be for lack of effort on my part. Hope to see you down here some time when I have some women signed up who are in their 30s.

... in response to Older Women on their way soon, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 29, 2003

Thank you for your offer, Steve, but I can't use it. I'm bringing in a Callena, that I met last year, and her son, just as soon as I scrounge up the money for their visas and tickets. I'm hoping I can have them here in a month or so. But you do have a very nice site and (unlike some others we could name) it comes across as (for lack of better terms) 'trustworthy' and 'sincere'.

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

[This message has been edited by conquistador]

Yes , you are right about ecuador as not having the most attractive women compared to cali.And I can atest to that objectively (well i guess this a condensed trip report to cali and Ecuador).

I was in cali for three weeks and met some great gals ,and developed a serious relationship with one of the calenas, but I don't think we can be a permenant couple do to her irratating brat child who likes to slap me when i kiss her mom.NIce gal but not enough spiritual chemistry to consider her for marriage.Well original  my backup plan was actually going to ecuador to meet a wonderful women i meet on match.com (international) ,but I ended up going to cali to get it out of my system.

Well onwards onto Ecuador I meet my the women of my dreams (she actually exceeded my criteria for a wife). What a pleasant trip I had with my soon to be wife. At the airport I did not know what to expect(maybe it was a setup for a kidnapping thoughts raced through my mind).Well i did'nt have any  resources like in cali to hold my hand.Ahh..!,it
was all true ,there she was holding my name in her hand on poster board with gleaming smile ,tall (as tall as me 6feet),white complexion ,sultry long brown hair ,and elegantly just gorgeous.Wow! I could already sense the chemistry between us as she wisked me away to her parents house (where I stayed the first day).
Her father (an economics  professor) gave me the spanish inquisition, and long never ending talk about everthing he could think of (all i could think is what a wonderful family albeit educated).The next seven days we headed out for the manabi region (pacific coast side of ec) through the lush/majestic cloud forest mountains of pachincha with the whole family (only 1  sister ,abuelo and parents).
NOw it's not what I had in mind for  a nice romantic vacation with M . ,but nevertheless it's a good way to break the ice ,make a good impression,and learn about the family upbringing of M. .There we were just "friends" ,but as we walked the romantic secluded beach of canoa (near bahia caraquez) I made the move a told her what motivated me to come to see her ,and waited for her signal.Well she was in a contemplative mood ,and so I did'nt push things to occur unnaturally.Well things turned around when we got to quito at the mariscal district's famous "No BAR" ,and we were able to relax,and dance the night away without her parents lurking over her shoulder.There the magic that we felt came to light as we spontaneously kissed while dancing on a monday night ,and now it was obvious our relationship was  sailing a different course.The next day we headed out for the magnificent mountain highlands of ecuador (quilotoa) ,and stayed at the blacksheep inn hostal (great picturesque place in the montains of chigchulan).While getting there the taxi/pichup driver entertained us with his eyepoping tales of massacres and mayhem while he worked for a guerilla group transporting coca leaf to cocaine labs.He said cocaine in the colombian jungle was everywhere like sacks of potatoes in rural towns piled up next to  the fab labs (as you can already imagine).Well exhuasted from the altitude and the very rugged terrain , trough a neverending twist-n-turns of the mountains we just colapsed when we got to our private cabin.The next day we went horseback riding to the cloud forest (a seven hour + journey round trip) with a local indian guide.Boy I just could do this forever (i thought) I loved breathing fresh air ,the cool climate,and the breathtaking mountains (sort of like the grand cayon but super green  X 5). After reaching our destination we took awesome pictures, and enjoyed a mini-picnic while the horses ate the exotic weeds. THe cloud forest there sort of resembles a dense jungle with a super thick london fog ,without the man eating
jaguars ,just twirpy birds serenading us as we happily hiked trough .Not much in the way of intense stimulating conversation can take place while your bounced up and down on a horse trough paths that  would make indiana jones jealous.BUt as we winded down in the evening and ate all-you-can-eat vegatarian food we were ready for something more romantic.Next I fire-up the fireplace,light the candles,uncork the chilean cabernet and slowy but surely I let her know what i really think of her,(the feeling was mutual) now i know nothing is going to happen because its too soon (in our relationship)but we have to start somewhere.
For now hugs/kissing and cuddling will have to suffice.After having long talks in manabi with this gal I know I like her personality alot, and  I was ready to take it to the next  level.
Well everbody is different,but I been in relationships long enough to realize chemistry-wise that when I have found "her" lets not waste time charlie.BY the fith day there we were aready commited to a serious relationship,talked about marriage , what we want out of life ,and everything just seemed in harmonious synchrony with M. attitude ,feelings and goals for life.BY the time we got to quito I was already in falling in love ,just everything about her drove me crazy in a good way (not just where your thinking). After our week trip to quilotoa we headed for otovalo.We  originally planned a jungle excursion, but we fell into a what seemed a booby-trapped hole down a steep mountain path where we had to get off our horses due
to the slippery sand.Down we go as we held hands 10 feet deep,it happened so fast as i stepped on what seemed grass (but was actually a a hallow entrance to hole),I fell just perfect or i would not be writing this ,but she slammed my knee with her head.She was basically okay just bruised up pretty bad ,but i was limping.I was just thankful I was'nt any worse than we got hit with. BUt the trip to laguna quilotoa was worth the beating on the horses and the hole.Well in otovalo realising  that I truly love her even if i don't know her that well,but she has a good heart and all the qualities i look for.I proposed to her at puertolago restaurant overlooking the wonderful san pablo laguna in the background a picturesque mountain to dress the view. Well she said yes and now we are making future plans.Oppurtunity only  knocks once in life ,if it feels right deep down inside then why not give it chance i reasoned.We spent tree solid weeks together , and I know its a little crazy but I feel great pulling the trigger.M is a bright gorgeous gal with masters in intl. relations ,and works as a commercial loan officer ,27 year young,never married,and never even had a serious boyfriend,too busy with studies and work,( i guess God saved her for me ).She is coming here on her tourist visa in december, and dont know yet if we will get married here ,or in ecuador .Even though she gets married here  on  her tourist visa she is heading back when her k3 is ready (if an immigration attorney blesses this course of action thats the route i'll take).Otherwise back to ecuador for 1 week in january and a super-fast mini-honey moon to be continued in august (hopefully).

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador., posted by conquistador on Sep 28, 2003

A very nice report Conquistador - I hope it all works out great for you. Both me and Alejandra are impulsive people so we kind of hit it off straight away and haven't looked back really. Call it luck or whatever - sometimes that works for some people and not for others.

Would you mind if I used that trip report on my site? Could you write to me at the address on my profile?

good luck

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

Steve, looks like you're off to a good start. I see you put your web address in your profile, this is the type of promotion Patrick tolerates.

Two ways this forum can help build your reputation. First, be a regular contributor--even without plugging your agency guys will click on your profile and check out your website. Second, get satisfied customers and frequent posters on this site to post about their experiences. Avoid the personality clashes that occur periodically on the board.

There is an agency owner on the Russian Board who has followed this plan and has done very well. Remember every post on this forum is read 20-150 times, even though only a few people respond.

As with any new business it takes a while to get established, the last guy that had an agency like this in Quito went out of business---course stealing photos from other sites didn't help his cause.

As far as your format with the profiles, I have several  suggestions ideas. (1) Would be helpful to have the ladies age & height under the photos on the main page. I don't want to have to click and look at each profile, if I know she's 19-- or 5'1" I'm not interested. (2) On the profile page you should have each lady list the age range of man they would consider.(3)Include the date she was posted to the site. (4) Add new ladies on a regular schedule, this will build traffic. (5)Be careful about the quality of the ladies you post-- I have seen new owners take all comers in an effort to boost the number of profiles and the quality gets diluted. Too many fat ugly women and guys will form a negative view of the country and its women.

Have bookmarked your site and will be watching your progress. Good luck.

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador........, posted by NW Jim on Sep 28, 2003

Thanks for your advice mate. I'm going to take you up on the bit about putting the height and age on the photos on the main page - i'll stick it on the alt tags and that wat when a viewer puts the mouse over the photo that info will come up. This age thing is a bit of a quandary - see my reply titled "34 and too old? Give me a break!".
The info about when the girls details were added is already on the web-site as the "order" ( I hate that word) number is structured that way - all the girls with a number 39** were added in September this year - although I haven't pointed that out on the site yet.
 Your points 4 and 5 are good and valid advice. I'll definitely be putting my energies into getting more women soon.
 I hope to see you in Ecuador some day soon,
Steve

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

Steve,
Good luck in your endevour.Just like a singles bar if you get the women the guys will follow,so you need to develop a pretty good sized group of attractive women.Don't put down the women there as less attractive than in Cali,even if its true.Sell the possitive side.I know that part was just for us here at this forum and you didn't say that on your web site.
Seems like you found the Ecuadora(?) of your dreams.You should put that story in your web site.Maybe you did,I didn't read it all.
Also if you keep your expenses low you will not lose much if it doesn't take off.You were going to be living there anyway,right?Reminds me of a friend of mine who built a house with a large adjacent  room so his wife could start a day care center.I told him worse case you will have kind of a funny house.It was a huge success.

Pete

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by Pete E on Sep 28, 2003

Hi Pete,

thanks for your encouragement. Yes, mostly my observations on Cali women were for the guys on this site as most of the conversation revolves around Cali most of the time.

I didn't want to knock Ecuadorianas - just acknowledge that they have some stiff competition up in Cali ;-

 Having said that, yesterday I saw the most jaw-dropping black women I think I've ever seen in my life including tv.
Think Naomi Campbell but well endowed and much curvier. I wanted to jump out of the car and ask her if she wanted to sign up right there and then - unfortunately Alejandra was at my side and although she's wonderfully supportive of this endeavor - she aint so supportive that she'll let me go running up to the pretty girls when we're on our way out :-)

 Money's fairly tight down here - but we get by with me teaching and Alejandra has a little shop. Hopefully one day soon the agency will support us - thats what we're hoping anyway. But my focus is on making what we're offering as attractive as possible both for the men and women so hopefully the money will follow a good product.

Feel free to send me your details and i'll stick them on a web-page - i'll be using the general page for the guys to promote my site down here so women should be free to write
to you as and when they check out our site.

Steve

... in response to My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by QuitoMan on Sep 27, 2003

The photos of the women look like they have been touched up by an airbrush, but some are very pretty. Good start...just remember that personal service and reliability are most important. You must set yourself apart.

Tim.

... in response to Re: My New Agency in Ecuador, posted by Starman on Sep 28, 2003

Hey Tim,

thanks for the encouragement - all is appreciated. A few of the photos were taken in bad lighting so I have adjusted the contrast/brightness but that also has the effect of sometimes 'smoothing' out the details. But rest assured I haven't air-brushed out any hideous spots/warts/wrinkles ;-)
 I totally agree on the personal service and reliablity.

Now where was I? Ah yes, working on another photo... NOT ;-)