As a marketer and one who embraces new ideas and always pushes the limits of getting people to do what they normally wouldn’t…

I was reading a few tweets last night and I always see the same club promoting their dancers and venues. Great! Now what? You get them in the door… so whats the upsell going to be? Drink specials, champagne room, private dance, song request… etc etc? Most guys won’t (and cant afford) the champagne room and most only come in with a few bucks – normally enough to buy a beer or two and a lapdance or just tips.

Real cash has meaning and value and always will, even to that drunk cat who is always checking his wallet every so often. But if there was a way to transfer funds into “Club Currency” then why the hell not?

If you have ever been to a casino you’ll notice a few things:

1. The colours on the cards look awful
2. People are always trading in real cash for chips.

Now why is that? The colours (especially red) on the cards are set to make them look plain nasty and unplayable. A good player has to get around the colour of the deck. Lastly, throwing fake money at a game makes it a game – and some suckers will bet it all without the thought that it truly is worth money on the cashout.

I imagine the same can be said for any club that wants to make their own “durable” currency. A durable club currency could be traded with real currency dollar for dollar. Customers simply trade their USD or Euro at the door for club currency making for an easy transaction for the dancers and barstaff.

Take for instance the guy who buys $100 in club currency. He spends $20 on drinks, a couple of lapdances ($40?) and maybe spreads the wealth and drops a few singles here and there. Now, he will probably be left with $10 to $15 in club currency and will more than likely spend the remainder still in the mindset it isn’t real. He might also walk out the door forgetting he has it. Remember, most people think its fake and will forget to cash-out when they leave.

Now then, this same client will be on his way home and possibly stop at a gas station or coffee shoppe and realizing he has this he may do one thing with your club cash:

1. He might keep it to use next time he is at the club
2. He may go back and cash out
3. He may keep it as a souvenir (think pressed penny)
4. He may throw it out so that his wife or girlfriend doesn’t find it

Either way the club owner wins! Now some of you may be thinking the dancers are going to lose out – not the case, they’ll make what they would have made originally and will probably make even more based on the fact most people won’t see value in something that looks like game cash. So they will more than likely spend even more…

Complaints? Yeah, probably a few at first. But when the dancers ask for club currency time and again you are in essence training your clients. Like Pavlovs dogs when they hear those words they know to get up and trade in. Your doormen should also be be telling clients about the new collectible and reusable club notes.

TIP: Why not make club currency with a picture of a lead dancer or new dancer on the bill? Not only will this method make the currency “collectible” and often not spent back at the club, earning you more, but it gives the girls something else to promote. I would also suggest making the currency colourful so as not to suggest it is real. Keep the real stuff as far away from the club currency and no one will bat an eye.

As for the printing check with a local printer about making your own strip club currency. Make the notes look good, add your web site address, phone number, twitter ID – and best of all, a picture of your hottest dancers. As for the accounting aspect of it… unsure – but if your accountant doesn’t know how to make it work, fire them and go find someone that does.