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Adam Sternberg trains his clients to "seal the deal," "close the sale," "throw the hook and reel 'em in." Clearly, he's a salesman, but his most recent clientele isn't a group of men in three-piece suits, pushing up their glasses and straightening their ties.
On the contrary, Sternberg has taken on an industry that many skeptics are calling a lost cause - exotic dancing.
"Dancing is the single least important part of exotic dancing," says a defensive Sternberg. "It's no different than any other sales industry. It's all about the right communication."
That's the pitch. And six months since his company, Naked Assets, Inc., officially started offering "wealth training" for exotic dancers, Sternberg says nearly all his "40 to 50" clients have at least doubled their money, if not tripled it.
"Too many of these girls fall into the myths of the industry," says the full-time public speaking trainer and event manager. "If they're not making money they think it's because there's no money in the room or because the men only want blondes with big breasts, but that's not the case at all."
According to Sternberg and his partner, a retired dancer who prefers to be referred to only as "Boyscout," physical appearance is a very small part of the whole equation.
As they tell it, speech patterns and methods of persuasion far outweigh any exterior qualities. Hard to believe in an industry where breast enhancement surgery, manicures and tanning sessions are permitted as tax...