Anyways, I'm open to suggestions. Seems like you cold approach a lot too
It's what I do/have to do. I play the dating apps and cold approach cute girls I see when I'm out.
Some of this might come off as nitpicking, but I'll see what I can suggest.
Saw this bombshell sitting at a table apart from the bar. What I did was say "hey, you caught my eye and I had to come up and shoot my shot." She was blushing from the get go.
I would say something different. "Shoot my shot" puts her in the power position because you sound like you wouldn't expect your "shot" to land. Something like what I said in my example above might work better because you're letting her know you think she's attractive, but you haven't decided whether you like her yet - make her sell herself to you a little bit too.
I reach out my hand, asked her name (Maddi), she asked mine and we're holding hands and I'm caressing hers with my thumb the whole time. We're locking eyes and I say, "Your eyes are gorgeous. Green eyes?"(it's dark)
This might be a little pushy for some women. I'd probably start off lighter first; maybe touch her a little and see if she reciprocates, while gradually escalating. If you're just holding her hand hostage while she does nothing, that's not nearly as effective as you might think it is.
Maddi says yes, and I go into a guessing game on her roots. I say "wait, lemme guess, kinda tough with you because of the dark hair but I'm guessing, German?" She's giggling and says "yes I have some German and Polish." Her friend comes back from the bathroom and she introduces me to her and I talk to her about how I was guessing Maddi's roots.
This part is good.
Then we start talking a bit about their plans tonight and that I just moved from Florida. Maddi asks what part, I tell her, and we end up talking about Miami. I say that the two of them should try it out for a girl's night and how wild it's known to be. I tease her and say "I dunno how wild you can get but I'll find out" wink wink. The 3 of us are laughing. Maddi's into it.
Ok, here's what I would've done differently.
Once you acknowledge and introduce yourself to the friend ignore her completely and focus back on your girl. Go back to what you were doing and let the friend be a third wheel until she finds some other friend at the bar to latch onto, or takes the hint and decides to give you some space.
If your girl is more attentive to the friend than you at this point, she's probably not that interested.
If the friend is still hovering, then what I'd do is suggest you both go to the bar and take a shot - YOU ARE NOT OFFERING TO BUY HER A DRINK, you are offering to buy her a drink with YOU. In most cases she will separate herself from her friend, in which case you can be a little more flirty with her now that she's isolated while you wait for your drink. If the friend sticks with your girl, or worse - your girl brings the friend along, then that friend is probably going to get in the way of any action happening that night - directly or indirectly.
I also wouldn't have put the thought in of a girl's night - I would've told HER - not THEM - that you'd love to show HER around next time.
Since I didn't think I'd be able to get her to ditch her girl friend, I tell her the night is early but I'll take her number and take her out later. She's super enthusiastic and goes for it. Maddi's typing it in and we're still talking. I'm seeing where she's from (the suburbs) and if she comes out often. After all that I get her hand again, hold and caress, and then tell her it was nice to meet her and take my leave. Happily ever after, then ghost.
And here's the self-eject. I would've done what I mentioned above and tried to feel out her interest level; if she seemed down, I'd suggest a "postgame" or something at either of your places. If not, I'd take the number and talk to some other girl.
When you say the "night is early", I'm not sure when you go out, so I'd always suggest 2 hours or so before close is best time. The girls that are at the bars closer to closing are most likely the ones who are single and open to sex that night; they're not going to some other bar or party later and they're not waiting on/meeting their boyfriend out. This is also my suggestion so you don't waste your whole day/night camping out at a bar hoping to get a bite.
Honestly, in your example, it sounds like she did all the legwork for you in regards to getting her apart from the group.
Correct. My point is that I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't approached her.
From there, my experience being able to read her interest level and facilitate sex - going for the kiss rather than self-ejecting, for example - is what made her feel comfortable taking me home that night.
1. One or more of her friends will block and try to speak for her, even if she seems interested.
Politely, but firmly reiterate that you were asking the girl, and not her friend; "she's a big girl, I'm sure she can speak for herself". If the friend persists and your girl does nothing to curb it or separate from her, then it's probably not worth the effort.
2. Sometimes they drag her away or they won't stop walking together as a group and she has to keep up with them
As shown by my earlier example, an interested girl will stop to talk to you. If she's still doing what the pack does, she may be interested, but not interested enough.
3. She shows interest but her friend(s) is quietly judging us, and the girl decides to decline my offer because of that pressure.
ASD (anti-slut defense) is definitely a thing, which is why isolating the girl you're interested in is so important. She might want to make out with you right then and there - just not in front of her friends who might call her named if she does. However, if she is interested, she will help you do this - as in, she will separate herself from the c*ckblocking friends. If she is not that interested, she will not.
Understanding game and cold approaching is very much like sales, but requires the correct mentality; your job is not to convince hot girls to be interested in you. Your job is to be able to identify that interest, so you can quickly move on from the ones who lack it, and capitalize on the ones who are.
One last thought, and this may be an unpopular one. At 5'5", assuming you live in America, you will have a much harder time than you would if you were taller. Most women want a taller man because at a psychological level they want to feel like you could protect them. You will likely find it very difficult to seduce women who are not shorter than you.
I don't say this to give you a self-limiting belief, because you absolutely can bang taller women. I just want you to have a realistic set of expectations.