I have a suggestion. Finding a marketing niche that sets you apart from your competition will help prevent them from going to another salon. If it is "worth the wait" it will be "worth the wait". I'm brain storming right now, but I'm sure more will come to me after I hit send. I personally always hated doing hand massages or even foot massages. I always felt like I wanted to spare my hands (*cough* lazy *cough*). I know first hand that today's client is about ME. I go and get my pedicure done even though I can do it myself. I absolutely LOVE my pedicure time. It's HEAVEN. Adding a massage or making that part of the service extra special will make someone come back. I promise you. Who has ever had a great massage and said, "I don't want that again"? If your book is slow, give a free extend massage time. BE SURE and say, "Because it is slow, today I'm giving you a longer Massage at no extra cost. I simply have the time."
If a new client calls and you can't take her, you need a marketing ploy that will make her say, "OMG I can't go down the street I have to get into this chick (or guy haha)". Over the phone say, "I'm all booked up next week (ie: gone on vacation) but I assure you, coming the following week will be worth the wait. That week is Warm Milk and Honey Week. (lie). With all (whatever service she wants) I am giving a warm Milk and Honey butter (hand or foot) massage at no extra cost using (insert fancy massage terms and luxurious products)." I'm just using Massage as an example. Anything extra you do, makes it that much more worth it to return. The spa I used to go to for my hair in Woodland Hills California used to give me water infused with Cucumber when I sat down. When the girl shampoo'd my hair I got a neck and scalp massage during the conditioner. HEAVEN. The only reason I don't still go to her is distance. I bought a house too far away. Trust me, do something special and you WILL be worth the wait. Just get by doing the norm and you can easily be traded off for someone else. My "beauty" people I have in my life right now, couldn't be traded for anyone else. They all offer something that is HEAVEN to me. Don't stop taking those vacations, btw. Or you'll just burn yourself out. It's easy for us techs to get to the point where we are doing doing doing, for everyone else, that we forget or don't take the time to do for ourselves. I got to a point like that with my own nail business. I got angry or bitter that I was giving all my time to my clients. Mentally, it effected me. Everyone deserves a vacation. Just find the right "me me me" things to make you worth the wait. Trust me, it'll happen. :) Elaine Elaine T. Watson Star Nail International Vice President of Marketing and Sales Global Education Director 800.782.7624 extension 321 fax 661.257.5847 [email protected] Blog: itsnotarealjob.blogspot.com On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 8:49 AM, Katherine <[email protected]>wrote: > I, too, have noticed this change. I've been doing nails for 23 years and > for all those years I've taken 1 week off in February and 1 week off in > August. Those were my "slow" times. So predictable that I planned my wedding > by it. For the last 3 years, getting my wedding anniversary week off for > vacation has progressively been like pulling teeth. My "slow week" has > become impossible to predict. I thought that it was because the date has > changed for the first day of school around here, so families have changed > their vacation schedules. But, my "slow" time seems to have no pattern > anymore. I'll come in to work with 4 people on my book and before the day is > out, I'll have done 8 or 9. Unfortunately, it's gone the other way too. I > was looking at doing 5 or 6 people and ended up doing 3. > > I've not lost many clients because of the economy, for me it's because my > second largest group of clients are the WWII generation and they are a) > dying or b) moving to retirement apartments and no longer driving. My > largest group of clients are the "Baby Boomers", solid, 2 week standing > clients. I have an incentive program to get new referrals that is working > very well to get new young clients in the door, but they are the "call when > they want an appointment" clients, not 2 week standings. > > I have always offered the latest and greatest in service, product and > fashion so I did not notice the change right away. About a year ago when I > tried to get a full week off in August and found it to be impossible is > when it hit me. I checked my old appointment books and found a steady > decline of the 2 week standings (seniors who passed away or moved to > assisted living). Just looking at my bank deposits didn't show it, I was > still making the same money, what changed was the 2 week standings and the > last minute appointments ratio. > > I do not like this change. It is very hard to get a week off for vacation > with the last minute people. When they call and I can't accommodate them > because I am out of town on vacation (a sign was posted at my station for a > month) they go somewhere else and I never hear from them again. I have lost > 1 new client every year for the last 3 years when I've taken vacation. So, > what's the solution? Never take vacation? GGGGRRRRRR! I am complaining about > this because I'm taking only 2 days off for my anniversary this year. That's > a 4 day weekend instead of a full 7 days and it's my 20th wedding > anniversary :-( ...sad face is because I cannot take a fabulous vacation > with my hubby for our 20th not because I've been married for 20 years, > that's a big :-) > > The good news is that it has become very easy to take one day off here and > there. My second job is a belly dancer and a lot of gigs are on a Saturday. > In the past I would have to pass on Saturday gigs, now I have no problem > getting some Saturdays off. Going to the cosmetology convention in Vegas has > become easier, too. 1 Friday and Saturday off....piece of cake. It is just > not possible to take that entire week off. The last minute call ins will > wait a day or two, but not a full week. I'm talking about new people who > just get the basics. Clients who get color gels or glitter gels will wait, > they have no choice, I'm the only game in town ;-) > > I'm an optimist and I'm hoping that when the economy improves, the 2 week > standings will come back into fashion and I can take a full week off for my > 25th anniversary. > > What do you think? Are the 2 week standings a dying breed? Forever a thing > of the past? I'm tearing up.... :-( > > Katherine > St.Louis, MO > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Diana Bonn <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Monday, July 27, 2009 7:09:29 AM > *Subject:* NailTech:: damn, lost another one, but....... > > > Another client, hubby lost job. And as I am looking thru my book, > realized something that has soooooooo changed. > > I always counted on my every 2-week standing appointments, > "guaranteed" income. Over the last 2-3 years I have seen that slowly > changing. Gone or going are the long standing 2 - week clients that > we counted on. I still have clients from when I owned the salon back > in the 90's!!! > > What ever the reason, they left, doesn't matter. We then would get > new clients in for either for the long stretch, or maybe a year, 6 > months, 3 months. But not those that committed in the good ole days!!! > > But what I have realized by not getting those long standing 2 week > fill new clients in, I have more openings, and I have more > clients. Over the last couple of years, my book has slowly turned > into opening slots filled at the "last minute"(week in advance or > hours in advance) by those 1 time a month gals, either pedicures, > bling toes or the soft gel manicure I started. > > Thank God, I spent extra money on the spa revolutions paraffin 3 > years ago, I am the only one in town offering them. Thank God, I > spent extra dollars going to HRTE in Cinncinnati and was taught bling > toes, I am the only one in town offering them. Thank God, I spent > extra dollars and went to the Orlando Show last year and was taught > gels and soakable gels for natural nails, I am the only one in town > offering them. > > And without even realizing it I changed with the need and want of > customers, somehow a couple of years ago I started adjusting to what > my gut feeling was, I needed something different that the consumer > wanted and needed and couldn't get any place else. > > Don't get me wrong, I love my 2-week standing appointments, and wish > it was like that in the good ole days, but not going to happen, just > like gas, at $1.00 a gallon. Gotta deal with it. Have any of you > seen your books change over the last couple of years? The same, but > different? diana from indiana > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. 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