Be Paid What You Are Worth

Hello again!

I know that I only posted yesterday but, a problem has been niggling me and I think it needs addressing, especially in the financially hard times that we find ourselves in. The problem is UNDER CHARGING for your Nail Services. In fact, you can apply this to any profession as the link below shows. I strongly believe that under charging is bad for business. I know that you want to be busy and you think that by matching or under cutting other salons will ensure this but, this couldn't be further from the truth. How do you think the saying "you get what you pay for" ever came about?

Check out the video. Even though he talks about a different industry, it can be applied to ours x http://socialtriggers.com/prevent-hagglers/

Almost every day I hear of people charging minimal amounts for top end services such as CND Shellac and it is one of my bug bears. Quite recently I heard that:

"Its to keep up with the competition in my area" and
"I am mobile so I have to under cut the salons"

Are you crazy??

I have been a Nail Professional for over 10 years. In that time I have worked from home, rented spaces in salons, been mobile, session styled, been employed and I have owned my own salons. I would say that I have sampled most methods of being a Nail Pro and I am proud to say that, whatever my method, I have always been successful in gaining a large and loyal client base. In my experience, when you are mobile, you are not a lot different (financially) from a salon. Each one has pro's and cons for Techs. These are ones that spring to mind

Salon
Pros
Footfall past the door enabling walk ins
A constant place for clients to come
Station set always
You can fit plenty of clients in
Places to store products
Opportunities to retail
You can create the atmosphere you want
No interruption when a delivery comes
The building/windows are constant visual adverts
Cons
Rent
Bills
High amount of stock
Furnishings
Possible annoying neighbouring shops
Keeping the place in tip top condition for first impressions
Staff
Having to be open on the days advertised

Mobile
Pros
Clients are likely to be referals
No Rent to pay
Only out lay is product
Freedom to take a day off if you wish
No lavish furniture
Only having to worry about your own appearance
Bringing convenience to your clients
Cons
Fuel prices
Repairs to car
Tax
Having to set up and clean at each client
Lots of down time in between clients due to travelling from one to the other
Limited time to retail
More "leg work" to advertise yourself

These are only some but, hopefully, you will see that they balance each other out. Money-wise, it is not a lot different being mobile to being in a salon so you have no need to under cut a salon. If you are providing the same service, you should be charging at least the same to perform the treatment.

I think the main reason for my loyal client base is that, I research the current area (just for comparison), calculate the cost per treatment (this includes running costs like rent/hr and electric), decide what I want to be paid and add them all together. I do not want to be constantly seeking clients that are only willing to pay discounted prices, I have invested a lot of time and money into my craft and I only want clients that will respect that. Does it matter to me what walk of life these clients come from? Heck no! The more diverse, the better! It does matter to me that I don't feel guilty asking to be paid what I believe is fair.

Something people do not take into consideration when they are setting their prices, and that is the amount of hours you put into finding new products, being at the forefront with new products and the investment that these require. This is mainly because you love what you do and it doesn't seem like a chore because, when something new comes out, you are like a kid at Christmas! You are excited about the possibilities that these new things have in store for you and your clients but then, you are willing to settle for next to no money because of what so and so is doing round the corner. Really?!

Then there is the matter of imitation or "me too" products that are on the market. I can not tell you the amount of new clients I have had for a Shellac manicure that have been to other salons before, and they say "Oh, yeah, I had my Shellac done, can you redo?"  and then it takes, what seems a life time,to get the stuff off. After inquiring as to what shade a new client had on, one lady said,

"I asked for Shellac and the girl said, we don't do CND Shellac but this Gel Polish is exactly the same"

No love, it is not! Why would someone tell you that a product is like another? Because they long for a great client base that those who ARE using CND Shellac are getting and they are using the reputation of another product so you have their crappy imitation. Gel polishes are not the same. Is the application process the same? No. Do you get the same results? No. Do you have clients that have to "have a break" because their nail plate is thinner than a hair on their head? No. So then, it is therefore completely different and should be charged for completely different.

CND spent years (can't quite remember if it was 5 or 6!) developing the CND Shellac system so that it performs like dream, so it is comparable to none other on the market and most importantly, so it sets you apart from other salons and Nail Pros. I will give you a comparison that is not nail related as an example.

Butlins is a holiday resort in the UK. You pay X amount of money to go there for either a long weekend or a week. They are not the cheapest holiday resort, in fact, I think they are the most expensive but, do you think you can just turn up in the summer and say "hey, can you fit me in?". No, you can't. This is a great example of you get what you pay for. At Butlins, you get an experience. There is customer service, there are activities for you and your kids to do, it is a brand, there is merchandise, etc, etc. But despite the price tag, people buy into it year after year because it is an experience that imprints on the mind. It is not the "bargain holiday shack" down the road that is in the same are but no where near in the same league. It is a full package of holiday awesomeness that the kids will go back to school saying "I had the best holiday ever! No-one will mention the price because, the experience was totally worth the price tag.

It is illegal in the UK for a company to stipulate that you must charge X amount per treatment but that doesn't mean the product is worthless! I know it seems like it is hard in today's financial crisis but our industry is going from strength to strength, year after year. Maybe because people are taking less holidays, it frees up a little cash for an hour or 2 escape from the mad house some ladies call home. Do not be tempted to lower your prices so that you don't lose clients. Even the ones that are "gonna do my own nails for a bit to save money" will be back because YOU are the professional and they love the service and feeling that a visit to or from you gives them.

Come on Ladies and Gents! If you want minimum wage, you can get a job at a coffee shop!

Here's hoping that I haven't rambled too much!

Sammi xx