Discount?

[NMills]

What do all you lovely geeks think? I had a lady contact me to book £77 worth of treatments, however she asked as she is booking multiple treatments in one sitting then cam she have them for £65. I'm not sure what to say as I dont want to possibly lose her business by saying no but on the other hand dont want to give her £12 off xx

[JuZz'<3]

What do all you lovely geeks think? I had a lady contact me to book £77 worth of treatments, however she asked as she is booking multiple treatments in one sitting then cam she have them for £65. I'm not sure what to say as I dont want to possibly lose her business by saying no but on the other hand dont want to give her £12 off xx

so how about you say £67
just giving her the £10 off?
thing about how much it will save you in the long run, just booking one person in for so many hours etc.
it will save on travel (if your mobile)
if your not mobile, it still takes up hours in your appointment book, that you may not of filled without her (not saying you do not get busy, she just could be saving you from having a slow day)

I think discounts can be a good proof of loyalty, if she feels like she is getting that from you, you may obtain loyalty from her... this could be a regular little booking for you

[PixieBeauty]

I'd tell her you do a 10% treat for multiple treatments which brings it to £70. Only if you want to!! Do you still make profit? Does it suit you, is it on your quiet day?

I'd change it so you're in control hon & £12 is too much unless she buys a lot of products too or is a regular xx

[lynn amber]

Do you have loyalty cards if so tell her you don't give discount for large bookings but work on a loyalty system :-D

Sent from my LT18i using SalonGeek

[Dolly6410]

i always get clients ask me this, on my next pricelist i think i'm going to put on there something along the lines of 'spend £75 in one session and receive **% off your final bill (offer not valid with any other offer or discount)' not sure what percent yet, proberly 10%, and maybe said a little more professionally but my brains not working at the moment :lol: sometimes i get clients who are spending in excess of £80 ask which i personally think is fine, but others are spending £20-30 and that annoys me because majority of my clients spend that in a session so why should they get a discount?

personally i wouldn't want to lose such a big client either, but you can't just randomly knock off £12, she'll expect you to knock off more next time. maybe explain as you are at her house for so long you will knock off your petrol cost which is X amount, or offer her 10% off? I prefer doing a set percent. it's up to you, i know a lot of geeks will say don't give her a discount because people like this will often take the biscuit, but she's having alot of treatments and clients are worth their weight in gold :wink2:

[JoJo1980]

If it were me in this position I would have said " We dont give discounts for multiple treatments, as our appointments are in high demand, however, we do offer a very good loyalty system where you get 10% off your 6th visit, and also should you reccommend a friend to us, we will give you both a one off 20% discount as a thankyou". If she didnt like that, I wouldnt feel bad if she went elsewhere. I am running a business. Soft hearts dont pay the VAT :eek: xxxxx

[sarahpoppy24]

Cheeky if you ask me to be honest I wouldn't discount! I would offer loyalty system as said above! I have clients book for more than that with multiple people as well as I'm sure you do to and they don't ask for a discount. You will be losing business in the long run with this as she will tell everyone to ask you for a discount and it will be happening all the time! So say no x

[happyfeet]

If it were me in this position I would have said " We dont give discounts for multiple treatments, as our appointments are in high demand, however, we do offer a very good loyalty system where you get 10% off your 6th visit, and also should you reccommend a friend to us, we will give you both a one off 20% discount as a thankyou". If she didnt like that, I wouldnt feel bad if she went elsewhere. I am running a business. Soft hearts dont pay the VAT :eek: xxxxx

Loving this and exactly right! X x x

[Tomme]

It's just pure cheek, simple as. Discounts and promotions are at your choice and asking for such a difference is just cheek. Maybe asking if there was a discount for multiple services or even pre paying for a course of services then not so bad, we're not a business that haggles, or are you on a car boot sale field lol? I do discount for multiple services because of less traveling, but I don't advertise it and if they ask they don't get due to cheek, it's a privelidge I have running me own business as I'm not desperate for their custom. Xoxo

[Lady Murasaki]

You should not let your clients dictate your rates, if it cost £77 then £77 she has to pay or fine someone else.

If a client asks me for discounts I politely say ... Unfortunately like Chanel we do not offer discounts!.

[topcuts]

i had someone ask me for £20 off of a set of foils (no cut/blo dry) new customer. i said no because i know how good my work is and would rather she had the package so i can finish the job. so i took £10 off the package (short hair price instead of long hair price) and she booked and bought 2 products so she spent £20 more than she wanted on hair and paid for products then brought her daughter in for hair and both had nails!

you know what you are worth is all i am saying, sometimes it pays to be brave. my clients were impressed at my bravery but it was a risk.

[Planky1]

I had someone email me asking similar. She wanted to book in for Shellac mani and Pedi. She ended her email asking if there was a discount for having both done together.

I replied answering all her other questions and then just stated at the end " I do not have any special offers running at the present time"

Didn't hear back from her and she didn't book in but it's her loss not mine. I have many clients who have never even mentioned whether they might get a discount for having both and they are only too happy to pay the full price, so why should I discount it to someone else just to get her business for one appointment, when she may just be a "Miss Dolly discount" and goes from one place to another just to get things done cheaper?

I am busy enough with clients paying full price to worry about just one person, whether it was for a larger amount financially or not.

If you want to do it, then do but I would definitely say no more than 10% and highlight it that it's an introductory rate perhaps, so that she doesn't expect it at each appointment thereafter

[happyfeet]

As a rule i dont do discounts at all, unless its a referral or im trying to introduce something- new glitters or whatever.
I had one customer ask about a polish mani and pedi and what discounts i offer i relaxed my rule and gave her a measly 10% off but only on the pedi- it worked out about £1.80. She booked but i just had a feeling about her, so i emailed her my cancellation policy- guess what 3 days later she cancelled.

Now the only things ill ever discount are what ive already mentioned. Its not a hard and fast rule but certainly those asking will not get one in the future.

Id personally charge full price end of lovey.

Love n hugs x x x

[dandelionpoppy]

I don't necessarily think it's cheeky of her to ask. In some cultures it would be usual, and also in the present climate many might try.

If it's worth your while maybe meet her in the middle, but make it very clear it's a one-off.

[Pinkbunny28]

Loyalty schemes are your friend :) I offer buy 9 treatments and get the 10th half price. It usually doesn't take them very long to get to 10, especially if they always have multiple treatments. Unfortunately in this climate it is in our interests to offer some sort of incentive x

[LilMissEmmylou]

I agree that I don't find it cheeky she asked. Why shouldn't she ask? the worst you can say is no and it may well make no difference and she will book anyway :)

I used to work in a high end 5* hotel and would often get people pushing for reduced rates on rooms (rooms ranged from about £300 per night to £13,000). I would rarely to never agree to discount (even if I had a promotion I could offer) I would instaid offer an add on such as a comp bottle of champagne or english breakfasts. Why not offer her an added incentive? But one that costs YOU very little other than time :)

If you wanted to offer a discount, I would cap discounts at 10% and tell her I can offer her a one off discressionary 10% (so she doesnt ask again!) as a new customer.

Hope you came to some agreement that suited you both :)

[Rhimisty]

I agree that I don't find it cheeky she asked. Why shouldn't she ask? the worst you can say is no and it may well make no difference and she will book anyway :)

I used to work in a high end 5* hotel and would often get people pushing for reduced rates on rooms (rooms ranged from about £300 per night to £13,000). I would rarely to never agree to discount (even if I had a promotion I could offer) I would instaid offer an add on such as a comp bottle of champagne or english breakfasts. Why not offer her an added incentive? But one that costs YOU very little other than time :)

If you wanted to offer a discount, I would cap discounts at 10% and tell her I can offer her a one off discressionary 10% (so she doesnt ask again!) as a new customer.

Hope you came to some agreement that suited you both :)

I totally agree. I don't find her cheeky. She booked and then asked she didn't say "I'll book IF you give me a discount". She thought she might as well ask but is clearly happy to pay ur prices. As for one off discounts n that, u have to b careful because if anyone else finds out it'll b " well u did it get x and not for me?" and of course she may expect the same again. I think a complimentary neck or hand and arm massage if fine. Or even a "light lunch" or maybe £x off her NEXT visit. That way she's more likely to come back. Xx

[NMills]

Thank you all lovely ladies.I ended up giving her a 10% discount which suited me as I'm saving on petrol etc and she was really pleased and booked in. I was brave and it paid off so im really pleased x

[JuZz'<3]

Thank you all lovely ladies.I ended up giving her a 10% discount which suited me as I'm saving on petrol etc and she was really pleased and booked in. I was brave and it paid off so im really pleased x

Well done, you may have just gained another loyal client. Kindness gets you everywhere, 10% off now, will gain you a better income in the future. I don't think the lady was being cheeky, it's like calling your Internet provider for a cheaper deal or even renewing your car insurance, I'm sure many of us give our details to many company's and ask about offers and discounts. I know I do, whether it be upgrading my phone contract, or my gas and electric supplier x

[Tomme]

I don't necessarily think it's cheeky of her to ask. In some cultures it would be usual, and also in the present climate many might try.

If it's worth your while maybe meet her in the middle, but make it very clear it's a one-off.

Many do try, but not to sound racist, asking for discount isn't our culture and I would be offended if someone used their culture as a reason for asking me for discount. If you go to another country you are expected to respect their culture, or at least I do and wouldn't go to Saudi and pull the head dress off a woman then blame it on my culture. Xoxo

[LilMissEmmylou]

I have to say... pulling a headdress off somebody who wears it for religious reasons is very different to asking if you can do a discount? As I said above, you can always say no so there is no need to be offended by people asking.

I mean as a business person do you ever ask suppliers for a discount for bulk orders? or have you ever been at a market stall buying items and they say "oh thats £23" and you have responded with "Can we call it £20?". I know that's pretty common to do in London markets and even in N.Ireland I would do it :D

[PixieBeauty]

Many do try, but not to sound racist, asking for discount isn't our culture and I would be offended if someone used their culture as a reason for asking me for discount. If you go to another country you are expected to respect their culture, or at least I do and wouldn't go to Saudi and pull the head dress off a woman then blame it on my culture. Xoxo

I have to say - that's a random analogy!! Made me laugh :D xx

[beautybyK]

Many do try, but not to sound racist, asking for discount isn't our culture and I would be offended if someone used their culture as a reason for asking me for discount. If you go to another country you are expected to respect their culture, or at least I do and wouldn't go to Saudi and pull the head dress off a woman then blame it on my culture. Xoxo

Couldn't agree more with what you have said. I am not racist either but its always the same ones isnt it! I haven't experienced this in the beauty world yet but I also work in retail and have plenty of experience of it being expected that they will get a discount because thats the way they do things in their culture!

[Tomme]

I have to say... pulling a headdress off somebody who wears it for religious reasons is very different to asking if you can do a discount? As I said above, you can always say no so there is no need to be offended by people asking.

I mean as a business person do you ever ask suppliers for a discount for bulk orders? or have you ever been at a market stall buying items and they say "oh thats £23" and you have responded with "Can we call it £20?". I know that's pretty common to do in London markets and even in N.Ireland I would do it :D

Most countries and including Saudi wearing the dress's with headgear that only show the eyes is not a religious garment but a cultural one which is why I think we should follow France in the uk ad dissallow them in public, you can't go into a shop with a helmet on an many shops don't allow hats because of obscuring the face, xoxo

[Rhimisty]

Many do try, but not to sound racist, asking for discount isn't our culture and I would be offended if someone used their culture as a reason for asking me for discount. If you go to another country you are expected to respect their culture, or at least I do and wouldn't go to Saudi and pull the head dress off a woman then blame it on my culture. Xoxo

I don't think culture as anything to do with it. I'm from London one of the most diverse places in the world and know people from all walks of life who would ask. It doesn't hurt. Even Dom little wood (I think that's his name) has a program on telling us we should never pay full price for anythin and should at least try to get a discount. If I'm honest I think it's being smart with your money. Worst case scenario., this lady gets told "sorry I can't offer you a discount"

I don't mean to sound very forward or offend anyone but I think that was an irrelevant comment to make. Especially comparing asking for a slight discount to yanking someone's clothes from their body. That's classed as assault.

[Tomme]

I don't think culture as anything to do with it. I'm from London one of the most diverse places in the world and know people from all walks of life who would ask. It doesn't hurt. Even Dom little wood (I think that's his name) has a program on telling us we should never pay full price for anythin and should at least try to get a discount. If I'm honest I think it's being smart with your money. Worst case scenario., this lady gets told "sorry I can't offer you a discount"

I don't mean to sound very forward or offend anyone but I think that was an irrelevant comment to make. Especially comparing asking for a slight discount to yanking someone's clothes from their body. That's classed as assault.

I meant it as a cultural thing, not actual assault but as in saying our country's culture is not to wear them, I wouldn't go to their country and take their head dress off because it's my culture, and I didn't say strip them naked lol :p xoxo

[Lynne Baker]

In my salon business I wouldn't offer a discount. If I went to my private surgeon and asked for a discount I would be politely but firmly denied one. I am, like him, a professional. I dictate my prices based on my qualifications and experience, not on the whims and fancies of my clients.

For my distribution business I might offer free postage for a biiiiig order, or offer some free samples and posters, but I wouldn't give a discount.

My VAT bill is huge. If I said to the revenue "tell you what mate, as it's a big one this time how about you knock off 10%" they'd laugh at me.

You're worth more than that. Bargain basements do discounts; we do not.

[LilMissEmmylou]

As irony would have it I was in Dorothy Perkins today and 2 middle aged women where in trying on shoes. One asked the sales assistant "Can you give me a discount on these shoes?" The sales assistant said "no sorry I cant". Woman replies "Well actually, I KNOW you can, I used to work for Topshop" lol at which point the sales assistant pointed out that she should know she can only offer a 10% discount if agreed by the manager on a FAULTY product, not on normal shop stock.

Just goes to show that people will even try it on in your average high street chain too :D

[sunshineinme]

I think sometimes 10% or 12% discount doesn't hurt us and make our customers more attached to us. I hav yesterday been asked by one of my ladies that if she books for shellac for example for 3 months in advance would I do her a deal. And I thought- why not? In current climate we must be flexible. I went from £25 down to £22 and pedi from £32 to £28. And I am happy to offer it. Anyone who commits themselves to appointments for so many months in advance will be my regular customer and bless them all
:)

[sunshineinme]

I just want to add that I am mostly mobile and working a bit from home so it,s obviously different then the having a salon and large overheads.

[Lynne Baker]

I don't think it matters whether you're mobile or not to be honest.
One other thing to consider is the damage that discounting does to the brands you're using.
I'm willing to bet that the brands don't want to be associated with the word "discount"!

[essentia]

I agree with Lynne - discounting cheapens the brand. There is a place near me who offers Shellac at a much lower price than me - if they are buying the bona fide stock, then what they lose is profit - one of the main reasons for offering the service and the exclusivity that it entails.

It also gets my goat a a bit when people who work from home or mobile are classed as having no overheads. If you use a place from home its use should be charged to the business and mobile has vehicle and travelling expenses - the unit price of the brand is not reduced to suit home/mobile therapists is it?