I had a visit from a lady yesterday, her and her daughter go to an NSS for tip and L&P overlays with a gel top coat.

They have both been having this done every 10 days for the past 3 years or so, and every three months he removes the tips completely to replace with a new set. He does not blend the tips after applying them, but the lady showed me one that had broken off and there was about 6/7mm of nat nail - maybe he uses well-less tips?

She said all of hers and her daughters nails were basically non exesitant this is why he tips them both.

She was enquiring about my prices etc, I told her I use Brisa, and asked if she had ever considered growing her tips out so that she can eventully have nno. She replied by saying that her nat nails are so soft and trashed (her words not mine) it would be impossible for her to do this.

She asked me how long it took me and when I told her she said " omg you poor thing, my tech takes 20 mins tops, he has electric drills, files everything, he trained at a salon in New York and now owns 5 nail bars, you should ring him and get him to train you properly"

I was gobsmacked. What should I have said? I wanted to die!! I can't offer L&P until I have done my ezflow progression course next month, she will be back in about 8 weeks to get her grandsons hair cut......any suggestions? I hate it when I just freeze up, does this happen to anyone else? x

Well Hayley....my reply would of been simple...

'Madam/name - I take a great care of my clients and their nails - not one of them has ever - EVER had damaged nails becasue of my lack of skills. I pride myself in my professionalism & quality of both my work & my products. My clients stay with me for years and are more than happy - 95% of them have NNO now. If you gave me a nail drill I could drill your nails to shreds & overlay them in 20 mins, but I have more skill than that.
Quality takes time. Speed makes poor nails'

Or something like that!! I would not try to sounds clever or snooty iykwim, but just sincere & caring.

I used to be scared of saying stuff to people, but not anymore.
I know I can do a good job, my clients tell me that.

If you are sure of your work, don't be scared of telling her so - train with him ffs!

I was just so cautious I did not want to appear like I was slagging off wonderboy (even tho I feel like kicking him where it hurts lol) will see what she says when I next see her. In all fairness I think she is a bit dim tho, she was shocked to see females having their hair done at the salon, she thought it was a barbers......even though the shop front is hot pink lol

thanks Bev, will update when I next see her, although I probably wouldnt know where to start with her nails, they are so uneven, more troughs and peaks than, well, something very troughy and peaky lol!

[quote=Bev Rose;763057]Well Hayley....my reply would of been simple...

'Madam/name - I take a great care of my clients and their nails - not one of them has ever - EVER had damaged nails becasue of my lack of skills. I pride myself in my professionalism & quality of both my work & my products. My clients stay with me for years and are more than happy - 95% of them have NNO now. If you gave me a nail drill I could drill your nails to shreds & overlay them in 20 mins, but I have more skill than that.
Quality takes time. Speed makes poor nails'

Excellent reply.

BUT YOU CAN COMPETE WITH THE WONDERBOY!!

I'd say, "you want 20 minute nails?? I can do that every 10 days using PopIts and no drills and no nail damage!!

Why don't you peeps realise that you now (for the first time) CAN compete with the 20 minute full set using PopIts??

Not everyone wants this service, but If you have clients that clearly want the Speed more than the health of their nails, then why not offer BOTH to them using PopIts?? SO EASY.

Well, i would've wanted to scream at her and say, "I don't need a drill to perfect my nails, they are sculpted with my brush, all my clients have nno and have lovely natural nails underneath as i DON'T cause damage, plus, you get what you pay for and you are obviously paying a butcher and a cowboy to do yours, so i wouldn't want to touch your nails with a barge pole!"

Like i say, i would WANT to say this but would've politely said i do quality nails which take a little more time as you can't rush perfection. (well something like that anyway...lol)

Congratulations for remaining professional, I would have wanted to raise my voice to that!! I think that this lady needs it pointing out that her nails are "trashed" BECAUSE she has let this 20 minute wonder butcher her nails for the past 3 years, he is not helping the problem, he IS the problem!

its always hard when you are put in this situtation.i hate it because you do just want to snap back but you know you cant.i agree with whats already been said but do you think you could tempt her in even letting you just try and do one of her nails to see what she thinks?
the trouble is ,is if she is happy with her nails by this other salon and she doesnt think there doing anything wrong then shes not going to change anyway and she obviously doesnt appreciate a good nail tech when she see's one.

As Geeg says, why not try her with Popit nails?

If I had to do a set in 20 minutes my ladies would hate me leaving so soon!!
They have tried to drag it out as long as possible even at 80 odd years old.
Time aint everything.
To do a file and polish on an 80 odd year old woman and have a coffee and a cigarette can sometimes make you feel like you are sooo needed and loved.
And to get a kiss and a love on the way way out once a fortnight can make u feel so loved too.
Life is too short. Forget the NSS and think of how well you are doing yourself. xxx

I agree completly with this post.
It is not just about nails but also the feel good factor. If I had my clients nails done in 20 mins I don't think they would be back. They know I can do them quicker if they are in a hurry but most of the time it is about a coffee, a chat and nice nails at the end. You could offer to do one of her nails for free, a poppit, and see what she thinks. As said previous, Forget the NSS, there will always be people for them because that is all they want but you offer a different, professional and personal service. Excellant service and not a conveyor belt. Don't let it get you down.

I agree 20minute sets don't sound like alot of fun, abit production line but you don't have to be a nss to provide fast service without compromising quality. A refill every ten days would require minimal work and even with hand filling and could be done in 25 to 30 minutes so if you were using an efile(with proper training of course) 20 minutes would be no problem especially if you have your brush technique down then a quick buff to refine should suffice then finish with a finishing gloss instead of buffing to a high shine.
You could explain to your this lady that taking extra time and not retipping every three months would mean less appointment for her in the long run(instead of two a month she would only need them done once a month). Being fast isn't a bad thing and as you do more you do get faster but its all about choices and not all clients will be a great fit you will always have some who choose the fast option and others who will want a more personal service.

I'd be careful in what you declare.

More and more apparently NSS are swapping over to EMA rather than MMA (they are catching on) and their skills are improving ... sure they use an efile, they do lack preparation and their nails are thicker, but some are starting to churn out pretty good work, they are bloody fast (the work is not quite as refined, also they are starting to last longer) but nonetheless they are picking their game up, some of "them" are very skilled. Lately I've actually been impressed with quality considering time taken.

Where is this gonna leave us ? when we can't bitch about MMA ?

More and more are swapping to EMA, then we just have to admit they are faster and don't faff around.

I've been watching these buggers and they are picking up their game, they know what we are bitching about and they are improving their skills.

All they have to do is take a little more care and cause less damage, then they will have us by the short and curlies.

i'm like you, would have frozen and not know what to say.

I've tried it with my best friend who regularly gets her nails done at an nss even though I've offered to do her's for free just to show her. I've explained the damage caused, told her nail physiology, that these nss aren't qualified and sometimes illegal and she still won't listen. The end result looks good and thats all she cares about which is funny cause she is so particular about what she does with her hair and skin! but hey as someone said some people just wont change