hey, with regards to pricing, the price is the price and thats it ! and it really is not up for discusion how and why you or anyone charges what they charge, you will always have clients who are not happy with your price to be honest, if they dont want to pay you they are free to go elsewhere arent they ?

assuming of course that they know the price before they sit down i hope ?

try not ever to get drawn in to an argument about price, here is a word for word script to use if it happens again, so the person says " hey i think thats too expensive " and you say :

Thats ok , i understand that some places are more expensive than others but im sure that if you have your nails done by me you will agree that it was worth it, but bear in mind there are many places more expensive than me but we do try to offer a fair price for the services we offer, so when would you like to book in for ?

so what you will find is that they will either agree to a booking or just go elsewhere.

its no all about price, you will always get people who want the best for free, and even if you do lower the price for them they will want it even lower next time , ask yourself the question, do you really want clients like that ? what you need are clients who are ( happy ) to pay you what you ask, not unhappy. and anyhow buy cheap buy twice is my fav ! or if you like the stella advert " reassuringly expensive " so you get what you pay for in my book.

I would most definitely be offended - you get what you pay for. If your CND instructor believes that you are doing quality work and should earn more money - trust in that. That lady is going to learn the hard way that NSS may damage her nails.

Its the difference between a Pinto and a Cadillac!

You are worth it - don't sell yourself short. I NEVER discount my prices - ever. If I want to do a promotion - I offer them something free. I offer free nail art with every new set - it gets them hooked fast and they are willing to pay to keep it up. I also offer them free nail art for every referral client - talk about motivation. I am worth every penny I charge and if potential clients don't like it - they are welcome to go elsewhere.

Thanks you all for some very constructive comments. I've had a good think about it and I guess if anyone compares me to any other salon I'll politely tell them that my work is of very good quality and I have many happy clients (although the 'many' bit is a white lie-but they are all happy!)
The more I think about it, the more I've decidied I don't really want her as a client anyway. I think if she was going to pay £12 for nails then she wouldn't look after them very well.
Thank you all, I feel a lot better.

Ive had this before too hun!!

Its seems to be like that now ive been on a well know site today and someone wanted there nails done but wanted them done cheaply!! Im not expensive by miles but have been told i am it seems no one wants to pay over £15 for a set of nails now

Of course there will always be your 'cheap' specialists but you are quite wrong to say that no one wants to pay over 15 for nails. There are LOADS of discerning clients that are paying much more than that for good service in nice surroundings by an expert nail technician. I know this is true because I can see it in sales of product. The nail business for those ones is still going VERY strong indeed.

Geeg i never said no one wants to i said it SEEMS no one wants to!!

Well it may SEEM that way to you but in fact it does not seem that way and indeed is not that way to many others.

I can hardly believe that my starting price 25 years ago was 35 pounds for a full set and due to 'others' playing the pricing game etc. the proper price has been eroded and eroded until 25 years later, so many are charging stupid unrealistic prices and bracketing themselves and being forced (by themselves) to stay at the cheap end.

Those that do really good nails have the nous to premium price their services and are getting what they deserve while 'others' are forced to stay at the cheap end. Sad really and all because they really do not understand how to run a business.

Hi I think at the moment it has a lot to do with lack of money but £12.00 that is taking the pee a lot, I charge family £20.00 except my mum she is free, then anyone else from £25 upwards depending on what they have done, and I do a deal if they have nails and Tan done together and that seems to be working. Don't let it get you down I think in this business you have to have a thick skin sometimes, I don't think some customers think doing nails is a hard job as we make it look so easy, but when you think of all the times we sit there practising and getting frustrated at our smile lines for example or remembering the different diseases ect ect god I could go on and on lol
good luck with your next customer

You can't please all of the people all of the time. You get what you pay for with me. Know your own worth and don't ever undersell yourself. Onwards and Upwards hun.

hey just think of it as a lucky escape! you dont need clients like that, how rude!

tigi

glad you posted this.. i got told yesterday by a regular to cancel her appointment as she told me £28 was a bit steep for a removal and overlays reapplied.. i couldnt even respond i was so flabbergasted..yeah and i use creative too so i need my head looking at.. ..Ive done her free repairs,replacement nails and nailart but this is the best one, before that she was using an Ez flow educator who there is not way in the world would and be a mug like me and charge so little( worth every penny of course)

so yeahhh she was defo trying it on!!

We all need all the clients we can get and if you are clever then clients' attitudes can be changed and you can make them yours for LIFE. It's not RUDE because it is not PERSONAL ... it's BUSINESS.

Don't take offense by her comments, i'm sure many many more people will have positive comments. I guess she wanted cheap and cheerful rather than investing in good quality enhancements.

Maybe she couldn't afford £30, but manners don't cost a thing. Sometimes people are just rude! Never mind though, just make sure you always speak to them respectfully and professionally.

Good luck with your nails. Sounds like you CND instructor thinks you'll do fantastic!

I think it was rude. I think manners and politeness as just as important in business as in personal life. Sorry gigi, but i thought her comments were rude, it costs nothing to be polite. just my opinion of course.

tigi

I agree with you in principal (of course I do) but it is a sad fact that people today are very very forthright/rude/aggressive/assertive -- whatever euphemism you care to use. The fun is in turning them around .. and it can be done and it is worth it. Not clever to just say .. who needs 'em in my opinion. We do need 'em .. all of 'em. We also only heard what her comments were second hand (as it were) none of us knows what she really said.