I had a new client call me today wanting an appointment for full sets for her and her daughter.
I arranged a time etc, and then she asked me the cost. I told her '£25 for natural, and £30 for permanent French, which includes a small cuticle oil...'
At this point she said to me 'I'll have to stop you there, that's way too expensive, I might as well go to the Chinese place (her choice of words), they'll do them cheaper than that'.
I was pretty gobsmacked, I've never felt the need to justify my price before. I told her that I don't use electric files to drill the nails and the products I use are high quality and won't damage.
She then said that someone had recommended her and that she'd paid £12. I explained that the price was cheaper when I first started mobile as I was inexperienced, but it's been gradually increasing and now I charge full price. She then told me that she just couldn't afford it, she only wanted to pay £12 and hung up. She didn't seem very happy.
In hindsight I should have told her that infact, these discount salons that have just opened in our area are charging £28 for a full set which is just white tips with clear L+P, and includes no oil!! But I was just so taken aback that I couldn't really think what to say.
The more I think about it the more it bothers me. I can't blame potential clients for being a bit naive about the NSS but I don't know whether she was a bit rude to say that to me, as I wouldn't ring up a high end salon and say to them that there's no way I'd pay their prices as Joe Bloggs in the discount salon down the road does it cheaper.
Just feel a bit disheartened as I only put the price up to full price last week as I'd been on a 121 with Kate from CND last week who told me to stop charging half price because my work was of a good standard, and the first person to book since then thinks it's too expensive!
Would you be offfended if someone said that to you?

Hannah, don't worry. I get calls like that all the time. I tell them my price and they either say that's fine(some don't even ask) or I get a response like you did. I don't tend to argue my case, when asked why I ask the price I charge, I often get questioned, I always reply with a smile in my voice(thank you Gigi) that I use a high end product and the results speak for themselves due to my training, if that is met by the same response, I'm not going to argue.

For every client like that you will get one that isn't. The other thing to remember is this, for every client you get that is so happy with your work, you will get ones that are recommended by your clients and that is priceless.

Don't worry about it

dont be offended.
its just that people dont understand that there is a difference in quality with the difference in price.
not everyone thinks about it the same way, they dont understand that theres a difference between value for money and cheapness.

what you are offering is not a like for like product.
added to that i sounds like the 'lady' just lacked social graces, and is not versed in polite conversation.

What a lucky escape you have had my darling. Imagine having her as a regular client!

Believe me, and I speak from years of experience, when they start off like this you are better off without them. She would want everything at cut price and probably pick at everything you did to try to get a discount.

Build your business with clients that you enjoy the company of as you will spend a long time with these ladies!

Sheila x

You will always get clients like this and i wouldn't worry to much about it.
I will explain to clients why i charge certain prices for things but they will still try and get a discount.
If they catch me on a bad day i will usually reply "well if they are so good down the road and they only charge that much, then i suggest you go down the road".
Always said with a smile on my face

I don't think it's anything to worry about, she sounds rude anyway and like someone else said, she would probably be looking for a discount at any given oportunity, or trying to haggle your price down at the end of her treatment.
At the end of the day, like most things, you get what you pay for. Thats why you charge £30 not £12. Speaks for itself really....

To be honest I would probably laugh. You really don't need clients like this! These are the type that are never happy and always complain about anything they can think of at the time. They tend to think you owe them something. So see it as, you have had a lucky escape hun. Let her go to another salon that will do her nails for half the price and then watch them fall off at the end of the week ha ha.
I never lower my prices. If people don't like it ...then book somewhere else. I want to be appreciated for the service I provide.
So don't worry huni...chin up! xxx

I think you have plenty of great advice here so I will just add a (((((HUG)))))
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Hiya Hannah,

What a blooming cheek.............

I think you have had a luck escape with this client. I think we have all had people like this at some point, and they are not worth the effort of worrying about.

Concentrate on those clients that appreciate your skills, and are happy with the nails you produce as they will be the ones that will be recommending you to other people.

Good luck

Sally x

One of the first rules for you to feel happy in your business is to ... stop taking comments from others PERSONALLY!

Another is to NOT justify your prices by comparing yourself (or the products you use) to the 'salon down the road'.

If you feel you have to justify yourself then tell them the quality of your work and the nail experience they will have by coming to you is an ample return on their investment in YOU. If they then decide not to ... then that is their choice and nothing PERSONAL.

I would not go into anything else over the phone to try to persuade them to invest in your services. Keep it short and sweet and professional not personal.

I would never be rude or make a smart ass come back to anyone over the phone (even with a smile on my face) .

Its simple....she cant afford you. Obviously quality isn't top of her list, its price and she thinks that nails are nails and so should be priced all the same.

I wouldn't give it a second thought.

On the flip side of that I had a client who was almost trying to back out of an appointment when i replied i only charge £15 for infills!!!

I had to really sell to her to get her to commit to the booking. She thought as i was cheap i must be rubbish.

....Disclaimer-Im cheap because i stupidly printed my price lists and distributed them before converting to Creative and buying obviously much better product and before i became awsome at it!! LOL! PS the prices WILL be going up in December

I must have missed something somewhere down the line with these 'salons' charging such low prices, I personally wouldn't expect to pay less than £30 for a full set of professionally applied nails.

I paid about £25 for a full set for my wedding 10 years ago and didn't have a problem with that then!

I really wouldn't worry about what she said, as everyone has said you don't need clients like that.

What great advice from everyone.

It's hard not to take things personally but remember not everyone is as nice as you are and lots of people just want everything really cheap. These people are often very hard work and after a visit from them you are left feeling fed up but cannot quite work out why.

Try not to worry - as someone previously said - you've had a lucky escape!

you were lucky she said what she did, often they say nothing, make an appointment, then don't show up .....