Do you KNOW who your client is?

[tonilee]

Ok well we all love a good discussion so here is something thats been on my mind lately....

Can you, the Therapist/Tech see things Truely from a clients perspective??

This kind of goes hand in hand with what Geeg touched on yesterday about having good business sense.

How many of us think about things as OUR Clients, furtherstill how many of us actually know Who our clients are?

When choosing products, services, retail, prices and promotional offers do they all fit your clients?

I see many threads every day with people asking for suggestions for facial ranges, make up ranges, tan solutions etc etc and we as a forum of therapists are quick to say who we percieve to be the best.....that is from one therapist to another....

But how many of you think about it from your clients point of view? Does your client care particulalry if if your chosen all singing all dancing make up range (decked out in a stunning branded retail unit) and is used on some tv show.....do Your clients really care? Will they pay top whack for expensive make up from your salon? Is it worth your investment?

Thats just an example by the way and nor am I suggesting by the way, that you Shouldnt invest in expensive all singing all dancing products....but what you should do as a business owner is to know your client!

For instance I my make up kit is pretty unbranded, I have my professional brushes of course but my actual make up kit is made up from sevral high street brands....from 2True, GSH, No7, Bonjoir, Max Factor, Mac, Benefit and YSL.......I would say a good 60% of it is the 2 superdrug ranges....
The reason for this is because I know my client!! I made sure I knew what I was catering for when I got my kit sorted out! While I LOVE Lily Lolo, Mac, and Artdeco BUT my clients couldnt give a flying fig about these brands they have hardly heard of. Part time T girls, drag queens, drag kings and lesbians who wear make up only for certain occassions.....they wont pay top end for the type of make up that I the PROFESSIONAL as a Professional LOVE!!

We are always all to quick on this site to recommend and ask for others to help us out making our choices in the minefield of products we use, but how many of you really know your client and choose based on your client type

Who IS your client type?

 

[Trinity]

I always discuss any possible changes with my clients in a chatty kind of way before I do anything.

Specifically I'm thinking about when I considered getting my card machine, just in general chit-chat I asked them if they preferred paying by card and would the like that facility. Probably 60% said yes the rest didn't really mind either way. Funnily enough probably 80% of them use it, so it was a wise choice.

On the opposite side, I bought a airbrush when I first started out because I had to have everything available and to this day 5 years later not one single person has ever asked me for airbrushed nails. Maybe if I'd asked the question first I could have saved my £250 :lol:

I also asked the question about polishes, I use CND and have done since day one, however they are not cheap and I was curious about whether I would be better buying a load of cheaper branded ones instead. Categorically my clients said they wanted quality polishes because when I used them they lasted well over a week and the colours were beautiful. They expect their cheapies to last a few days max and are happy with that but know my work will last them ages and is better quality due to the products and my work. Decision made, I will continue with my CND proudly.

So in conclusion I guess I know them pretty well as I seem to be making the right choices on the whole, but it's good to ask.

Great thread btw

 

[Violet Star]

Im the same as you Lee my clients couldnt give a monkeys of what make up i would use its about how i use it! With tanning lotions i dont think they really care either and the same with nails lol Gosh i wish someone would care!

What they care about is me getting the job done and doing a good job more to the point me being able to do it better than they could themselves!
thats really what they pay for in their eyes!
x

 

[tonilee]

Thanks guys, but Who IS your clients.....can you define them? Or do you just hope to attract anyone??

If you hope to just attract anyone.....how do you make business decisions? How do you know which offers to use etc??

 

[Violet Star]

Well all my clients are female so i know which places to target when it comes to advertising. My clients ages range from 16-50 but most of my clients are in their 20s.
I do like to attract a certain type of people towards my business but of course you get a variety of different people.
I like the clients that are polite and appreciate my time and what i do, and of course the loyal client that will return to me if they like my service. Dont particularly like those who will just go anywhere to have their tan or treatments. But hey not everyone likes regular tans.
My regulars i do think i know them, i always find out what kind of treatments they like and they have and on their records i write down their age and what kind of treatments they like so i know when i send out promotional texts or emails i know which ones would like the offer and which ones wouldnt be as interested.
I always cater to my clients needs and i know how to be around them i.e suit their personality, i know if they are a chatter or not so much of a chatter.
So all in all i think i have a good idea of whats going on with my clients.

 

[Brandywine]

I think you have a very good thread here!

Most products I use are higher end range, but I do use a few cheaper products (which I've found work well) too.
My particular thing is the facial range I use. Every so often I wonder if I ought to invest an arm and a leg in a more expensive range and then I have a good think about my client base and have to reel myself in because I just don't think I could charge enough to cover the expense. People also tend to come to me for relaxation, rather than because of the range I use or to buy products.

My clients tend to be men and women of over 45, with very ordinary jobs or who are retired (with a smattering of all ages). They like coming to me because I'm home based, so I haven't got a shop front, but I have my room set up as a salon.

I'm doing a questionnaire at the moment for regular clients and clients who I haven't seen in a while, so hopefully I'll know even more about them and they'll all say they want me to use a top end facial range.

 

[chocolatepickle]

As a fairly new to business therapist, what a great thread! I'm just getting started and this is food for thought so although i cant contribute directly to your thread YET as i dont yet have a client base, thankyou as these are all things i can think to consider and think about when i am making important descisions for my business :hug:

 

[daisyl]

Really great thread

My target clients/patients are female aged between 30 and 55. I HAVE TO advise on what is best suited for their particular needs. I think, as a business and a professional, it will not take long before you start to lose reputation and repeat custom if you try to sell/use any old product, and that which is not what is really needed. It is equally important to advise against treatments and actually turn away business, I feel, if I do not find their expectations are realistic - at the end of the day they will leave feeling unhappy and unsatisfied. I think we also have an ethical obligation to apply this practice, and in return, makes good business sense.

That does not necessarily mean premium products or named make up brands either. I just think it is important to apply practices which 'do what they say they do' so to speak, and not make ridiculous miracle promises. That is why during the consultation period, I take time to ensure my client/patients expectations are the same as mine! Happy customers all round.

 

[Annie23]

As a fairly new to business therapist, what a great thread! I'm just getting started and this is food for thought so although i cant contribute directly to your thread YET as i dont yet have a client base, thankyou as these are all things i can think to consider and think about when i am making important descisions for my business :hug:

As Kayley, I havn't started working yet, but what a great thread! definatly be keeping my eye on this discussion

anne xx

 

[tonilee]

Some great answers everyone!!

If you dont yet have any clients, who would you LIKE to have as clients?? Who will be they be ideally, which age range, what sort of places would you find them, why would that type of client come to you?

For example I never do door to door leaflets, for my clients (even if they are not yet my clients so to speak) wont be found on a door to door basis.....I flyer our local gay club, put ads in Midland Zone, leaflet in brum gay village, and NETWORK with local gay business owners....for this is who my clients are and are going to be....

 

[CatsClaws]

I know all of my clients well (mainly becasue most of them are family and friends!!!) and each one is completely different to the other. I am in the process of starting a home salon so this thread is fab advice for me to get to know my new clients.

However, the ones I have do ask a lot of questions about the products that I use and are always picking things up off my desk and asking about them, they are especially interested in anything new that they see. I dont really go into any detail about the price of things but in the past some had commented on certain things that they know the price of and have asked why I dont use a cheaper brand (I never answer that question) Once I have finished a full set of nails I ask them how they look and if they are happy with them and after they have admired them for a few moments and then say 'Yes I love them' I then say 'do you think you would still love them if I used a cheaper brand that I didnt have training in!!!'

Im not saying that expensive products are the way forward but I have found a brand that I love and it just so happens to be one of the more expensive ones.

However, when it comes to myself, make-up, shampoo etc.... (other than my nails) I always use cheaper brands and find they do just the job for me.

Anyway I am gonna start making some valuble notes from this thread.

Tonilee - Sorry to ask and I might sound dumb but what is a T Girl?

xx

 

[tonilee]

Tonilee - Sorry to ask and I might sound dumb but what is a T Girl?

xx

Not dumb at all chuck, trans gender/tranny/transvestite ....t girl just sounds nicer than tranny I think :green:

 

[Lynne Baker]

When I started out I decided that in order to make a decent living my revenue needed to be 80% retail and 20% treatments. So I positioned myself at the top end of the market because those are the clients who would be serious about taking care of themselves and using homecare products to augment the salon treatments. I knew that I didn't want the really young girls who can't really afford regular treatments because I wanted high value repeat clients, and I tailored my treatment range accordingly.
That said - I realise that actually, these young women could be quite lucrative for me if I offered something that they (as opposed to the older ladies) wanted, and that wasn't readily available in this immediate area, so I'll be offering spray tan parties from mid July.

I know who my clients are, because, on the whole they're just like me. They have a decent disposable income, are serious about taking care of themselves, demand high, personalised customer service, and want tangible results.

I won't drop my prices to encourage new clients; rather I add value to the treatments with things like a free eyebrow shape, free underarm wax.

Some people will go for volume, but I decided to go for margin. You need to look at your location and demographic to determine which one of those is right for you.

 

[cro-mari]

My clients are both male and female, equal numbers. Male for waxing.

Funny thing is, because I did not plan it that way and certanly do not 'select' them, but 99 % of my clients are like I ordered them from some 'pick-a-client' catalogue :green:

It turns up that there's always something in common - books, education, preferences, and many times it's learning something new, great discussion. But I don't go into my private matters, and don't pick theirs. Though, after few months, I know their lives funny what the person reveals during services as they feel more comfortable and ease with me, they talk more freely.

I don't like talking much, rather encourage them, but active listening, and - I'm faster with my eyes down and mouth shut. I remember what they've said, and they are always nicely surprised when they see I know their kids names, etc. But I only go as 'deep' as they go, and they determine how much will they talk, reveal, etc.

But we are never 'crossing the line', seems like I'm a person of confidence but not the one to socialise outside of salon, and I won't go into it, and they are not my personal friends. I respect them for chosing me and they respect my work and advices.

I love my clients

 

[sarahpoppy24]

This is an ace topic. My clients are different because I do hair and nails. My nail clients are usualy women between say 20 and 45 have well paid jobs and not much time on their hands. They like the fact I can fit in with there busy lifestyles and can come after work etc. My hair clients are usualy families with young kids who have the money to pay to have their hair done and want professional colouring/cuts but want the convinience at home and I do the mums colour kids and husbands cut . I also do some older ladies and some 20 somethings (usualy the younger lot are friends referals) I find my clients are a friendly bunch just normal people going about there business. I enjoy going to different houses and hearing their stories from different walks if life. I dont socialise with them unless they are a friend already. They tell me personal things which I obviously treat with strict confidence. xxxxxxxxxx Sorry I forgot to add, a few of my clients are hair and nails but I find my nail clients usualy have their hairdresser they stay loyal to from the salon there are loads of hairdressers in my area but only a few nail techs. xx

 

[essentia]

This is an interesting thread - I have two sets of clientele. One is the clients I see in my beauty studio ladies aged 20 - 55 and the other is my retail clients men and women. Advice is given online, in person and by telephone so I deal with a variety of situations/people. I am finding however that as both grow it does get hard to sustain. One will have to be the stronger.