Do You Let Your Clients Walk All Over You?

[GreekNails]

"Professionals do not give freebies, or discounts."

I have to disagree on this specific point Geeg.
Many of us Geeks are much younger than yourself and have not been around so long - many of us are trying to set up new and successful businesses (sometimes in new countries) and have competitors from all angles of the high street.

I would agree that being professional in your job is foremost, and that your techniques should reflect the quality of your training, skills, knowledge and experience. That is why we spend time and effort to learn new skills, and continue to do so, year after year. You do not become a "professional" overnight because you have passed a certain exam etc, it is an attitude that you continue to apply based on many criteria.

However, it is important to recognise that often "services" are just part of a salon business and retailing to customers will always support and grow a new business.

Giving "offers, bonuses, freebies and discounts" are all important aspects of a successful high street retailer and make the difference between retaining customers and losing them. Many multi-million pound businesses will promote new growth through offers and you can see this in any well known retailers high street window, especially in the UK and the US.

Maybe when I get to a position where I am financially stable for life and my business becomes a luxury, then I will stop offering customer incentives!

Eva

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Sounds like you are in control and not your clients, which is the point of this thread. More technicians should take control.

You have said it in a nutshell here really. For those of us who aren't in control of our clients, we should be and that we get by earning their respect.

I don't respect the doormat and so no longer wish to be treated like one. I have been giving this some thought for quite a while now and really want to be in control of the hours I work because I choose to work those hours. If a client has her nails done by a salon and requires an emergency repair after hours, then she either has to phone the salon when they are open to schedule an appointment or find a tech who can accommodate her emergency repair.

Do I want clients not pitching for appointments? No! Do I want them phoning me on a bank holiday begging for a full set for their dinner date tonight? No. How do I change this? By taking control.

Sounds simple, but sometimes I think we miss the wood for the trees and need to take a step back and evaluate where we are, where we want to go and how we plan to get there. I have to admit that I'm not always very good at that.

 

[geeg]

"Professionals do not give freebies, or discounts."

I have to disagree on this specific point Geeg.
Many of us Geeks are much younger than yourself and have not been around so long - many of us are trying to set up new and successful businesses (sometimes in new countries) and have competitors from all angles of the high street.

I would agree that being professional in your job is foremost, and that your techniques should reflect the quality of your training, skills, knowledge and experience. That is why we spend time and effort to learn new skills, and continue to do so, year after year. You do not become a "professional" overnight because you have passed a certain exam etc, it is an attitude that you continue to apply based on many criteria.

However, it is important to recognise that often "services" are just part of a salon business and retailing to customers will always support and grow a new business.

Giving "offers, bonuses, freebies and discounts" are all important aspects of a successful high street retailer and make the difference between retaining customers and losing them. Many multi-million pound businesses will promote new growth through offers and you can see this in any well known retailers high street window, especially in the UK and the US.

Maybe when I get to a position where I am financially stable for life and my business becomes a luxury, then I will stop offering customer incentives!

Eva

You missed my point, but then again I assumed you knew me and my 'pet hates' and I did not make myself clear. I've posted about this many times.

I am all for client incentives ... just hate it when they are refered to using the word 'discount' or 'freebie'. These words do not belong in a professional environment. Call it anything else, but not those words please. I never give money off ... a gift instead makes more sense. A gift costs you less than the discount AND it seems like MORE to the client. It's all in the semantics.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

You missed my point, but then again I assumed you knew me and my 'pet hates' and I did not make myself clear. I've posted about this many times.

I am all for client incentives ... just hate it when they are refered to using the word 'discount' or 'freebie'. These words do not belong in a professional environment. Call it anything else, but not those words please. I never give money off ... a gift instead makes more sense. A gift costs you less than the discount AND it seems like MORE to the client. It's all in the semantics.

Yup, I've seen you refer to this before. I does sound better, I agree. Discount reminds me of pound shops and does not sount professional.

 

[BABSann]

On the beauty side of things I dont let people walk over me,because I am a professional and have been in my trade for a number of years.I am confident in everything I do and through this my professionalism shows.I walk tall in the salon,I know my job inside out and could do my massage and other treatments without even thinking about it.

However in the nail enhancement side of things we have a completely different story.My boss dosn't promote the enhancements at all,in fact she will even try to deter people from having a set,swaying the client to opt for the remedial treatment instead of a new set of enhancements.

This is sad for me because I love doing nails.I have always wanted to be a nail tech and I have to resort to practicing at home all the time just to keep me on top of things.

Because of this I'm afraid I do perhaps let clients walk over me if things go wrong with their enhancements.I dont get problems with lifting but I know that they are not anywhere near as good in appearance as some other techs,who do them all the time and nothing else.

I wouldn't say I'm not a professional but I would say I dont feel very professional in the nail sector,indeed this can be seen because I rarely reply to threads which are based on nail enhancements,because I dont feel as confident as a lot of other geeks.

My solution to this ongoing problem is to set up my own business,which I have done,just waiting for flyers to post.Then I hope to do lots more nails and get that professional feeling

 

[GreekNails]

You missed my point, but then again I assumed you knew me and my 'pet hates' and I did not make myself clear. I've posted about this many times.

I am all for client incentives ... just hate it when they are refered to using the word 'discount' or 'freebie'. These words do not belong in a professional environment. Call it anything else, but not those words please. I never give money off ... a gift instead makes more sense. A gift costs you less than the discount AND it seems like MORE to the client. It's all in the semantics.

As they say Geeg "Assume" means to "make an ass of you and me"

Lets put clients first and not forget they are the reason they are we are here!

I love incentives!

Eva