Don't be fooled by Clients

[Urban Geek]

Oh dear - I think I am guilty of this one, although I am toughening up. I don't mind giving an extra or small service free to loyal clients. Today, I had one of my very regular clients who got her nails done last week but is going on holiday so could wear coloured polish (which she isn't allowed to wear at work). I gave her the polish of her choice with very basic nail art on her ring fingers. She asked how much and I told her it was on me for being such a loyal and regular client. I will do similar with other regular good clients.

However, I have an elderly client who does come every two weeks but due to her age or her medication, her maintenance appointments are really hard work. She called today to say she had broken two. Now because she is very regular and adheres to my recommended maintenance plan, I would be happy to repair the two broken ones for £3 each perhaps even free if it wasn't a frequent occurrence but she has breakages almost between each maintenance. She couldn't come to my salon and wants me to fit her in at home on Saturday morning. I can do so but it means me spending about 1hr probably soaking off/repairing her two nails. If I charge her the £6 for the two repairs it is hardly fair payment for 1hrs work. Whereas if I did her repairs in the salon, I wouldn't have to devote all my time to her whilst she was getting her nails soaked off, etc. I'll need to try and be firm. Perhaps if I charge her £10 for the two nails, she might look after them more.

I actually thought about a £10 minimum charge for fitting in clients for repairs if they weren't having any other service at the same time. What do you think?

 

[kittenclaws]

i have fallen in to the trap,
when i first started in nails my sister was always a willing voluntear and i never charged her for it as the nails were really bad, now i have passed my nvq i thought she might start paying for the stuff used but nope, not a penny,
i spent 2 1/2 hours doing her nails today and didnt get a sausage, i should have laid down the terms when i first started:cry:

 

[Lily]

I dont give anything cheap to mates or family at the end of the day i am running a business not a charity shop.......my clients are all really good and i have not yet come accross any cheeky ones.....YET!!!!

Amanda

 

[bridget1802]

This has made me think I will redo my price list and start charging properly!

Im way 2 soft a few of my friends will ask oh how much do you charge to do nails and instead of me saying oh £30 which I think for York is reasonable I will cringe and go oh well is it for you? and if they say yes I will end up doing them for £25. better still when they come round they want crushed shells and they are £5 more!!

I try and hint and say they can go to the trainee and pay £20 if they cant really afford me to do them but they know my nails will stay on.

I have just got myself in a bit of a rut I think I will redo my price list and stick to it unless very good friend and regular they can have 10% off does that sound fair? this means that I start charging for nail art and rhinestones etc!!

The only peoples I do for free is my mum but she dosnt always have them on and she helped me out in beginning to buy product and my sister gets them free too but she often buys me something cos she knows I dont like taking the money off family, oh and their is my aunty too and she offers to pay me too

 

[Susie H]

Oh dear -
If I charge her the £6 for the two repairs it is hardly fair payment for 1hrs work. Whereas if I did her repairs in the salon, I wouldn't have to devote all my time to her whilst she was getting her nails soaked off, etc. I'll need to try and be firm. Perhaps if I charge her £10 for the two nails, she might look after them more.

I actually thought about a £10 minimum charge for fitting in clients for repairs if they weren't having any other service at the same time. What do you think?

I could just see the faces if I tried that one
however when Charlie took over as manager at Pulse she started a new policy, stand alone nail repairs are tagged on to the end of a full service client or are performed at the start of a Saturday or at the very end. I like this, its a much more efficient use of time, as for free bees and discounts.
I give a full set of white tips for £20 everything else in my menue costs a damm sight more, coz I'm worth it

 

[fiona wallace]

Apart from when I did my original training many years ago, I have NEVER given anyone any kind of discount, I HAVE bent over backwards to please...looking out an item of clothing or bag, etc., for them to match with a special outfit...giving away MANY books I think they would appreciate...emailing them pertinent stories....all the things you would do for someone you liked and to show you think about them...but NEVER discount our services.

I have been asked many times over the years for client loyalty discounts...my prices are very reasonable and we give an EXCELLENT SERVICE, so the answer is no to freebies and discounting ...we are PROFESSIONALS and I believe some of you have to stop thinking of your services as something less than that, personally I have not experienced some of the tales you are relating on this thread, if someone even mentions that x is offering a better price I just smile and change the subject...if they do not want to use our PROFESSIONAL services, c'est la vie!!!!!!!!!

p.s.This doesn't apply to my lovely MUM!!!!!

 

[Tanita]

Im training before exam nowadays, and im taking abit lower price than the regular prices here. But still, since im training, my man's best friend's girlfriend, got two sets of nails for free - she came 4 hours late for the appointment, and after getting a full set of nails, she didnt even ask about the price, she didnt mention money at all, so there i had been spending all day waiting for her since she was so late, and didnt' even get paid for the work i did! She thought i just do it for free! I will never do her nails again.
Also, another friend who also is the wife of my man's friend, always complain about how broke she is... And she also got two full sets for free! Never again! The only person who will get her nails done for free, is my mom. From now on i have the Menu with prices next to the nailtable so that they can see that i actaully charge for the nails i do... :irked:

 

[Sassy Hassy]

I agree about the client loyalty discounts Fiona. I did this for a while but thought they should stay loyal to me because of what I have to offer, and not because of my price. I stopped it and didn't lose any clients because of it, it just didn't make business sense in the end. The only way it would work financially is to raise your prices in the first place, so the freebie isn't really a freebie, and to me that's a bit of a con.

I've listened to clients saying they are strapped for cash and I thought, wow you'd rather have nails than eat? .. that's dedication! Didn't occur to me they might be trying for a discount, and I think Min is right I don't think they are.

 

[CadenceAlex]

Im training before exam nowadays, and im taking abit lower price than the regular prices here. But still, since im training, my man's best friend's girlfriend, got two sets of nails for free - she came 4 hours late for the appointment, and after getting a full set of nails, she didnt even ask about the price, she didnt mention money at all, so there i had been spending all day waiting for her since she was so late, and didnt' even get paid for the work i did! She thought i just do it for free! I will never do her nails again.
Also, another friend who also is the wife of my man's friend, always complain about how broke she is... And she also got two full sets for free! Never again! The only person who will get her nails done for free, is my mom. From now on i have the Menu with prices next to the nailtable so that they can see that i actaully charge for the nails i do... :irked:

Hmm.. but aren't you training?

I think a few quid could be expected to cover materials... but IMO, I think people should be grateful for people to practice on!

 

[Tanita]

But i don't do bad nails! And i have been working with nails since 2000, this is just an other system, so i know how to. I just didnt take exam yet, its in May so here it is normal to charge for the nails you do when you practise too. I don't do it for free! I did it for free on 10 persons, then after that i charge. Thats whats normal here.

 

[CadenceAlex]

But i don't do bad nails! And i have been working with nails since 2000, this is just an other system, so i know how to. I just didnt take exam yet, its in May so here it is normal to charge for the nails you do when you practise too. I don't do it for free! I did it for free on 10 persons, then after that i charge. Thats whats normal here.

If you have been doing nails for 6 years then you should be charging full prices for the system you learnt originally, and perhaps a few quid less for the new system you are learning with - thats TOTALLY different!!!!

 

[Tanita]

Yes, i will not charge full price for the new system until i got my exam.

 

[bizzy lizzy]

I've had silmilar experiences with my boyfriends sister.She has a very well paid job and has always had her nails done.When I announced I was doing a course on nails it seemed "obvious" that she would be my guinea pig, and for a while she was,I could get my practice and confidence and she was getting a very good price.It didn't take me long to realise that she too was picking off her nails and wanting full sets applied instead of having hers infilled.When I got my certificate I explained that my prices would increase but I would give her a family discount.I never did them again!She's not worn enchancements for 18 months,think she begrudges paying me full price!Every time we socialise with her I always make sure my nails are immaculate,hers are badly bitten and a sight! :lol:

 

[1999judy]

I have a client who doesn't have much money to spare but visits me religiously and ALWAYS gives me a tip. I don't know her personally and have never given her a freebie. I think THAT is why she looks after her nails. It's a bit like an investment I suppose. I did my friends nails for training a while ago and she totally trashed them - Why? Because they didn't cost her a penny so she didn't care. You live and learn...

 

[bling nails]

oh the stories i can tell you from clients who try to get freebies...it happened only tuesday morning, and on the phone! client called explaining she had had a gift voucher given by her mate who had bought it from my salon and could she book in, only she had lost the voucher and couldnt remember how much the voucher was for and when her friend had bought it. i asked her what her friends name was to see if it was one of the regular clients who had bought it. her reply was 'a friend of a friend had given it to her, cause her friend didn't want the voucher!

im sorry but she could have been any body trying to get a free set of nails.... NO VOUCHER - NO TREATMENT.
just goes to show how far some peeps will go to get a freebie!

 

[lusious30]

I started off, not charging for repairs or discounting multiple repairs, but then soon found out that these clients were doing the garden or diy when they broke. I'm not gonna pay if the buggers aren;t looking after them!
By the way i'm new on ere and have just found this site after 2 years of doing nails all on my own with no one to talk too, (ahhh!) hope fully i'll be able to get some great advice from you guyz.....hopefully anyway!

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

well i am still only training,and havent so much had the sob storys yet,but i do have a lot of,"will you do my nails and ill pay you on such a such a day",which for me hasnt been to bad really,up untill a few weeks ago ,i did an old work collegues nails she said she would pay me the next morning,that was two weeks ago
i only charge 10 pounds her sister has asked her for me a few times and its always ,oooh tell her im sorry ill bring it to her in the morning ....and still nothing,now it may only be a tenner but thats a lot of money to me,i have thought of going to knock at her house for it but for some strange reason I FEEL CHEEKY
as you all say so far i am paying for her to have her nails done,i need to buy more stock this week and could really do with that money,im not well off myself,and i am doing this course mainly because i have a love of nails but also to learn a skill to provide for my children,
i wouldnt mind but in the same week i did another mates and she doesnt get paid till the end of this month,then she came back for infills too!!!
so i have now decided from now on if they dont have the money they aint getting thier nails done ,wether i need the practice or not simple as that!
(lol see i can be brave when i really try )

 

[CadenceAlex]

If you really need the money, then stand your ground!!! You aren't a charity service!! You should phone them and ask about the money they owe you, explain you need to buy more products - make them understand!!

 

[nemotail]

Great replies :hug: - the cheek of some clients!!!
:o This thread has made me face up to something I have been mulling over for ages - I am far too soft and dont charge accordingly for services given. I have a wide choice - probably too much - of coloured gels, glitters, crushed shells etc. I have spent a lot of money on these additional products and clients always take a while to decide what they want and although its on my price list I havent been charging accordingly.
I am working on a new price list and am determined to toughen up and charge the prices I set. If client dont want to pay the extra thats up to them but I need to put my business head on - I dont get freebies anywhere so why should I give them.

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

actually thats another thing i havent been charging for nail art on top of enhancements,im quite proud of my nail atr so i show it to my new clients and then 9/10 times at the end of the service they will say oooh can i have some nail art ,usually its only a few rhinestones and holographic dots mabey a few flicks and i enjoy doing it so dont bother charging but i suppose one day they'll all be gone and then i have to put my hand in my pocket for more wont i ....(oh except my most regular client who always pays me extra for gems and has become a really good mate)
hmmmm catch 22 here really because i enjoy doing it but why should i pay out ....infact i may just say the first nail art is free as a special treatment then blah de blah price after that....as the clients abserloutly love it so i know they will want it again....that way i have prepared them to pay next time does this sound like a good idea do you think ?