Encouraging new clients

[Claire83]

I am in the midst of getting things sorted out to go mobile once my course has been completed - very close now!

At the minute I have got a couple of regular manicure ladies (elderly) and someone who rings me on the odd occasion to get her nails done. Haven't heard from her for about a month though. These ladies as yet don't pay me, it was more of a practice for me with college, but they are more than happy to pay for their treatments when I'm up and running.

I am considering all of the advertising threads on here and will obviously carry them out as and when things happen my end so I can get on with it. But I'm wondering how to encourage more clients.

I love the look of Shellac and Minx but I do not have the funds to get these things, plus I'm not too sure if my ladies would like them. I have mentioned them to my regulars who just said I'll have to ask around when I get more clients.

I want to be able to attract more clients and as yet I don't think anyone in my small town is offering Shellac, and probably won't - they probably haven't even heard of CND! I just think that my ladies, and possibly any new ones that I may get, will be up for it.

Where do I go from here? Obviously Facebook is out of the question with them, not being computer techies at all. I seem to live in a small town who's main residents are elderly and it's trying to get them interested in things I can offer.

Any ideas?

 

[user 35377]

Can your ladies that you already have start advertising word of mouth for you?

 

[geeg]

I am in the midst of getting things sorted out to go mobile once my course has been completed - very close now!

At the minute I have got a couple of regular manicure ladies (elderly) and someone who rings me on the odd occasion to get her nails done. Haven't heard from her for about a month though. These ladies as yet don't pay me, it was more of a practice for me with college, but they are more than happy to pay for their treatments when I'm up and running.

I am considering all of the advertising threads on here and will obviously carry them out as and when things happen my end so I can get on with it. But I'm wondering how to encourage more clients.

I love the look of Shellac and Minx but I do not have the funds to get these things, plus I'm not too sure if my ladies would like them. I have mentioned them to my regulars who just said I'll have to ask around when I get more clients.

I want to be able to attract more clients and as yet I don't think anyone in my small town is offering Shellac, and probably won't - they probably haven't even heard of CND! I just think that my ladies, and possibly any new ones that I may get, will be up for it.

Where do I go from here? Obviously Facebook is out of the question with them, not being computer techies at all. I seem to live in a small town who's main residents are elderly and it's trying to get them interested in things I can offer.

Any ideas?

No woman (young or mature) in the world who has their nails manicured would turn down the chance to have a 14 day flawless colour coat ... and Shellac will provide that for you and for them. Most clients are so disappointed after a manicure when their polish goes dull or they have smudged it within hours. They will adore Shellac.

You really must not make decisions for clients on what you only think they may be thinking .. this is how to discourage new clients not get them through your door. :hug:

Word of mouth and an exciting new option for your natural nail mani and pedi clients will get you noticed. Offer to Do a few ladies who work around the public (supermarket check out, bars, bank tellers, local bakery, dress shops etc) and they will do your advertising for you (and don't forget to give them 6 or more business cards too).

 

[Claire83]

Thanks Geeg, I will offer to do some friends nails who work with the public. Plus a friend of mine is a carer and she has offered to hand out cards etc so that will help.

I was hoping word of mouth from my ladies would happen and I'm not so sure it will. They have had a couple of friends round for me to practice on but nothing more than that.

Fingers crossed my business will grow when it's all started up. To be honest I'm feeling a little pessimistic and think it won't work. :sad:

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

To be honest I'm feeling a little pessimistic and think it won't work. :sad:

That pushes people away before they even come , I feel it a lot , I'm also very low in conference and self esteem ,

But my big sister (smart lady ) told me professional conference will come , and that will out weigh everything else, she was right,

Once you find your feet and start to feel more confident in nails then you will attract the clients, it doesn't matter if your a shy person , or feeling down, or so nurvoues your falling apart inside as long as you have the professional conference on show when your with clients the rest will come ,

I think the biggest hurdle is getting out of the student way of mind , I'm not saying stop learning (you need to always learn what you can)
What I am saying is the clients are coming to you for a professional treatment not a free one because your learning , they have to become clients in your mind not people doing you a favor and letting you practice on them,
If you make them feel to much like there helping you then they wont pass the info on to others , and they wont be as willing to look after or value the treatment you give them as much as it is them doing you a favor, in business there cant be room for that.

I know it is hard to make the step get some recommendation cards printed up tell them if they get a friend to come to you then the person who recommended them gets a stamp each stamp is 10% off a treatment and the 5th stamp is a free manicure or what ever,and do them a price list ask there opinion on it ... Then leave it there with them when you go. ( that will also tell the people who are getting it for free that it is time to start paying)

It is prom season now so I would go get your self on the phone to some local schools ask if you can get a card in some common rooms with maybe a prom offer as students are not known for having lots of money ,

School summer fair season is right after that and that's a fab chance , donate a luxury mani or pedi to the raffle, or do kids nail art or something,

Any other local out lets you can think of, supermarket notice boards, local web sites, face book, local classified adds, libaery (SP), mums and Tums , mums and tots, coffee mornings are good to


Another good thing would be a web site , if you don't have a lot to add to one just now then add only a treatment page , and a home page with info and numbers to get you on,

 

[Claire83]

Thank you mizzy_dizzy, you have made some really good recommendations and given me some more thoughts to play with.

I am making up a website at the minute, there won't be a lot of photos straight away, but it's something I will continue working on. I've even got Carl (Verve) doing my logo!

I think in time my confidence will come, when clients start coming to me and returning and I know I'm doing a reasonably good job then I will be happy and feel like this has all been worthwhile.

At the moment I'm only doing manis, pedis and silk NNO, I'm still having a teeny problem with blending but I'm still practicing. Is it worth getting things like the Almond SpaManicure set and offering that from day one, or should I build my client base and then introduce it when I have some more cash? Same with Minx/Shellac?

All suggestions are welcome.

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

I think start as you mean to go on ,
The citrus and almond spa mani produts are not all that expencive and when you brake down how much you can get from each treatment you will see how worth it they are, and because the quality is high a little goes a long way to. I find them such good quality that they do most of the work for you ,
The same for the pedicure products, earth is my fave! That foot masque is devine!
Right now for the summer I'm using the citrus mani and the marine pedi and the foot masque is cooling tingly. They are both so summery,

And in the winter I switch back to almond very luxurious and winterys christmassy ,

And the earth spa with its warming foot scrub and volcanic mud even the colors are warming, (can you tell its my fave lol)

So you could get just one mani and one pedi system now and then the other 2 at the end of the summer , then contact all your mani/pedi clients from the summer , face book it and put it on your site that you now have winter warming mani pedi offers, and explain.

As for shellac and minx do the same don't try to buy all the minx patterns, call S2 or look on here and find the top 5 or 10 what ever you can afford and offer them for now, S2 also now have a minx book you could get one and show any one who was interested and let them pic the design they wanted and you could order it, (add postage onto the price though)

Shellac is a definate must have ,it has filled the gaps for me, it is quick to learn, dose what it says on the bottle and basically sells its self!
To be honest scince it came out in may it is totally over taken everything else on my treatment list and is fast turning into my bread and butter!

 

[Gigit]

First thing I did was create a website (gigit.ca if you want to take a peek) then I created a classy flyer on off white paper with some pricing specials with my website listed on the flyer so that they could view my work before booking an appointment. We printed out the flyers here at home and my husband hand delivered them. We also purchased in bulk plastic door knob bags to slip the flyers into to hang on the door knobs and protect from the rain. All that I can say is, ADVERTISING WORKS! I am booked daily just from the girls I've gotten from flyers, then of course the referrals start to trickle in.

 

[Claire83]

Great ideas again girls, Gigit I love the website!

I think I will purchase a mani and pedi system for the summer months and see how we go. The more I talk about this and the more ideas I get from you guys, the more excited and optimistic I'm getting.

:hug: