Enhancing your business

[The Geek]

After the great positive response to my latest blog entry Bigger is not better, I decided I would take a sampling of geeks to see how they felt their enhancement business was doing and why.

Select the appropriate poll option and let us know why you chose the option you did.

nJoy

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Is this poll only for UK geeks, or an international contribution?

 

[The Geek]

I think anybody and everybody

 

[oey]

Mine at the minute is stagnant due to the fact that i am only offering one enhancement service (softer soakable gels) and it doesnt cover all clients requirements.

I am looking at further training in other gels and L&P but as I am Beauty Therapist nail enhancements are my main treatment.

Interesting thread Sam - be interested to see reasons from others too.

 

[blossom]

I offer gel and l&p and I am finding the business is gradually increasing, nothing to go wild about but when I look at what I was doing six months ago even, I can see the difference. . . most of my new clients are word of mouth recommendations now, the odd one from Y Pages or Thomson but most have been sent by friends etc, which is wonderful

 

[*JOANNE*]

I do get more phone calls from clients wanting enhancements more than i get phone calls wanting natural nail care/manicure's.

I wonder though if all this "clients leaning towards natural nail care rather than enhancements" is geographical and if it is really true for all areas, from my area and percpective it isnt....

Also i wonder if the clients aren't phoning anymore is down to the over saturation of "us" and not because the customer is far more interested in natural nail care and are giving enhancements a wide birth.

 

[PLAOH]

Mine is staying the same. Still have regulars but certainly have noticed that the phone isn't ringing and when I look around people just aren't wearing enhancements....not even a soft white/ short cb.

I did interpret the article to read that natural nail care was the way to go (hence my blog entry), but as you rightly said in your blog, rebalances are my bread and butter.

Think I need to get my kiddies back to school and then re-focus again.

 

[Tricky]

natural nail care and nno's is the way i am going, i seem only to be enhancing nail biters atm which is not great job satisfaction when they just munch all your hard work off! still its all pennys

 

[Bagpuss]

I have never really been busy with Natural nail manicures....is this because people with good nails anyway don't need my services...?? and that its only those who dislike there nails for whatever reason and want them to look better that book in.

I hear over and over..."my own nails are pants"....no-one ever comes and says "my nails are brilliant, strong and nourished but thought I'd get them done anyway".

Do women with thick, long and luxurious hair have extentions..?

I think this is why manicures/treatments on natural nails isn't as popular....people with "pants" nails want instant improvement.

This is why NNO sells so well with me...and its something i encourage over tip and overlay/sculpts. There is an instant improvement in the look and feel to there nails and they are thrilled to say .."they are not false nails, they are mine"...i also find them to be more successful as they can get used to the length naturally as they grow instead of instant length that they are not used to.

 

[littlegrohl]

Bit stagnant at the moment.. Only because I got stuck in the tip and overlay rut.. I'm focusing on getting more training under my belt.. and also looking into spray tan and Waxing.. So for the time being i am doing my regulars and saving for training.. I dont want to take on any new clients untill i have more to offer..
Its funny how this time last year i figured i was the bee's Knee's.. not knowing how much i DIDNT know.. and how far i have to go.. a little spark has been ignited again.. and this time i will go ahead rather then be afraid to try new things..

 

[looby lou]

My salon is in-undated with clients wanting enhancements. I have 4 techs and we are currently unable to take on new clients. Waiting time is around 2-3 weeks.

We cover everything from natural looking short, round nails to the extreme of full coloured acrylic and nail art.

I have another tech who carries out only natural nail treatments and she too is booked up.

I think that one of the reasons we are so busy is because other salons in the area either offer sub-standard treatments or don't offer the choice that clients want.

 

[JesseDavidNailDesign]

I would really love to read this article. I live in a high-end resort area catering to busy professional women. I can't even get my clients to wear red nail polish on their hands , let alone commit to enhancements. The bread and butter of my business in pedicures. I can relate to the feeling that I want to express myself as an artist. The few enhancement clients I have on the side want very short natural looking enhancements. My only clients with nail art are my fellow employees who honestly are just humoring me:lol:

I've had a few clients this week with french polish either tell me they want less smile line on their fingers, or a wider line on their toenails.

Its frustrating when you want to make everyone a diva but you have to read your clients and give them what they want.
Personally I'm just biding my time until the full-on "Dynasty" nails come back in style and I can bring my hole puncher to the manicure table!!!
Remember everything comes in full circle, I think more extreme looks will come back but for now we need to give 'em what they want

 

[Vetty]

I am significantly busier than I was a year ago and it's all enhancement clients for me..... I have a few regular manicure clients, but they are the minority of my client base, I reckon that if money gets tight mani clients figure they can polish their own nails but enhancement clients are prepared to give up their nails and will sacrifice something else......

I am definitely doing more natural looking enhancements - Soft White is my most popular zone 1 colour atm. I also think clients are becoming more educated and want a tech that is approachable, flexible in the looks they can create and don't hurt them..... More like the relationship people have with a hairdresser...... I think clients are tiring of the 'express nail bar' attitude where you walk in and get the look that the tech can do in the shortest time....

Good thread/poll!

 

[pazzy]

Gel NNO, sculptures and mini manicures are the bulk of my business.

I do a lot less l&p purely because I get a quicker procedure/infill with gel and a lot less filing to do.

Also the client gets everything from the gel - a flexible thin natural looking overlay either in colour or clear or french.


If I didnt have clients who wear l&p - I would stop using it altogether.

 

[Katelisa]

I havw a few regula nail clients and the odd occassion nail clients. Im more than happy with this because im so busy doing everything else, which for me is where the money is!!!

 

[Moby]

My enhancements side is up. I have alot of ladies calling in because they don't want to go to the NSS anymore (there are about 5 NSS i can think of in my area) but business is still good.

P&W is also on the up compared to natural.

There are alot of nail biters coming in for overlays too and we're all happy when they come back in 2/3 weeks with good results!

Manicures are on the down side, think I did a manicure about 6 weeks ago! But I don't have much call for them.
Pedicures are more regular compared to manicures, about 1 every 2 weeks!

 

[Jen Smith]

I havw a few regula nail clients and the odd occassion nail clients. Im more than happy with this because im so busy doing everything else, which for me is where the money is!!!

Same with me really... but for some reason this last month has seen an upsurge of nail clients, natural and enhanced. I am happy with the amount of nail treatments I do as now I have channelled my training into beauty as well this gives me variation and keeps me from getting bored with just doing nails. I do enjoy the nail treatments I do but I am not sure I would if it was all I did on a regular basis.

I am really enjoying the beauty side of my salon at the moment.. especially massage.. it is so rewarding for both the client and myself. :green:

 

[JackieMc]

More or less the same for me - I have my regulars (who always want airbrushed nail art) and then the odd person wanting nails (french) for a special occasion with no intent to keep the maintenance up. I get most of my custom from waxing and spray tanning which I actually prefer to do these days! However, I still get quite a few people coming to me for one to one nail art training which gives me a good percentage of my income.

So overall I'd say 'nails' aren't as popular as my other services at the moment.

Jackie