Evening clients!

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Deni

Dinky Geek
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
392
Reaction score
25
Location
Winchester...Hampshire...UK
Hi...
As most of you know i work from home and have my own salon there...i have started to build up a good clientel but what i am now finding is that more and more people are asking for evening appointments.

I am wondering what your opinions are regarding the charges i should make offering out-of-hours service so to speak? or should i use the same price as i charge for daytime bookings?

The reason i ask is because i have 3 children and i am finding i am spending days doing not so many clients yet i could fill every evening up if i wanted to but then wouldnt see my children...eek...dont know what to do...please help!
 
havent thought of this one as ill be going mobile but will be charging the same day/ night . as you have your own salon and they come to you perhaps you can charge a fee as its after closing hours xx
 
I'm in a similar position as you in a way. I am renting a space in a salon 3 days a week- Thurs, Fri and Sat's- but I used to be mobile.
I am reasonably busy on these days but I still get clients wanting evening bookings. Because I'm not fully booked and I'm trying to build my client base i too feel obliged to still do evenings. I've thought about just saying - right that's it no more mobile at all for anyone but I'm afraid the cash is needed to pay my bills.
I have also thought of saying this is my price for a set of nails in the salon but as you have requested an evening appointment i am charging £5 or £10 extra for this service. In fact this is pobably going to be the way I go. Yes, I'll probably still get a few who will pay it but on the whole I think most will try to come to me in the salon.
Good luck
xxx
 
Or why not have one or 2 late nights. I often work to 10pm if necessary while building my business but having said that I dont have any children...
 
I too work from home - I have appointments available between 9 and last appointment in the daytime is 1pm - I then start again at 5.30-6 and have 2 or maybe 3 appointments in the evening - EVERY evening.

I find that the people locally to me who can afford and want nails done are those who work in the day - I am fully booked long term for my evening appointments but I could do with more day time ones.

This suits me fine as I can take my kids to school every day and pick them up every day - I spend a couple of hours after school doing family things with them and then when I work, they get time with their dad - it works for us!

Most of the salons rear me are only really busy on the nights they open late or on Saturdays.

I don't charge any more for my evening appointments.
 
That sounds like a really good set up Fiona. I hope to do something like this in the future - that way I get to spend time with my daughter and on an evening she has her dad!!
 
the hours are perfect my little one is 4 so as soon as she starts school i can start workin normal hours horrayyyy xx and spend time with her in the evening which i miss out on now xx
 
I have to say that i dont charge any more for evening appointments but can relate to your problem. I'm finding that so many people want evening appointments and i'm much more slack on work during the day. At the end of the day (haha, get it?!) you can only do as many as you can fit into an evening but Lou's (Fab Freak) idea of working until 10pm is a good one - get a few in one night: unless its a full set which would mean you wouldnt necessarily get that many in .... now i'm rambling!! :o
 
Hi...

Thanks to everyone for the answers and some great ideas and food for thought...

My children are all at school now (except my oldest and she has just left...eek..that makes me feel old AGAIN...lol)..so really i would like to spend my days working and leaving my evening free to have some time with them...also my partner works a lot so its a case of them fending for themselves (they are aged 9 and 12)...ie getting themselves off to bed etc....yeah right!!!!!...lol

Just wondering if i were to just work 1-2 eves but charge more that may gently perswade them to come during the daytime hours....mmmmm....maybe not.

I dont want to turn clients away but also defenatly cannot work EVERY eve.

Wondering if maybe working in a salon in town may be the answer...
 
The extra charge is an interesting one. I have not come across it in our business, but certainly in the medical field it is common practice. Both my physiotherapist and osteopath charge more for evening appointments -approx £5 extra per half hour treatment!

I know what you mean regarding evening clients, the more out of hours work you do, the more the clients want to come then. I personally would work for yourself where possible and limit the evenings to one or two per week if you're fitting your life around a family.

At the beauty salon where I work at weekends, their weekends (inc Sundays!) and two late nights are always busy, but consequently they struggle to fill their weekday, daytime slots.
 
Hi Denise, just a thought!

Have you thought about working 2 late nights and tell the ppl that want them that they need to book up a few appointment ahead because these places are taken up so quickly. So the ppl that really do need them will book 3 to 4 appointments ahead and the others hopefully will start making day ones. And put your foot down, if your not working one night don't work it!! your far to nice:)
 
vicky said:
Hi Denise, just a thought!

Have you thought about working 2 late nights and tell the ppl that want them that they need to book up a few appointment ahead because these places are taken up so quickly. So the ppl that really do need them will book 3 to 4 appointments ahead and the others hopefully will start making day ones. And put your foot down, if your not working one night don't work it!! your far to nice:)
Ahhh shucks Vicky..thanks

Yes it is true maybe i should decide (finally!) what day/eves i want to work and stick to them...just find it hard to say no and so end up doing this one and that one when asked before you know it i have clients all over the place...better than none though eeh?...lol

Once again thanks for all of your replies...x
 
Think back to why you originally wanted to get into nails. Was it partly to fit around your family life or was it to create an income, esp if it is a sole income. I used to be in a v stressful job and got into nails to get out of the rat race and give more quality time to my family. When I went self employed I said yes to everything and anything, any time any place (I did mobile) anywhere. Then suddenly realised that I was falling back into a stressful lifestyle, dashing here there and everywhere with little time or energy for anyone else(including me). So I said enough is enough!!!!!!! I would only work til late on a Friday and poss a Thursday. I then said to all my clients that I was putting a £5 surcharge on to mobile appointments. It was amazing, 90% then started coming to me, it made me more time efficient as it almost eradicated my travelling time, But (and now we get to the point) those that wanted a special service were willing to pay the extra. So if you WANT to work evenings and feel it has an added value service then charge for it- you may be surprised how many people may then be able to get to you at a time that is more convenient to you. If people value you and your work thye WILL pay for it.(Perhaps start charging extra to new customers and to your existing clients give them a loyalty reward and say you won't start charging extra for another 2 months, this will make them feel special and valued! - just a thought, as it works everytime with mine).
 
hi everyone

i used to work as a mobile technician and one of the reasons i decided to look for premises and open up a salon was that i thought it would free up a llittle more time for me and hubby..as i would'nt be rushing around everywhere:D
i'm afraid it hasn't really worked out as i planned as although now i am not rushing around in my car ...i am just rushing around in the salon;)
i am not complaining ...i started up last september and have a full book now and am now considering opening on a monday (this along with sunday was my closing day ).at present i have two late nights ...wednesday and friday .i work untill 9.30 so don't get home until 10 .30:eek: but am considering opening late on a thursday too ...i find a lot of clients can only come in after work ...i don't charge these clients extra ...but do find they tip much more as they feel i am giving up some of my time to fit them in :biggrin: and they obviously appreciate the fact !!!
every week i work 54 hours a week including travelling to work this amounts to 60 hours plus a week ...but to be honest it does'nt seem like such long hours ...i love it ...i love everything about my job ....especially my clients..most of all i love the feeling of being able to provide a service that is appreciated by my clients it gives me such a buzz
icon14.gif

i'm not sure how hubby is going to react when i tell him i'm thinking of opening on a monday i can't afford for him to leave me ....i need him to walk the dogs ........:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :rolleyes:
take care
debbie
 

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