Having trouble getting clients for a home based salon

[Lou slatts]

Hi geeks.
Problem I have is I am having trouble getting clients in the door. I am a home based salon I do go on instagram and use tags etc but I am only offering gel nails overlays etc I also do paraffin wax’s. I have tried the half price bit. I know my nails stay on I wear my own and last me 3 weeks but I always Infill them at 3 weeks but had clients who’s last over 4 week. I don’t know what else to do. I am on gumtree Shpock etc I don’t used Facebook and I don’t want to use Facebook. Can anyone help. I have even put in my add I will do mobile twice a week even though I hate being mobile but still no clients are booking with me. Please geeks need your help on this one. Thanks in advance x

 

[Trina Jordan]

Hi I was just reading your post I really think you should rethink things about Facebook cause Facebook is a good entity to promote your business a lot of people are on Twitter and Facebook it could be of help to you and your home business!! Also I'm having some trouble building clientele too!! I think that's every Nail Technician Right now because there are so many Chop Shop nail salons around and they're willing to do nails for very very cheap and they're making it Hard for us!!!

 

[c.mrsm]

I agree about Facebook. So the clients you get I would be trying to book them an infill for 2 weeks, then rebalance 2 weeks later and so on. Try and get the appointment before they leave. And there are so many chop shops around make sure your advertising yourself as someone who looks after nails, rather than someone who just does nails! So many people I speak to think overlays are damaging to nails when actually it’s a bad nail tech that damages nails x

 

[RED STAR]

Saturated market....

 

[Lou slatts]

Saturated market....

Any ideas will help. X

 

[7th-Heaven]

The general advice will be to use Facebook and make a page there and promote that page. That's the short answer. Here comes the long answer !
I recently qualified in CND brisa gel extension (a month ago) and started doing nails from home, I live in the countryside. I'm not crazy busy yet, I have on average a customer per day, but I've only had my qualification for a month. I can see myself getting busier as the weeks go by and word of mouth spreads. I use both Instagram and Facebook, and although I think Instagram is great for showcasing the pictures and getting noticed, I have only had 1 single booking through IG. One person. The rest have been solely through Facebook. It also has a booking system that I use, which sends out reminders to the customers and myself before appointments. I have people contacting me about nails every day on FB, so I definitely believe in the usefulness of it.

On FB I sometimes pay a bit of money to boost a post, or promote the page, or create an advert. I don't pay that much to do it (a pound or two each time, or a bit more for an ongoing promotion) but each time I do, I get a few more likes and sometimes a booking. So that's something you could do as well, to get more people. As I said, I live out in the sticks, and only about 1 month into my new career, so I feel I need to be open to using these social media, even if I don't like it. The FB and IG combo helps getting me noticed by potential customers. Today's customer drove an hour to get her nails done.
Some things that may help on Facebook/social media page:
- Post good looking photos. Crop them, adjust the lighting and contrast if needed. Find poses that work for you.
- Post every day. If you don't have nail photos (because of lack of customers) post something anyway, like the importance of nail oil, a post on how they should care for their nails, what not to do etc, educating them on apex structure, a post on how often to come for rebalance (and why...so they dont think you're just hungry for cash).
- Hold a competition (make sure to follow IG/FB guidelines. I got tons of people interested from this. One person won a free set. The person who won the free set let me do whatever I wanted, so I WENT TO TOWN on her design and the subsequent photograph got a lot of attention on social media, and new customers.
- Promote the page, boost posts, share it around, ask people to share. Word of mouth is good.
- Make some business cards and print professionally. It shouldn't cost you more than maybe 20-30 pounds for a stack of 500?

 

[RED STAR]

EVERYBODY is posting gorgeous looking work.
That won't set you apart.
There is no easy fix i'm afraid.
You have to accept that to build a business in this crowded market, take time....LOT'S of time...
Some wee words of wisdom;

* Be Patient
* Be Consistent - always produce your best work, and don't let people down.
* Recommend a friend rewards - The best IMO - a happy client gets rewarded for recommending a friend.
* Find your point of difference - this is a MUST!
* Enjoy what your doing - happy & friendly wins the day!

 

[CFBS]

I think you need to allow 3 years of quality service and vigorous self promotion to become consistently busy every week.
First year - very patchy bookings
Year 2 - doing ok but some dead weeks
Year 3 - monthly takings become even through the year

 

[7th-Heaven]

EVERYBODY is posting gorgeous looking work.
That won't set you apart.
There is no easy fix i'm afraid.
You have to accept that to build a business in this crowded market, take time....LOT'S of time...
Some wee words of wisdom;

* Be Patient
* Be Consistent - always produce your best work, and don't let people down.
* Recommend a friend rewards - The best IMO - a happy client gets rewarded for recommending a friend.
* Find your point of difference - this is a MUST!
* Enjoy what your doing - happy & friendly wins the day!

Well, yes and no (regarding photos). I don't think everyone on the internet post photos that do justice to their hard work. (I don't refer to her photos in particular. I haven't seen her photos, so it's a general comment). She's asking how to get customers in the door, to get that attention she needs (among other things, like your suggestions) a nice little portfolio. There are a lot of talented techs around my general area (no NSS afaik) and as a potential customer I would firstly look at examples of their work (as well as reviews or word of mouth) . Unfortunately not everyone out there take photos that do justice to their hard work. I see some people in my area who use flash on their phones and take a pic, which completely distorts the colours, washes them out and makes the skin look ill. I've seen various strange poses with strange props that distract unnecessarily so no one notices the clean shape that they no doubt put much love into. Or photos taken so far away (not cropped) it becomes very hard to see any intricate details that no doubt were beautiful. I'm sure the work is beautiful, but that's not represented in the photos they upload to their Facebook pages. My point in my original post was that (I don't know her work, so she might already be doing this and I'm babbling for nothing) it's important to take a little bit of time to edit/crop some photos, and look at some different poses that are flattering for particular shapes and designs. Photos are going to be the first thing a potential new customer sees, so it definitely will set you apart in my opinion. For example, I just put up new photos on my FB yesterday, and today when I got up I saw two new people had sent me a message saying they love the photos and asking when I have time for them. So just off one photo I have two new bookings.
As for word of mouth, you're absolutely right what makes them stay with will be how we deliver I second your refer a friend suggestion that stuff can work wonders. It can spread the word quite nicely. I have this one girl who went and got me 3 of her friends as customers, they all said she'd referred them, so I don't know yet what kind of reward to work out for her when she's next in She deserves one for sure! In general though, I still think she's missing out by not using Facebook for promotion. Am I being pushy with the FB thing? Maybe just a little..

 

[NailtechJoe]

I am aware that some clients have stopped using social media as it is a distraction to their lives. Those who want services - (especially professional clients) will look into google or bing search and they will look at your reviews. Having a website will grant you exposure free from social media and you will have hits on your site. I built and host my own website and I might be planning it to make it as a framework for other techs. Using traditional methods of advertising, such as business cards can work if you place them in the right places.

With regards to why some come to me, it's the quality of your work that shows what you are capable of doing and your level of attention to detail, e.g. I always have clients who put their hands on their trousers only to get messed up with lint which I then have to redo. Some clients don't mind paying more for quality. I've heard from clients that some techs in the city centre - especially those working in hair salons - don't do cuticle work and they charge the same as I do, so they are cutting corners.

In a nutshell:

Social media is not the silver bullet to advertising your services - my experience is that you are wasting your money in facebook and google adverts as you might attract a "lower quality clientele" who are looking for bargains. I'd stay away from this if you want a higher quality clientele.

The quality on your work counts - so does your reviews on facebook and google.

Make a portfolio of your work.

Have a varied approach to advertising yourself.

Having a professional website will attract a higher quality clientele as they will come from search engines looking for specific services. Distances won't matter as they will come to you if you are really good.

 

[Blackhorse]

Ok so this might sound a bit weird but i think it may help...you need to go right back to basics regarding your business and look at your customers...work out their demographics, who are you targeting? How old, what style do they like, where do they shop, what do they read? Every time you think about promotion think about what your customer wants and needs not what you like or want(that's really hard and it took me years to get around that in business but it pays enormously!). Try to think from your clients point of view, imagine you are them and each time you do get an enquiry be sure to find out where they heard about you and ask if they would be kind enough to leave a review. Take the best pictures you can. It takes time but don't be discouraged, if you are a great tech your nails will do the advertising for you but it takes that initial influx of people. I really hope you get some soon. Sorry if my help seemed vague but i don't think any one thing works for every business so i feel by thinking of exactly what type of customer you are hoping to attract then you can reach a more targeted audience...sort of a niche within a niche so to speak Good luck x

 

[NailtechJoe]

ask if they would be kind enough to leave a review

This one is hard to do. I send emails to clients asking for reviews and most won't do it.

 

[Blackhorse]

This one is hard to do. I send emails to clients asking for reviews and most won't do it.

Yes you are right, many won't - that's why i find it useful to ask for a review and or testimonial there and then. Sometimes when messaging someone in one of my non beauty industry businesses i will get a really lovely sentence about my product or service so i ask if they would be kind enough to spare two minutes to leave a review and if they are not able to could i use their sentence which was either spoken to me or written to me as a testimonial. I think the important thing to remember is to remain positive...Its true that many people will not take the time, will forget or whatever but you don't get if you don't ask...i always work on the logic that for every 4 or 5 that will say no, there will be one who will say yes When you build a good rapport with people you will get more reviews but a testimonial is better than nothing At least by asking you are covering another base and once you have a few on something like google for example then the frequency becomes less important so long at you don't go a year without one...that would not perhaps look so great!

 

[NailtechJoe]

Yes you are right, many won't - that's why i find it useful to ask for a review and or testimonial there and then. Sometimes when messaging someone in one of my non beauty industry businesses i will get a really lovely sentence about my product or service so i ask if they would be kind enough to spare two minutes to leave a review and if they are not able to could i use their sentence which was either spoken to me or written to me as a testimonial. I think the important thing to remember is to remain positive...Its true that many people will not take the time, will forget or whatever but you don't get if you don't ask...i always work on the logic that for every 4 or 5 that will say no, there will be one who will say yes When you build a good rapport with people you will get more reviews but a testimonial is better than nothing At least by asking you are covering another base and once you have a few on something like google for example then the frequency becomes less important so long at you don't go a year without one...that would not perhaps look so great!

My instinct tells me that a client has to be really pissed off with your service in order to give you a very bad review.

 

[NailtechJoe]

Yes you are right, many won't - that's why i find it useful to ask for a review and or testimonial there and then.

Some won't bother because they aren't on facebook or do not want to give their profile away on Google. Unfortunately privacy is an issue.

 

[Blackhorse]

Some won't bother because they aren't on facebook or do not want to give their profile away on Google. Unfortunately privacy is an issue.

Yes which is why i said about the testimonial...it can be written annomously, does not require them to submit information or be on facebook. Again it all boils down to what i mentioned in my first post regarding demographics and your target audiences habits and haunts. Its important not to tar everyone with the same brush and as i said before, remain posetive, try different things and focus on what works for you. No one thing is the holy grail to all business solutions and a good business man or woman is adaptable and fearless in all respects

 

[NailtechJoe]

Yes which is why i said about the testimonial...it can be written annomously, does not require them to submit information or be on facebook. Again it all boils down to what i mentioned in my first post regarding demographics and your target audiences habits and haunts. Its important not to tar everyone with the same brush and as i said before, remain posetive, try different things and focus on what works for you. No one thing is the holy grail to all business solutions and a good business man or woman is adaptable and fearless in all respects

The problem with testimonials is that they can be fabricated by the owner; issue on trust. Personally I get turned off by a site containing testimonials.

 

[Blackhorse]

The problem with testimonials is that they can be fabricated by the owner; issue on trust. Personally I get turned off by a site containing testimonials.

Yes i can see that side too and you are quite right, but then even reviews can be faked unless someone pays exorbitant amounts for feefo or something like that and even then i would think there is a way round it...People will go to all sorts of lengths for reviews...amazon is rife for it and new or small business can easily have much of their income eaten up by paying for all the extra add ons and review features etc. Ultimately it all boils down to trust like you say. I trust people 50% and distrust 50%...the way they behave towards me dictates if that figure increases in favor of trust or distrust in the future. Another thing i think people forget is pricing...many people don't have prices high enough for the market they are trying to attract. Some people go for budget in which case cheap is the way to go but other want luxury and often believe that the more expensive must be better in some way and often it is...more money coming in means more to spend on better products, time, training etc...all those things that make something that little bit more special and worth paying the extra for. That's why i never even think about competing with the nss salons...for me i would rather be out with my dog rather than working for next to nothing. My time and skills are valuable and come at a price...thats not to say i don't do offers but i don't aim for the bottom in either of the industries i am involved in

 

[7th-Heaven]

Yes which is why i said about the testimonial...it can be written annomously, does not require them to submit information or be on facebook. Again it all boils down to what i mentioned in my first post regarding demographics and your target audiences habits and haunts. Its important not to tar everyone with the same brush and as i said before, remain posetive, try different things and focus on what works for you. No one thing is the holy grail to all business solutions and a good business man or woman is adaptable and fearless in all respects

Yeah I suppose it matters a lot who your main demographic is and for sure where in the world you live. It's probably more saturated in UK than where I live. Young people also tend to have more disposable income here. As for reviews I've received a review from perhaps 60-70% of my customers so far but mostly from the younger clientele, not so much from the older ones. I just started over a month ago, so perhaps the rest will leave a review when they gauge how long the nails have lasted hah . Usually they're really happy at the end of the appointment and in a great mood, so I see it as a good time to sneak some encouragement in - "it would be so great if you could spread the word/share, or maybe leave a review if you can." They are usually very up for doing that. My demographic seem to be young women (18-25) with disposable income, and most of them get their lashes done regularly, so they definitely afford to get nails done regularly too. I like this younger demographic though, as they're not afraid to try out various flashy designs or shapes, so I'm never bored and makes the portfolio look nice too!

 

[Blackhorse]

Yeah I suppose it matters a lot who your main demographic is and for sure where in the world you live. It's probably more saturated in UK than where I live. Young people also tend to have more disposable income here. As for reviews I've received a review from perhaps 60-70% of my customers so far but mostly from the younger clientele, not so much from the older ones. I just started over a month ago, so perhaps the rest will leave a review when they gauge how long the nails have lasted hah . Usually they're really happy at the end of the appointment and in a great mood, so I see it as a good time to sneak some encouragement in - "it would be so great if you could spread the word/share, or maybe leave a review if you can." They are usually very up for doing that. My demographic seem to be young women (18-25) with disposable income, and most of them get their lashes done regularly, so they definitely afford to get nails done regularly too. I like this younger demographic though, as they're not afraid to try out various flashy designs or shapes, so I'm never bored and makes the portfolio look nice too!

yeah you are so right, here in the uk we have alot of nss salons and they are the pizza takeaway of the nail world, undercutting folks on price and then bashjing through a set of nails at a rate of knots so they still make a basic rate per hour. Its also a small island...but we must not be deterred, keep plugging away and target a niche within a niche. Really good you branch out into lashes too...versatility goes along way and then you can say hello combo treatments! x