How do you get better when your clients don't give you a chance to? How?

[aj1]

Someone please tell me, I so want to make this work but don't know how!! I haven't got any friends or family who'll let me play on them! The few clients I have.. some work out some don't. The one's who don't work out with problems with enhancements leave and God only knows what's said about me in this little town! I don't want to call these women to see how they get on, that's harassment! Do I just keep on plugging away, until it just clicks, because I don't know if it's them or me. I don't have enough of a clientelle to know! How can one tell, when I work on my tips or my practise finger, they look great. Then you get a client and things aren't so easy, someone please shed some light on this for me. I am embarrassed to face these women after they don't come back to me!

Thanks for letting me vent,

aj

 

[Chuckysway]

I have abit of the similar problem with my 1st 'model' whilst training. Fab set of nails would be completed and then within 3 days she'd tell me that she had literally 'ripped' them off.... (dont asked i dont know how she did it!) this then is getting to the point that I cant practise. Maybe I'll pop over to canada and you can do mine and I'll do yours. excuse for a holiday ?? :lol:

 

[Peter Pan]

dont be so down hearted flower :hug: - if i were you i would contact the clients that you have done, and ask if they not coming back, could they please tell you WHY, as you want to do the best job that you can, and the only way to do that is if the clients tell YOU, so that you may improve in that paticular area...its not harrassment, look at it as a marketing strategy.:hug:

 

[IllumeGirl]

hi aj. dont be too hard on yourself..its only early days, it does take a long time to produce good nails.
are your prices reflective of your experience? personally i wouldnt call clients, it may put them or yourself in a uncomfortable situation. a more softer but just as effective approach would be to send out some "missing you" cards with maybe a special offer.
also..have you looked into some further training to sort out your problem areas? if its available to you, this will fast track your learning..it can be a long struggle by yourself.:hug:

 

[Peter Pan]

hi aj. dont be too hard on yourself..its only early days, it does take a long time to produce good nails.
are your prices reflective of your experience? personally i wouldnt call clients, it may put them or yourself in a uncomfortable situation. a more softer but just as effective approach would be to send out some "missing you" cards with maybe a special offer.
also..have you looked into some further training to sort out your problem areas? if its available to you, this will fast track your learning..it can be a long struggle by yourself.:hug:

yes i also agree with this, but where i am, sending "missing you" cards just get put in the bin, and they are not thought of again.:cry:

good point about the training tho, dont know why i didnt think of that in the first place really, but its getting late (well thats my excuse anyway :lol: )

 

[aj1]

My prices are comparible to those in my town, so no my prices aren't cheap, they're not expensive either. I guess my gels are expensive as I charge $50 for P&W and this is what this woman paid me. My acrylics are set at the local asian shops in town. I wasn't really taught anything about gels other than to apply like a polish and what we used in school isn't probably the best. My teacher showed us to apply gel like a polish, what I learned I learned from the internet, watching and reading on boards. I sculpted P&W on this woman and where there was much room for improvement, they weren't all that bad. I don't think I built the apex enough but how do you learn from your mistakes when they leave and never return?:cry: They just leave me wondering what I did wrong. Tomorrow is 4 weeks, they couldn't still be on, I doubt it.

 

[Peter Pan]

I wasn't really taught anything about gels other than to apply like a polish and what we used in school isn't probably the best.

i would advise you get abit more training then flower - at least then you know yourself that you were taught correctly, and you can justify your prices - learning yourself off the net and the geek site aint really the way to go, there are so many different companies that offer products and training, so it would be best to do abit of research me thinks......and youll be glad you did, as your gel service will come on leaps and bounds, and it will be money well spent.:hug:

 

[Gellie-Bean]

Don't feel to bad AJ! I'm in the same boat!! I've done nails since June/July, I don't work in a salon, and I live in a town of 7,000 people. There are 8 hair salons in this town, and all offer nails. I couldn't buy a job doing nails here!! Then again this town is very "clickie", meaning, depends who you are and how you look, how much money you have!! The only bonus to this is, the city of 70,000 about a half hour away, that's if you don't mind driving everyday with gas about 78cents a litre, and on average $8-9 hour for pay!

I don't have regular clients, except my friend who comes every 2-3 weeks for her fills. She's great!! I have done sets for other people, but they never seem to come back, not even for a fill!! I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but everyone comments on how nice my friends nails are, but they don't ever call to get a set done. She's my best form of advertising!! She does tell them who I am, and gives out my card, so...I don't get it! I have improved my training with a master nail tech, and she says I do fantastic nails! I also charge $50 for a set of gels, which is $20 cheaper then anywhere else.

But, I don't let it get me down anymore. I'll just keep pluggin along, and maybe one day it will click.....After all, on the bright side, Christmas is coming and so are all the parties, and everyone else will be booked solid, so my line of thinking is.....maybe I'll get so of the over-flow!!!! I'm going to be handing out more business cards in the next week or so. I am mobile, so maybe that will help. Plus, I will call the ones I have done and offer a Xmas party special, something like, bring a friend and get $5 off your service.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, just keep your chin up AJ, and carry on!:hug:
Hope this helps!:green:

 

[kay welch]

This is something that bothers me you have the odd clients who will have them done once and you dont see them again thats fine.Its the ones you have been doing for months that tell you there nails are great and then you dont see them.I had a client who i was doing for 18 months i saw her in sep for maintence see said her nails had been great and she would ring me for an appoitment and havent heard from her.I am really surprised to be honest as she said they where great so ,i dont know if its me or what.Im been dying to ring to see if there was a prob but dont feel that i have the right to do that.

 

[leshell]

look hun cheere up they say you are only as good as your training so getting some better and more training is a very good idea chick also if ya can get ya mitts on a nail trainer hand to practice on then all the better fot you hun xx

 

[Babushka]

if you can afford to,
half of your customers that left, send them a card, with a free set of nails,

the other half send them a card with half price "new set" and free 1st time refills

then if the the free set clients turn up offer them 2nd time refills for half price,
then 1st time refills for free get 3rd or 4th free
but you must offer this to begin with!!!
then do a promotion all over again................if you have to.
you;ll get to know your customers and build data base and then quiz them why they went elsewhere at the beginning

 

[huerta3]

I think you could try making up a survey type card asking them about their expierence at your shop. Alot of businesses do this. If they are upset they will more than likley let you know this way because they don't have to tell you personally. Make sure you include a self addressed envelope complete with stamp, a bit of encouragement for them to reply.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

This is something that bothers me you have the odd clients who will have them done once and you dont see them again thats fine.Its the ones you have been doing for months that tell you there nails are great and then you dont see them.I had a client who i was doing for 18 months i saw her in sep for maintence see said her nails had been great and she would ring me for an appoitment and havent heard from her.I am really surprised to be honest as she said they where great so ,i dont know if its me or what.Im been dying to ring to see if there was a prob but dont feel that i have the right to do that.

Clients do this, and then all of a sudden come back again. All sorts of reasons ... lack of time, lack of money. don;t worry about it. Best thing to do is if you produce a quarterly newsletter and sen it out to everyone on your database. Clients sometimes feel bad about leaving you for a while and then feel they can't come back.

I did a mailshot to all my lapsed clients who used to be really good regulars. i got a total of about 15 back! Some had lost my number, some felt they couldn't return, some were enticed by my special offer and so on.

 

[aj1]

If clients come once and don't return that doesn't bother me. I learned the hard way I had a client come to me about 5 times and then poof she was gone, 3 months later she called me back. It does bother me however when people are excited that you are doing nails and tell you that they are keeping the nails for a bit and then don't come back. That tells me my work was crap, and that hurts.

aj

 

[Winky]

Its the ones you have been doing for months that tell you there nails are great and then you dont see them.I had a client who i was doing for 18 months i saw her in sep for maintence see said her nails had been great and she would ring me for an appoitment and havent heard from her.

Don't worry about it, i'm sure it has nothing to do with you or your work. Unfortunately that's business! Clients sometimes choose to go elsewhere just because of convenience, because they like someone else's work too, or because one of their friends just learned to do nails. There are tons of reasons why longstanding clients might not return.

Another thing to remember is that sometimes these clients who just go missing have fallen on hard times and just can't afford to get their nails done. Then there are the ones who after months of regular maintenance just decide to bite or pick their nails off.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure your work is great!

 

[IllumeGirl]

If clients come once and don't return that doesn't bother me. I learned the hard way I had a client come to me about 5 times and then poof she was gone, 3 months later she called me back. It does bother me however when people are excited that you are doing nails and tell you that they are keeping the nails for a bit and then don't come back. That tells me my work was crap, and that hurts.

aj

mate, it doesnt necessarily mean your work was crap! some clients just cant be bothered with the maintenance..others have a few extra bills to pay. i have a few clients who go AWOL from time to time..then when you least expect it (usually when i'm fully booked!) they call.
once you build up a good client base (and you will..with patience and training) you wont notice the missing clients so much.
are you pre booking every client?:hug:

 

[aj1]

No, I am not prebooking, well actually I do have some ladies who like booking in advance. Most enhancement clients will call me when they need their fills.

The reason I say my work is crap is because this lady said she was coming to me on a regular basis to get her nails done.

 

[IllumeGirl]

ah..thats maybe the problem..you need to prebook every client where possible..
in regards to this lady..maybe she has some personal problems..who knows?
the most important thing aj is not to lose your confidence. xox

 

[aj1]

Thanks so much!!