How to handle my clients being lured elsewhere...

[Lemmonie]

My hairdresser was just that. A Hairdresser. Very young, some might say niaeve. Anyhoo I know the girls father which is how she became my hairdresser.

Now I do nails, waxing and spray tanning. As I know she is starting out I recommend her to all my friends and clients as she is really good.

About 4 months ago I discover through facebook that she is doing Acrylic Nails! So I think ok, not really ideal from my business point of view as my clients have also become her hairdressing clients but I let it go and even give her a few tips here and there.

BUT, today I get a text from her offering me Spray Tans at just £10!!!

So, not only has she copied me but doing the nails, she has done the same with the tanning and undercut me by 50%!

She knows this is my job, she had really expanded her client base through me. She dosnt advertise at all and I know for a fact most of her clients are from me (apart from her family and friends obviously)

Im annoyed, fed up and angry as she will be sending that text to all my clients too.

Luckily for her she isnt answering the phone at the moment so can anyone give me some advise of how to handle this before i shout at her! :lol:

 

[Michelle23]

maybe she didnt mean to copy you to upset you
she may have seen that you really enjoy what you do and she wanted to try it and may have been interested in it too
you may be an inspiration
i hope that she doesnt take any of your clients though and that you manage to sort things out

 

[Lemmonie]

This is my problem. I have been supportive of her all the way though and pushing plenty of business her way yet recieveing nothing back in terms of referalls.

I feel let down. At the the end of the day there is nothing wrong with competition, in fact i welcome it but not when my clients are being targeted.

 

[cassi]

Hi
We all have competition but come on this is taking the pi** £10 tans I would be shouting too:irked: if it was me I would phone her and explain that you reccomened her to all your clients built up her client base and this is how she repays you by undercutting your prices say you dont care that she is also tanning and doing nails but she should have some consideration for your business and simply STOP offering £10 tans she sounds as if she is desperate for customers , I used to do a girls tan she was a regular every week then just stopped said she didnt have time anymore I just found out she is now doing tans along with her hairdressing after she got all the info from me she never even done the training I saw her last week and her feet were orange so good luck to her hope she tango's all her customers aswell:lol:

Cassi

 

[StudioTracker]

Maybe start a loyalty scheme if you don't already have one. That would encourage people to keep coming back to you to earn more points, rather than going to her.

 

[Lemmonie]

I dont doubt my customers come to me because I am professional, accesible, provide value for money and they are happy with my work. I also know she has no insurance for the hair/nails/tanning as i have been on at her for months saying she needs to sort it and I even had a pamper party lined up for her but she hadnt sorted any insurance so didnt do it.

And you are right. I havent even go on about the £10!!! That is a ludicres (sp?) price by anyones standards!!! She must have got some of Collins B&Q soloution!

 

[lenna]

there is being cheap and then just being ridicolous, with that price she wont be able to afford to stay in business to long, ignore her i dont think i would even bother to ring her, cut ties if you can and start thinking of ideas to gat them to come back to you, like someone mentioned earlier loyalty cards are a great idea, or with 4 tans booked with yourself get 5th one free, im sure there are plenty of ideas you could come up with

 

[Marilyn Monroe]

i just wanted to comment I also haveno tanning clients as thesalonsaroundhere and mobile therapist all do it for £10 and i refuse to. my friendskeepsaying chargea tenner andu'll hav clients too. hmmm

 

[Lemmonie]

well this is it. The price around the town here is £25 on average. Certainly not a penny cheaper than £20.

Well I have been trying to get hold of her for couple of hours now and no answer!! I wont stop!

 

[Lemmonie]

UPDATE:
She text me to say she has had lots of missed calls from me and says she can text but not talk! So i text back with "call me when you can"

Phone rings immeaditely and the bottom line is apparently has brought kit and trained just so she can do her friends only as a hobby and wont be advertising.

Im not happy but i cant do anything so that is that. I made my feelings clear with regards to my clients and asked that she sees things from my point of view.

 

[cabinkel]

I know exactly how angry and let down you feel, I had the exact same done to me by my hairdressing cousin!! The worst of it was, she didnt say that she was doing it, (we are talking close cousin here, she was my bridesmaid) but kept asking loads of questions when I was doing her FREE spray tans!! I eventualy found out via a mutual client, (her hair client my tanning client). It is like a kick in the teeth, but you have to rise above it. I know, easier said than done!!

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

OMG, the cheek of some people! I wouldn't believe her tbh. Who would spend money on training and kit and not bother doing it?

Stop recommending her (obviously). You have spoken with her, which is all you can do, unless you want to talk to her dad.

Loyalty schemes work really well. You could give them a card, 5 treatments and get 6th free or a course on the same price range. Or "Share the Secret", if your client and a (new) friend come in for a tan at the same time, the client gets 1/2 price.

Even if you're clients try her, i'm sure they will come back because they always want to get their money's worth and a gorgeous, non-streaky tan

 

[Lynne Baker]

You're always going to have people who try to poach your clients. I wouldn't fret about it at all. Just make sure that you offer a high quality, professional service to your clients, and get out there and promote your business at every opportunity.
Yes, she might have a few of your clients at first, but she can't make a living charging those prices, and she'll have to put the prices up at some point. She might not be capable of doing a top notch job anyway, and your clients will return to you in time.
Use this time to sharpen your own practices, raise your game, and make sure that people know what sets you apart from the crowd.

 

[lublu]

There will always be someone to compete with - the fact that you know her must feel like a personal betrayal - may i point out doing a tan for ten pounds will attract a different type of client so why not use this as a way to establish yourself as an out and out reputable and professional therapist (with insurance and certificates)
And if you feel really angry remember success is the best form of revenge xxxxxxx

 

[RedAdmiral]

You have to rise above it. If it were me I'd go mad silently and wait - she's in the biz a wet weekend and clients will soon find that out.
Instead of wasting energy on her put it into a great offer for your business

 

[Louloubelle]

You get what you pay for and don't forget you're you!

Our clients come for the treatments but often we're part of it. They often come because its us. Have confidence in who you are and what you do, you have your standards and do not need to resort to any 'tricks' to get customers....quality speaks for itself.

x

 

[pure]

Don't get angry...get even!

Concentrate on offering YOUR clients the better service so they choose to come to you instead.

Make some flyers and have a short term special offer of some sort, mention a new loyalty scheme, refer a friend, and at the bottom, just a little note to mention the importance of enuring that your technician is fully qualified and INSURED!

I'm sure that you can word it in such a way that you're not pointing fingers but simply giving profesional advice. :hug:

 

[WaxGirl]

Just to offer a different point of view, at the end of the day this is all business and if she wants to offer tans or whatever thats her business, yes she was sneaky in how she went about it but if she wants to expand her business then theres nothing wrong with that, you just need to focus on your own business and if it were me I would stop recommending her, clients come back for good treatments at good prices with good customer service, dont get too caught up in all that and all the emotions that go along with it or you risk losing focus.

 

[Lynne Baker]

And if you feel really angry remember success is the best form of revenge xxxxxxx

I don't do revenge; it's an ugly emotion and bad karma. The universe will sort it all out anyway.

 

[persianista]

I think most of us that have been in this business for any length of time will at some point been shafted by a so called "friend". It's hurtfull and nasty and very unesesary. If you are talented then you can earn your living without screwing your friends. She will come a cropper at those prices, plus the clients know she is doing this to you! I wouldnt think much of a person behaving like that.