Is anyone else not busy?

[kel's25]

hi guys,

ive noticed in the last two wks my book is dier not booked atall. Today i have one eyebrow wax and tint at 5.30 and thats it. One god send tho is i have a fully booked saturday thats something.

The good thing is that the old salon down the road where i used to work are shockinly dead too, so kind of makes me feel better.

im hope its just people scared of the "credit crunch" and ive only been open since july.
ive been asking my clients are they effected by the credit crunch and most of them are saying no! but it does make them hold on to the money they have longer.

just thought id see if anyone else was the same.

im running a promotion all nxt mth of a free back massage with any facial booked, thats normally a great offer that sells very well.

xxxxxxx

 

[sam28]

I'm quiet at the mo, school holidays though, always the same. It will pick up afterwards, as its coming upto Christmas. Think October is known as a bit of a quiet time for some so dont worry xxx

 

[kel's25]

for some reason october was a good month for me, but have swings and roundabouts xx

 

[geeg]

I've been talking to many of the technicians I know who have good nail businesses and they are telling me that they are as busy as usual ...

Interestingly one of the things we learned at the fantastic S2/CND EVENT last weekend was that historically, regular beauty services are one of the last things most women will give up and that in fact the beauty sector has continued to grow during past recessions. So ..... that is good news for all of us to know I think. Very reassuring.

 

[Cathie!]

I've been talking to many of the technicians I know who have good nail businesses and they ar telling me that they are as busy a usual ...

Interestingly one of the things we learned at the fantastic S2/CND EVENT last weekend was that historically, regular beauty services are one of the last things most women will give up and that in fact the beauty sector has continued to grow during past recessions. So ..... that is good news for all of us to know I think. Very reassuring.

One of my clients had her house reposessed in April but still has her nails done, I only found out this week. I did say to her that it was reassuring for me as a technician that she never gave up on her nails, she told me it's her only vice.

 

[geeg]

One of my clients had her house reposessed in April but still has her nails done, I only found out this week. I did say to her that it was reassuring for me as a technician that she never gave up on her nails, she told me it's her only vice.

REAL nail clients will not give up their nails. Most would rather give up their lunch every day than their nail appointment. Me included.

One client once said to me that it is a small amount of money to spend that gives her three weeks of pleasure every time she looks at her hands. I think that is a significant statement. And in hard times like these, if a small indulgence can give that amount of personal pleasure and help us to remain dignified and feel good about ourselves then it is worth every penny.

 

[deanosnana]

I've been talking to many of the technicians I know who have good nail businesses and they are telling me that they are as busy as usual ...

Interestingly one of the things we learned at the fantastic S2/CND EVENT last weekend was that historically, regular beauty services are one of the last things most women will give up and that in fact the beauty sector has continued to grow during past recessions. So ..... that is good news for all of us to know I think. Very reassuring.

We learned that too, at the CND Roadshow two weekends ago. I was amazed.

We also learned that people who lived like there was a depression (way back when) did far worse than those lived like there was nothing wrong. I find that fascinating!

 

[kel's25]

cool thank you for all your encouraging words guys, i do beauty treatments too. a few of my ladies of late have shaved.

which is so dissappinting but they say work/ children commitments have lead then to have no time. but the good thing is they came back! xx

 

[Cloud Nine-Emzy]

its a nightmare! i had ONE client 2day at 5pm for a luxury facial and eyebrow shape. she called at 4pm and cancelled. her reasons sounded very genuine and necessary for her to cancel. I would not be able to charge her as I would usually do. £40 quid gone like that plus i waited around all day, not really getting anything done as I knew I had to go into work later! im in such a bad mood now!

 

[PeepPaws]

I've had a couple cancels but to take their place I have had some new clients book in.
One of my ladies said today she would never give up her nails! No matter how skint she was!
They can't live without me!! I make sure they feel special each time they come. They chat about their problems,, they relax and feel sleepy with every treatment. I always do a little hand massage at the end of every rebalance and all my ladies sigh with pleasure at this final treatment....little things mean a lot.

 

[applepie]

its a nightmare! i had ONE client 2day at 5pm for a luxury facial and eyebrow shape. she called at 4pm and cancelled. her reasons sounded very genuine and necessary for her to cancel. I would not be able to charge her as I would usually do. £40 quid gone like that plus i waited around all day, not really getting anything done as I knew I had to go into work later! im in such a bad mood now!

Poor you - that sounds like the month I've had so know how you feel. :hug:

I haven't actually charged a cancellation fee upto now (even though I state I do on my treatment!) but it's getting too frustrating & costly now so am looking at getting credit card facilities in place to make it easier to do.

I can handle being quiet but last minute cancellations are just so hard to take!!

 

[An*Gel]

It is hard to believe that our lovely loyal clients would "rather starve" than not get their nails done.. so many of my clients have told me that and I love hearing it:hug:
In saying that though I've had a few cancelations this week from newbies, but the regulars never let me down.. hope it always stays that way!

 

[fiona wallace]

Looking back historically over 10 years of my salon business, last 2 weeks October and first 2 weeks in November have been the quietest 'month' of the year 8 out of 10 years.

Nothing to do with any credit crunch, just people getting their heads in gear after a summer of spending and looking forward to a season of spending.

Don't worry too much, it will all turn around again:hug:

 

[estherlou]

Try not to worry too much hun, i'm pretty quiet this week as its half term. last week was busy but the two before that i had a fair bit of thumb twiddling.

If there are any local ladies nights or pamper evenings get involved, don't expect to make money on the night but its great exposure. If its quiet in the day go out leaflet dropping or if you're in a busy area go out onto the highstreet. staple a 10% off with this leaflet to your price list and hand them out. people love a bargain, xmas party season is almopst here so try and make the most of it.

when its quiet is when we all feel the least motivated but we have to utilise the time and get those clients in, with the way things are people need a little treat even more.

my mum gave me this advice 3 weeks ago when i was panicking about it being a bit slow and it worked!:green: have bookings most days til xmas now, was hard work but it paid off x

good luck xx

 

[Jacky]

Maybe its geographical.....
Ive had a very busy salon for 5years...and have never been particularly quiet in half term Oct hols....but this year is an exception...
I have had many cancellations and calls from clients that have no choice in for-going some of their treatments and this has resullted in an unexpected dip in trade.
Im confident though that it is just a blip, perhaps clients are conciously "tightening the purse strings" until they see what the next few weeks towards the christmas rush brings.
I will say that for Christmas week....Im already approaching "full capacity"

 

[Lynne Baker]

Bit quieter than normal, but I've used the time to sort out all my admin, new advertising campaigns, lots of housework (!), deep cleaning, moving stuff around in the salon, updating the website, researching new things. Lots of private schools around here and they're off for a fortnight. Next week's busy though!
Hold your nerve, 'twill all come out in the wash!

 

[geeg]

Bit quieter than normal, but I've used the time to sort out all my admin, new advertising campaigns, lots of housework (!), deep cleaning, moving stuff around in the salon, updating the website, researching new things. Lots of private schools around here and they're off for a fortnight. Next week's busy though!
Hold your nerve, 'twill all come out in the wash!

Good advice!

Use any spare time wisely. Change the look of the salon ..... sometimes just repainting one wall a different colour just gives the place a lift and the clients see you are spending time and money on your business ... this can be allot more important than you think believe me. It also costs you nothing but your time and a bit of paint.

 

[kel's25]

onl just opened in july so no need for a paint job just yet ha ha. but have completely bleached and cleaned everything in sight, and im always changing my room round to keep clients on their toes.

ive printed more price lists and done xmas newsletters/ xmas bags for the first late night shopping. so im being productive in other ways. im starting to pick up end of next wk so good sign.

ill be begging for a gap leading up to xmas, all swings and round abouts ha ha xxxxxxx

 

[NailsXpress]

Yep, Im quiet too. I am mobile. I know the holiday seasons have gone, it does get quieter for me then, but it is not normally this quiet. Some people have said its because of the credit crunch, some have just gone back to the UK as they normally do this time of year.

I am even thinking of moving to a different area of Spain where it is busier all round. My town doesnt have a lot of proper businesses here.

I think Costa Blanca may be better for me. Any thoughts anyone?

Hopefully things will pick up soon for all of us. Christmas is only around the corner, so more advertising etc is needed anyway.

Wendy
NailsXpress

 

[femmefan]

I think a big difference in this economic climate is whether or not you are a new business or an established one. We would all love those dedicated clients who would rather starve than do without their nail appointment, but these ladies are generally already spoken for and are only looking for a new tech when their usual one stops work or moves on. If you have been in business for some time then you should have been able to build a healthy client base with this type of client and therefore do alright despite the credit crunch. I have only been in business since August and being mobile and home based have no shop front to attract clients. All my extensive marketing efforts have brought only a small amount of business and NO die-hard enhancement wearers so I continue my efforts in the belief that the longer my name is out there the more chance I have of picking up these clients when other techs stop working. My only client I know will stay through thick and thin has been with me since my training. Her previous tech had left to have a baby and I caught her just at the right time so I hate to say it but I'm praying for a HUGE rise in the birthrate around here for Christmas :lol: