Is anyone else quiet?

[Luxury Beauty]

Hello everyone

My home based salon has been up and running for about 6 months and i have done leaflet drops, newspaper adverts, yellow pages, yell.com and last week i had the local newspaper do an editorial about my homebased salon.

I realise that it does take time for advertising to work but i thought due to christmas things would have picked up. However i have been very quiet recently and was wondering is anyone quiet or is it just me?

i spoke to my Dermalogica rep today and she said that alot of people arent spending as much this year. Does anyone else think this?

is it because my salon is new that i am not getting alot of business or is it purely because consumers just arent spending as much?

any sort of help would be great!

lima
xx

 

[sodabubble]

the place i work at is also pretty quiet- apparantly it was much busier last year! i too retail dermalogica, and lately only sold products when people have had a facial, not got anyone off the street dropping in to buy things!

chin up chicken, new year=new motivation, thats what i say! xxx

 

[hippy-chick]

I definetly think its quieter this year, last year was manic, but I was teaching a lot at the time.
I looked at my appointment book last year and it was busy all the way through December but this year I;ve had a quiet week followed by a busy week all the way through.
I have 1 free appointment left this week at my established place, but only 1 appointment all week at my new place (that I've been in for 6 weeks).

But, have sold loads of gift vouchers so hoping jan and feb will be busy.

 

[amirose]

I Cant say Im quiet as such because I have lots of bookings trouble is everyone seems to want to book for the same day!!! On Friday Im working from 9am till about 10.30 pm with a couple of gaps in between yet the rest of the week its a bit scattered.

Ami​

 

[Luxury Beauty]

This message is to amirose - i am originally from horsham!!! The family are still there but i moved upto london! Its so nice when im reminded of good old sussex!

 

[amirose]

Awww bless ya. Im origanally from Essex and I like it here too. Actually we are thinking about moving to Horsham. We are deff moving in a couple of years but we havent decided where! We also like Worthing
Well if you are ever down this way and facy popping in for a pedi and a chat :wink2:

Ami

 

[tracey louise]

im also a home based nail salon and i havent been very busy either.. but i havent recently done any advertising though as im planing to do a new price list etc... after xmas.ive still got my regulars so thats enough for me at the moment.i plan to start getting more serious with doing nails as up til now ive just been getting clients through word of mouth.ive never really advertised so i cant moan that im not really busyoim hoping that i'll start building my clients up through the year and then by next xmas be quite steady with clients.im sure it will be the same for you.good luck and i hope you have a lovely xmas

 

[Cathie!]

I don't have a home based salon, I have a salon salon and I don't have a single appointment left before Christmas.....I was a bit worried at the start of December as it was a bit quiet but now I will be working like a navvy until Saturday!

Hope it all turns around for you as you will be able to fit in the last minute ladies and there are plenty of them.:hug:

 

[pazzy]

Im always busy - get busier near christmas but this year the phone has been quiet - which is unusual...it was busier in November. This week is busy for me but have had a lovely relaxing December.


It must be same everywhere - lots of salons are taking full page ads out in the local paper - which is crazy - you have to pay for it in January - and if you've had a crap Christmas then its going to be a struggle.

 

[nailzoo]

Luxury, looking at your previous posts, it seems you expected overnight success, you have spent quite a bit of money and relied upon your website to move product. I really hope it all works out for you, but it's a very competitive market out there, with lots of experienced techs to compete with, as well as cheaper options for the "cheaper clients".

I find this week the strangest week of the year, the phone is quiet due to the fact that all the selfish clients book ahead to assure themselves of an appointment, then get themselves in the crap, cancel or wanna move for some trivial reason. They think they are the only ones having Christmas ........ well it's Christmas for me too.

Anyone who screws me around this time of the year gets recommended to the lovely technician Pi Yor Color at the Lumpy Bumpy Nail Company up the road. They need to know why they come to me.
I try to use my waiting list, but sometimes cancellation give such short notice or none at all. This is my most stressful time of the year.

Anyone who comes from another salon after coming to me gets charged a "trash fee" so I can get them back into their previous condition.

My solution is not for everyone, you have to deal with your situations accordingly, but I will not be screwed around by clients when I'm in the same state of panic many of them are in.

I hope everyone has a prosperous Xmas period and survives through the lull after Xmas, when the clients are all trying to pay off their credit cards, which many maxxed to the limit trying to please others, as well as themselves, I find Xmas a very over-indulgent, over-hyped consumerist atmosphere.


To be honest, i'd rather give my best mate $50, then they give me $50 in return, then we'd all end up "even stevens".

 

[adelekeegan1]

This message is to amirose - i am originally from horsham!!! The family are still there but i moved upto london! Its so nice when im reminded of good old sussex!

Yoo hoo another Horshamite here

 

[Luxury Beauty]

Yoo hoo another Horhamite here

YAY!!!!:hug:

 

[nailzoo]

you sure there ain't a "W" in there somewhere ?

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Yoo hoo another Horhamite here

ain't that something you spread on toast?! :green:

Business is odd here in Spain - we have a large ex-pat client base and so many people are back in the UK visiting relatives and it's making it very quiet at the mo - honestly anyone would think it was Christmas! :lol:

 

[blossom]

I've got a full appointment book . . I'm busier than ever this year. Mostly it's busy all year round now I've built up my client base (I work from home), but there are several one-offs for Christmas as well.

The only reason I'm on here now is because a very dear client has cancelled as she is really ill . . . . I'm sorry for her, but actually very grateful for a bit of breathing space and a quick geek! lol

 

[KellyT]

I'm in the middle, not quiet but not rushing round like a wolly either! Unfortunatly we have a terrible case of D&V and stomach bugs going round at the mo so people are too ill or their kids have it and so then they are not going to their xmas parties!!!
Poor peeps! It always seems to happen at xmas!

 

[adelekeegan1]

you sure there ain't a "W" in there somewhere ?

cheeky sod:green:

 

[pazzy]

Arnt clients naughty booking so far ahead only to find that getting that last present is way more important than that nail appointment.

Nailzoo your bang on but I so wish I had your 'no nonsense' attitiude your 'zero tolerance' is fantastic...love it!!

I NEVER work Christmas Eve anymore - cos thats the day clients let you down the most when they start flapping about whether they have to go to Marksy's for the christmas cake cos theres is the best...

 

[Nicki-Marie]

I loved that post nailzoo. my mum who was sat next to me read it too.
More so over the last year ive started to adapt this 'no nonsense' attitude. At the end of the day im running a business not a charity shop.

Back to the topic at hand. My first week in dec has been my busiest, with clients going to works parties and the like. Still busy last week and this week, but manage to have a 'breather' between clients.

6 months is still very early. x

 

[oey]

I have a busy week, but not as busy as the week before xmas last year. I have had a few of "those" clients already that have to cancel at last minute and want their appointment moved to another time - to a time that you dont have! So bloody annoying!