Losing Battle

[salpep]

I just wanted to write this to see if anyone else feels like this..

You pay for your training, get your certificates, insurance, you practice all the hours gods sends, you try everything out on family/friends, buy all the products you need and more....nails last 2 weeks or more, you feel confident...great all set for the wild world

So off you go....only to hear time and time again that the products you are using they can get themselves or thier friend round the corner is using that she does her own nails! ie: OPI can be brought in Boots..(Not the polishes, but the top coats etc) But is it only a matter of time before a company like this has it's own stand in there with polishes too!

I am feeling un-professional as the days go by, how are you supposed to provide high quality/professional service when they can all buy it themselves, does anyone else feel like this?
I know we have cnd who only sell's to people with certs, I do have a secondary account with them and Im now thinking of doing a conversion course with them in Crawley based on this fact alone!

What am I supposed to answer with, when they say I buy that in Boots too

 

[geeg]

I just wanted to write this to see if anyone else feels like this..

You pay for your training, get your certificates, insurance, you practice all the hours gods sends, you try everything out on family/friends, buy all the products you need and more....nails last 2 weeks or more, you feel confident...great all set for the wild world

So off you go....only to hear time and time again that the products you are using they can get themselves or thier friend round the corner is using that she does her own nails! ie: OPI can be brought in Boots..(Not the polishes, but the top coats etc) But is it only a matter of time before a company like this has it's own stand in there with polishes too!

I am feeling un-professional as the days go by, how are you supposed to provide high quality/professional service when they can all buy it themselves, does anyone else feel like this?
I know we have cnd who only sell's to people with certs, I do have a secondary account with them and Im now thinking of doing a conversion course with them in Crawley based on this fact alone!

What am I supposed to answer with, when they say I buy that in Boots too

Well I simply would not use products in the salon that are readily available on the high street or from suppliers like sallys or from QVC.

OPI shot themselves in the foot with allot of professionals when they started to sell on QVC but why should they worry ?? They're doing fine out of it. But it is not what I call supporting their professionals.

Look at all the fuss on here on the site re Dermalogica products being sold in Boots . the therapists that use the brand are up in arms about it ... but hardly anyone beefs about the fact that their own nail suppliers sell to anyone with or without a certificate? Ho hum .. I guess that tells allot about how professional most nail techs are .. not!

I would never use a brand that was sold knowingly to the non professional sector. But many reading this do buy from such suppliers. If they didn't support them by buying from them then then perhaps they would go out of business and you could worry less about it..

 

[yeahyeah]

it is unfortunate that this happens with professional products, but the fact is they are still professional products no matter where you purchase them. especally thanks to the internet anyone can buy professional products even from companies who dont sell to the public. I have a friend (sort of lol) who buys cnd l&p and polish online, she's not licensed and apparently this site she buys them from is totally legit (dont know how). OPI is one of the more readily available professional polishes where i live, its available in nearly every drugstore and even walmart. but despite this, tons of salons still use them and their clients couldnt care less, they're buying them becuase they like them and know they're high quality, they dont care if they get them from you or down the street. if you know youre using a good product from a reputable professional company then dont worry too much, offering a high-quality professional service has do with a lot more than just your products imo!

 

[Martin Duffy]

How are you supposed to provide high quality/professional service when they can all buy it themselves, does anyone else feel like this?

Echoing what's been said above...Tools are only a part of it, what they are paying you for is also your SERVICE!! How many of us have had clients bring their own nail varnish in & ask us to paint their nails with it because they "can't do it as well as you"? Just because someone can buy something themselves doesn't mean they have the aptitude to do it themselves, else we'd never be shaping eyebrows with tweezers (which can be brought in shops), waxing (which can be brought online), filing nails and so forth ad infinitum.

 

[geeg]

Echoing what's been said above...Tools are only a part of it, what they are paying you for is also your SERVICE!! How many of us have had clients bring their own nail varnish in & ask us to paint their nails with it because they "can't do it as well as you"? Just because someone can buy something themselves doesn't mean they have the aptitude to do it themselves, else we'd never be shaping eyebrows with tweezers (which can be brought in shops), waxing (which can be brought online), filing nails and so forth ad infinitum.

Of course this is true however, I'm an exclusive kind of gal. I like that clients come to me for what they also like which is exclusive professional products.

From a purely business point of view it is better for my business or any business if they do not have to compete with the high street shops around them.

And it is better for me and my business if I have a supplier who supports me and my business by only selling professional products to me and the other professionals who are trying to make a living selling those products. God forbid I should have to compete with my own distributor for business as well; they are supposed to be helping me to grow my business not be my competition.

 

[salpep]

Martin Duffy... I know what your saying regarding clients bringing thier own polish etc...however I feel thats slightly different thats thier own choice, it's not we provide. I would like to provide a product they can't buy down the road, a product that when I show them they are like "wow never seen that before" Becuase then you feel good that your offering a professional product and that the joe pulbic can't get thier hands on.
I mean how long is before products like OPI (which I do love) just become common! Nothing new nothing exciting, and the comment you all the time is "oh you use that too, I got some of that upstairs!)
Geeg is right you buy the professional products because you are a professional, but these companies are not being very professional to us, by allowing the public to buy them as well.

Hope this makes sense