Mixing Business with Pleasure

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veggie

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Apr 13, 2004
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Location
Anchorage, Alaska
Do you ever become friends with any of your clients outside of the salon? I've been invited to go clubbing with one of my good clients and I'd like to go. She's a very nice girl and a wonderful client. Is this a bad idea?
 
Hi, i don't see a problem with it myself, i am mobile and have a good friend that i met through her being my client. She has been my client pretty much from the start and i am now invited to her wedding reception.

I think the only way it could ever be a problem is if a client who becomes a friend starts to take you for granted, expecting more than anyone else would, but then its up to you to sort it before it gets like that.

I am really good friends with a couple of my clients and meet up for BBQ's etc and i've never had a problem with any of them. They always say to me as we chat for a couple of hours and discuss their problems etc , it can be some hand and mind therapy too. I'm their Technician and Therapist at the same time.

At the end of the day there's no harm in it as long as no problems are caused by it. hope this helps.
 
I go out quite regularly with about 8 of my clients once a month, in fact we are all out this weekend friday and saturday night (to celebrate my pending birthday next week as some of them cannot come to my party). I usually work saturday but have got the week off this week so am out on friday night with them too.

I am their nail technician, they never ask for discount and also because it is my salon they respect the hard work I have put into it so they always pay what I ask.

Jue x
 
I also have socialised with with a client never had a problem never givrn discount some of your clients can or could b a real true friend
 
a difficult one!...despite not wanting to mix business with pleasure you are always going to really hit it off with some and that's great! I think it's fine as long as they always respect you in the business sense and likewise you treat them just as professionally as you would other clients...business is business and that part has to be kind of dealt with separately to the friendship...hard to explain! I guess if an arguement in the friendship happened you could end up losing a client but thats life! Equally you could end up with a brilliant friendship!
 
I'v had soom gr8 nights out with friends (clients). I'v known some of them for a couple of years now and business has never got in the way. Some times i airbrush their nails or nail art free when we go out but i use that as free advertising..!! Also 3 of my friends are all having babies within 3 weeks of each other ( i think its my chair) and i'v been ask to be godmother by one of them..:biggrin:


Vicky
 
veggie said:
Do you ever become friends with any of your clients outside of the salon? I've been invited to go clubbing with one of my good clients and I'd like to go. She's a very nice girl and a wonderful client. Is this a bad idea?

Hi Veggie!

Yes, I believe that generally speaking, you shouldn't mix biz & pleasure... however I myself have a client that I see outside the salon here and there :D ....

I was just thinking of how long she has been a client- 14 years now--- and probably after 5 or 6 years we made some plans to go out dancing.... I went to her wedding last year.. and now with us both having children we have slowed down on getting together- but meet up for dinner once in a while...

So I guess it's your personal preference- if you want to- I say go for it! :green:
 
I've also become good friends with some of my clients. I've had some of the same clients for 19 years mind you......and some of them have been through all thats happened in my life with me!! Meeting my husband, engagement , marriage, lots of babies!! Of course I've been through all the important things in their lives too!

One of my clients decorated her white BMW to take me to my wedding, another client looks after my dog whenever we go on holiday!

I've found that through word of mouth over the years I've got umpteen members of each family coming to me.......mum, sisters, daughters, cousins......that we do all end up like one big family, sharing in all the ups and downs in each others lives !!

love Fiona x.
 
i am also good friends with quite a few of my clients and they dont expect discounts. i have been invited to 4 weddings (no funerals) bbq's, nights round the town. it hasnt caused any probs with me either. go for it is what i say. as a client she will respect your talent, and as a friend she will respect you for being a friend
 
I have made some really good freinds through work and i dont see a problem with it as long as you dont talk about other clients...........it is a very small world and you just never know..........

Amanda
 
Lily said:
I have made some really good freinds through work and i dont see a problem with it as long as you dont talk about other clients...........it is a very small world and you just never know..........

Amanda
I have a few clients with whom I also do the social stuff..............
But we have an understanding............when we are out we are friends ..when we are in the salon we are client and Technician...............
Keep it simple , keep it seperate and keep it fun xxxx
 
I too, have actually made a very best friend from doing her nails! I tried not to mix business with pleasure too much but as we got on really really well every time I did her nails it was inevitable that we would end up socialising together! :biggrin:

She's a fantastic lady and has also recommended me to lots of other people as she's one of those local people who knows nearly everybody!!! LOL!

I did, however, eventually find that I felt bad charging her full price for having her nails done so I told her I'd start charging her less and I end up always giving her freebies by way of repairs or nail art :rolleyes:

Hence although I feel I've gained a great friend for life I'm not ready to get that friendly with any of my other clients - I'd go bankrupt!!!! LOL!

But at the end of the day it's personal preference and I know one thing for sure - when you find someone you get on really well with and can have a good chinwag with it's much more interesting for both concerned than with someone where after talking about the weather and holidays you have nothing else to talk about! :o
 
i said before you can sometimes feel you have to charge less to a friend, but at the end of the day they are still your client, and its your business at the end of the day. The only person i give discounts to is my Aunt who has been my model for as long as i've trained.

As a previous thread said, in your salon, they are your client, outside of the salon, they are your friend.
 
I am in nail business not for a long time, but already made some good friends with 3 of my clients... They invited me for dancig, for BBQ, to go shopping together.... I enjoy their company.... But they understand that I put lot of time and effort doing their nails, they can see it... None of them had ask me for discount or 'can I pay next time'....
 
I have a client, a very nice lady as a matter of fact. Once we became friends, she would come into the spa on short notice, and want me to replace broken nails for free!! It totally got out of hand, because she would expect all these extra things along with it. Like hand massage, jewelry cleaning, etc,. All for free. I had to explain to her that this is NOT my Spa, and it is NOT up to me to say that you can walk out of here for free!! She got an attitude and stayed away for awhile, but eventually came back, because she new that no-one else could do her nails as beautifully as me. This taught me a lesson - while you can absolutely have friendships w/ clients in the outside world..... keep things as proffesional as possible in the salon!!
 
In this business you meet a lot of people. You spend a whole hour or more doing their nails that sometimes you end up becoming real good friends. Some of my clients have become my friends outside of work. I am invited to b-day parties and weddings. As long as they know that you work hard in your job and just because you are friends does not mean that you will do thier nails for free or expect discounts. I have never had that problem. Keep it professional in the salon. Have fun with your newly found client/friend.

Nidia
 

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