Need Help with Pricing

[marcpunter]

hey there sorry i havnt been on here in a while or posted any thread but ive been very busy with setting up my new mobile business..im coming toward the end of my training and getting everything set up for when ive finished...although i have so many clients already wanting to have there nails done by me. i have not done anyone nails yet because im in the middle of applying for my insurance before i even think of offering my services...

i have been told that i have doen incredibily well with my course, i can apply tips without any problems, i can blend and buff, i can apply liquid and powder without any problems, i can create a very good smile line, i can blend, buff and finish without any problems.....

i am currently learning how to do infills and rebalancing at the moment but it is going well.

the help that i actually need right now is pricing up my services, taking into account that i have only started out and that i am mobile what do i charge...

i thought maybe:

£20 for Natural Enhancements
£25 for French
Rebalancing natural - £12
rebalancing French - £15
infills at £8
Single nail repair - £4
Removal £10

thats all i can think of at the moment...i dont know anything about price structuring or what i should charge for starting out...i dont want to undersell my self or be too expensive...i need to be able to afford my products and to make a little profit

if these prices are completly wrong i wont take offense at all because i need al lthe help i can get...what other services do i need to offer and what prices

i thank you all for your help.....i have looked through the website and i cant find any posts relating to my problem...

thanks

marc xxxxx

 

[Sarah Lou]

Maybe you can offer manicures, mini and full. Nail art too. Take a look at my website for my pricing and services that might help you out a bit hun.

 

[Tickled Pink!]

this topic is currently running in a thread called 'can you believe this'.
check it out - makes for interesting reading.
hth

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Hi Marc - great to have you back, wondered where you'd got to!!

All I can say about your prices are TOO CHEAP - have a look at the hot thread "Can you believe this" which is covering prices at the mo.

How long does it take you to do a set? 2-3 hours? Add on another 30 mins travelling, running costs of you car, product costs etc and you'll soon realise you're probably not even going to be earning the minimum wage.

Check out your competition and see what they are charging, and then pitch yourself where you fit in the market place. Sounds like you are doing really well, perhaps ask your tutor what you should be charging. Maybe you could do these rates for a few months as "MODEL! prices, but have a more realistic price list in mind for after this period.

Don't think that being mobile you should cut your prices - you are offering a very personal and convenient service which is VERY popular... and your bigest overhead is the cost of time travelling between appointments, so CHARGE for it.
Hope this helps

 

[Tickled Pink!]

have a look at the hot thread "Can you believe this" which is covering prices at the mo.

SNAP SARAH!! Posted exact same reply at the exact same time...spooky!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Well Dianne - you know what they say, great minds think alike!! and NOBODY say, Fools seldom differ!!!!

 

[talented talons]

Never sell yourself short Mark, even though people have said if you are mobile you must be cheaper, you aren't

i agree with marking down prices as you are new to it, but make a stipulation that you will redo your prices four months from now to raise them to match your experience. The better you are the more quality work you produce.

Also remember running costs of your car, petrol, insurance, you setting up and packing up at the end of each service, all your time, the personal service your clients are receiving.( nail related of course....:lol they are paying for the convenience for you to go to them.

I love being mobile myself but you do have to make sure you don't sell yourself short. Look at what people charge in your area and go from there.

Good luck Mark and enjoy.

 

[Tickled Pink!]

marc, if you want to pm me your address, i'll mail a copy of my price list to you. We are vaguely the same area - me herts, you beds. I can't email it as it is in a pro-publisher doc. Me thinks you are too cheap. Do you really want to trot off to someone for an appointment for a £4 repair or an £8 fill? If you are mobile you really ought to consider a 'minimum charge' and perhaps any distance over x miles incurs an additional percentage. consider your travelling time (both ways) and your set up/clear down time. trust me, it all adds up to 10 minutes here and there - your time is money. And you will def get the client who 'just wants to put the children to bed', 'just finish dinner' etc etc or those who expect you to work off your lap in a dimly lit sitting room with the telly blaring!

i did start off mobile, then rented space in a salon but now my builders have finally gone (after 7 months) i work from home. Clients always assume you will be cheaper if mobile, but you do have overheads and they are getting a personal service.

My client base when i was mobile tended to be all EVENING appointments. This proved difficult for me, 2 children out during the day at school and playgroup, me twiddling my thumbs during the day, and come evening when the family needed me, i was trotting off to clients. Some clients didn't even get home from work until 8.30 so it was a long old slog! Now i am working from home with set days and hours, MOST of my clients are now ladies who are either mums and not working, ladies that lunch or ladies who run their own businesses and can make an appointment to suit. Because of this 'change' in client base, i found it no problem increasing my prices - and i get better tips!

hope this helps

 

[Jaffacake]

Hi Marc, im mobile too and relitavely new to the business, if you check my website all my prices are on there hth x

 

[Hollyballoo]

Hi Marc

Good to hear you are going well with the training :wink2: !

I agree with everyone else - up those prices! Like they say, check the general pricing in your area and decide what your ultimate prices are going to be and get all your brochures printed accordingly. Instead, offer discounts on your optimum prices over a certain length of time, decreasing it each month, for example 30% reducing to 10% discount over 3 or 4 months maybe?

Clients like to think they are getting a special offer, whereas if its the other way around and they are paying for a treatment based on brochure prices which are subsequently increased, they seem to take issue !

Keep us posted :biggrin: