Other Therapists making enquiries

[OBIC]

I just wondered how many of you get other therapists making enquiries regarding treatments. Personally I just wouldn't do that, maybe I'm the stupid one for not wasting other therapist's time masquerading as a potential client but I'm quite capable of asking you lot or figuring it out for myself!

Have had a couple lately and just find it quite annoying wasting my time playing text/email ping pong when in the end you wise up and realise they are a cheeky mare who is just trying to figure you out!

Had one last month, could be jumping to conclusions with this particular one but was enquiring about Shellac then my sixth sense kicked in and googled her mobile number and she was a trainer!

Then last week get an enquiry via my website asking about treatments blah blah. Would like a Monday blah blah, massage and "oh are you doing Shellac yet". Obviously someone near me seeing what my prices are cause haven't updated my website with them yet. Ping pong, waste of time again and then nothing. Then just did a search on her email and low and behold she is a therapist! Feel like mailing her back to check whether me giving her info on Shellac and my prices was helpful to her for figuring out what she is going to charge!

Rant over! Well for now!

 

[endless]

oh, I get this aallll the time, find it quite amusing!

i will only answer them a couple of times, never play ping pong with them, i dont really like to talk to clients thru email/txt anyway, so i always call them.
I honestly wouldnt mind if they just rang me, n said do you mind if i asked a few cheeky questions, in fact id quite like another technician friend,to compare situations etc with,
thing is i can safely say, i offer if not the, almost the best hair extensions service in my area, at what i think is a great price,i could be,and used to charge way more, in salon, but i now charge enough for me, so i think this baffles other extensionists.
I also have a lady( ex client) who i had a really bad experience with,and she regularly sets new email addresses up and emails me,lol, I know its her from the wording,and she has the same spelling mistakes every time!

Think of it this way,if there bothering you,atleast theyre leaving someone else alone, and theres obviously something special about you for them to bother,

dont let it get you down.
Kate x

p.s, so jealous of any1 that does/has shellac,wont be long before im doing mine, theres actually no one in my town that does it! : ((

 

[Unique Nails09]

Bizarre you should post this as i've had a few of strange calls of late, one the other day when a lady called asking me which products I use (NSI, in my experience clients don't often ask which system I use, usually 'I want Acrylic' is the most they will say) and she dropped in phrases such as 'free edge' which not to be rude but is not really the terminology used by a client or some one with no professional training in anatomy of the nail!

After 5 mins of the 'weakest link' style of firing questions at me she said ' great I might call back to book in'. Strange!

I would never do this, you'd have to be pretty uncomfortable as a nail pro in your services to have to call other techs and grill them on their methods/products!

 

[OBIC]

I also have a lady( ex client) who i had a really bad experience with,and she regularly sets new email addresses up and emails me,lol, I know its her from the wording,and she has the same spelling mistakes every time!

p.s, so jealous of any1 that does/has shellac,wont be long before im doing mine, theres actually no one in my town that does it! : ((

LOL. I guess at least she has the brains to set up different addresses, I mean I know I would if I was sad enough to email someone pretending to be a potenial client. My latest one didn't, can google almost anything these days, no one is safe!

Yeah that is what I'll do in future, get a number and phone them. Have to admit I have a very suspicious mind - my husband thinks that my brain works overtime too much.

Have only done a couple of Shellacs so far but you are going to love Shellac for sure. Have GELeration on my fingers at the mo as they have that at my new salon job and it is also fab. Just so great to know that you are applying something that is going to last for so long.

 

[Karen Minx]

I just wondered how many of you get other therapists making enquiries regarding treatments. Personally I just wouldn't do that, maybe I'm the stupid one for not wasting other therapist's time masquerading as a potential client but I'm quite capable of asking you lot or figuring it out for myself!

Have had a couple lately and just find it quite annoying wasting my time playing text/email ping pong when in the end you wise up and realise they are a cheeky mare who is just trying to figure you out!

Had one last month, could be jumping to conclusions with this particular one but was enquiring about Shellac then my sixth sense kicked in and googled her mobile number and she was a trainer!

Then last week get an enquiry via my website asking about treatments blah blah. Would like a Monday blah blah, massage and "oh are you doing Shellac yet". Obviously someone near me seeing what my prices are cause haven't updated my website with them yet. Ping pong, waste of time again and then nothing. Then just did a search on her email and low and behold she is a therapist! Feel like mailing her back to check whether me giving her info on Shellac and my prices was helpful to her for figuring out what she is going to charge!

Rant over! Well for now!

I would do just that! lol :lol:

No i dont think i have had any of that yet but i dont always take my bookings. I used to get people phoning the salon to just check how much i was charging for a full set then never booked when they found out, not sure if i was too expensive for them or they were techs just checking me out.

 

[OBIC]

I would never do this, you'd have to be pretty uncomfortable as a nail pro in your services to have to call other techs and grill them on their methods/products!

Totally agree, find it strange that they need to resort to this. As endless said previously, actually would prefer it if they were more up front and came out with it straight!

As my husband said if they are even incapable of collating this information on their own by researching the web/salon geek then their business will probably never take off anyway.

 

[OBIC]

I would do just that! lol :lol:

Think I will LOL. The stirrer inside me says do it!

 

[Lynne Baker]

I wouldn't be scared by the competition, and as all my prices etc are in the public domain I have no problem giving out any kind of info to anyone who asks. I've had a couple of actual clients ask me what the margin is on products and I always tell them "enough for me to make it worth the risk of holding the stock"

 

[karenrose]

I have asked questions to another nail tech and she asks me things too, nothing unusual about it! I do a girls nails who also used to be a tech so she knows the lingo etc.
I did have one girl call me though, she was from another beauticians and asked about having a minx and spray tan party for her and another 4 girls who work at the salon. And what offers I have etc. Nobody who works in a salon with other girls would pay someone else to do minx and spray tanning etc for them! Guessed she only wanted to find out what my prices were for things like that!
Told her to come back to me once she knew how meny there would be and what they all wanted and I would tell them a price! Never heard from them since!

 

[OBIC]

Well latest - advice greatly received.

She has mailed me back. I originally mailed her to ask if she still wanted an appointment before I googled her email address.

I don't quite know what to make of a situation like this. She wants an appointment! Well so she says, it is another thing whether she turns up or not! Don't quite know what to make of it. £60 seems an expensive way to suss out competition in my opinion. Still not handed over a contact number even though I've asked!

I am not threatened or bothered by her contacting me more concerned that she would go to such extreme lengths just to check out prices etc! People are STRANGE!

 

[karenrose]

Tell her you need to take a deposit. And if she pays then I would go ahead with the treatment, afterall its still money in your pocket! But when she is in dont talk about any products, etc.

 

[Lynne Baker]

£60 is not an expensive way to check out the competition!
I do this regularly. I go to other salons and have a look at the furnishings, the products, the cleanliness, the staff, the ambience and then assess the treatment.
Indeed, you should be doing this when new businesses start so you can see if there's anything you can learn from them.
Competition is A Very Good Thing. It makes you raise your game. Embrace it, and learn from it.

 

[OBIC]

Oh yeah, totally see where you are coming from if you own a salon in checking out the competition but I'm not particularly concerned with going to other homebased therapists or having mobile therapists come to me as I offer both. I work parttime for myself and parttime in a salon too and I know from what my boss has said that the local competition get sent to her. She's never mentioned whether she does the same but then I've only been there a week. I worked at a spa before and I'm sure it happened a lot there.

 

[shedunlop]

Everyone gets this from time to time. I will only enter into text messaging or emailing with regular clients. Anyone new who texts me I just text back telling them to ring me to discuss their queries. This will usually put off anyone who is not legit. :green:

 

[busybee32]

I had a phone call the other day from another tech posing to be a potential new client.
She asked my prices and whats services I offered.
I told her what she wanted to know and then she turned round and said " Oh no that is way too expensive, how can you charge that much, I am a nail tech myself and charge nowhere near that much"
I turned round and replied well its like everything "you get what you pay for" My full diary shows that my clients are happy with paying my prices as does the many enquiries I get from others who once I have explained book in.
My clients are happy with my work and the products I use are the leading brands.
If I was too expensive I wouldn't have a full diary would I?
I think this person slipped when she told me she was a tech herself and im not being funny but any sort of decent tech should be able to do her own nails not be looking at booking in with someone else to do them, says a lot about her work I think.
Dont let it get to you I dont, I have faith in my prices and my work and I can honestly hold my head up high and charge the prices I do. I am having a small price increase to by the end of the year I an only imagine what that tech will think of that LOL
Jen

 

[chocolatepickle]

I dont seem to be getting time wasters as such but I am getting a lot of other nail techs/ beauty therapists booking, but they all tell me when they are booking that its their job.
I know they're only coming to me to try out the product (There are few people local that offer shellac) but I do wonder if I'm silly for showing the competition how great it is.
I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing when they tell me their job as it makes me more nervous!

 

[shine]

I am having to deal with this as we speak, it is very annoying especial when they don't get the hint and go away.

I'm all for sussing out the competition as competition is a great thing. its they way some people go about it.

I am Friends with a couple of girls that do the same thing around my area and we help each other out, it is so much nicer to be pleasant and nice.

 

[jacqueline]

When I used to shop around, I usually just popped in and got their menu rather that wasting their time and mine with emails and texts. Never looked at mobiles though as this wasn't my competition as such.

In todays day and age most folks have websites and the information is there for anyone to see really.

 

[Little Angel]

HI

I get this all the time, I wouldnt let it bother you. Its just market research that's all, be flattered that they consider you their competition.

 

[annasmum]

One of the local rather large salons is using their staff that had their nails done by me as a way of advertising their services. Even though I did the nails. :irked:nI am the only one to do Minx around my area and again they use my work to figure out if their clients would be happy to pay for it. Really bugs me!