thinking of taking shellac off my service menu

[sarahc]

have tried to plug it every which way, but its just not happening for me .. lots of regular manis, just not shellac
had a client cancel this morning, her reason - £25 was a little excessive for 'just polish' even if it did last 2 weeks, she then asked if i did bio as her colleague wore it and it lasted weeks and looked amazing
also fed up with my handful of shellac clients not listening to the aftercare and having to fix chipped nails, i know i shouldnt but really feel obliged to after they have paid £25 for a 'no chip polish'
does anyone else feel this way? every time i read how amazing shellac is i feel bit of a failure as its just not the miracle polish i thought it was going to be, basically - it does chip unless you have perfect nails to begin with and are a saint! i do know of another therapist locally who feels the same way, and have had clients complain about it chipping when had applied elsewhere so i know its not my application - short of giving them rubber gloves and being two paces behind them i dont know how else to get my clients to look after their nails .. i really think they're expecting too much from shellac
should i have one last ditch attempt to promote shellac (was so excited about new colours) and drum into client about aftercare - perhaps even supply the rubber gloves lol if can get cheap enough or just give it up as a lost cause - for me anyway, as i can see many of you are making a real go of it!!! any advise would be much appreciated

 

[An*Gel]

I can honestly tell you that I am out the door with Shellac, it's been the best thing for my business... clients love it!!

Of course shellac won't suit every client, but I must say, it's only the very odd client that can't wear Shellac successfully.

I have very thin and bendy natural nails and if I can wear shellac, anyone can!!!

I never get chips in mine... REALLY!

Would you consider taking a Shellac class?... I think it would really help iron out the problems you are experiencing, it would be well worth it and I'm sure you would get an injection of enthusiasm about the product.

Shellac IS amazing and you don't have to feel like a failure, you are only having teething problems, that's all and it can be easily solved with a Shellac class. :hug:

 

[deanosnana]

I agree 100% with An*Gel! Shellac is the best thing to happen to nails in a long, long time. I've had nothing but success with it and have more clients than ever.

Take a class if you can. I wouldn't give up.

 

[JERSEY JOCK]

So sorry you feel this way, I shellac all day every day, it has transformed my business, 90% of my clients have shellac, maybe your sounding a bit negative about talking about shellac to your clients without realising you are, my clients love the non chipping, the shine, a healthier natural nail than they have ever had, easy removal and best off all no dry time............... why not try a half price special offer...........as I say once you've been shellac'd you'll never go back......................

 

[Zo Zo]

It's a real shame you're not getting on with it. I agree with An*gel and deanosnana, a class would probably help. I don't really consider myself to be a nail tech, I am a beauty therapist who specialises in waxing, but I get on really well with Shellac and do hardly any 'old fashioned' polishes now.

I think you need to have the confidence to stand up for yourself with clients. For instance, I would have explained that even if Bio seems to stay on for longer, there is little point in this because of the new growth! I most certainly cannot keep any nails on for 3 weeks, never mind longer, because the new growth spoils the look! And to be honest Bio is not shiny like Shellac.

 

[sarahc]

thank you both
i took a 1-1 class just after xmas so confident in application , the shellac doesnt chip all the time on all of my clients - just a certain few

i just feel embarrassed when they quote the '14 day no chip' blurb - what am i supposed to say - just dont use you hands or touch anything for 14 days? they read the blurb and expect it to last then when they dont they wonder why theyve parted with £25

i also think i perhaps need to review my prices - have had several clients say they might try it if it was more 'affordable' i charge £25 which i thought was pretty average, dont know if its considered a luxury they just cant afford in the current climate .. im promoting it every week, but there are just no takers, they'd rather have bio or gels for the price im chargin shellac - i dont know, perhaps im just not a very good sales person

can i ask how you promote it and how much you charge, another thought is im mobile - perhaps just not a popular mobile service? have been doing minx all summer, clients cant get enough of it just miffed about lack of shellac clients

 

[sarahc]

thanks too zozo, thinks our posts crossed!

 

[Zo Zo]

What is your price for a normal mani?

When you Shellac do you do the full manicure with hand massage etc or just file / cuticles / paint?

If you've invested in it, then is there any point taking it off the menu? I would persevere for now:hug:

 

[eskimonailtech]

how much are you charging for a set of bio?

 

[sarahc]

thanks also jersey rock, sorry missed your post

regular mani - file, cuticle care, opi polish £15
shellac - file, cuticle care, shellac £25

only do massage with spa

 

[sarahc]

i dont do bio, sorry if mislead you .. but every other tech seems to specialise in bio locally and thats point trying to say - clients seem to think bio is premium treatment and costs same as im charging for shellac, having said that they dont have bio on regular basis so perhaps it is a price issue as happy to pay for file/polish or regular mani with me

 

[sarahc]

my other half just said perhaps my clients just have short arms, long pockets lol - they all seem to be happy to pay for ele though - think i'll bite the bullet buy few of the new colours and do a 1/2 price come and try new shellac colours promotion - will charge £12.50 and if response not very good may just put up to £20 and just keep plugging away at it
this is why i am so miffed, practically everyone on sg is singing its praises - but im just not getting the clients id first anticipated, another tech in town who is salon based says she has found the response to shellac disapointing but she originally invested in gelac that really did chip and cause her problems - so she thinks people are just associating shellac with gelac or think the gel polishes are all the same - her old gelac clients are reluctant to try shellac so says it all i suppose

 

[angelina221]

You say they are not listening to the aftercare so I was just wondering if you actually give them an aftercare sheet. Sometimes clients forget some of the things they've been told but if they have an aftercare leaflet to take home with them then they may be more careful.
I've had shellac on and done some pretty heavy duty cleaning (with no gloves :o) and it still didn't chip.

 

[Misspiggy9]

I do bio not shellac so is different product but bio like shellac do say its non chip for upto 2 weeks however I always say to my clients that the overlays will last for upto 2 weeks if not more however it isn't indestructible and depends on your lifestyle. When it lasts for 2 weeks or more they are happy. If anything happens like chipping clients by 2 weeks then they dont mind as much as its not in their heads that they are paying for something they are not getting.

 

[NailsBeautyEtc]

One of the other lovely geeks here said that the price should be roughly double your usual manicure charge - and I think that's fair. They get a manicure and a durable service - I have paid it in the past and because of the results I'd assure other clients it's definitely worth the ££.
I agree with offering a half price offer for a limited time - they'd be getting their shellac practically free then and will surely come to love it!
Wish you lots and lots of luck
xx

 

[chocolatepickle]

I really think you should NOT drop to £12.50.
If you go that low, after you take out costs you wont even cover minimum wage! Nobody will want to pay you full price of £25 for a servis they see you value at £12.50 another time.... dont do it!! You and your products are worth more!

There are always going to be people 'proving it wrong', yes it lasts upto 14 days, you can tell them that it does but with usual wear and tear.

Be firm with these people, tell them why its better then gel for them, during consultation make sure they have clear expectations of the product and how to look after their nails.
If their nails arent suitable for any reason, be honest.
If they are bendy, start with them shorter.

Aim for a clientel that wants a quality service and expects to pay the GOING RATE at least for it!
£25 in london is very reasonable, I know of places charging up to £40 for it and I'm sure there are higher priced places too.

If you have no faith in it then neither will your clients.

I'm also mobile and Shellac is 85% of what I do.

Chin up, you've invested now so why not have a play, enjoy it and love it yourself, enthusiasm can be contagious.... go and infect your clients :lol:

 

[Blue Rose]

Sounds obvious but do you wear Shellac yourself?
If you do, how long does it last on your own nails? If you're getting the 2 weeks do you make a point of showing your clients?
Do you talk about it in an excited voice? Or do you not really bother talking about it now you've had your confidence knocked?
Do you take photos of your work?
For the clients who get good results, do you take photos before they have their removal? This is a major boost in showing that yes, it does really do what it says.

I don't do Shellac but do Gelish. The 1st couple of clients we did, results were ok, then 1 client had chipping within a couple of days. That knocked us a bit but since then we're doing really well with it & always make sure we wear it ourselves. Our enthusiasm for the product does wonder & we do no end now of the service.

Maybe, before you look at the clients, you need to look at yourself and how YOU view the service. Clients will respond to your emotions/thoughts without you even realising.

 

[twid]

I completely agree with Blue Rose about wearing the products yourself, I've been wearing it since last May. I try to make it interesting and eye catching even if its not completely me, I've found it then becomes a talking point.

I recently took on Konad stamps and told people about them but no one was interested in having it done so last weekend I tried out a pink glitter fade with some Konad stamps on my Shellac. This week I've had 3 clients ask what I had on and then all 3 wanted something similar. This was exactly the same with Minx so I've definately learnt my lesson.

I've only ever come across 1 client that couldnt wear Shellac, she knew she had a problem before she started - couldnt keep anything on her nails for more than a few days but did manage to get 1 week out of Shellac. A few others get the odd ding or chip but they always say its because of something they've done.

I wouldnt give up but maybe do some kind of promotion, ie if they have it done 3 times in a row they get the 3rd free. You'd earn more money than making it all half price and you're not devaluing the product or showing you have a lack on confidence.

Karaxxx

 

[jewel-not-tools]

Where i live, west yorkshire, the going price is £15.

 

[rachael204]

I use Gelish so can't advise on Shellac but as regards to pricing I do a colour of the month - all colours are normally £25 and then I pick 1 colour each month to be the colour of the month and charge £15.

I find it encourages people to try the service, some come for the colour of the month but decide to have another when they see the range. Some only come for the colour of the month. Some have fingers and toes!

I have gained a lot of new customers from the colour of the month, I involve customers via my facebook page to choose the new colour and always create a buzz.

xx