TPTW - Why do so many techs under-price their work?

[shedunlop]

Whether you are taking a couple of centimetres off or a couple of inches off, it still takes the same amount of time.
Time is what i charge for. I worked out how much i wanted per hour and then set my prices.
I work my treatment prices out at somewhere between £40 and £75 an hour. I know that sounds a lot but I'm not constantly doing treatments. I have paperwork and stuff to do so when I do do treatments then it needs to be worth my while.
I am more expensive than some salons for some treatments and cheaper for others.
I charge £12.50 for spray tans for example. Now i know some of you think that's cheap but i can do 4-6 spray tans an hour (and frequently do), and that gives me the hourly rate that i want.
Now i know i could charge more as everyone loves my tans. I've lost count of the amount of times that my customers have gone somewhere else because they couldn't get in with me and have not been happy with the tans they've had elsewhere that have been double the price!
So i don't think i under-price my work. I'm trying to steer people away from sun-beds and offering them tans at £12.50 works for me. I make a very good profit on that and have lots of happy clients.
I also don't think that you get a better service the more expensive it is.
I think I've found a happy medium.
I get my hourly rate and my clients get a professional friendly service which is the main reason they come back.

Totally agree, I work out my own beauty treatment prices this way. Nails are slightly different depending on what the client wants.

The other thing to remember as you become more experienced you speed up too so you earn more that way too! :green:

 

[MrsP]

'You get what you pay for' rings true here doesn't it.

I have only been trading for 7 months (CND trained). I have pushed the CND brand in my area heavily, created my own strong quality brand and I charge £25 for Shellac, £35 enhancements, £25 Minx. I am always busy and my clients tell me they would rather come to someone 'properly qualified' than the salon round the corner that plough drills through their nails. I really try to give them a very personal service and service is everything!! If I introduce a new service - I do an 'introductory offer' until I am confident that I deliver 100% every time.

It depends also who you are trying to target!

 

[*sarah*]

It seems in my area folks are using cheap products and clients dont know any better, till they come to me and I tell them! lol but it really gets on my nerves espeically the hobby types who charge next to nothing then clients wonder and question decently priced treatments arg!
Also I think it is partly a confidence thing which is a real shame I wish people would realise they are undervaluing their selfs and the beauty industry.
My USP is I use excellant products, am bloody good at what I do, and give a friendly personal experience to my clients just a shame I cant seem to tear more away from those doing shoddy jobs or using crap products, I refuse to go el cheapo would rather have less money than compromise myself! sorry for ranting it just gets my goat big time :lol: xx

 

[smartypantz]

Great thread.. For me at the begining it was all about confidence. I thought I was rubbish, so I was not charging enough, just enough to cover my costs, but it was bringing me experiance. However as I went on I started charging more, my nails went up to 30€ a set, and I have just put up my prices again to 40€. My friend asked if this was a good idea, and my response "Well, I think so" Having said this, there are salons round here that are charging between 65 and 100€ are they better educated, definatley not :lol: One of the salons proudly told me they use CND powders and Edge monomer and a set of l&p would set me back 95€. Here the recession is hitting hard and people are cutting back, but I will not cut back my prices to fit in with those places that are. I believe at the moment I charge a reasonable price. However once my nails are in the league of the great and the good techs that are on this site, my price will be going up to match the standard of nails. Doug Schoon said something at the Event along the lines of people will only value us, as much as we value ourselves....

 

[_sabrina_]

The prices have to reflect the skill as well...and I for one find myself sometimes in crisis of confidence simply over other tech's prices because there are some who are so cheap. I wonder how they make a living.

I am mobile and can say I have quite a full book for being mobile... I have upped my prices because I cannot work for nothing. I am expecting to lose some clients...but I am getting new calls with the new prices anyway so these new ones have seen the work and like the nails. So about this I'm confident that if some old ones leave me, I'll fill in with the new ones that find no problem.
Also, it's 100% true that clients value you how much you value yourself...in earlier days when I charged €16 for a fill and €25 for a full set, I had many cancellations or turning up and not finding anyone home (my fault also for not confirming with them maybe).
Nowadays I hardly encounter this...clients do respect us more if we don't undercharge.

 

[waxcetera]

haha, there was me worrying about timings and putting my prices up. Just had a call from a client, who's sister happened to be there the last time I did her nails. At the time, she said, blimey, it takes ages doesn't it (she's used to going to another type of salon where your in and out the door in 1hour.

She's just rang to say, her sister wants to book in next week as my clients nails still! look great, they haven't gone yellow or come off and she now realises, that the quality of the product and tech really does count!

:green::green: