What Are You Worth?

[Jaydee]

Hey Geeks, It seems that every time I log onto the site, I am reading posts reagrding geeks checking out what the salon down the road charges, newly trained technicians offering reduced rate nails and countless posts on NSS. Why.....? Do you value your work on what other people are doing or are you worried that you will lose/not get any clients if your prices are too high. Please dont think this thread is derogatory or attacking your working practice, it is simply to get some input on how we can improve ourselves and be seen as true professionals within our Industry. Not that you arent already. So lets break it down......

A. The salon down the road charges say £35 for a full set and you charge £25 for a set, just to entice/get new clients. You end up working flat out to put money back into your business, buy products and further you education, leaving little profit for yourself. I look in the gallery and see the nails that you produce and think you could easily be charging £50-£60 for a full set. If you think your clients wont pay that kind of money for nails......they will....believe me. You are the professional, you have the skills. All thats needed is for you to believe in yourself and the work that you produce and realise 'What you are worth'.

B. A newly trained technician will charge reduced rates because they have just qualified. If reduced rates is what they are charging only reduced rate nails will ever be produced and when it is time for a price increase, who is to determine the increase....the client or the technician. I totally understand the confidence thing and trying to justify the nails that they are producing when they are first starting out but if a price is set for what they would like to be earning in the future it gives them something to work towards and pushes them to aim higher with their skills. I think if 5 friends or family are given reduced rates for full sets and rebalances to promote their nails then the newly trained technician is getting their practice and improving their skills and confidence. The family and friends would quote the price of what the technician charges.....not the reduced rate.

C. NSS.....Whether we like it or not, these salons will continue to operate until the Industry is regulated. Don't worry what these salons are doing..... stay focused on what you are doing. Your nails will speak for themselves. You will always get client saying, 'The salon down the road does my nails in 45 mins.' I dont think you need to get too technical about mma etc, just guide your client through your service, your client will feel so much happier knowing that you have sanitised everything from them to your tools and walked out of your salon with a kick ass set of nails that wasn't a painful experience and in turn will pass on their reccommendations. There will always be clients who only want to pay £20 for nails but in all honesty, when things start going wrong for them then they will come looking for you.

David.x

 

[ValencianNails]

It doesn't bother me what other techs are doing regarding prices etc, but then again I'm not swamped with a lot of local salons or NSS...
I charge what I charge and that's it, I'm not too expensive but I'm not too cheap either (as expected lol).

Too many technicians spend far too much time (IMO) worrying about what everyone else is doing... if they put the same amount of energy into their own businesses then they might be more successful... it's just a thought!

fab thread

 

[Lellipop]

Hiya David and welcome back :hug: I am not bothered by the local salon's or other techs prices tbh I will have calls asking what I charge and some will say thats a bit expensive I dont charge over the top prices just what I am worth which is more than £15 a set lol

 

[fifitrix]

How freaky is this thread?, not in a bad way, it just applied to me tonight. I have just come in from work where I got chatting to a lady who was interested in getting her nails done, she asked how much I charged for a full set and I told her £30, to which she replied, "WHAT oh I wouldn't pay that, there's a girl near me who charges £20, oh you are way too expensive, you'll never get bums on seats at that rate!"

I went on to tell that actually yes I do have clients who pay that and are happy to do so and that I certainly wasn't going to undersell myself to compete with anyone, and if she chose to go to the other woman then that was her choice(all of this in a nice way of course).

She still took one of my cards though!

 

[Tiger Jay]

Great thread David,

You're right you know, it's such a waste of time and effort worrying about what other people are doing.

I think that especially in this industry we have to stay focused on ourselves, it's bad enough educating, and reassuring our clients, with out putting extra unnecessary obstacles in our way.

Admittedly I have in the past got real peeved about some of the stories you hear, but that's just me offering my support.

 

[1999judy]

Hey Geeks, It seems that every time I log onto the site, I am reading posts reagrding geeks checking out what the salon down the road charges, newly trained technicians offering reduced rate nails and countless posts on NSS. Why.....? Do you value your work on what other people are doing or are you worried that you will lose/not get any clients if your prices are too high. Please dont think this thread is derogatory or attacking your working practice, it is simply to get some input on how we can improve ourselves and be seen as true professionals within our Industry. Not that you arent already. So lets break it down......

A. The salon down the road charges say £35 for a full set and you charge £25 for a set, just to entice/get new clients. You end up working flat out to put money back into your business, buy products and further you education, leaving little profit for yourself. I look in the gallery and see the nails that you produce and think you could easily be charging £50-£60 for a full set. If you think your clients wont pay that kind of money for nails......they will....believe me. You are the professional, you have the skills. All thats needed is for you to believe in yourself and the work that you produce and realise 'What you are worth'.

I think the area that you work accounts for a lot. Maybe some techs can charge this price for a full set in London, but this isn't a standard price in the North West, regardless of your skills.

B. A newly trained technician will charge reduced rates because they have just qualified. If reduced rates is what they are charging only reduced rate nails will ever be produced and when it is time for a price increase, who is to determine the increase....the client or the technician. I totally understand the confidence thing and trying to justify the nails that they are producing when they are first starting out but if a price is set for what they would like to be earning in the future it gives them something to work towards and pushes them to aim higher with their skills. I think if 5 friends or family are given reduced rates for full sets and rebalances to promote their nails then the newly trained technician is getting their practice and improving their skills and confidence. The family and friends would quote the price of what the technician charges.....not the reduced rate.

This is a good idea for new techs. The best advert is word of mouth, there has been a lot of business put my way simply because I've done a friends nails as a birthday pressie and all the girls at work then wanted the same thing (which annoyed my friend a bit tbh!)

C. NSS.....Whether we like it or not, these salons will continue to operate until the Industry is regulated. Don't worry what these salons are doing..... stay focused on what you are doing. Your nails will speak for themselves. You will always get client saying, 'The salon down the road does my nails in 45 mins.' I dont think you need to get too technical about mma etc, just guide your client through your service, your client will feel so much happier knowing that you have sanitised everything from them to your tools and walked out of your salon with a kick ass set of nails that wasn't a painful experience and in turn will pass on their reccommendations. There will always be clients who only want to pay £20 for nails but in all honesty, when things start going wrong for them then they will come looking for you.

NSS aren't really a problem for me, theres only one in my town and it's never busy.
I have a price list and I refuse to compete with anyone, NSS or not.

David.x

I value my work and have no interest in what anyone else is charging.
If everyone has the best training and the best working practices it will eventually be noticed by many clients and they will realise for themselves who the good techs and who the NSS are.

 

[naturalnails]

When I first set my prices, I did phone around all of the salons local to me and after doing some sums, I set my price at the higher end as I am worth it.

I agree with what Judy said about area having something to do with it too - same as house prices - what you pay in London for a garage, you could get a 4 bed house for in some of the less sought after areas. Therefore rents etc will be higher, so prices need to be higher.

 

[clara doon]

I try not to worry to much about the competition near me , I'm very lucky we don't have nss yet, but do have a lot of salon's and Mobile tech's.

I do keep an eye on their treatment menu from time to time mainly to see what other new treatment they are offering, I did price my self lower to start than the salons but slightly higher than the Mobile tech's (I'm home based) .
However I have increased my prices slightly, due to a few clients telling my how much cheaper I was , I don't want to be known as the tech that does cheaper nails, I want the clients who appreciate the standard of work I do !!

I do agree with the comment about pricing/area. I would struggle to charge London prices.

 

[j3njen]

hello, i 100% agree lower prices is not good idea some clients take for granted on you, always think ,think big j3njen:hug:

 

[nailzoo]

I really don't care what other salons charge, although every now and then if i need a cash boost (or i have sacked a few clients) i will reduce prices to get an immediate response (only on full sets) my refills always remain the same (actually i charge more for someone i have never done before, or those with gel over acrylic).

 

[Cec]

I am aware about what the other techs charge. My philosophy (sp?) is that you either have to be in the low end or the high end. In the middle you have to "fight more" because there are so many there. Hmmm... did this make any sense???

C.

 

[fats28]

I am aware about what the other techs charge. My philosophy (sp?) is that you either have to be in the low end or the high end. In the middle you have to "fight more" because there are so many there. Hmmm... did this make any sense???

C.

Yes it made perfect sense hun:hug:

 

[talented talons]

Great thread!!

i did make the mistake first of all getting all stressed out with what to charge and wether i was cheap enough or not. I eventually bit the bullet and charged what i thought i was worth and hoped i would get the clients. A couple of friends of mine also in this business charged a lot cheaper than me and said i was mad to start out like that.

Two of my friends are no longer in this business and the other is struggling to increase her prices now as she has been cheap for so long. (she didn't increase her prices after training more) You do need to have more faith in your ability and cgarge accordingly. It is scarey when you are building a good strong client base, but even when clients come and go, there will always be someone who wants their nails done!

 

[bling nails]

I don't go by other salon prices either, I dont and never have looked at their price lists, why on earth would it make a difference to my business, I charge what i feel is right for my work, time, & products.

 

[EllaX]

My prices are similar to those in my area, - not that i'm swamped with competition, there are a few beauty salons which offer nails and I have a few 'hobby techs who charge £7 a set!!!! That doesn't bother me one bit.
As i live in a village I do that and surrounding areas, charging £28 for a full set and £18 for a rebalance.

However after xmas I started doing a new area (in a town), where the average price set of nails is higher, (around £40 a set, £25 for a rebalance)and I did have one comment of 'why are you so cheap'.

Would it be justifiable to have to seperate price lists?
I think not as my prices are displayed on my website, and people may get offended if they see me charging £10 more because of the area they live in - the reason i do this town is because i work there during the day so i do the appointments on my way home, therefore no real mileage costs incurred?

 

[pazzy]

Im of the opinion of ' if they want to sit there and charge next to nowt for nails - let them' I certainly wouldnt.

I would rather clean floors for that than sit doing nails for some of the silly prices being charged. If a client thinks I am too expensive (which I am really not - I should charge more) then thats up to them.

Not interested in what anyone else is doing - I can just manage to keep intersted in what Im doing and thats a full time job!

Great thread - newbies have to relax and focus on themselves and improve their own skills, which takes dedication.

 

[VHunter]

What do "I" think I'm worth? or what do the public think I'm worth.
Two very different things.

I work in an area where the nss is overwhelming. There are 5 NSS (5 that I know without a doubt, and 2 new ones of which I'm not sure) and only 6 real technicians (approximately) in the this town. We real techs are struggling. I see the same salon all the time, advertising for a nail tech, and struggling to keep a tech because of the NSS down the hall in the same shopping center and another NSS across the street. They change technicians about every 4mths.

They're prices are what I would consider decent for L&P or UV gel but way overpriced for tip-n-dip which is what they are offering. They charge 45$ a set. Other salons are charging 35-45 for L&P (not incl the nss)

They NSS are charging 25 or less if people go in with a friend. So then it's 35 for two sets.

I charge 35 a set, and now and then offer a promo of 25 a set. I also the ONLY tech in town doing REAL uv gel.

It's hard.

I'd LOVE to be able to charge 45 or more a set.

But the prices in this town make it hard. It's a blue collar kind of town..... Small little suburbia, with a lot of moms working part time at the coffee counter or the grocery store.

I work at home, so it's hard to get people's attention. It's mainly by word of mouth.
It's getting better.
But you'll remember my rant the other day of a client saying I was "screwing" her with my prices???
She conceded that they were better nails and that she had received a much better service than her previous place (NSS).
But, I haven't heard back from her for a refill.
Guess she went back to the NSS.

Let'em have her. Who needs it.

 

[nailqueencat]

Another interesting thought - perversely, if you are at the higher end of pricing, sometimes people think you must be really good, I know I often think that about things. It's like the beer ad "reassuringly expensive". I was half price for several months when I first started over 3 yrs ago and when my prices went up (they were still modest) I lost almost all my 10 clients. I then went on to get new ones who didn't know I was relatively new to nails and were happy to pay my prices. I have been increasing my prices by £1 each Jan on all services and no one complains and I've retained almost all my clientele long-term now. So, never undersell yourself - sod what the others are doing. Have a l'oreal moment "because I'm worth it".
Love Juliette

 

[Cec]

I think I have said this before, but I say it again. IF you are good, I think you can charge a lot more than 40 pound. When I lived in Liverpool I had people asking me for my nails. I can remember one I met in a shop. She said: "Oh my God, look at those beautyful, natural-looking nails. Where have you done them?" I said I did them myself. She then asked me to do her nails. And I told her what I charged in Norway. She was shocked, but after a while, she said: "Can you still do my nails? I am used to go to another tech and pay 25, but I would LOVE to get nails like yours." At this point there were lots of customers in the shop looking at my nails, and everybody nodded and said: "Yes, I would def. pay that much for those nails..." SO I said I had no plans of doing nails in Liverpool, but that I maybe could do hers. I got her number and she got mine, and she texted me lots of times to get me to do her nails, but I never had the time, so I never did it.

I told this story because I KNOW there are people, even in Liverpool, who would pay to get decent nails. There are poeple with money in Norway and there are def. people with money in UK. You just have to take the chance to look higher.

C.