What do you expect for the future?

[Cec]

There has been lots of threads about pricing here. I have seen prices from 20 to 50 gbp. In my opinion, it's too cheap. I am sure a lot of you do a very good job and that your clients love you for that. It looks like you who have choosen to go for around 40-50 think you have pressed the price to the limit. Then my question is... Lets say, in 5 years, do you think you have increased your prices a lot, or do you see yourself at nearly at the same stage? Be realistic here... If you don't think people will pay more than 40 Gbp today, do you think they will pay more in 5 years because of your experience? What about you who already have that experience, what do you think about the the future?

I ask this question because I raised my prices dramatically some weeks ago. BUT the thing is, the prices are not steep if you compare to hairdressers. I use 1,5 hours at each customer. If you go to a hairdresser here, you CAN get 1,5 hour for 20 Gbp, but
if you want a good one, you never leave without paying at least 100 Gbp for 1,5 hours work. The hairdresser can also take clients in between your appointment, so all in all, the hairdresser will get a lot more than 100 Gbp for 1,5 hours work. I know it's the same in UK, the prices wary a lot. With your hands at your heart, why do you thin the haridressers time is more worth than yours?


C.

 

[Urban Geek]

I currently charge £40 for plain and £45 for P&W or glitter which I feel good value for my standard of work. I charge the same whether it is L&P or gel.

As well as my experience and skill, my pricing depends on the surroundings I am working from, the location and how healthy my client base is. To date, I have rented space and have had to base my prices on how pleasant the environment is for my clients. When I relocate, I hope to establish a good long-term client base from the best possible environment hopefully in an upmarket salon (perhaps my own) in a fab location. For that, I will charge a premium.

Price increases will be based on inflation and demand for my services. I am very optimistic about the future because I feel that I have equipped myself with great training and experience, will continue my training to keep me abreast of the latest trends and techniques. I think that, like any other industry, people will pay a premium for great service and quality workmanship.

Hopefully my success will be as great as yours.

Great thread!

 

[Bagpuss]

i don't know about the comparisons between hairdressers and nails techs....i know that in most salons its at least £100 for a colour, cut and blow dry....where i live......but thats not how much the hairdresser gets !!

Also i cant see people paying that for mobile hairdressers....not saying they shouldn't but they certainly don't charge what salons do, whereas mobile nail techs tend to charge the same as salon based nail techs.

I don't see why hairdressers should get paid more for there time and expertise than nail techs but then i never understood why footballers get paid more than doctors and fireman.

I charge £45 for a full set ....£30 for NN0 and rebalances.....maybe if i was in a busy city and not a village i could charge more but i am happy with my prices.

 

[RedAdmiral]

I think its the opposite here in Ireland as most Techs overcharge and the standard is not very high. It's averagely about €65 for a full set but that means if your experienced or do excellent nails you cant really charge much more. The most I've ever charged is €80 full set and that was when I worked in an award winning hairdresers. As I teach now my hourly rate has risen so I see no reason why I cant get paid more or charge more as its my knowledge and experience that seperates me from the other techs, but the reality is the client must understand that you have trained or have the skills to back the price up

 

[VHunter]

I intend to raise my prices in January. Not by much, but enough to make a difference at the end of the day. I have to keep in mind the prices around town. I know I'll lose a couple of clients who are shopping for the best deal. So be it.

I understand what you're saying about our time etc. and I concur.
BUT
How many of us go see the hairdresser twice a month? That would be very steep in anyone's budget to pay the same prices at the nail tech's.
I get annoyed at paying 45$ for a simple wash and cut, no styling (that bumps it up to 80 cause I have sooooooooo much hair and refuse to let them put a straightener to it, I want it BLOWN straight) so I only go every 4-6mths and do my sides on my own, leaving the hairdresser to do the back mostly.
I can't see myself paying 90$ a month for my hair, so I doubt I'd pay 90$ a month for my nails, and since I can't see myself doing it, why would I expect my clients to do it?

PLUS again, it's my area and the prices in my neighborhood... it's a blue collar neighborhood. I'm already a tad pricier than the NSS, but slightly cheaper than the 'salons' that do have a real tech (there are only about 4 or 6 others in town?).

Much to think on....

 

[larnie]

I work in a nail salon in the Isle of Man and all the prices are pretty much the same over here around £40.00

Personally I think £40.00 is expensive, at the end of the day you have to go back every two or three weeks for infils which is £25.00 and if you are having an extras such as nail art etc you are looking at £70.00 per month - Now I know I cant afford that and nowadays with mortgage rates etc not alot of people can.

I find more and more that people are coming in for a set and dont get another until 2 or 3 months down the line and there reason is they cant afford the upkeep so they just get nails when they have a special event or need to perk themselves up.

 

[blossom]

How many of us go see the hairdresser twice a month? That would be very steep in anyone's budget

. . . .

since I can't see myself doing it, why would I expect my clients to do it?

Spot on Victoria, this is what occurred to me when I read the first post! I only visit my hairdresser about every 8/9 weeks - I see most of my clients 3 or 4 times during that timescale. Which tbh works out (in my area anyway) that I actually am being paid more than the salon are charging. . .

I guess some folk go to the hairdresser's more often than that though. :hug:

I am reasonably happy with what I am charging. Compared to what I charged when I started, I am charging well over double now, as I think in my four years of doing nothing but nails, and having had further training, the work I now produce, using top quality products, is worth at least what I charge. I will be raising prices soon anyway, especially the French rebalance charge which I have decided is too low for the work involved and am raising that by a tiny bit every few months anyway (but that's another topic!!)

 

[Cec]

Hi,

Just wanted to tell you I will write answers tomorrow as I just came home from work.



C.

 

[Cec]

Hi!

Ok, my customers goes 3-4 weeks between reballances. I am very sure I would loose a lot of customers if I forced them to go every 14 day. Not because of the money, but because they don't have the time to follow up that often.

I have aways thought like you do: "Oh, but they don't go to the hairdresser as often as they go to me, so I can't compare myself with them." In one way it's true, but if you see it from the opposite side, it's very equalent (sp???). It's all about what you get as an income, isn't it? And hands on your heart, wouldn't you like to get more from each customer?

I find it strange that in our field the prices do not differ as much as with the hairdressers...

PS.
Only as you know, I don't live in a big city... It's one of the largest cities in Norway, but that say nothing... There are only 4,5 million people living in Norway (haha, that's 1/3 or 1/4 of London...) and in my town 250.000.

C.

 

[IllumeGirl]

i don't know about the comparisons between hairdressers and nails techs....i know that in most salons its at least £100 for a colour, cut and blow dry....where i live......but thats not how much the hairdresser gets !! This point is very true..most of the earnings are going to the salon itself and hairdressers who are employed by these upmarket salons dont earn much more than average salons (here in aus anyway). Maybe hairdressers are paid more in europe but here its a pretty minimal wage.

I charge $60 for full sets of whatever and also $60 for overlays.
$35 for refills
$50 for rebalances

Next year i will be increasing again..$10 extra a full set, which will naturally push up nail repairs and am thinking of introducing a 3 and 4 week refill price..but then again i dont want to penalise my clients who just are slow growers and do look after thier nails..will have to have a good think about that one and do some research.
Here in aus nails are just ridiculously cheap..i cant advertise in the local paper as its full of techs who advertise $25 full sets..i did a nice advert about my training and experience and why you shouldnt take pricing into your first consideration (as a client)and guess what? Not a single call..just 3 massive bills for my advert over the 3 months.
I did used to advertise in there years ago and undercut everyone by $5.00 and my phone rang off the hook..but those kind of clients are mostly a waste of time and costed me a fortune in product.
So in regards to my pricing to compare it to UK..do i work out to under 30GPB??? Or is it not quite readily converted to that? Would creative products for a UK tech be chaper to buy than a aussie tech also, bcause of our distance?
I keep my pricing half way between salons and home based...which for me works pretty well..but i would like to charge more as my work is very good (if i do say so myself,lol) plus i do book out 2 hours per client..as i dont like to run late!
Nail enhancements are a luxury at the end of the day for most when comes to the crunch (sudden unemployment etc)
If i had to choose between my hair appointment and having nails..then it would have to be my hair!
Our economy here is in turmoil..mining is booming (for the government anyway

)
Housing,health, food etc is through the roof..so i cant scare off half my clients..so its a steady gradual increase for me.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

I do believe that in the takings pecking order nail technicians are at the bottom, we just don't seem to value our worth, or maybe trying to attract the wrong sort of client. After all some people have their hair cut and coloured every 4 weeks and can afford to do so. Others may go every 8 weeks plus and use a home colour kit because that is what they can afford. Maybe we are trying to make nails accessibe to all by setting our prices so low rather than keeping them more of an "exclusive" treatment? (please note this a question not a statement)

Yesterday for example I did 2 luxury spapedicures which took about 90 minutes each and charged 35 euros for each. I then did a full body wax on someone which took about the same time and took 56 euros. My facials take an hour and start from 55 euros. A spray tan takes 15 minutes and is 30 euros. And yet our nail prices in the salon are so low - 25 euros for a natural rebalance that takes an hour, and 30 for a French rebalance that takes about 90 minutes. So for an NVQ level 3 skill we really are selling ourselves short compared to all the other treatments I do that are a level 2 skill. I did not set the nail prices (trust me they would not be this cheap if I did), but I did set the beauty prices!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

BTW when I was a nail client - before becoming a nail tech - I had my nails done every two weeks. A natural rebalance, plus a polish which I used to then buy, and it would cost me about £35 each time, so £70 a month. I was happy to pay it as it was my treat to myself, it made me feel good and I could afford it, in fact I would have paid more if I had to!

 

[Cec]

...or maybe trying to attract the wrong sort of client.

Sassy, I think you hit the... (oh, what is that saying again in English????)... Anyway, I think you said something very important here. Buy pricing yourself in the middle, or lower, field, you get those customers who are not willing to pay what it takes to get NICE nails. If you price yourself on the top, I think you get those who don't care what it cost as long as it's good. I don't take new clients now, but when I did, I used to ask them why they had choose me, if they were not refered, they often said: "You were the most expensive so I believed you must have been the best!" Those people can afford to do it, not only the first time, but the second and the next and the next... etc... They also can afford a price increase...

C.

 

[Cec]

So you can get a full set here for around £10 - £ 15 and rebalance is less.

NSS are doing a roaring trade though and this place is flooded with nail techs. Its very competative.

Please don't feel offended here, but how the *** can you get a decent income if you take 15 or less???? What do you have left when the taxes, rents, products etc... have been payed? And how can anybody hire a nailtech, give her salaries and still get something left from it?

Everybody is talking about the NSS. I can see the problem, but you CAN differ from them in two ways: 1. Do a better job. 2. Tell the clients that your work is better buy telling you they have to pay more for your work.... There are lots of NSS-hairdressers in my town. Do they have a lot of customers? No, simply because people don't believe in them because they charge ridicules prices. Do the most expensive hairdressers have a lot to do? Of course, they have waiting lists!

C.

 

[ValencianNails]

Personally I think £40.00 is expensive, at the end of the day you have to go back every two or three weeks for infils which is £25.00 and if you are having an extras such as nail art etc you are looking at £70.00 per month - Now I know I cant afford that and nowadays with mortgage rates etc not alot of people can.

BTW when I was a nail client - before becoming a nail tech - I had my nails done every two weeks. A natural rebalance, plus a polish which I used to then buy, and it would cost me about £35 each time, so £70 a month. I was happy to pay it as it was my treat to myself, it made me feel good and I could afford it, in fact I would have paid more if I had to!

I have to say that I agree with Sassy here... I was the same when I used to be the client as opposed to being the technician. I used to go for my rebalance every 2 weeks religiously, I used to buy the oil and use it as recommended, my rebalances were problem free because I followed the rules and my nails ALWAYS look lovely (which is what I wanted).
My technician and me were both happy, me because my nails always looked lovely and her because I did what I was told (so to speak) and it made her job easier at the end of the day.

Why shouldn't we charge what we're worth?
Why do we feel we have to be cheaper for nail services compared to hairdressers?
Heck, I know some nail technicians who have spent a small mortgage on training, they're highly skilled and therefore IMO should be charging likewise.

Great thread Cec

 

[Cec]

sweetface:

How can you know people are not willing to pay more, if none of you raise the prices?

Heck (sorry), why should a nailtech be "forced" to do other services because to do nails is so cheap that they can't get a decent salary of doing only nails? I am so SICK to hear about it. Nailtechs who wants to do a lot of other things to get a better HOURELY (sp) income. (I am not talking about those who do it because they really want to go into other fields.) I am sick of good nailtechs who goes into TEACHING because they are tired of doing nails because they can't get a decent income from it. A lot of nailtechs loose focus because they have to do so much other thing!

You say a lot do nails part-time. I really don't see this as an argument as long as you don't mean they do it for a hobby... IF you do it for business, either it's full time or part time, your time is valuable. Don't you agree? Or maybe it's the part-time techs who ruin the marked???

C.

 

[Brandibam]

............I agree with Melody Jayne............Hair and Nails are 2 differnet Ball-Games..........and the "Cheap Nail" Salons are popping up here everywhere..........2 years ago there were none here and now within 10 mins drive of where I live I pass 7 of them............It's a fine line here too............and advertising can certainly be detramental as then you will be undercut............I never advertise a price........I just put "Great Deals" or the like.......then they have to contact you to find out what they are..................:green:

 

[Cec]

Hi, it's me again...

Lately I have talked to some of my customers who has lived in US, UK, Germany, Portugal and Spain. Some of them are here 2-3 months a year and some have moved back. It's strange, isn't it, that when they are in Norway they tend to spend a lot of money to do their nails, although they can get it a lot cheaper here, but while abroad they don't bother. I asked them why.

The woman from US said: "Oh, it's really expencive here... But ok, I get my nails done and I am happy with them. In US I get them SO cheap, everybody is cheap and everything is the same. If I could get a better tech over there, I would have loved to pay more, but I struggle to find one." She change her nailtech in US everytime she has been in Norway...

The woman who has been living in UK, Germany, Portugal and Spain (she's a footballers wife...) said this: "You know what? I don't care what it cost me to get nails. Abroad I payed nothing, but I had to go every other week. I never bothered to keep them, not because of the money, I just didn't have the time to go every other week. I had nails on and off, it was too much hassle to get them done there. I just picked them off after two weeks and got new nails when I needed them. It was cheap anyway."

I think the last one really said it. It was so cheap she didn't bother to take care of them!!! Something to think about?

C.