What else can I do?

[pinknfluffy]

I have been mobile since March. I have read so many forums on here about promoting business (including the fab one by Lynne) and am trying so hard, I advertise on all local sites, have a facebook page, have recently done a 3000 flyer drop, have done 2 school fayres...
and yet I am lucky to have 1 client a week :o
I started from scratch, no client base, offered treatments to friends but once I started charging they suddenly lost interest! I have just 3 regular clients, and even after all my recent advertising / promoting have only gained another 2, both have rebooked but it still only gives me 1 client a week, and this wek not even that!
I believe I am very good at what i do, and always get excellent feedback from clients & I think the fact they all return shows me I must be doing my job well. But its just getting them in the first place. I really dont know what else to do. Is this normal? 3 months in and only 1 client a week? Im fortunate that we can manage for a few years without my earning - but I'm beginning to think this will never take off!
Please help, I feel so down :sad:

 

[persiasalon]

Well, at the moment it's wedding season, as well as prom season. See if there is any wedding fayres going on in your local area, contact bridal dress shops, go into places that do things like wedding cakes, put a load of flyers in reception venues, etc. For proms obviously contact schools, local youth groups, etc.

 

[souz]

i dont mean to be negative but you have only been going 3 months which may seem long but it really isnt. Mobile will take a lot longer to get off the ground than a shop as you have no passing trade and you are advertising to strangers who may be wary of having someone they dont know in their house. Word of mouth is going to be best for you, keep plugging away and doing great with your existing clients and eventually people will come...just use the time you have to keep advertising etc

good luck xx

 

[Claire@OBNMK]

I have been mobile since March. I have read so many forums on here about promoting business (including the fab one by Lynne) and am trying so hard, I advertise on all local sites, have a facebook page, have recently done a 3000 flyer drop, have done 2 school fayres...
and yet I am lucky to have 1 client a week :o
I started from scratch, no client base, offered treatments to friends but once I started charging they suddenly lost interest! I have just 3 regular clients, and even after all my recent advertising / promoting have only gained another 2, both have rebooked but it still only gives me 1 client a week, and this wek not even that!
I believe I am very good at what i do, and always get excellent feedback from clients & I think the fact they all return shows me I must be doing my job well. But its just getting them in the first place. I really dont know what else to do. Is this normal? 3 months in and only 1 client a week? Im fortunate that we can manage for a few years without my earning - but I'm beginning to think this will never take off!
Please help, I feel so down :sad:

You sound just like me, but try not to get down about it.

I recently did a carboot to make some money, I took a little table and made a display to promote myself, that got me 2 new clients

I know have 3 regulars and I've had anything from 3 people a week to only 1 to none (I looked in my diary and it's averaging about 1 person a week) It's not much but in my spare time I'm working on art designs, I'm learning how to do sculpting in July (Have had a couple of enquiries for extensions already).

I've missed the boat on the summer festivals here so I'll do them next year but I'll be doing xmas fairs this year using my Vinylux.

xxx

 

[PixieBeauty]

There is absolutely loads more in that thread from Lynne alone! If you only have one client a week, that leaves you loads of time to get networking, get your name out there, you can always do more! Also use your spare time to create new designs, perhaps on friends for free to get them to tag themselves on Facebook & get your name out there on social network sites. Write a to do list of marketing ideas & get started on it today!

 

[pinknfluffy]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know what your saying, its still early days & there is always more I can do - I am out on a daily basis dropping flyers, handing out brouchures to shops for staff rooms etc so certainly making the most of my free time to promote my business, I'm not one for sitting around, which is probably why i'm so impatient, Ive worked full time for the past 18 years and only ever had any real time off work after birth of babies - so the free time and not being busy is killing me lol!
My main focus is massage, I also do mani / pedi, facials, waxing, and lots of other holistic therapies. Unfortunatly, these are all treatments that cant be "displayed" on friends etc as suggested. I did do a lot (and I mean a lot) of free treatments on friends etc, but they were starting to take the mick so I started charging.
I am unsure that my services will appeal to the bridal/prom market as I dont offer lashes / tans /false nails etc which are the main focus of such events!
I will re-read Lynnes thread over the next evening or two and make a list as suggested.

 

[babychops]

I have been a mobile hairdresser for 8 months now and it's only now that I am getting really busy. A lot of my work now is word of mouth. It just takes time x

 

[pinknfluffy]

Hi all, just wanted to quickly update my whiny post - in the last 2 weeks I have gained a further 6 clients, all of whom have re-booked, and I have my first pamper party booked next week!!!
I have suddenly gone from 3-4 clients a month to 3-4 clients a week! I am over the moon, and so very grateful for all the advice and threads i have read on here, so thank you all! I know it will still take time, but I feel so much more confident for the future!
3 clients and the pamper party came from my leaflet drops, and I had 3 recommendations from existing clients!

 

[jo1983]

Well done!

It can be soul destroying at times setting up your own business, but don't give up!

Now you have some new clients, why don't you offer them a 'refer a friend' gift/treatment/discount/free upgrade? The best form of advertising is word of mouth!

 

[skatingbeauty]

Well done its nice to see a positive update, I would try and get the few regulars you have to do a pamper party. Tell them they can go for free if they have X amount of friends round, you could say if they book and pay for a treatment on the night they get 20% off or something. You could charge her friends £5 or £10 and they all get a mini back massage or something.
Good luck !

 

[PixieBeauty]

Fabulous. Keep going Xx

 

[becca_hair]

Just found this thread after searching something similar and I was just wondering if anybody can help me find the thread that Lynne has written? I'm very intrigued xxx

 

[Meira]

Just found this thread after searching something similar and I was just wondering if anybody can help me find the thread that Lynne has written? I'm very intrigued xxx

Here you go xx

http://www.salongeek.com/showthread.php?t=83160

 

[sarah1992]

I have been mobile since March. I have read so many forums on here about promoting business (including the fab one by Lynne) and am trying so hard, I advertise on all local sites, have a facebook page, have recently done a 3000 flyer drop, have done 2 school fayres...
and yet I am lucky to have 1 client a week :o
I started from scratch, no client base, offered treatments to friends but once I started charging they suddenly lost interest! I have just 3 regular clients, and even after all my recent advertising / promoting have only gained another 2, both have rebooked but it still only gives me 1 client a week, and this wek not even that!
I believe I am very good at what i do, and always get excellent feedback from clients & I think the fact they all return shows me I must be doing my job well. But its just getting them in the first place. I really dont know what else to do. Is this normal? 3 months in and only 1 client a week? Im fortunate that we can manage for a few years without my earning - but I'm beginning to think this will never take off!
Please help, I feel so down :sad:

You aren't alone with this! Only thing to turn it into a positive is to use all this spare time for paperwork/thinking up ideas/practising nail art & preparing for christmas

 

[sarah1992]

Oops sorry i didnt read the posts first! Glad you got somewhere in the end how did the pamper party go?

 

[becca_hair]

Here you go xx

http://www.salongeek.com/showthread.php?t=83160

Thank you very much xxx