Would you reveal yourself??

[suzev]

I had a client in the other day who had contacted me via my website and booked herself in for Shellac. She was a little brusque on the phone but hey it takes all sorts. Anyway she came for her appointment, I did her consultation, shellaked her and off she went. During her service I asked how she had heard about Shellac and she mumbled something about how she had googled it. Anyway next day purely by coincidence I am at a friends house and she shows me this brochure that she has had through her door for a beauty salon nearby and i realise through the photo pasted on it that this is my 'accountant' (stated job occupation) client!! I was quite amused and thought I might book myself in at hers for a treatment just to see her face !! lol

But it got me wondering how many of you do secret shopping and if you did, would you ' reveal your true profession? To be honest if she had told me she was a therapist and was interested in seeing what shellac was all about, I would have happily yacked away to her about it. What do you think?

 

[sarahpoppy24]

Hey hun, I dont do secret shopping, but when i go to the hair salon, I dont tell them Im a hairdresser as I feel a bit uncomfortable, like the stylist may feel I am looking around to poach clients and that I am watching her every move lol. So maby she genuily did just want to try shellac out for herself and felt a bit uncomfortable saying anything xxxx

 

[MissConfused]

omfg. i am sat here absolutely cringing for her! omg do it - i DARE you no i DOUBLE dare you then post and tell us what her face was like! haha

i think people don't like to go to others for a treatment and say 'oh i'm going to be doing what you are doing soon' just because i guess people will think you are going to take their clients.

i have done in the past and would do in the future say to therapists/hair dressers/extension fitters that i would like to one day be doing what you are doing. i don't see the problem with it, i'm not going to try and take peoples clients (and lets be honest if you know you are good enough then you wont be worried about a bit of competition, it might be good for you too as it might just give you that extra push to do that course you're debating, to buy that new colour out etc)- i'm going to advertise and offer my services (oooh-er haha) and if their clients come to me then that's not my fault (reguardless of being cheaper, if you've been somewhere good then gone to some where cheaper that's not as good you soon find your way back to the original) i'm not going to bad mouth another therapist/treatment etc etc just advertise what i've got and let the paying public decide.

x

 

[Princess_emily1]

ooo thats sneaky of her!!:twisted:

I have debated going to get some minx put on me at another salon as a few salons are charging so cheap for minx i wonder how they make any money at all :s

so i was just going to see how they use there minx or if they cut any corners?? hmmmm

i did have my legs waxed in a salon before and had friendly conversation with the girl and i told her i was a beauty therapist then the conversation became a bit awquad as she cut a few corners tooo, she didnt sanitise my legs first or let me fill a client record card out which is what i do religiously for my clients...

i ask alot of salons for there price lists too just to keep on top of there treatments etc x

i defo think u should book in with her lol that would make me giggle!! let us know if u do!!! x

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

I DONT GET IT ? WAS SHE ADVERTISING THE SHELLAC THAT YOU DID AS HER OWN ? OR DO YOU MEAN IT IS JUST A PIC OF HER AS A NEW THERIPIST IN TOWN ?
TO BE HONEST SHE DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG REALLY, NOT EVERYONE CAN DO BOTH HANDS THEM SELFS AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST WANT TO SEE HOW SOME ONE ELSE OPERATES , SHELLAC IS SO NEW THAT MAYBE IT WAS IN SOME WAYS HER GETTING TRAINING?
ITS NOT THAT BAD THOUGH REALLY is it?
I do sevral local beauty therapists and one or 2 collage teachers from time to time it doesn't mean that they are passing it off as there work , ive got nothing to hide,
I am blessed that I'm quite ambidextrous but if needs be I would go to one of them for nails quite haply,
It dosent have to always be compertion , and maybe she wasn't honest about her job as she felt you might be on edge...
P.S sorry about the caps I got half way through typing and noticed lol

 

[MissOwen]

I cant see anything in the original post that says the poster has any problem with doing this other techs nails, just that she was wondering if we would of revealed that we were in the same industry if it was us.

I think if I was going to see someone else because i struggled to do my own nail then i would say that i was a nail tech too but that i struggled to work on my own nails.

If i was there to check out a treatment someone offered that i was planning to add to my treatment list, then i dont think i would. Just because it would possibly make them a little irritated!

 

[user 35377]

I have done this and I always let them know that I am a tech. I don't do it for any nefarious reasons though. I do it cuz I like getting manicures/pedicures and taking my time to relax--and--to ask them questions about how they are finding their industry in their little corner of the world. I don't go out of my way to tell them that I am a tech when I make the appointment, but I do tell them once I am in there chair.
I don't like people that try to be sneaky about it though. If they are doing it just because they want to learn something, then they should just ask. I am more than willing to help anybody that just asks! In fact, in my little town--I wish some of the other techs in town would come to me to learn some of the newer techniques!

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

I cant see anything in the original post that says the poster has any problem with doing this other techs nails, just that she was wondering if we would of revealed that we were in the same industry if it was us.

This aimed at me? was it because of my cap letters? did you get the Wrong end of what I was saying? lol

 

[suzev]

Now dont get the wrong end of the stick guys! I am quite happy with the service I offer and confident in my own abilities and really dont have a problem with this. It was just a situation that got me thinking what would other people do. Would you be honest or go undercover? I think she was prob just checking out what Shellac was all about and if it was worth adding to her service menu. Im happy to chat to anyone that will listen about new products!!

 

[phoebe_cat]

Before becoming a tech I worked for many years in the retail sector of the mobile phone industry. It was part of our job to go to other mobile retailers and pose as a customer and try and find out their latest offers and deals. I HATED it! To the point where my manager was saying you've got to do it, or you'll face a disciplinary.... And I was, well, bring it on! I hated the deceitfulness of it, I just couldn't stand there and waste their time, them getting all excited, thinking they may have a sale, and then, me just walking out saying "Thanks, I'll have a think about it"

In the end, the only way I could do it, was to go in n say "Hi, I'm from the Blah blah shop up the road, what offers have you got?" They used to go out of their way to help, as while I was there, they would ask me what our offers were and it saved them a trip to our shop, lol! The honesty is the best policy theory really worked out for the best in this situation. A few of us from competing companies ended up being friends, and no more "mystery" shopping!

Suvez, I totally agree with what you said in your first post..... If she said she was another tech, interested in the product, then I'd have yakked on for ages too! Shellac is not a secret..... She would have probably found out a lot more about the science of the product if she had been up front!

 

[kimi1101]

Funny u mention this i had a girl in a tunic, embroidered with salon name and skincare range, come in for a pricelist. i just laughed and gave her it. i wish i had longer hair and id go get a blowdry more often. i think my staff are great but enjoy leaving the salon for a treatment. x
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[MissOwen]

This aimed at me? was it because of my cap letters? did you get the Wrong end of what I was saying? lol

Nooo, not aimed at you. I actually mis-read someone elses post though so what i said doesnt make sense now i've read it again!! :o

I quite liked the Caps. It saved me squinting at the screen so much!!

 

[chocolatepickle]

I wouldnt hide it! I like to yak on about it all too! Though I wouldnt just jump out with it, I'd tell them if the subject came about- which it no doubt would with shellac being so new. I dont worry about competition, they may be better, they often are! But I do my best and while I'm always striving to improve I know I will do my best to keep my customers happy and I cant do better then my best!

I have a few booked in over the coming weeks a couple of which i SUSPECT are fellow techs too. I'm happy with my service with Shellac though, its a new thing and if I do make a mistake its just a learning curve for me and no doubt someone in the same industry has more understanding then someone who's not. I have had clients in before who have told me, for L+P... that does make me nervous as I'm not confident with my service there yet!

I also think you should definately book an appoinment with her... just for the site of her face when you walk in... how funny!

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

OH good , thought it was my big food in my mouth lol
you know you can make the page bigger so you dont have to squint right

 

[honeycure]

I usually reveal my identity
I don't see a problem with it since I usually travel FAR to get anything done. I don't go anywhere in my area because I don't trust their sanitation standards... Usually they're very nice to me.

Besides, if I actually tell them what I do, we usually start sharing information on products and such. It's a great way to gain new ideas

 

[Helen v]

For me it would depend on what i am having a treatment for. If i was just having a treatment to relax and experience then i think i would conceal my profession so that my treatment wasn't affected in any way (no matter how small), as I find in my area if the therapist knows what you do they will then make assumptions about what you do or do not know and possibly perform the treatment slightly differently.
If it was to find out about a product or service then i would be more inclined to say why i was having it.

 

[RachFace]

Im just about to do this

Ive contacted Jac Extreme to book in for L&P so I can watch an expert at work and learn from it hopefully

 

[FingerNailFixer]

I adore pedicures and I am open and upfront, usually when I book the appointment so that if they are uncomfortable they have the oppurtunity to turn me away
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[Urban Geek]

Im just about to do this

Ive contacted Jac Extreme to book in for L&P so I can watch an expert at work and learn from it hopefully

Oh you won't be disappointed - Jac does the absolute best nails! xx