Best way to attract new clients?

[Kate Emily]

Hi all,

I'm currently working 4 days a week in a local salon and then use the rest of my time for doing treatments (predominantly nails, although i offer waxing & eye treatments as well). I'm qualified with Gelish and about to start my prohesion training with nail harmony in Feb which i'm super excited to start as nails are my passion. I've just created a logo for my business cards and all my socials and i'm currently working from my spare room which i've turned into my studio.

The one thing i'm struggling with though is how to interest more clients. Currently i have several ladies in the village i live in who come to me for nails although none of them ever re-book for their next appointment while they're in treatment with me and then just text me out of the blue a fortnight later asking can i do their nails that afternoon or the following morning like i'm just on call for them. It's really frustrating but obviously i say yes as i need the business. How can i get them to book in advance? Also does anyone have any ideas on how i can interest new clients?

While i'm here there's just one more thing i'd like to ask and need honest opinions. I have a lady in the village who comes to me for her gel toes every now and again. She spends a lot of time on holiday in Thailand (3-4 weeks at a time) where after a couple of weeks she will have my gels soaked off and then re-poilished in a nail bar out there to keep her going. She will then come back, ask me to do her toes again (always last minute & never appreciative), doesn't tell me she needs a soak off so i'll come to do them and obviously she will have someone else's work on (always like concrete and always unbranded gel for instance not Gelish, OPI, TGB etc.) So i will then have to do a soak off and in total i have spent from 2-3 hours completing the whole treatment and still only charged £25 for soak off and re-polish and i have been walking down to her house as i have only just got my beauty room up and running at home.
I have attached screenshots of the messages we exchanged yesterday. Am i being unreasonable charging an extra £5 more for my time?

 

[Traveller75]

While i'm here there's just one more thing i'd like to ask and need honest opinions. I have a lady in the village who comes to me for her gel toes every now and again. She spends a lot of time on holiday in Thailand (3-4 weeks at a time) where after a couple of weeks she will have my gels soaked off and then re-poilished in a nail bar out there to keep her going. She will then come back, ask me to do her toes again (always last minute & never appreciative), doesn't tell me she needs a soak off so i'll come to do them and obviously she will have someone else's work on (always like concrete and always unbranded gel for instance not Gelish, OPI, TGB etc.) So i will then have to do a soak off and in total i have spent from 2-3 hours completing the whole treatment and still only charged £25 for soak off and re-polish and i have been walking down to her house as i have only just got my beauty room up and running at home.
I have attached screenshots of the messages we exchanged yesterday. Am i being unreasonable charging an extra £5 more for my time?

No, I don't think you're being unreasonable at all!

 

[user 111574]

No, stick to your guns!

Why is she having the gel on her toes soaked off after only 2 weeks? Generally toes last months! Does she understand that you can still cut the nails with the gel on if they grow a lot.

Strange lady me thinks ....

 

[Modify Me]

Not unreasonable at all. She probably still won't get it any cheaper elsewhere so stick to your guns.

 

[Robin love]

Absolutely not! That’s a lot of time 2-3 hours for £30?! That’s ridiculous imh

Could you say, you could do a tidy up (infill) instead for however much it costs you? £15?

 

[AcidPerm]

She’s probably paying a fiver in Thailand so feels irritated that she’s paying a lot more back home.
Don’t negotiate. Just stick to your prices.

 

[Tinker78]

An extra £5 is nothing for someone who can afford to spend weeks at a time in Thailand.

 

[ch-ela]

It's not unreasonable at all.
When you reply to an enquiry, offer them two appointment times. You need to make it sound more like you only have two spaces left, rather than being available when it suits them. If they cant do one of those times, you could always say you'll ask your mum/aunt/sister if they could swap, you'll get back to them. They want to think that you are busy.
Do you have set working hours?

 

[ch-ela]

"I'm getting quite busy, so shall I pencil you in for three weeks time?"
"Is the same time on Monday in three weeks good for you?"
Practice a few phrases to say to clients at the end of the treatment, it gets easier as you go along

 

[NailsbyHayley]

Bless you! No you aren't being unreasonable at all!

 

[TheDuchess]

We charge according to whether we are removing our work or someone else's.

When we are removing someone else's work we ask where they were done and if they know what brand it is, then we explain that we allow 20 mins to remove the gel and reserve the option to charge additional if it takes longer. We then take one nail off to see what we are dealing with if we have no idea what it is. If it's tricky we buff it off rather than trying to soak it - some products don't work with normal gel remover.

I wouldn't worry too much. No-one else is going to undercut you for this removal work.

 

[Kate Emily]

An extra £5 is nothing for someone who can afford to spend weeks at a time in Thailand.

THANK-YOU!
Also it'll cost her a damn site more to go back to Thailand to have them re-done haha!

 

[HMC]

I agree about practice a few phrases to say to clients at the end of the treatment. Or making it sound like you are busier than you are. Giving them fewer options makes you sound busier, and generally clients will respect your time more (silly but true).
"Hmm let me have a look for you.."
"I can do ___. It's my last space available for this day"
"Unfortunately I am fully booked today, my next available appt is ___. Or I can do early next week."
"I know Monday's are a good time for you, so lets rebook you in 3 weeks time so you're in before anybody else" .. then your client feels like they are getting special treatment.

It will come naturally once you are busier.


Word of mouth is generally the strongest.
Do you have a referral system? Your current clients refer a friend and get £5 (example) off. You can also advertise it as "Refer 5 friends, and that's £25 to cover your next treatment/a £25 free treatment!"