lisa.sharrock
Well-Known Member
Oooooo my mates lives in childwall ,
I work in the gym next to alan Howard in wavertree
Whats your salon called x
I mobile so don't have a salon. x
In an industry saturated with discount salons, what does the future hold
- Thread starter hazeleyes
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I mobile so don't have a salon. x
I think the stuff which doesn't soak off is the MMA stuff? One of the other geeks will probably be able to confirm that! Most people end up ripping them off as I used to do....ouch
classixuk
Well-Known Member
To be fair to Rebecca Ferguson, she has had her salon open for a little while and recently on that same parade some serious competition has opened called "The House of Beauty". It's a day spa contained within a 1930's detached house in its own beautifully landscaped grounds and offers all of the services that Rebecca's salon offers (as well as the services offered by the other 3 beauty salons on that same parade).
Rebecca's post about "not charging ridiculous prices" is more than likely a slight dig at the prices charged by the new Day Spa - let's say they are going for the premium end of the market
While they were fitting out they made sure that word got out just how much they were spending on the interior...to the point that someone on here PM'd me advising I think twice about expanding into beauty (we are 2 miles away) because this place was going to "obliterate the competition and there would be no way to compete". I think it's fair to say they had beauty therapists in the area running scared before they had even opened.
It's rather ironic, considering this thread is about competing with cheap NSS salons, but it appears to me that the beauty salons in Childwall (on the triangle) have the opposite fear - how do they compete against this much more luxurious and much pricier alternative? It looks as though Rebecca is planning to do it on price and "fun factor".
As for us, we still expanded and moved premises, and rather than "compete" we decided to "compliment" - we do not offer any of the services available at The House (apart from Lava Shell Massage) and they are locked out of offering our services too. Whereas they have gone for bold and bright treatment rooms, we have gone for dark and enveloping. They have placed a nail room right at the front of their spa, so we have placed the nails at the back and situated a complimentary cocktail bar at the front of ours.
I have no doubt that a client could go to either of us and enjoy a totally different type of Spa experience, and in all probability, might just do that (bounce between the 2). I have had mystery shoppers in both locations to tell us where our weaknesses lie against their strengths and vice-versa - and the small changes and implementations we have made because of that feedback have strengthened our offerings.
Price never came into it for us though. Not one of our questions to the mystery shoppers was about pricing - it was all about 'perceived value' and I think that's what's important to any business!
Oooo x lol x
To be fair to Rebecca Ferguson, she has had her salon open for a little while and recently on that same parade some serious competition has opened called "The House of Beauty". It's a day spa contained within a 1930's detached house in its own beautifully landscaped grounds and offers all of the services that Rebecca's salon offers (as well as the services offered by the other 3 beauty salons on that same parade).
Rebecca's post about "not charging ridiculous prices" is more than likely a slight dig at the prices charged by the new Day Spa - let's say they are going for the premium end of the market
While they were fitting out they made sure that word got out just how much they were spending on the interior...to the point that someone on here PM'd me advising I think twice about expanding into beauty (we are 2 miles away) because this place was going to "obliterate the competition and there would be no way to compete". I think it's fair to say they had beauty therapists in the area running scared before they had even opened.
It's rather ironic, considering this thread is about competing with cheap NSS salons, but it appears to me that the beauty salons in Childwall (on the triangle) have the opposite fear - how do they compete against this much more luxurious and much pricier alternative? It looks as though Rebecca is planning to do it on price and "fun factor".
As for us, we still expanded and moved premises, and rather than "compete" we decided to "compliment" - we do not offer any of the services available at The House (apart from Lava Shell Massage) and they are locked out of offering our services too. Whereas they have gone for bold and bright treatment rooms, we have gone for dark and enveloping. They have placed a nail room right at the front of their spa, so we have placed the nails at the back and situated a complimentary cocktail bar at the front of ours.
I have no doubt that a client could go to either of us and enjoy a totally different type of Spa experience, and in all probability, might just do that (bounce between the 2). I have had mystery shoppers in both locations to tell us where our weaknesses lie against their strengths and vice-versa - and the small changes and implementations we have made because of that feedback have strengthened our offerings.
Price never came into it for us though. Not one of our questions to the mystery shoppers was about pricing - it was all about 'perceived value' and I think that's what's important to any business!
Oh wow are you in liverpool too
x
classixuk
Well-Known Member
TPB
Well-Known Member
I've seen acrylics going for £10 around my area! I start to wonder if there's room for me, as mine are £30 a set!!! Not have clients for a good month either, but I'm putting that down to it being sept/oct .
Natashalou
New Member
Hi I'm new to the site & was looking for other professionals opinions please!
I am currently qualified in shellac but unsure with which gel system to start with, what's better.. Girlish or Gelux?
I am currently qualified in shellac but unsure with which gel system to start with, what's better.. Girlish or Gelux?
Yep. We're in Woolton.
Ooo lovely , I'm from aintree but currently living near Stanley park x
I do mobile x
geeg
Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
Back on topic as this has gone well off now. If your message is to one person only it is best to pm it.
Geeg is right. The original post is quoted so lets focus on that please.
Solsken
Well-Known Member
I just came into this conversation (as I've had other issues and not logged in for 6w or so)... and we're up to page 6 of comments. I am not reading them all because I feel there are a few things that must be said. No matter WHAT business you are, there are going to be:
1. those who work below what is your level of standard.
2. those who charge less than you
3. those that consider it just a job and work long hours for lower pay
4. disrespectful employees
5. disrespectful clients
I could go on and on.
If you really wonder if there will always be some kind of business for you, then my short answer is YES.
My long answer is - you have to work make sure you survive. How do you do it? you are not on your cell phone while working on a client. You speak to them. If they want something that you know is not a good product/color/something for them.. you tell them. You upsell but not to the point of looking money hungry, you do it so that they understand you know what you are doing/saying etc.
You spend time not only before/during consultation phase, but during the process of whatever service you are doing and explain things... what you're doing, why you are doing it and what benefit it offers them....
if you notice an issue and can fix it (first time no extra charge or whatever) then you explain you'll just do it so they can see it, and this time you are doing it to see the difference... i.e, if you want to change a client from L&P to gel because you like gel (and you charge more) you say, 'i'd love to try you with gel sculptures this time instead of acrylic. I won't charge you more this time, although usually it is X instead of Y... but you'll see why. If you don't like it, we'll go back next time, but if you do we can just continue with it"
You show them the one thing no other salon has - your brain... your knowledge, your experience, your sensitivity/empathy for the client.
You could even have a sign or on your card... "did you know, for no extra charge I offer you.... a proper consultation, only genuine CND (or whatever companies you choose to list) products, purchased only from authorized distributors, my full attention,..." et cetera.
Let them see there is a reason you charge your price, and in the words of Loreal "And I'm worth it". Just like there are "great cuts salons" that work for $10 cuts, but people will pay $50+ or even up to $100 for a great haircut... they can also pay $10 for a manicure or get a great one for $30... and they know why they choose to pay what they do.
1. those who work below what is your level of standard.
2. those who charge less than you
3. those that consider it just a job and work long hours for lower pay
4. disrespectful employees
5. disrespectful clients
I could go on and on.
If you really wonder if there will always be some kind of business for you, then my short answer is YES.
My long answer is - you have to work make sure you survive. How do you do it? you are not on your cell phone while working on a client. You speak to them. If they want something that you know is not a good product/color/something for them.. you tell them. You upsell but not to the point of looking money hungry, you do it so that they understand you know what you are doing/saying etc.
You spend time not only before/during consultation phase, but during the process of whatever service you are doing and explain things... what you're doing, why you are doing it and what benefit it offers them....
if you notice an issue and can fix it (first time no extra charge or whatever) then you explain you'll just do it so they can see it, and this time you are doing it to see the difference... i.e, if you want to change a client from L&P to gel because you like gel (and you charge more) you say, 'i'd love to try you with gel sculptures this time instead of acrylic. I won't charge you more this time, although usually it is X instead of Y... but you'll see why. If you don't like it, we'll go back next time, but if you do we can just continue with it"
You show them the one thing no other salon has - your brain... your knowledge, your experience, your sensitivity/empathy for the client.
You could even have a sign or on your card... "did you know, for no extra charge I offer you.... a proper consultation, only genuine CND (or whatever companies you choose to list) products, purchased only from authorized distributors, my full attention,..." et cetera.
Let them see there is a reason you charge your price, and in the words of Loreal "And I'm worth it". Just like there are "great cuts salons" that work for $10 cuts, but people will pay $50+ or even up to $100 for a great haircut... they can also pay $10 for a manicure or get a great one for $30... and they know why they choose to pay what they do.
vanitybeauty1
Well-Known Member
Clients soon learn, there are tons of those salons local to me. They go once then look for a better one and end up coming to me and never look back! It all depends on the type of client though. I wouldn't want half the clients those salons have regularly. The sensible clients look elsewhere and when they come to you and have a high quality treatment and are actually having a nice conversation with the therapist they will never go back to those salons again and continue to come to you. Believe in your work I say don't worry about other places x
don't worry about other places x
Rinn
CND Shellac EA
I don't know nor care what the others in my locality are charging,who frequents them, what products they use.
For a start its none of my business
Secondly why would I be interested in their business , I have enough to do concentrating on my own salon and anyways even if I was to investigate their work practises, I cannot do anything about it so why would I waste my time and energy worrying about them and what they are doing.
I feel there is a certain amount of jealousy intimated in some of the threads and posts lately .
Yes there are salons who massacre clients nails , yes there are cheap as chips salons etc maintain your own standards, up skill regularly and paddle your own canoe.
For a start its none of my business
Secondly why would I be interested in their business , I have enough to do concentrating on my own salon and anyways even if I was to investigate their work practises, I cannot do anything about it so why would I waste my time and energy worrying about them and what they are doing.
I feel there is a certain amount of jealousy intimated in some of the threads and posts lately .
Yes there are salons who massacre clients nails , yes there are cheap as chips salons etc maintain your own standards, up skill regularly and paddle your own canoe.
Personally, for me it affects me in that I'm sort of forced to keep my prices lower than I would like! I would love to raise them but I don't know if people would come.
I'm not fuelled by jealousy but it's an interesting topic to think about what does the future hold if prices keep getting lower and lower and just after coming on here I read that I'm charging too little compared to everyone else but it is hard for me to raise them too much as there are so many shops doing it for less (im mobile)
Also I don't know if this is recently new or previously debated as I'm new ish here so I have never debated this topic before and wanted to hear peoples thoughts and views!
As a new tech I just priced myself accordingly to what's around me (I am slightly higher than them but significantly less than many of your good selves) and realised that I'm in a bit of a rock hard place situation
There needs to be a programme called 'Cowboy Nails' where Dominic Littlewood hunts down the proprietors/employees & gives them what for! Anyone remember this? BBC Three - Skin Deep: The Business of Beauty, Episode 1
If thats the program presented by the girl out of im a celeb then It was terrible.
It showed our industry and particular treatments in a bad light imo
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Rinn
CND Shellac EA
I get what you are saying , we are all tied into a local price range .
If you read through all the previous threads in which this same topic is discussed the advice is the same .....don't get involved in a price war, use quality products , under promise but over deliver , keep up dating your skills, don't cut corners etc
Yes I agree it did but it was a good example of some of the bad eggs of this industry
