People wanting more money from me right, left and centre. Who else is finding this?

[Martin Duffy]

To echo what Mrs Geek said above, you generally do a lot better in business when you concentrate on your own business & let others do what they will. There will always be those offering bargain basement treatments & there will always be a market for it, but there are also those willing to spend that bit more for a better service.

As to the size of the clinic, that can work as an advantage. My clinic is fairly small, but I market it as an exclusive & private service, for which some people will pay a premium. It doesn't cost much to make a small place look upmarket, and so long as you allow a yearly budget to refresh the paintwork etc, you will have a salon that always looks clean & fresh. I re-paint the walls yearly, which is a lot easier in a small salon, and it keeps the place looking as new. If you click on my website there's some pictures of my salon as a slideshow (in the About Me section), which shows how small mine is!

As it's a new year it's the perfect time to have a think about your direction & remarket your salon as a small but exclusive haven for a professional service!

 

[persianista]

There is nothing to be afraid of in not being the cheapest in the area, please trust all of us on this one, you are well trained, experienced, and use great products.There are still people out there with money to spend, you just have to make them WANT to spend it with you! Read a book about salemanship, it will help you. If people only wanted cheap, Nicky Clarke and me wouldnt exist, nor would gucci/ prada etc. Beauty rooms do not have to be huge to be nice. One of the most successful therapists I ever met was in a room too small to walk round the couch.

 

[Divine Beauty Newcastle]

Hi NixNewcastle, Im pretty sure I know where abouts your room is, I live not too far away and I know exactly what you mean about the prices in the area being low. I've just started mobile and although I would much prefer not to work in the immediate area where I live, I've still had a look at the average prices round here and found choosing my own prices difficult based on them. Mine started off really low and in the end I just thought to hell with it and have raised them to what I want and I still have people saying they are quite low. Considering what some of the products cost I would be shooting myself in the foot otherwise. I came to the conclusion that there is always someone willing to pay a bit extra for a good service. I decided that if I kept my prices as low as they were originally that people would assume I can afford to be so cheap and therefore dont really need much business- which isn't the case!