Why I cant compete with the 20minute wonderboy.....

[Bagpuss]

If they can be good and fast without the use of poppits then why cant we...?

I am glad to hear that they are stepping up the game plan...stopping the use of MMA and hopefully seeing that good standards are required...as those are the only things i have against them.

 

[geeg]

If they can be good and fast without the use of poppits then why cant we...?

I am glad to hear that they are stepping up the game plan...stopping the use of MMA and hopefully seeing that good standards are required...as those are the only things i have against them.

Not all the salons and nail bars that are referred to as NSS on here are using MMA.

And the answer to your question is, you probably can but you just don't because you take more care.

These gals and guys work fast, don't chat, don't do much sanitation or prep work. They prep using files and drills and they sanitise by using primer .... of course that is faster. They generally use big beads of product and if they do pink and white it is one bead for each colour .. if they use a one colour overlay sculpt then they just use one bead ... they are really good at it; Very dexterous and agile with a brush and not too fussy about getting product onto the client's skin.

If the NSS techs added the refinement to their service that you do, then they would take longer. I'm not suggesting you stop woRking with the high standards you have ... but you can keep those and use PopIts and still work faster than you are doing now for the customers that want it. I suggest that everyone get good at usiNg these and promote a new service in the salon using them ... if we can't offer a quick service then we are going to be left in the dust.

One of my favourite expresions

IF YOU DON'T MAKE DUST ... YOU EAT DUST!!

 

[Susie H]

There is a nail salon in Northampton that opened about the time I started, they were terrible but these days their nails are light, thin, well shaped and £20 a set. And yes it is the same Asian couple who are working there now as when it started.
Carl is so right, as usual:lol:
As for that womans comments about our geek needing correct training, I don't think I would have bothered to reply, she's the sort of customer that will never understand the point you are trying to get across. Smile and move on.

 

[Anna Lee]

No one has in my opinion listened to Carl's post which is one of the most important in this thread. Look at what he is experiencing. Listen to what he says.

I have read Carl's post and listened to what he said, but I didnt have time to post until now.

These are my opinions on the subject.

I think we all should know that the most skillful part of 'doing nails' is the actual application. To be able to get the ratio exactly right, then apply it on the nail precisely and correctly in speed time without bumps and lumps is the most difficult. Sanitation, hygiene, preparation, using the correct products is the easier part to learn. Do we not agree..?

So therefore, if the nss gets training in the 'easy' part and change all their products to respectable brands without MMA then - like Carl said - what else is there for us to talk about...? Can we really complete with their speed..?

I too have seen these people at work. They are very fast, quick and accurate. The finish application result is smooth and precise with minimal filing.

I agree with Judy and the others that some clients come to us because we can hold a conversation and they feel pampered. But there are also a large market of prople out there who do not want to talk and just want good, fast nails with minimal fussing.

At this moment, Poppits seems to be the only answer for many of us who cannot compete with the speed of the nss. Poppits are not only fast, but can also 'build' the shape of the nail which many of us find difficult in mastering.

But then if you can do a full set of handmade nails with the proper prep and minimal filing in half an hour then poppits or no poppits, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

I personally know people who owns NSS. It is very true that they are catching on. Some have even sent their employees to big companies like Calgel to get more training and then advertise it as one of their services.

It is also true that we have advantage over them because of their lack of English. BUT there is also another important change in the nss industry that some of us seems to have missed. Most of these nss are family owned business. They have been around for some time now and there seems to be the next younger generations coming on the scene to take over the family business. Daughters, sons who are educated and who can speak english and who can take even more further training if necessary. This is not my personal assumption, this is a fact that I know because I am in contact with these people.

So where does that leave many of us..?

Just my humble opinion.

 

[Saucygirl]

All I can do, or any of us can do, is educate our clients.
Our clients, and the clients of NSS, hold us in a professional regard. WE are the experts. Many times the clients trust that all sanitation and disinfection standards are being carried out as the law states, why would they think any differently?

I agree that my clients differ from those who frequent the NSS in our area, mine like a good chat, and enjoy the break in their day without feeling as though they are being moved through an assembly line.

There will always be those people who want fast nails, cheap nails, and wouldn't be pleased if they had to sit in my chair for any longer than 45 minutes. Those people are not my clients, nor will they ever be, and that is perfectly okay.

I am extremely lucky in the fact that withing a 150 mile radius of my shop there are only 5 nail salons, all NSS. There are at least a dozen postings for nail techs on the job boards, and I seem to have hit the market at an opportune time, more people want nails than there are professionals to accommodate them.

Hey, if any of you fellow geeks want to move to the end of the earth, you could always come work here with me.

 

[geeg]

Why not offer BOTH a fast service and a couture service? Now you can do both and service all clients.

 

[Artsy Canadian]

I didn't want to add to this post, but geeg is right....as per usual...lol

I use an electric file and have done an infill in 45mins with polish app. (only happened a few times) and a rebalance in an hour. Does that make ME a bad tech from a nss......I don't use the e-file on the natural nail, and have taken extra training to ensure proper usage of it. I take my time with prep, and when I apply, I do it so I have very little to file up at the end.

Nobody wants to sit for 2 hours.

 

[Bagpuss]

I know its more than just using MMA that makes a NSS....What i am trying to say is....

If they are only fast because they are not safe prepping....little or no sanitation and only doing one bead of pink and cutting corners....they still ain't my competition.

If as Nailzoo says they are picking their game up, and doing it the right way (all the things that i mention above) then this is going to take them longer and then they are no different to us.

If they can do what most of us do and to the same standards and still do it in under an hour without having to use popits then why cant we ?? (if we want to)

 

[~Emmsybabes~]

Nobody wants to sit for 2 hours.

Not necessarily true !
Some of my clients like to sit, watch, chat and have a cup of tea etc...
3 hours later they leave happy with the nails, and the fact they have taken some time out of their day to day lives,
and have talked about themselves to someone they KNOW won't tell a soul.

Obviously this isn't always the case...I'm just stating that some people are happy to sit for hours.

 

[mum]

I've said it in many ways for different reasons: why don't so many technicians look at the market and realise what clients want?

If you're busy with the way you are working, fantastic. Well done for getting it right.

As so many of you are so worried about the type of salons being talked about in this thread, I would guess that some of you are not as busy as you would like to be.

In my opinion the biggest problems from these salons are the use of MMA, the necessary damage to the nails plate for bonding and the lack of the English language. Hygiene for nails is not usually a problem and there are plenty of salons that don't fall into this 'category' that are much worse in the H&S stakes!

So many were worried about their speed and charges now the worry is they are doing it right!!!!

Why are some salons being put into some sort of discriminatory category when they are doing a good job that is faster and cheaper than you? Did not of you do very dodgy nails at the beginning snd then learnt how to do it better?

So, back to listening to the market: why are there so many salons that offer very fast, inexpensive services that are always busy? Now they are using better products and are still fast and inexpensive.

If this is what potential clients in your area really want are you just going to sit back saying "I don't believe in fast"

Move on and keep up!

 

[Susie H]

Before I trained, one of the salons I used to go to offered a re balance in 30mins. It wasn't actually true.
I would arrive, the telephone girl would get me a coffee and sit me at her table whilst Lisa finished her client, while I sat there the phone girl would, remove varnish and nip away any loose product as well as shorten the nails.
By then Lisa had finished and I would sit at her table, she would de bulk with her efile apply primer to zone 3 new product on, including a new French smile. file down with the efile and pass me back to the phone girl for buff and polish, total time in salon 1hour total time with Lisa 30 minutes, sometimes less and I would swear blind that it only took 30 minutes because the phone girl was only helping while Lisa was running late
Lisa only did pink and white sculpts, no nail art, no choice of colours or jewelery and I have to say that these nail bars offer perm French or natural and nail art but that art is not 3d and is usually a variation on flicks.
Clever marketing has its uses.

 

[Urban Geek]

Many clients love to natter and I do too but business is business and if I have to reduce my prices (which I have), it is vital that I get more clients through the door. If a client has to choose between a quicker but good service with less chit-chat that costs less or a more leisurely service at a similar standard but at a higher cost, I know which one wins. Clients don't want to pay for chit-chat with me no matter how interesting they might find me.

I am talking to the hand from now on lol!

I have relocated recently and it is a totally different type of market from the one I was used to so I have had to adapt the services I offer. You have to meet the needs of the local clientelle.

 

[pazzy]

The reason that some of these salons do such quick nails is because they have a designated person for each stage of the service.

One tips and blend - next one applies l&p - another finishes and airbrushes french on. Done.
They can have an app every 5 or so minutes.

There is no reason why we couldn't do that - its just we know OUR clients wouldn't really like that and the staff ar probably on poor wages - but I don't know that for sure so I'm guessing.


I have seen some really nice nails from the so-called nss - I don't mind.

We all have our share of the market somewhere. Work on that. Improve skills continuously.

We seem to be distracted by these salons - perhaps there is envy of their business skills - which is pretty damn good. They are making money and they are busy and they are pretty much conquering every country they work in.

Geeg, Carl and Mum are absolutely 100% spot on - we have to keep up.

If they start using popits though, won't they be able to turn out a set of nails in 10 minutes? LOL:lol:

Stay positive.

xx

 

[Cec]

After reading this thread, I have been thinking. I may be wrong and I may change my mind but here is my opinion...

I think we have to choose what marked we want to be in and then cultivate it. If you want to be a fast and cheap tech, then go for that marked and be famous for being good, fast and cheap. If you want to be in the high-end marked, you have to do what you need to get there, offer drinks, chat, take care, do hand-made nails etc... In my opinion it's impossible to both, you have to dare to choose. Did this make sense?

C.

 

[elleeboo]

I have trawled through the site land net for as much info as I can on these nail bars , workers and products. I have owned salons for ten years and employ 17 staff with varying degree of skill and experience. Increasingly I was being told about two particular nail salons with vietnamese workers, I was intrigued. The nail bars are not remotley close to any of my salons. I telephoned one of the nail bars and asked how long and how much ? 30 mins @ £25 and I could call in there and then . Fine , cant be that busy I thought ,how wrong I was .
Seven nail bars , all with clients sat at them. I was sat down after waiting two mins , offered a drink, indulged in some basic chit chat - the tech was greeting clients, taking phone calls , left me for a couple of mins while she tipped another client and had me out the door in thirty five mins flat. I was gob smacked , and to top it all my nails are amazing . As for hygiene - sink to wash hands and a warm towel. Nothing on the nail desk would indicate there was an infringement in health and safety. I have never seen acrylic applied at such speed and precision . Credit were its due im afraid and a step up in game plan before one opens too close.
I really wish I had something negative to say about my experience but Id be kidding myself and others. Apparantly 90% of nail techs and salon owners in the states are vietnamese , they are defo doing something right and I for one want in .
Bye for now and would love to know more !
Elleeboo

 

[ViNnI]

We can sit here and bitch, our surroundings will evolve and adapt.
People get better, they realize the right from wrong and improve.
But no matter what NAILZOO is da bomb!!!
His vids rock, and his words of wisdom are unquestionable, i still love his "thumb picking a orange, discoloration idea"

We all gotta smarten up!!!

:Grope::Grope::Grope::Grope:

 

[Gilly T]

After reading this thread, I have been thinking. I may be wrong and I may change my mind but here is my opinion...

I think we have to choose what marked we want to be in and then cultivate it. If you want to be a fast and cheap tech, then go for that marked and be famous for being good, fast and cheap. If you want to be in the high-end marked, you have to do what you need to get there, offer drinks, chat, take care, do hand-made nails etc... In my opinion it's impossible to both, you have to dare to choose. Did this make sense?

C.

This makes complete sense to me Cec.

If it were me I would go for the high end drinksl, chat, take care, hand made nails option. But then I'm bias

 

[Mieke]

This makes complete sense to me Cec.

If it were me I would go for the high end drinksl, chat, take care, hand made nails option. But then I'm bias

Ditto for me. I rather be known in the area for my ´couture´ nails where people dont mind paying good money for instead of being cheap and fast with a poor quality. :| Maybe these nss bars are kicking up their game but i think they have to get a whoooole lot better before any of the high end nailsalons in the city here would start to worry. Make a choice

 

[geeg]

Ditto for me. I rather be known in the area for my ´couture´ nails where people dont mind paying good money for instead of being cheap and fast with a poor quality. :| Maybe these nss bars are kicking up their game but i think they have to get a whoooole lot better before any of the high end nailsalons in the city here would start to worry. Make a choice

Why not offer both? Cheap and fast doesn't have to mean poor quality if you get smart using PopIts. some of you are still wearing blinkers over your eyes!

 

[jesekah]

Why not offer both? Cheap and fast doesn't have to mean poor quality if you get smart using PopIts. some of you are still wearing blinkers over your eyes!

ok i need help with these popits...i have a pack and have never open them, where do i look to find out how to use them and refill with them.. thanks