While I have most of my clients pre-book, I still have those few, who due to
the ease of walking into a NSS shop just walk in. I don't understand it because
even they complain about having to wait even if you have an appointment. If any
of them have come from an NSS shop they have a different mentality as far as
what a professional salon offers and how they want to take care of their
clients.
I still try an get them to understand when they are in the chair how important
it is to make an appointment. I think they know right now I am not booked up so
they can pretty much just show up and they will be taken care of. I hate it but
I am not willing to possibly lose that new customer. My problem is when someone
comes in, and they are used to going to an NSS shop and see I am the only one
there, they are not willing to come back when I am servicing someone else. I
don't like that either but chances are they do eveyrthing that way.... on the
fly.
I'm not sure how everyone feels just my observations.
Michelle
The Nail Nook
Akron, OH
--- On Mon, 7/27/09, Katherine <polishedpana...@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Katherine <polishedpana...@yahoo.com>
Subject: NailTech:: Re: damn, lost another one, but.......
To: NailTech@googlegroups.com
Date: Monday, July 27, 2009, 12:49 PM
I, too, have noticed this change. I've been doing nails for 23 years and for
all those years I've taken 1 week off in February and 1 week off in August.
Those were my "slow" times. So predictable that I planned my wedding by it. For
the last 3 years, getting my wedding anniversary week off for vacation has
progressively been like pulling teeth. My "slow week" has become impossible to
predict. I thought that it was because the date has changed for the first day
of school around here, so families have changed their vacation schedules. But,
my "slow" time seems to have no pattern anymore. I'll come in to work with 4
people on my book and before the day is out, I'll have done 8 or 9.
Unfortunately, it's gone the other way too. I was looking at doing 5 or 6
people and ended up doing 3.
I've not lost many clients because of the economy, for me it's because my
second largest group of clients are the WWII generation and they are a) dying
or b) moving to retirement apartments and no longer driving. My largest group
of clients are the "Baby Boomers", solid, 2 week standing clients. I have
an incentive program to get new referrals that is working very well to get new
young clients in the door, but they are the "call when they want an
appointment" clients, not 2 week standings.
I have always offered the latest and greatest in service, product and fashion
so I did not notice the change right away. About a year ago when I tried to get
a full week off in August and found it to be impossible is when it hit me. I
checked my old appointment books and found a steady decline of the 2 week
standings (seniors who passed away or moved to assisted living). Just looking
at my bank deposits didn't show it, I was still making the same money, what
changed was the 2 week standings and the last minute appointments ratio.
I do not like this change. It is very hard to get a week off for vacation with
the last minute people. When they call and I can't accommodate them because I
am out of town on vacation (a sign was posted at my station for a month) they
go somewhere else and I never hear from them again. I have lost 1 new client
every year for the last 3 years when I've taken vacation. So, what's the
solution? Never take vacation? GGGGRRRRRR! I am complaining about this because
I'm taking only 2 days off for my anniversary this year. That's a 4 day weekend
instead of a full 7 days and it's my 20th wedding anniversary :-( ...sad face
is because I cannot take a fabulous vacation with my hubby for our 20th not
because I've been married for 20 years, that's a big :-)
The good news is that it has become very easy to take one day off here and
there. My second job is a belly dancer and a lot of gigs are on a Saturday. In
the past I would have to pass on Saturday gigs, now I have no problem getting
some Saturdays off. Going to the cosmetology convention in Vegas has become
easier, too. 1 Friday and Saturday off....piece of cake. It is just not
possible to take that entire week off. The last minute call ins will wait a day
or two, but not a full week. I'm talking about new people who just get the
basics. Clients who get color gels or glitter gels will wait, they have no
choice, I'm the only game in town ;-)
I'm an optimist and I'm hoping that when the economy improves, the 2 week
standings will come back into fashion and I can take a full week off for my
25th anniversary.
What do you think? Are the 2 week standings a dying breed? Forever a thing of
the past? I'm tearing up.... :-(
Katherine
St.Louis, MO
From: Diana Bonn <bonn.di...@att.net>
To: nailTech@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 7:09:29 AM
Subject: NailTech:: damn, lost another one, but.......
Another client, hubby lost job. And as I am looking thru my book,
realized something that has soooooooo changed.
I always counted on my every 2-week standing appointments,
"guaranteed" income. Over the last 2-3 years I have seen that slowly
changing. Gone or going are the long standing 2 - week clients that
we counted on. I still have clients from when I owned the salon back
in the 90's!!!
What ever the reason, they left, doesn't matter. We then would get
new clients in for either for the long stretch, or maybe a
year, 6
months, 3 months. But not those that committed in the good ole days!!!
But what I have realized by not getting those long standing 2 week
fill new clients in, I have more openings, and I have more
clients. Over the last couple of years, my book has slowly turned
into opening slots filled at the "last minute"(week in advance or
hours in advance) by those 1 time a month gals, either pedicures,
bling toes or the soft gel manicure I started.
Thank God, I spent extra money on the spa revolutions paraffin 3
years ago, I am the only one in town offering them. Thank God, I
spent extra dollars going to HRTE in Cinncinnati and was taught bling
toes, I am the only one in town offering them. Thank God, I spent
extra dollars and went to the Orlando Show last year and was taught
gels and soakable gels for natural nails, I am the only one in town
offering them.
And
without even realizing it I changed with the need and want of
customers, somehow a couple of years ago I started adjusting to what
my gut feeling was, I needed something different that the consumer
wanted and needed and couldn't get any place else.
Don't get me wrong, I love my 2-week standing appointments, and wish
it was like that in the good ole days, but not going to happen, just
like gas, at $1.00 a gallon. Gotta deal with it. Have any of you
seen your books change over the last couple of years? The same, but
different? diana from indiana
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