nailmatters sweet complainers Samantha Sweet on dealing with those common industry grumbles
Somany times I see our professionals getting on and doing a great job,making money and being happy – it’s truly awesome to know we are helping and doing our bit tomake that happen.
When I ask our customers their secret to success, they pretty much reply in the same way, “I love what I do, I am confident in what I am doing and I believe in the products and treatments I am using.” It’s a very powerful combination and a combo that works and produces results.
On the opposite side of the fence, there are those that choose to complain about everything and I mean everything. From the ‘salon down the road’ to the ‘eBay seller’ to ‘VAT charges on product’…you name it and a complaint can be created. So how can we turn these ‘annoyances’ around? I am going to take the above complaints and I’m going to try and give you the ‘other side of the coin’. Not all will agree with me but we are entitled to our own opinions and I find my way of dealing with things works well in all situations because I don’t dwell on the negatives.
The ‘salon down the road’ – How many times I have read online the words, “There’s a salon that’s just opened up down the road and...” fill in the blank.
The only people who complain bitterly about the ‘salon down the road’ are those that feel insecure, fearful or have lack of confidence and self-belief in their own work. If they were confident in what they were doing, their skill-level, their technical knowledge and that their salon services were the best, then there would be absolutely no need to ‘fear’ or ‘concern themselves’with the ‘salon down the road’. Now don’t get me wrong, we need to be informed about what is happening around us, but if we know that we are confident as a nail stylist, that we are up-to-date with current trends and new skills, we would never worry about new salons opening up.
The biggest problem I see is that a great deal of nail stylists came into our industry
in the early 90s and haven’t had a shred of updated education since. If that were me, too right I’d be scared of the ‘salon down the road’who may just be newly educated in all the most updated techniques. They may not have the experience but they’re hungry to do it right and be successful. This is why education or one update class a year is so powerful for your businesses to grow and to give you that all empowering confidence in yourself!
Selling on eBay –Yes, you can buy anything on eBay. There is always someone who will try to save or make a buck on a
purchase.Most of the sellers of professional products are selling ‘diverted’ product or are diverters
themselves.Most of that diverted product is counterfeit and most people buying are not professional.
Now why worry about eBay? Surely it is the product manufacturer’s job to worry about this and is it really affecting your business? The answer is no! If the non- professional is going to buy online then chances are they will try to buy from anywhere and anyone.You have a professional business – it is your job to continuously educate your customers on only having treatments from reputable and certified nail pros like yourself.We know that the general public can’t do nails like a nail professional – some will try, get bored and come back to you; some will love it and go on to obtain professional education, some will continue to cheat – but we know
this.As we can’t do anything about it we need to focus on what we do and do it well.
VAT charges – I shall say that I feel for the majority of salons that are notVAT registered who have to payVAT and don’t get it back. I get and understand the frustrations, but here is what I have to say...
Firstly, we have to pay it – it’s the law and so you have to too. The first rule in life is always pay theVAT man!
Secondly, you are getting your products at trade price not retail prices.You pay VAT on most things anyway even if you can’t see it because it’s absorbed into the end price.A perfect example is this. It costs you approximately £2.35 to do a CND Shellac treatment and yet the majority of nail professionals charge £25 and above.You are using a professional product; you have educated yourself in the system and therefore have the absolute right to charge the best possible price as you have invested in your skill set and education.
But to put it in perspective – if CND Shellac costs £2.35 to do and the nail professional is charging £25 and above, then the nail professional is essentially charging 10 times the cost.What does this mean? It means that even if you do have to pay thatVAT at 20%, you are charging ten times more than the cost and so therefore, making it back comfortably.
There are always ways of turning annoying situations around and I hope this has helped!
Samantha Sweet is co-founder of Sweet Squared LLP, distributor partner for CND in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
t: 0845 210 6060
w:
www.sweetsquared.com @SweetSquared
144 GUILD NEWS
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