The Coaching Chronicles

Head Off the January Blues

by NAILS Magazine | October 24, 2011 | Bookmark +

Photo: Nail competitor Elyse Perry took second in the Veteran Simply Salon category at the NW Nailtech Networking Retreat.

 

I agree Jill, it is very important to make sure you are pre-booking during the holidays. For me, when I first started working as a nail tech, January and February were very difficult. I had large gaps in my book and often ran some sort of special to try and bring people in the door. It had varied success — sometimes it worked great and other times, not so well.

 

Once I learned to ask my clients to book their next appointment in advance, those months were not so miserable. More of my clients would schedule ahead and I could count on them to keep the appointment. My pre-book percentage for the months of November and December started out at about 60% when I started tracking. Now my percentage is about 85% for those months.

 

My hope is that I can bring that percentage up to 90% this holiday season. I have become really focused on this area since I am sharing the knowledge with Rachael.Since we are really trying to build her books, we are working consistently on her pre-book offerings. I have to practice what I preach, otherwise she would take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

 

On a side note, we both just got back from attending the NW Nailtechs Networking Retreat. Rachael and I had a great time. Not only was the retreat site absolutely beautiful, but it was incredibly fun. It was a weekend filled with hands-on workshops, nail competitions, and great prizes from many wonderful sponsors. The goody bag alone was worth over $350. It has been really fun to see Rachael immediately trying out the techniques she learned. She was also a model for the Simply Salon competition, and got to see in a low pressure environment what to expect if she ever decides to compete. It was a truly inspiring weekend.

 

— Sandy

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