The Beauty Pro Book Club: 4 Reads to Inspire Growth and Success
Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!
by Anne Moratto
You Already Have a Monopoly
You could charge whatever you wanted, do business however you pleased, work only as long as you cared to---because you were the only person who could do nails. Sound interesting?
August 2, 1991
3 min to read
Wouldn’t it be nice if you were the only person in the world who could do nails? Wouldn’t it be a relief not to have any competition for a change? Wouldn’t you be able to make a very nice living if you had a monopoly on nail care?
You could charge whatever you wanted, do business however you pleased, work only as long as you cared to---because you were the only person who could do nails. Sound interesting? Maybe it sounds like it would be a great relief---you would no longer have to worry about those dastardly discount salons charging a fraction of what you charge; you wouldn’t constantly have to worry about new ways to bring clients in. You could relax your follow-up because you wouldn’t care how often your regulars came in. If the salon wasn’t always immaculate it wouldn’t matter because customers couldn’t complain. There would always be a steady stream of clients because you were the only person who could do what you do.
Maybe you can guess what’s coming. In effect, don’t you already have a monopoly on a certain kind of nail care? Aren’t you already the only person in the world who can do what you do the way you do it? Of course, there are thousands of people who can do nails, but there is no one else in the world who can do nails and be you. Maybe there are four or five other nail salons right on your own block, but no other salon has you and what is unique about the service you offer. So, in effect, you do have a monopoly on the type of service you provide.
Now the key here is to make sure that that your service is either so superior, so unique, or so perfectly tailored to the needs of your clients that they simply cannot get what they get from you anywhere else. The way you do this can be as simple as remembering a few details about each customer and making her feel good at her appointments, to something as elaborate as a luxuriously appointed salon.
Do not underestimate the value of yourself as part of what you have to offer a client. Sure, you offer her a beverage the moment she walks in the salon, you do a hand massage at every appointment, you give her samples of products to try, you remember her kids’ names and her anniversary, but you also provide yourself. She comes into the salon for you as much as she comes into the salon for what you do. Pretty powerful idea, isn’t it? Now make it work for you. When you meet a new client, don’t just do her nails; raise her expectations of what she should expect from her nail salon. Make her see what is different about your salon and your service. Create an impression with your flawless technique, your sparkling clean salon, your professional demeanor, and your unfailing customer service. I guarantee you--- in that client’s mind, you will be the only salon in the world.
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