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Last week, Sandy shared with us that early on in her career she too struggled with charging clients for her services and time. She explained: “I think I felt that I was still practicing and that it wasn’t good enough to charge for, or that if I charged for it the client would turn me down because of cost and I really wanted to do the upgrade to practice that service or technique.” She also stated “Once Rachel saw the extra money on her pay stub it was a huge boost in her confidence and she began asking more and more of her guests for the upgrade.” Many nail technicians also have a hard time with this. They lack confidence. Lots of techs say they feel weird when they’re with their clients. They feel uncomfortable talking about additional services and additional charges for their services. We need to get over the fear of rejection and that we may cost too much.

Here are some of the challenges I have heard, followed by suggestions to help you feel more confident and comfortable with charging for everything and offering additional services to your clients.

> “What if they say no or turn me down? Then there’s that awkward silence. What do I do then?”

Then they say no. That is all that happens. It’s not the end of your career. You’re not a failure! When we go to a restaurant and our server asks if we want dessert or another drink and we say no, is that weird? Do we feel bad? No, we don’t feel bad — nor does the server — we just move on. Same scenario here. People say no all the time, expect it, shake it off, and move on to the next client. The server does. She moves onto the next table like nothing happened. She doesn’t run to the kitchen and cry. STOP beating yourself up over it! The truth is, we will probably get more no’s than yeses. However, we will never get the “yes” if we never ask. Look at asking as your opportunity to practice your offering. Take a hard look at the offering you make. Be honest about your delivery. Could it be tweaked? Could it be better? Could we change our words or shorten up the time we take to talk about it? If you answered yes, then do it. Take the time write it down, edit your words, memorize it, and use it. You’ll feel better about it, I guarantee it!

> “I have never charged them before — how do I start charging them now?”

Be honest with your client. Explain it to her: “It has been brought to my attention that I have been giving you _____ service without charging you. Although I know you really enjoy ____ service, the next time you want a _____, I have to charge you $____.” Simply state it and let her decide if she wants the service next time. Believe me, our clients know that they have been given “special treatment” and they will understand. Whenever you are discussing a service with a client, make sure she is aware of the additional charges. Make sure you tell clients the costs upfront and have an agreement. It looks really bad and starts a war when they get to the front desk and they didn’t know about the additional charges.

> “I ALWAYS get turned down, so I stopped offering additional services.”

It may feel like you are always getting turned down, but the reality is you probably got some clients to say yes. The number of clients you have will be greater than the number of clients that will say yes. Read that again and store it in your brain; it will make you feel better.

> “I don’t want my clients to get mad at me; what if they get mad at me for asking?”

How can they get mad at you for asking? If your clients says, “Why are you asking me?” I respond, “I just want to make sure that you aware of your options.” Minimize it and move on.

> “None of the other nail technicians or stylists charge for _____, why should I?”

Set a salon policy and enforce it. Stick to it! If everyone is doing it together, it’s much easier to implement. At your next team meeting, discuss what the salon policy will be for repairs. For example: Every fill/rebalance, we will give clients one complimentary repair, after that we will charge them $_____ for each additional repair. Give your clients a month’s notice. Start explaining to them “Our salon policy has changed. Starting next month, for every fill/rebalance you will receive one complimentary repair. After that, each additional repair will be $_____.”

Remember you deserve to make a good living! You are a licensed professional, you went to school, you studied hard and passed exams, making you a licensed nail technician. You are worth the price of your services and you should charge for them accordingly. You have the right to make a living like everyone else. Don’t let anyone stop you from paying your bills or chasing your dreams. You owe it to yourself. It’s time nail technicians take charge and start charging for their services! Charging for your services, because you’re worth it — one more way to help you stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

Next, week we’ll get to forecasting your day and an update on my goal.

— Jill