I can think back to when I was in the salon and we would get phone calls all the time from potential clients asking if we hand-file. That is still happening today. So many clients think rings of fire and pain are just part of having your nails done. We know that is not true. The clients who are looking for safer services are going to be drill shy and you will have to slowly gain their confidence back. You will ultimately have to gain your client’s trust, but I assure you the time will come when you can sell her on using the electric file again on her nails.
Start by giving the client what she wants, hand-filing and a pain-free service. She needs to get to know you and your skill level before she is going to trust you and claim you as her new nail tech. Once you feel you have gotten to that point you may want to re-introduce the electric file by asking if you could use it to file underneath her nails to clean them up. If she agrees, make sure to be very careful when you do so.
You want to make sure that while you are using the electric file on your unsure client, you are educating her at the same time. It’s time she gets to know how skilled you are. Start by explaining about the bit you’re going to use — tell her how it has a rounded top so it can’t cut her and how you are using a very slow RPM so you do not burn her. And don’t forget to mention that all of your bits are cleaned and disinfected after every client.
Putting clients at ease is the same thing doctors do and part of running a professional business with a client consultation. You should give plenty of effort into educating them on the extra effort you put into your services. Plus you should also “listen” to their needs. If she doesn’t want you to use the electric file then respect her wishes and wait until the right time to re-introduce her to how safe your services can be with an electric file. — Vicki Peters is vice president of the Vicki Peters Signature Series for KUPA.