Business

What's the key to retaining good nail technicians?

January 01, 1995 | Bookmark +

Among our readers' suggestions: be professional; offer a clean and stable work environment; have a salon manual outlining rules and procedures; offer paid vacations after the first year and add bonuses for perfect attendance.

Answer

Be professional; offer a clean and stable work environment; have a salon manual outlining rules and procedures; offer paid vacations after the first year and add bonuses for perfect attendance; and never, ever criticize a technician’s work or her appearance in front of others.-Sonya Shackelford, Nail Station, Duncanville, Texas

I give them every advantage and benefit that I would want myself as an employee.  This includes education, great pay, and monthly meetings that provide support, solutions to problems, and generate new ideas.-Shelly Gerig, AAA Classic Nails & Tan, Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Provide them with a nice place to work that has a good, clean atmosphere.  All of my technicians are booth renters and I don’t hold a tight rein on them.  They want to stay.-Beth Spoerle, Nail Creations, Victoria, Texas

We installed a very efficient ventilation system, which is important to our technicians for heath reasons, of course.  I’m also considering offering shares in the company to my top money-making technicians as an added bonus.-Margaret Warren, Nail Flattery Amelioration, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

I hire technicians with personalities and tastes similar to my own so we can all get along.  With the warm and friendly atmosphere at the salon, clients—as well as technicians—are more at ease.-Terri Knopp, RTistic's Nail Salon, Moses Lake, Washington

We treat employees as family and listen to them, pay them well, offer them bonuses for high quotas, and run retail contests.  We also have an annual Christmas party and an annual summer picnic.-Carole Schreiber, A Touch of Class, West Chester, Ohio

Never take money away.  Never cut the pay of loyal, dependable, hardworking nail technicians.  Take cuts elsewhere and find new ways to bring more money in—expand, retail, offer more services, even raise the prices—but never dip into the pockets of your good nail technicians.  They will leave, no doubt about it.  Take it from us, we did.-H. Hostel, F. Pobe, D. Sabaugh, X-Otic Nails & Tanning, Clinton Township, Michigan

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How can I cut costs and finally make a profit?

I’ve been doing nails for almost two years and have built a decent clientele. The only problem is, I did the math and over 50% of my income is going back into nail products. I’m using top-of-the-line brands and disposable files. How can I cut costs and finally make a profit? I know our prices are too low as well, but we are trying to stay competitive. Any advice?

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As a mobile tech, how do I ensure I get paid?

I have a question about working as a mobile tech. When clients book group events or nail parties, how do you go about getting deposits and payments? Have you ever traveled to a client’s house and they were unable to pay? What did you do?

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What should I do differently with male clients?

I’m starting to get more and more male clients. I am wondering how long a manicure for a man should last and how to price it? Also do you have any recommendations on what else I can do to give them an extra masculine sense of comfort?

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Should I Use Punch Cards?

I recently started working at a high-end salon and I’m looking for marketing ideas. Should I do punch cards? I can’t do “refer-a-friend” because I don’t have consistent clients yet. We are already doing social media.

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Should I start requiring a nonrefundable deposit for special-time appointments?

I want to start requiring a nonrefundable deposit for special-time appointments. My posted hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. by appointment only. I am ridiculously flexible with my schedule, and let people book earlier and later if they can’t get in during normal hours. Recently, I had a 7:30 a.m. no-show! She was supposed to get services totaling over $100, and I forfeited holiday plans to accommodate her. She comes every two weeks, so I can’t lose her, but this is the second time she’s no-showed. What should I do? And how would I go about informing current clients of the new policy on off-hour deposits?

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