The Coaching Chronicles: a Nails Magazine Blog

Are You a Superstar or the Best-Kept Secret?

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:32:25 GMT

By Kristi Valenzuela, Crystal Focus

Challenge #2: Your Business Shouldn’t Be a Secret!

A five-mile radius in any town in America is usually home to 40 to 100 salons! This depends on where you live, of course. But one thing is for sure: YOU need to show up on the radar!

If I came to your town and began knocking on the doors of your community and asked, “Who’s the best nail tech in town?” would they shout your name to the heavens? Or would they say, “For heaven’s sake, how would I know that?”

Even landing a job in a top salon is not going to pay your rent or car payment. The salon will market the salon name. You need to market your name.

Begin by using your salon referral program. Most salons have a referral program; it may be “send me three people and your next service is free.” This was popular in the ’80s and ’90s, but doesn’t produce much action anymore. Why? Because people don’t want to work for you — send me three people seems like a JOB. Get your name out there by offering a more aggressive reward program. For example: Receive $10 off your next service when you refer one friend. If you are a commission employee, yes, you would split this $10 off with the salon owner. It’s the fair way to do business and I guarantee it works.

Pass out your business cards like breadcrumbs. How many business cards did you give away in the last 48 hours? Most nail techs would admit: none. What opportunities could you have missed? Picking up your child from day care, dropping off your dry cleaning, going to the bank, and having lunch at Applebee’s. Do the people you met in the last two days have your business card and a special offer? If not, get stocked up. Put 30 business cards in your purse and plan to hand them out in the next two weeks. The nail techs who are doing this haven’t had time to read this blog yet. My wish for you is to be too busy to read this blog!

Coming next: Challenge #3: Your Team Needs To Show Off Your Work!

(If you missed it, click here to read Challenge #1: Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something!)

Never Give Your Prices Upfront on the Phone

NAILS Magazine — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:27:51 GMT

By Ana Loiselle, Milady

How many times do potential clients call your salon asking for prices and as soon as you give it to them, they say "thank you" and then never make an appointment?

By giving potential clients your prices immediately, they do not have all the information they need to make the best buying decision. They often think they do. But I have found that asking relevant questions can help them see things they have not thought of.

Whether you answer your own phones or you have a front desk staff, your goal is to help customers make the best decisions they can. You do this by helping them understand how your services are unique, how you may differ from the competition, and how your salon will benefit the potential client. You want to develop a valuable business relationship with someone who wants and needs your services.

On the phone, first focus on discovering if this lead is a legitimate prospect. You discover this by communicating with the caller and learning about her. This requires you to develop some rapport and a relationship. It requires you to earn some trust from the potential customer. You do this by being helpful, open, honest, and friendly and not by controlling or manipulating the situation to meet only your needs. It also requires a service mentality and a long-term focus. By focusing on serving the other person, you help a relationship develop naturally. You give them a good reason to trust you. By having a long-term outlook, you understand that this person might not become a customer right away, but that's OK. If you help her and work with her, you have a much better chance she will do business with you at some point in the future.

Here is a sample script: (It's like doing a mini consultation over the phone.)

POTENTIAL CLIENT: "Hi. I was wondering how much it was for a full set?"

FRONT DESK: "Do you have a moment for me to ask you some questions? I want to make sure I am quoting you the correct price for your needs."

POTENTIAL CLIENT: "Sure"

FRONT DESK: "Do you have artificial nails on currently?"

POTENTIAL CLIENT: [answer]

FRONT DESK: "When was last time you had them filled?"

POTENTIAL CLIENT: [answer]

FRONT DESK: [Ask any other questions you think will help you learn more about the potential client. Then give an overview of what you would be providing. Make sure to include all the extras that your business provides, like hot neck wraps, free artificial nail removal, soft drinks, complimentary foot massages, etc. Here's your chance to really showcase how you are unique. Then ask them if they have any questions.]

POTENTIAL CLIENT: [answer]

FRONT DESK: [At this point, give the caller your price and ask, "Can I schedule you an appointment?"]

POTENTIAL CLIENT: "SURE!"

Remember being of service and focusing on the long-term will give you more quality customers who will stay with you and who will tell others about you.

Hire Hard, Manage Easy

NAILS Magazine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:47:02 GMT

By Bryan Durocher, Durocher Enterprises

A great business starts with a great team. Hire the right people and they will make you money and save you headaches. Keep in mind that as an owner, you are not looking only for a great service provider, you are seeking a strong salesperson as well. Sometimes it is much more valuable to take on a service provider who may lack experience in the treatment room but comes to the business with valuable experience and a history in sales. If you are able to bring a new service provider onto the team who is a superior salesperson, the training on your service protocols is a small investment in comparison to the return you will gain in retail sales.

There are a few key values to look for when interviewing potential service providers. Those interested in compensation tied directly to their production are ideal. It reflects a genuine understanding of how necessary it is for business service providers to generate their own clientele and not depend on clients walking through the front door unsolicited. Individuals who are self-starters and act with little or no direction are also imperative to the success of the business. It is wise as an owner to seek candidates who recognize that they are responsible for making things happen, networking and marketing themselves as well as the business.

Individuals who seek to learn as much as possible about the products and services the business offers will generally be dynamic and welcomed members of the staff. These individuals usually excel at cross-promoting other services and up-selling clients in a quiet and confident manner.

Recruiting new team members is a never-ending process and is one area of operational management that demands constant and consistent attention. Business owners should never assume the amazing staff they have in place today will still be working tomorrow. Consistently recruiting with these values in mind will offer great rewards in the prosperity of the business.

Retailing: Let Them Make Their Own Decisions

NAILS Magazine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:01:07 GMT

By Lisa Marie Arnold, Salon & Spa Solutions

Every so often I get a “wake-up” comment from a client that I feel is absolutely necessary to share with my other accounts. We can implement systems, RX cards, sample bars, incentives, and product knowledge classes, but it may take a real-life conversation between a client and tech to drive home a huge point.

In this case, the story comes from a non-technician owner who happened to play receptionist for a week while her front-desk employee had time off. (Of course, when it comes to getting retail into the hands of a client, an owner’s motivation is sometimes a bit stronger.) She found that her conversations with the clients, whether trying to recommend a product or close a sale, were surprisingly easy. It was as simple as asking if they needed anything or if their technician had recommended any product. She often discovered they did need the product. What shocked her was how many clients said, “Why didn’t my technician ever talk to me about this product?” or “My tech never said anything about this to me before.”

How many clients leave feeling they did not get a proper recommendation? About two-thirds, according to a national survey I read ages ago (I can’t recall the source). How many clients purchase something for their nails, skin, or hair within 24 hours of a salon visit? Eight out of 10! Do these statistics not teach us anything? Our clients want the recommendation!

Why are we not giving it to them? Is it fear of rejection, fear we are being “pushy,” fear they do not have the money? We need to stop holding onto clients’ purse strings and consider them for the people they are — mature human beings, adults, able to make their own decisions. We have to give them what they deserve — a proper product recommendation — and let them make their own decisions.

Three Steps to Start Building Your Nail Business

NAILS Magazine — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:16:17 GMT

By Kristi Valenzuela, Crystal Focus

Are you a starving artist or a successful nail technician? There is a big difference between learning how to do nails and making a very good living at it. I’m Kristi Valenzuela of Crystal Focus Coaching and I will be your success coach! I am excited to be part of the NAILS Magazine Coaching Chronicles, and will be presenting my first “blog series,” which will help serious nail technicians understand the business behind the nail table. In the coming months, I’ll be showing you how you overcome the top 10 nail tech business challenges.

Challenge #1: Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something!

If you are like most salon professionals (even myself when I first began my journey as a service provider years ago), you don’t have a plan to “get up and grow” your business. Most of us begin by finding a salon, getting the job, then sitting at our station waiting to be blessed by walk-ins or for people to somehow find us. Well my friends, I am here to tell you the only way for your business to grow is if you fertilize it!

Here are three steps to begin building your nail business:

1. Decide what you do best, and what you love doing. Is it natural nail manicures, pedicures, acrylic nail enhancements, nail art, gels? Stop trying to be something for everyone and be a specialist in what you love to do most. This doesn’t mean you have to stop performing all the services on your menu, it just means FOCUS.

2. Create a 30-second elevator speech and use it. After you have discovered your specialty, learn how to tell people about yourself! Let me give you an example: Someone asks you, “What do you do for a living?” Your answer: “You know how sometimes when you do your summer pedicures yourself, your nail polish may chip sooner than you like? I specialize in creating perfectly polished toes, and am best known for my relaxing spa pedicures. I work at Salon XYZ located [_________]. I would love to have the opportunity to pamper you for an hour. Can I give you my card?”

3. Put yourself on special. Whether you are on commission or a booth renter, an empty chair means no money! Create a special. This could be a monthly special or a featured service. It could be a gift with purchase or a service bonus such as nail art on one toe or a free a paraffin dip or elbow exfoliation.

Introducing New Coaching Chronicles Bloggers

NAILS Magazine — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:27:49 GMT

Thanks to Adrienne and Heather for their amazing work during the past year! NAILS is happy to announce that we’ll be sharing even more business lessons from success coaches on The Coaching Chronicles blog in the coming year and beyond. Heather from Inspiring Champions will continue to post here, plus we’ll hear advice from Milady Cengage, Crystal Focus, Durocher Enterprises, and Salon and Spa Solutions. Check back here for inspiring tips in the next few weeks!

—NAILS editors

A Year of Accomplishments

NAILS Magazine — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:44:15 GMT

Our year has come to a close, and I couldn’t be more proud of Adrienne’s accomplishments. Though a change in location has produced many challenges, it also has solidified so many things.

What Adrienne and I have spent our time working on is strengthening the understanding around systems. No matter where you live, no matter what the preferred services are, it all boils down to customer service and duplicable systems.

The systems are the key. Without them you cannot quantify results. How can you track how many new clients you’ve received through a promotion without a system? How can you track rebooking without a system? The one key to following a set of systems is to make sure they cover all the bases. Then you cannot pick and choose which ones to follow! They work together in total harmony. By picking and choosing, you will not move forward at the speed which you are able and there will always be breakdowns.

A great example is a no-show policy. If you require 24 hours notice from your clients, you cannot confirm them the day before. That’s why we suggest confirming 48 to 72 hours beforehand. You cannot fully understand what your upselling goals for the day are without adding up your day in advance and understanding where the opportunities are.

Adrienne fully understands this process and because of this, she has built an amazing new clientele! There’s no regrets here, just great learning experiences. It’s the process that produces the learning and the “failing forward” (a coaching term I use to mean trying something and, if it doesn't work out or produce the desired result, to pick yourself up and try something else. As opposed to failing backward) that produces the results. Adrienne has become an educator this year, has been an employee and is now a booth renter, running her own little business. She’s continuing to grow and evolve and is still so excited to be in this business. And I am so excited to be her friend!

—-Heather, success coach

The Journey Continues

NAILS Magazine — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:48:49 GMT

My year of blogging is coming to an end for NAILS Magazine; however, I feel my story is just beginning. I didn't realize how good I had it in Florida, in a large salon with diverse clientele in a high-traffic area in an established community. Coming to North Carolina — where communities are smaller, businesses are mostly less than five years old, and the population is much more conservative — threw me in a bit of culture shock at first. But after settling in and getting all systems in place, my business has begun to flourish.

The greatest lesson I learned with Heather is: it doesn't matter where you are or how long you’ve been in the business, it all comes down to the numbers. Most importantly, when working with a successful system, you cannot pick and choose what parts you want to do and what you are not comfortable doing. Inspiring Champions’ system is designed to function like a well-oiled machine, and if you are missing a part, it doesn't run! When I started in this business, a colleague told me it takes two years to build a clientele no matter how good you may be, and the same goes for starting over in a new area. There are good weeks and slow weeks, but I believe each place I have worked has been for a bigger purpose. Whether others learned from me or I learned how I did or did not want to run my business, I wouldn’t change those experiences in any way.

As I continue to grow as a nail professional, I look to learn everything I can, care for all of my clients with integrity, and expand my circle of influence. I am very grateful to Heather and the editors at NAILS who have blessed me with the opportunity to share this journey with so many others.

—Adrienne, nail tech

Expanding into Educating

NAILS Magazine — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:55:25 GMT

This past year has been filled with opportunities that have propelled Adrienne into many different facets of her business. She has put tremendous effort into building not only her clientele, but also her technique. It’s all finally paying off, in a big way!

Adrienne is proud to say that she has been a part of the Young Nails Educator Prep Program. The North Carolina program is led by Cindy Sorrells. She has been not only instrumental in teaching Adrienne new and exciting technical skills, but also very encouraging to her in this new venture.

Becoming an educator for the products you love is such a great way to lengthen your career in this industry. Combining a little traveling, which Adrienne loves, with time in the salon weekly, will give her great variety. Plus, when she’s networking about her business and what she does, think of how amazing it sounds to future clients that she teaches for the company. It’s especially impressive when you consider there are so many salons and technicians to choose from.

Having spent the past few months practicing new skills, attending and assisting classes, and one-on-one mentoring, she’s well on her way. Adrienne has even turned strangers that were once practice models into loyal clients! All of this is to prepare her for her certification process to begin this August in California at the Young Nails headquarters. Once certified, Adrienne will be able to teach all around the state through Young Nails and the Board of Cosmetic Arts.

So many of us get into this business for how trendy, fun, exciting, and flexible it is. Then so many of us get stuck in the daily rut of the usual daily routine. Becoming an educator for a product you’re passionate about is something most of us never consider. Most programs have little or no cost involved, and big payoffs.

Your knowledge and skills improve drastically. You become more focused. You meet many new people who you now have as a sounding board for tips and methods. The opportunities are endless and travel can be a little or you could work for a company that has you jet-setting across the country! And when it’s time to say goodbye to working behind the chair, you now have a career path you can still love.

If you’re looking to expand in this area, contact those companies whose products you can’t live without and begin your journey too!

—-Heather, success coach

Looking Forward and Back

NAILS Magazine — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:57:53 GMT

Heather and I have been working together on rebuilding my business for a year now. So, how much have I accomplished? First of all, I’ve made some very good friends along the way, both with co-workers and clients. They are truly my biggest supporters and referral sources and without them I would definitely be struggling more. I know this to be true, because through the change of salons, the ups and downs of business, they all have asked "What can I do to assist you?" The value of attracting your true ideal clients, which I must admit I am blessed to have found some women of tremendous integrity, is priceless. I cannot express how just doing nails is not enough.

As far as measurable accomplishments, some months were better than others. The weeks I did not step out of my box to improve myself, the results trickled down through my schedule, paycheck, and even my attitude. Constantly setting goals and following through pays off. If an idea didn't pan out like I wanted it to, Heather and I would either tweak it or scrap it altogether and come up with something new. How many times has Madonna reinvented herself? How many more iPods could Apple possibly come out with? The key is knowing where you've been before you go in another direction, and you need to know where you ultimately want to be when the journey is over.

I have thought a lot about that lately: the future. I am far enough into my career to know what I will accept and what I will not from this journey. Will I be a salon owner? Perhaps someday, but for now I want my independence and not the overhead. Will I be a teacher or mentor? Absolutely! I am on my way with those I have worked beside and also with those that are teaching me more about other aspects of this business. I am currently paving a path into the area of quality continuing education with my friends at Total Nail Solutions.

As I begin my second year of business in North Carolina, I am confident that the marketing tools and systems I have in place will assure my growth in the area. I am excited to get out there and market myself, and show everyone what I am so passionate about!

—Adrienne, nail tech