Building your client base

Dear Saroj, I’ve just obtained my Certificate III in beauty therapy at TAFE (I am now able to provide a range of beauty services including nails, waxing, lash and brow, and basic make-up services). A friend of mine in Perth recommended I speak to you and I am hoping that you can advise me. Saroj, where do I go from here?
Regards, Jacqueline

Jacqueline firstly congratulations on obtaining your level III certificate. We have all ‘been there’ with formal courses and though they are a good starting point they also point you toward the one-to-one training you are now ready for… I’ve put together a broad list of ‘To Dos’ for you to think about: the first steps toward building your skillsets, reputation, and clientbase.

After formal training and certification: what next?

Jacqueline, practice on family and friends either freely or at nominal charge. They will help you enormously… at best, they will tell you where you made mistakes. At worst, they will offer biased opinions about the risks of being in business.

Your job now is to determine your own course of action: abandon your dream – or train and practice for the real thing: ‘paying clients’.

The next steps: transitioning to fully paying clients – work attracts work.

Ask your family/friends to recommend you to their friends, colleagues, and neighbours etc. You will feel awkward doing this, but remember… family and friends are your best advocates now. They are the conduit: the more new people you see, the more likely you are to build your clientbase.

Notes:

a. You will be very tempted to undercharge at first – please don’t! It is very hard to raise your prices to more realistic ones once you’ve undercut yourself.
b. Look around your area to see what other beauty therapists are charging, as well as how your service, knowledge and experience compares to theirs. Only then can you gauge what to charge fairly.

What you offer that others don’t: differentiating yourself.

For your clients, being comfortable around you is really really important. They will return to you again and again because you have treated them with love and respect (a thing you cannot fake). That said, differentiating yourself professionally is another thing entirely. Saroj has done so with her Ayurvedic treatments… an offering to clients that was previously unavailable to Western Australian clients.

So too, you can train yourself to respond to new technologies and treatments. Be sincere about it, and your client list will grow as they tell their friends!

To be the best you can be, evolve daily

Learn, practice, fail, begin again. Always, always, include at least one hour of education in your day. This way you will hone and perfect your skillsets. At the end of a busy day this is one regimen I never put aside. I am always learning (as I should be) for my clients’ benefit.

You may be anxious at times but don’t worry too much… what I’ve learnt is that there is an amazing energy around us. I can’t explain it. I can only say that when we are working towards our goals, The Universe responds accordingly.

Finally Jacqueline, remember that I’m here for you. Call me, anytime.