Aestheticians: Stick to your Guns!

You may be interested in this article I posted today. CLICK HERE to be taken to the post on my layperson’s blogsite.

Misc business ideas and thoughts: all links so far

• WELCOME and Congratulations on starting your new business!

• A few new aestheticians looking for help

• Aesthetician’s questions

• Starting your career in skin care

• Some of my philosophy

• Where in the world is your business?

• Another aesthetician helped with Timeless Skin

• Raising your prices

• My Appointment Book

• My Appointment Book—2 

• When a client comes in late (or early)

 

When a client comes in late (or early)

Clients come in late, they come in early, and most often they come for their facial treatments right on time. Their timing depends on many factors on any given day. Traffic, kids, an office meeting that ran late, there are a variety of reasons a client might not be on time for her treatment as well as entering your office on the early side. Taking the early/late client arrival in stride is something to strive for vs. showing signs of irritation or disapproval. See my personal story below to find out why.

As I mention in Client Preparation: Part I, I tend to be early for appointments I have with other businesses and people. I try not to enter a business too early because I know how it feels when one of my clients comes in 30 minutes before their scheduled appointment. That is too early!

Several years ago I arrived at a chiropractic appointment with a new doctor. Because I wasn’t sure exactly where his office was, I left my home with plenty of time to arrive early or at least on time. The office turned out to be closer than I had expected, and I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment time. I walked into his office, which was a large room without any partitions. In other words, there was no reception area with his personal office in a private area. This doctor happened to be eating his lunch. As I walked in, he said in a rather nasty tone, “You’re early!” I was so taken aback by his tone; I said I could leave and come back, but he told me to take a seat and he’d be with me shortly. To say I felt uncomfortable (and wanted to bolt out the door) is putting it mildly.

I have never forgotten how bad this person made me feel about being a few minutes early to an appointment. OK, fifteen minutes early, but still there was no reason to treat me like I had just dropped a gallon of paint on his office carpet. I told myself then and there to never make one of my clients feel bad about being super early to an appointment. Perhaps in the past I had given a little attitude, but going forward I would be gracious and understanding. Needless to say, I never went back to this doctor, by the way.

You have a choice. You can be irritated about a client coming in super early or late and come across irritated with her or you can be calm and friendly. If she’s really early and you really can’t take her at that time, you can get her a glass of water or tea and ask her to sit in the lobby. Tell her you have a few things to do before you take her, then go into your office and do what you need to do. If she’s late, try not to make her feel like you’re rushing around, hurrying to get her in your chair. You can still get her out in a timely manner but never make her feel like you were upset or annoyed that she was late. You cannot undo that exchange, and even though your client was late, she might not come back if you treat her negatively—even once.

Usually a client will call or text to let me know she’s running behind. It is therefore essential to always have your business phone near you when waiting for a client. Nowadays my business phone is my cell phone number. In the past, however, I always had a landline business phone, where my cell phone was my personal number. With the landline, I was always in my office near the phone, so if a client called to be late I was there to receive the call. (This was also before texting was so commonplace.) With my iPhone, I take it with me into the lobby area of my office suite while I await my client’s arrival. Then if she calls or texts me with an “I’m running 5 minutes late” message, I won’t have to wonder where she is if she is late.

One client I had was always 20 minutes later for her 5pm appointment. It was so chronic that I suggested she make a 5:30pm (with me) and perhaps she’d be a bit early from now on. My only hope was that she then wouldn’t show up at 5:50! Moving her appointment to a later time actually fixed her chronic lateness. It worked for me because at that time I was taking as late as a 6pm facial. Obviously if your last appointment is a 5pm and you can’t take the client later, you’ll have to have a conversation with her to see what you two can work out.

As you may have read in Client Information Charts—Part I (see link below), I mark most things down on my client charts. Chronic lateness is one such item. Even if a client is late once, I will have marked it on her chart so that if it happens again, I’ll know this could be a growing trend. Same with an early bird. If a client continues to be 15 minutes early—always—for her treatments, I will come in 15 minutes before I normally would or make sure I"m ready 15 minutes early for he in case she, once again, arrives early. As long as this isn’t an inconvenience for me, I am happy to accommodate her without saying a thing.

Trimming your treatment. If a client is really late and I don’t have enough time to do the entire (time-wise) treatment, I will simply trim all the steps to the facial, hopefully in a way that is not noticeable to the client. Usually when people come in late, that completely understand if I have to cut their facial. Cut meaning trim it down to fit into the time frame I have for her now that she’s late. If you are careful, you truly can do the entire facial, albeit cutting things here and there and taking less time with each step, and your client won’t feel or see the difference.

It’s simple to do without removing any critical step from your facial. I don’t linger with any particular step. In other words, I click along from one step to another (not rushing, though). If this late client needs a lot of extractions, that step will have to but trimmed down and if she is really late, it may have to be cut altogether. In this case, say with a 30 minutes late client, I will give her choices in terms of what I cut. If she really came in for extractions, I will cut something before that in order to give myself time to not only extract her, but also put a clay mask on her face afterwards. I just couldn’t extract and have her leave my office without the clay being on her face for at least 5 minutes. Clay calms and soothes and is essential after extractions.

For more information, see:

• Client Preparation: Part I
• Client Information Charts—Part I 

My Appointment Book—2

After years and years of using the type of book I reference in My Appointment Book, I decided to give something new and different a try. Because I was in Boulder and my business was not the hectic, busy type I had in both Dallas and Chicago, I opted for a book that fit my now different needs. (The slower rate of my Boulder business has been by choice, I assure you. After decades in skin care and living in large metropolitan cities, my entire life—intentionally—slowed down.)

Although Day-Timer® doesn’t make my exact model anymore, this one is very close to the one I currently use. The only difference, really, is mine has one large outside pocket vs. the two divided pockets shown here.

I then use Day Runner® refills for my appointment pages.

I don’t actually recommend this size of appointment book if you are running a busy salon—even if it’s just you. The appointment time lines are so narrow and I have to write so small it is almost silly. But because I’m not taking zillions of clients each day, it doesn’t matter to me now. But back in the day I would have never used this type of appointment calendar. I always needed as much room—and more—to not only write my clients’ appointments but also for my long cancellation list and room for the dozens of phone calls that I would receive in a day. I’m just showing you this for reference. You may enjoy using this type of book right now for all it’s worth.

I like this book because I carry my wallet and cell phone in the outside pocket (my wallet is small like a “man’s” wallet). When I get into my office, I take my cell phone out and slip my keys in its place, close the Velcro pocket and put my book away. My iPad also fits nicely inside (without zipping it, which I never do), and that is all I need to bring with me unless I also have clean laundry to take in.

This is not earth-shattering information, but if you don’t really have an idea of what you want or need to use in your business, this article and others on this blog can help guide you to what you will eventually use.

My Appointment Book

Every aesthetician is going to arrange and control her appointment book in the way that works best for her. Here I’m going to explain details about how I “run” my book so you can see how I do it and perhaps you’ll get some ideas for yourself.

I am a visual person. I also like the feel of holding a book—whether I am going to read a novel or book clients in my calendar. Many of you may prefer using your iPhone or another virtual terminal; this was never something I was (or will) going to do. Call me old-fashioned.

I never like to feel rushed when I’m working. I believe if you are running late and need to rush, your client will definitely pick up on this. I suppose this stems from one of my first work place environments (my 2nd job, actually) working at a spa. I was not in charge of how my facials were booked nor about the number of facials I would give in a day. Controlling both of these factors are some of the pleasures of running your own business. You get to decide everything!

My facials run around an hour and fifteen minutes, give or take. I can clean my room and be ready for the next client in only 10 minutes or so, but I always book my facials 2 hours apart. Then if I run over with any particular client, I won’t be running late for my next one. In fact, for the 21 years I’ve been in business, very few of my clients have ever seen each other. I keep it this way because I like it that way. I provide a very private and individual environment, and I want each one of my clients to feel like she is my only one that day.

Knowing how far apart I prefer to book my facials is essential when running my book—obviously. So be sure you have this most basic piece of information set in your mind so booking clients doesn’t become a problem.

I always write everything in my appointment book in pencil. Even days I will be on vacation I have in pencil because plans can change and once something is in pen it can’t be erased. I don’t like to look at my book and see scratched-out place and messy marks. I am running a business, and the easier I can see what my day is going to look like, the better it is for me. A small detail perhaps, but as you will find it is the details—all added up—that actually constitute your business.

I prefer a 2-page weekly appointment book like this.

This is my preferred type of appointment book. I can lay it flat and see my whole week. The hours are divided into 15-minute increments, which I like. The day starts early and ends late so I can get all my appointment times in each day.

On the “Sunday” section I keep my cancellation list. If you aren’t currently using this tool, I highly recommend you start now. The cancellation list is just that—if I get a cancellation on any given day, I have a literal list of clients to call to see if I can rebook that appointment.

I write notes next to every name on the list that lets me know more specifically what a client is looking for. For instance: Molly Mills—anytime; Sally Smith—Tues after 5pm; Jane Jones—Sats only. You get it—I’m writing notes so I know if I get a cancellation on a Wednesday or a Tuesday at 11am, Sally Smith won’t be the person to call. If a person wants to come in on a specific day and time, I will usually write that information at the bottom of that specific day.

Without providing yourself with a cancellation list, you are setting yourself up for having cancelled appointments you can’t rebook. Sometimes I don’t rebook a cancellation, but I like to have the option if I want to. Here are a few examples of a few days in my book:

I put a colored highlighter mark on all appointments who have come in on the time they came in. This year I used a blue marker. At the end of each week I count the appointments and also add up the money I’ve taken in then write it on the top right page for that week. Another quick reference piece(s) of information I can easily find. The colored mark just makes it easy to do the count.

You can’t really see it but on Tuesday, my 4pm appointment cancelled. There is a big “CX” (in pencil) over the appointment along with the time of cancellation “3pm.” This is considered a last-minute cancellation, something I do charge for. Even with last minute cancels, I will try to rebook the appointment—if I want to. Even at that late time, I still may get a client who wants to come in.

In Chicago, I had a 2-month wait list for new clients to get in. So with my handy cancellation list, a client who has been waiting to come in may drop everything when I call with a cancellation. She may need a little extra time, so I would be willing to take her at 4:30pm if she can’t get in at the 4pm appointment time. Then again, I may just leave the office early due to the cancellation and enjoy an afternoon off.

If I can rebook a less-than-24-hour cancellation, I do not charge the person who cancelled. I mark my book so I know this particular client not only cancelled but didn’t give me much notice. If she has been in before, I will write the date and an explanation on her chart. It would look something like:

• 10/16/15—4pm facial CX’d @ 3pm. Didn’t charge because X, or charged $X amount for cancelling

If I spoke with the client I will include the reason she gave me for the last minute cancellation on her chart. I only make notes of last-minute cancels—and always no-shows—on the client charts. A cancellation with more than 24-hours notice isn’t anything to note.

Most clients are conscientious and respectful of my schedule and do give ample time when they cancel. Even so, if I have them written in for a facial, even though I will completely erase all the info written for that slot, I will make a note on the top of that day’s column, just for my reference. It would look something like this:

• CX’d—Sally Smith—will call back [to rebook]

It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a whole day will cancel and I like to have a reference of how the day originally looked, all booked up. This small notation also give me a record of who may be a frequently cancelling client. That doesn’t mean anything initially, but if someone keeps cancelling and cancelling every appointment, it might mean I am not in such a hurry to offer her a next appointment. Again, I take this—my business—seriously and I want my clients to as well.

On the left hand side—“Monday”—is where I write down the messages that are on my machine. This is my Chicago appointment book, and I had a land line phone with an answering machine there. Now in Boulder, I just use my cell phone as my business phone. Still I use my day off column (Mondays) to write client messages. At this point in time in Chicago, I was working 4-day weeks, Wednesdays through Saturdays. That leaves another empty column, Tuesdays, for note writing.

Because I had a long wait list to get in to my Chicago office, most of my regular, monthly clients either booked their next treatment before they left or many had standing appointments.

The book in this article is what I used for most of my career. See My Appointment Book—2 for more information and the book I currently use. Also see:

• The Importance of a Cancellation List
• Website ideas: My Cancellation Policy
• More on My Cancellation Policy
• Standing Facial Appointments 

Raising your prices

Price increases are not welcomed news to most people, and your clients are people too. I have a strategy to try and help ease the pain of an increase that you might also want to implement.

If you have private-label skin care products you have more control over any increases than if your products come from a company other than your own. When you retail someone else’s products you are at the mercy of any price increases they give you, and you must eventually pass those on to your clients. Sometimes you have very little lead time to let your clients know there is an increase. Some practitioners don’t make an announcement to their clients, they simply start charging the higher prices. Some clients notice the increase, other don’t. With these types of price changes, clients generally don’t put up a fight knowing you are not in control of the increase.

When it comes to raising the prices of your services, this is where some people will get a bit rattled. Here is where I implement a strategy to help inform clients of the increase while at the same time honoring them as patrons.

Although temporary

Let’s say I am planning to raise the price of my facials by $10 on January 1st. For any and all clients new to my business after the 1st, they will be charged the higher price. For any clients who are under my care before the January date, they will enjoy no increase for another 3-6 months (or whatever timeframe you choose)—and I make sure to let them know this news.

I simply approach it by saying I will be raising my prices at the beginning of the year. However, for all existing clients your prices won’t change until March 1st or June 1st or whenever you decide to implement the increase. This way your clients feel special—and they are—and it shows that you are honoring them as existing clients who are serving to keep you in business. You may decide to do an across-the-board increase for everyone, but I have found that the delayed approach has long-lasting effects.

Price increases are inevitable and they are necessary. Raising the price of your facial is essentially giving yourself a pay raise, and I am all in favor of giving myself raises at appropriate intervals, depending. Back in 2008, when the economy took a nosedive, many of my clients simply couldn’t afford their regular facials. This would not be a good time to increase your prices! In fact it might be a opportunity to reach out to certain clients and offer them some sort of discount, even if only for a certain period of time.

My first “pay raise” happened 2 years after I had opened my first business. Initially I had set my facial price to be just below the going rate to help drive clients into my office. After a few years my pricing was actually off—too low for the service I was providing, so I gave myself a raise and raised my rates. I don’t think anyone balked at that price increase.

My recommendation is don’t raise your prices too frequently. You are trying to maintain client relationships and too many increases will turn off (and turn away) many clients who you will never be able to get back. However when you do decide to raise your prices, do so with confidence. You will probably always get one or two people who question the increase; I know I have. Have a concrete answer as to to why you are raising your rates, yet do not make any apologies. Raising prices is what businesses do to stay in business, and increases in price have occurred since the dawn of time. Don’t feel bad about the increase, feel good that you are able to give yourself a little more money while continuing to service your clients with the excellence they expect.

Here is a postcard I sent out regarding an across-the-board increase vs. giving a 3-6 month grace period. As you can see, although I was raising my prices, I was offering a discount as well. The ten dollars off brought the price down to what it was, $105—at least for that initial visit after the increase.

Once you have implemented your own prices increases, you will have a lot more sympathy when you encounter increases at a business you frequent. If not sympathy, hopefully you will have a more open mind.

Don’t be—price increases are part of the cost of doing business.

Another aesthetician helped with Timeless Skin

As much as I love the accolades, it is a bit disconcerting that professionals are getting a lot of new information from my layperson book, Timeless Skin. I wrote both of my books for the average client, but over the years have heard from dozens of aestheticians remarking how much the books have helped them. No matter, I am glad the books are helping—no matter who! Read the entire article: Another aesthetician helped with Timeless Skin.

Where in the world is your business?

Boulder CO

In previous articles. I’ve mentioned how small my business is here in Boulder compared to when I lived in Chicago and Dallas. According to the U.S. census bureau, the population in Boulder is just over 300,000; Chicago is under 3 million at 2,718,000; and Dallas comes in at around 2.5 million.

I’m sharing this information with you for two reasons. First, my business is smaller because I wanted to live a more relaxed life and therefore I moved to a slow-paced mountain town. I don’t book my work days as heavily as I have in the past. I also bring attention to this because since I live in a small town vs. a big city, there are less people available to become clients. Naturally I don’t have the same sized client pool I would (and did) in larger, more populated cities. Just looking at these two photos tells the story. One portrays a town that has lots of open space; the other a large metropolis.

Chicagoland’s skyline

If I was just starting out in the business yet living in the Boulder area, I would definitely look to Denver to start my career. With an estimated population of around 664,000, it has twice the population of Boulder. I would therefore have twice as many clients; that’s just simple to math.

Imagine in a big city with millions of residents how many more clients I would have. Almost 10 times as many and realistically, that is about the case. I mentioned in The Importance of a Cancellation List (see link below), at times in my Chicago storefront location I had a two month waiting list just to get a first appointment with me. In fact I had to stop taking standing clients because my schedule was getting too locked in. I was busy! And for me, then, and in Dallas too, it was ideal. Thinking about having that kind of schedule now makes me feel tired and overwhelmed. It just isn’t how I’ve structured my business nor my life at this point in my career.

I want to make it clear that if you are starting a business in a relatively small town, it will be harder for you to make a living. It really just comes down to math. To make this equation even more difficult, if you are a novice opening a business, you may not be able to hold onto clients like you want to. You may believe in yourself (and that’s a must) but you may have a harder time pulling in clients if you’re an unknown. Starting a business in a small town is necessarily more work. You don’t have the client pool you would in a larger populated area; you have less people who will be looking to get facials. It’s as simple as that.

As an example, in my office suite there used to be a married couple, both newly certified Rolfers just out of school. They had to resort to offering continual “deals” through Groupon and other discount coupon companies. This did net them clients, but as I mention in Special Promotion discounts, sometimes discounting your services at rock bottom prices is painful. And it was for them. They had regulars, but because the population in Boulder and the surrounding cities is low, they simply couldn’t make their fledgling business work.

Eventually, while still keeping their office in Boulder, they opened a second location in Denver. It was a risk, but one they had to take. And I'm happy to say it really paid off. They got so busy in Denver, without any coupon/discount deals, they closed the Boulder office and concentrated their efforts in one spot—their Denver office.

That is just one example, but it’s a good one. It is difficult to make a name for yourself in a small town. Or rather it’s hard to make substantial money working in a town with a small population—especially if you’re a newbie.

Don’t be discouraged, just be informed. Before you plan your business you should research what it would look like client-wise in terms of population. You might have to reach outside your place of residence to find a demographic that can support your business. 

Perhaps you’re like me. Although you are just starting a business, it isn’t mandatory that is goes gangbusters. You like a quiet, relaxed schedule and it won’t hurt you financially to let the business grow and build over time. Somehow I doubt that would be the case with many people. Why go into business if you aren’t gun ho and wanting to build it into something sustainable. And that is where 30 years of experience comes in. It is relatively easy for me to attract new clients so I can be “relaxed” and have a more quiet schedule because there are always new (and existing) clients desirous of my services.

Do your research. And keep “low overhead” tattooed to your forehead. These two things, among others, are essential when you’re looking to start a new business from the ground up.

For more details, see:

• The Importance of a Cancellation List 
• Special Promotion discounts

Some of my philosophy

I posted this article, Trends & fads in skin care, on my layperson’s blog. For those of you who may not read articles over there (although I highly recommend you do!), click on the title to be taken to that page. This goes over the basics of my philosophy when it comes to skin care.

Not all aestheticians operate from the exact same knowledge base nor from the same general philosophy about skin and its care. If you’re just starting out, you probably have an inkling of your personal philosophy, but over time you will develop and grow as an aesthetician and your own beliefs and understanding about skin care will come shining through.