Huge Ticket Price

I would hazard a guess that it is most therapists dream to just fill their columns with high ticket price, high profit making treatments.

 

But does it need to be a dream?

 

I am an advocate of working smarter, not harder.  Life is too short, and how much fun will your retirement - or your life between now and then - be if you have worked yourself in to the ground, your body is exhausted and you have spent your time on this planter stressed?

 

We all need to earn a living, but we also need to live and experience life whilst we are doing it.  Money in the bank and a super work life balance is what we all need.

 

So if I told you you could have it all would you believe me?

 

I thought not.

 

So let's look at your working day.  You work 10 hours.  Those hours are filled with half leg waxes, eyebrow shaping, manicures, nail extensions etc. Let's say, for example, that on this 10 hour day you are fully booked, because that is the aim isn't it?  Fill your day with anything as long as it brings in some money?  Each eyebrow shape is going to be blocked out for a 30 minute appointment time, as will each half leg wax.  A gel manicure is going to be an hour, nail extensions an hour and a half. So we will base your day on 3 half leg waxes totalling £45, 3 eyebrow shapes totalling £30, 4 Manicures totalling £100 and 2 sets of nail extensions totalling £70. Your days takings (before your expenses - materials, wages, lighting, heating, insurance etc) are £245.  

 

Would you be happy with that?

 

I'll be honest,I wouldn't get out of bed for that, never mind put any make up on! It really isn't worth the time and effort, especially once you have taken your costs out of it.

 

That probably sounds harsh, but it is the truth.

 

I realise people think these are bread and butter treatments and they get people through the door, and that may be true, but they are treatments that cost more money to do and are - what I call - the less loyal treatments.  As much as your client likes you she could be out in town on a Saturday shopping, with her friends, and decide to call in to a department store and have an ad hoc manicure or eyebrow shape. These things happen.  But if you are building your days on treatments that are more result driven, personalised and specific to you these things won't happen.

 

Trends have changed since Covid and clients are far more interested in results and well being.  So let's take your 10 hour day again, this time we aren't going to be fully booked. We have 3 facials - at an hour each, and 2 full body massages, also at an hour each.  So we are only working for five hours. Each facial is going to retail at a minimum of £90 each and each full body massage will be a minimum of £70 each, making your half day takings £410, double that for a full day and you are taking over £800.  Never mind that fact that you will have many, many more retail opportunities with facials so it is perfectly feasible to be taking over £1000 a day. Massage costs you literally pennies to do so is almost 100% profit, facials will range between £6 and £11 in product.......the lower end of this being the same cost as that manicure you are churning out for an hour but only charging £25 for.

 

You see where I am going with this.

 

You could work half the time and earn double the money! But how?

 

* Well the first thing you need to do is change your mindset, decide that you are going to fill your day with your high ticket prices and not just be happy with whatever anyone books.

 

•    Upselling to the clients you have is the easiest thing to do as you already have a relationship with them, you already have their trust.  Use your listening skills and sell to their needs, but be mindful to remind them about the other treatments you offer.  Maybe they come to you every two weeks for a manicure but forget you offer massage, and now they are working from home - from the kitchen table - they are suffering with their backs and would really benefit from a massage?

 

•    Target your marketing towards the high ticket price treatments.  Do social media posts about the amazing facials available, post before and after pictures, do some Facebook live sessions discussing the benefits of these treatments. 

 

•    Sell these treatments in courses.  A greater benefit is experienced  when you have a course of treatment - especially with facials and massage - so sell them as courses because then you know the client is committed.  You could offer either a small discount or the addition of some free products.  This only works, of course, if you have priced your treatments correctly and can afford to take a hit of a small discount.

 

•    You could even go as far as to remove some treatments from your menu all together.  Now hear me out.  Do you want the potential of filling your day with 20 eyebrow shapes at £10 each? Do you want to be running around like a busy fool on Manicures that are literally earning you about £7 profit if you are the business owner, or £17 as a therapist working for themselves? There really isn't a lot of benefit in offering treatments that don't earn you that much money but cost you in equipment and product. There is also no benefit in offering treatments you don't enjoy, just because you learned it at college.  There really is no harm in specialising in certain treatments and being the ‘go-to expert' in your area for those things. As an industry we have always traditionally learned a whole plethora of services especially you took the college route as I did (30) years ago.  We then went out in to industry and were more employable because we could do some much. It was never considered something to specialise in certain services. Other industries always have.  You will have car garages that only offer tyres, some that will only offer servicing, some may just do body work.  No one has ever lost out because you go to the specialist rather than the jack of all trades. Over the years more and more people have taken the less conventional route in to beauty and just learned the elements they are interested in, so they may specialise in nails or brows or hair removal. The courses that may have been undertaken is another conversation for another day, but my point is it is perfectly acceptable to offer a selection of treatments and be a specialist in that service.  You will have less expense because you will only be offering certain services rather than buying everything in for all services just incase someone books it.  Just choose a service, or services, that will earn you a decent living so as you still have the time and funds to enjoy life.