This is going to be a lengthy post, so if you’re easily bored, this isn’t for you.
If you are wondering what your home-based/mobile nail technician or manicurist thinks of you, or wondering why you get rejected for appointments, you may be enlightened after this lengthy post sheds some light.
Even though I’ve entered this industry for a short period of time compared to other gurus, I’ve met all kinds of customers from different walks of life.
Some are angels sent from above, to brighten up your day, make your smile, remind you why you chose this career and add fuel to your passion for the job.
They are the ones creating smiles on your faces, the ones you talk about to others. They make you feel appreciated, for all the concentration, the focus and they bring out the perfectionist in you, if you aren’t normally.
The kind gestures of sending you a text message after leaving the service, telling you how much they loved their nails done by you, how much they appreciated the time and effort you put into the small set of nail art. They didn’t have to, but they did.
They are concerned about your time, whether or not you’ve eaten, whether you need to close the windows and lock the door when you both leave after service together.
They spend time reading your terms and conditions stated on your website, make appointments way beforehand and keeps them, asks for slots/appointments according to your schedule, they bother about contacting you with the designated format and information required, they arrive on time, and if not, earlier.
These clients make your day. They leave a huge smile on your face, because you know you made theirs, with the little canvases they now have on their hands, little bits and pieces they can’t stop staring at, because they love their pretty nails.
Then of course, you have the others. Those that make you question your skills and abilities, those that put a frown on your face. Simply because, to them, you’re just another manicurist.
They haggle about price quoted(do we look like pasar malam stall owners?), asks for last minute slots (for appointments on the same day), never appreciates your sense of urgency to reply their emails or sms-es. You respect them giving them priority, but they take it for granted by not confirming slots or taking their own sweet time to reply.
Those who refuse to listen, when you explain to them about how the products work, ignore your warnings about getting lint on their enhancements, then return asking for help, or blaming you for service breakdown.
In extreme cases, they treat you like you should wait on them hand and foot, even though they’re paying you peanuts, for work that requires effort, work that they cannot get at the same price elsewhere.
These are the people who make meaningless comments, asks unending questions, those that demand time and more time, out of your limited schedule.
This bunch has a special trait, they love making last minute appointments, love wasting your SMSes, they disregard your time and effort in replying them, then ridicule you further by not replying. They don’t bother about your schedules, or about wasting your time, they don’t even have basic manners.
You give them your best during the appointment, but it’s never enough. They demand time, after-sales service, on top of the massive amount of time you allocate to them.
It seems they think that your life revolves around only your job, and because they are customers, they have the right to pick, choose, criticize, demean, abuse. Being thankful, acknowledging effort and having basic courtesy, seems completely foreign to them.
What they don’t know, is that, whether or not, they etch a smile, or a frown on your face, you remembered.
For the fellow nail-technicians, my hope is that you remember the precious gems and appreciate them, for they so are hard to come by, for they deserve your best slots and your utmost best, for how wonderful they are.
To my clients, my wish is that you always the session feeling satisfied. I want this place to be a little sanctuary, a little corner that they can totally feel at home in, and share their joy and sorrows, with me.
This post is dedicated especially to you, the clients that brought a smile to my face, for the angel that they’ve been!
The message on the front of this card is more apt than ever, for you awesome ladies that brought a smile to my face:
*Card credited to Hallmark
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