Education Etiquette

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, August 2012

If experience were the best teacher, the beauty industry would have no need for formal education. Those interested in becoming a nail professional would purchase supplies, open for business and practice their manicuring skills on unsuspecting clients. In time, they might learn how to do quality work (without hurting their clients) and succeed financially, but that’s not very likely. Experience can be the most inefficient, unreliable and dangerous way to learn, and some manicurists will never become skilled or successful, no matter how much experience they have.

Quality education should be the foundation of our technical expertise; hours of direct instruction/guided practice can easily supersede years of trying. But if education has this potential, why do educators complain that it’s hard to fill classes while manicurists complain about the lack of education? Instead of complaining, we should consider how we can mutually benefit from the learning process. Beyond the mere transfer of knowledge, we can explore new ideas, solve problems, inspire each other and advance the professionalism of our industry. By following education etiquette, both students and educators can play their respective roles:

For Students

• Find available classes by researching the internet, reading industry publications and contacting manufacturers, distributors, show/event organizers, educators and other nail professionals.
• Watching videos and participating in webinars can be done anywhere, but plan to travel to attend classes in person.
• Register in advance, if required, otherwise the class may be cancelled for lack of interest. If you pay for a class and don’t attend, don’t expect a refund.
• Bring any required supplies, as directed by the educator.
• Arrive early and sit near the front of the room to limit distractions.
• Be prepared to take notes, either with pen/paper or electronic device. Ask permission before taking photographs or making any audio/video recordings. The content belongs to the educator, not the students.
• Silence your cell phone. 
• Remember that if you’re not the educator, you’re a student, so behave accordingly. Understand that your background knowledge/experience differs from other students and be supportive of your educator’s efforts to include everyone.
• Reserve your questions/comments until the end of the class; don’t be that obnoxious student everyone dreads. 
• Thank your educator. Some are paid to present classes, but many donate their time and travel expenses.

For Educators

• Focus on informing rather than selling; students will respect you more.
• Plan shorter rather than longer classes, especially at events that have multiple attractions, like a full schedule of classes, nail competitions and a bustling exhibit floor. 
• Allow enough time to cover your topic adequately. In my opinion, a lecture class is ideally 60-75 minutes long. For a demonstration class, I allow twice the time it takes to perform the actual task, and for a hands-on class, triple the time.
• Make the title of your class brief and relevant; write a description (less than 100 words) that accurately represents the content.
• Promote your class through your website, social media, email, print media etc. to reach as many potential students as possible.
• Avoid canceling classes; should this happen, announce it immediately and promptly refund any payments.
• Visit your classroom the day before, if possible, to preview the location and layout. Confirm that any signage is correct.
• Know how to operate whatever equipment you plan to use (lighting, laptop, projector, video camera, etc.), whether it belongs to you or the facility. 
• Be kind to all event staff (management, decorators, audio-visual experts, room monitors and janitors); you never know when you’ll need their help.
• Get your rest and eat something beforehand to maintain your energy. Have water available for the occasional dry mouth or inopportune cough.
• Arrive early so you can be prepared to start on time. 
• Project your voice with confidence; not every classroom will be equipped with a microphone.
• Remind your students to silence their cell phones, and instruct them to either ask questions throughout or save them for the end, whichever you prefer.
• Briefly introduce yourself; don’t assume everyone knows who you are.
• Structure your content logically and make it accessible so students can  listen, observe, read and/or experience the information. 
• Be enthusiastic, no matter how many students you have. 
• Engage your students by making eye contact and speaking from bullet points rather than reading a script.
• Adapt your content to the knowledge level(s) of your students to make everyone feel welcome.
• Control your class by staying on topic and not allowing disruptions. You’re entitled to ask any disruptive student (tardy, chatty, disrespectful, confrontational, etc.) to leave the classroom; other students will appreciate your assertiveness.
• Thank your students for their time and attention. Give them your contact information so they can ask questions later and learn about future classes.
• Invite more experienced educators to attend your class and provide feedback. 
• Be courteous to other educators, particularly those sharing the same classroom: end your class on time, clear out quickly and don’t leave a mess.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.

Add-ons Made Easy

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, July 2012

It’s fairly common for nail salons to offer add-on services, like paraffin treatments, French polish and nail art. The options and pricing vary, of course, because there’s a great deal of flexibility and few guidelines. For example, a salon offering nail art might charge by the nail, the time required, the difficulty of the design, or the amount of colors/glitter/rhinestones/etc. used. While add-ons have the potential to significantly increase revenue, their success depends on desirability, cost- and time-effectiveness and client perceptions of value.

Before exploring these variables, I want to acknowledge that for the purpose of this discussion, I will focus on nail-related add-on services only. Many salons have expanded their menus to include more unconventional services, but I caution salon owners against straying beyond their primary business, performing regulated beauty services. Just because clients want something doesn’t mean that you’re qualified/licensed to provide it, or that their/your best interests would be served if you did.

When considering the introduction of a new service, ask yourself, “Will this service enhance my reputation as a successful nail professional?” For example, consider “detox” foot soaks. Be sensible. If detoxifying were even possible through feet (it’s not; ask a reputable doctor) and capable of curing ailments/diseases (really?), you’d be practicing medicine which is definitely NOT within your scope of practice. Conversely, if it’s a scam (it is; just ask a chemist if you’re still not convinced), then you’d be practicing quackery which is unethical and unprofessional. Why risk your reputation when your credibility would be permanently damaged? Please, don’t. Now back to our discussion . . .

Much like retail, add-ons have a somewhat negative connotation as an “up-sell,” an extra or more expensive service that you must persuade clients to purchase. As a nail professional and salon owner, I want to provide services clients need and want, without any convincing on my part. What’s the secret? Add-ons sell themselves when clients desire them. It all depends on how your salon defines an add-on.

When developing services, I recommend giving your clients options, but not too many, otherwise scheduling and explaining the differences among services become too complicated. This can be easily avoided by creating two distinct levels of service: a very simple one that meets basic nail care needs and another that packages more luxury into an expanded service. Pedicures provide a ready example:

Basic

• Nail shaping
• Cuticle work

Expanded

• Nail shaping
• Cuticle work
• Callus work
• Exfoliation
• Paraffin
• Massage

At Precision Nails, the basic service (Foot Express) costs $20 and takes 15 minutes, and the expanded service (Foot Detail) costs $50 and takes 45 minutes. If all the extras provided in the expanded service were available individually, it would be a pricing and scheduling hassle. Whereas, when those extras come packaged together, most clients willingly choose the expanded (and more expensive) service.

Note that neither of these services includes polish. Why? We don’t assume that only women need/want their nails done; men deserve and appreciate professional nail care also. Besides, not all women want polish and some men do. I deliberately name and describe services in a gender-neutral way, because the quality of the service and the products used don’t change according to the client’s gender. Pricing should be based on the service provided, not on who’s receiving it. Our clients, whether male or female, can add a polish application or buffing to either the basic or expanded service for an additional charge; that’s the client’s choice. (Our salon doesn’t offer nail art; that’s my choice).

The cost- and time-effectiveness of an add-on service should be calculated like any other service. My standard is to price a service at no less than a $1/minute, and to limit product costs to no more than 10% of the service cost. For example, we charge $15 for a polish application or buffing, and schedule an additional 15 minutes, though it may take less time. (To learn more about my competitive pricing strategy, please reference the article published in the March 2011 Stylist).

Despite their potential, add-ons cannot generate any revenue if clients aren’t charged for them. That sounds obvious, but I cannot count the number of nail professionals who complain that their clients expect “freebies,” like nail art/repairs/massage/etc. Despite their perceptions, clients must be held financially accountable for the services they choose to receive. To firmly establish your value, produce a comprehensive brochure with enticing service descriptions that detail what’s included, the time allowed and the price. Your salon policies (appointments, cancellations, payment options, etc.) also need to be explained in writing. When asked about your service prices, whether in person, by email or phone call, be prepared to ask some questions to determine which services, if any, best meet the client’s needs. And make sure to charge accordingly.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.

Miss (or Mister) Independent?

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, June 2012

Several years ago, after teaching a class at Premiere Orlando, I was approached by an apprehensive student who asked, “How do I convince my husband that I can make money doing nails?” Though unexpected, it was a relevant question. Even before becoming licensed, this student was feeling uncertain about her career choice. Perhaps she was concerned about finding the ideal salon, investing in expensive products, developing her technical skills, building a loyal clientele or other challenges that we face as beauty professionals. Instinctively, I responded, “You need to convince yourself first.” Rather than offer false assurances, I wanted to be honest. While my experience validates the possibility of success, it’s not a common experience and not what students should expect, no matter how confident they are. If believing in oneself were the foundation of success, any manicurist could succeed, regardless of talent, effort and/or luck. That’s simply not the case.

Here’s something else students are not likely to be told, but I tell them anyway. Within the beauty profession, there’s a strong possibility of failure, and the overwhelming desire to be “independent” may be to blame. Visit any beauty school and the majority of students will share their dreams of opening their own salons. I can relate to the excitement of entering a new profession, and appreciate the students’ enthusiasm. Understandably, it’s very appealing to envision ourselves as capable of making our own decisions, controlling our work environment, making clients looks and feel better, doing what we love and supporting ourselves. But how realistic is that, really? Regardless of employment status, how many manicurists earn  a living wage doing nails? If not many, don’t blame greedy salon owners. Having taken an opportunity to be independent either as booth renters or salon owners, why do so many manicurists still struggle?

Let’s go back to beauty school, in which students learn how to perform the beauty services required by a licensing examination. Being prepared for a test is different from being prepared for the realities of salon work, much less salon ownership. Instructors can inspire students all they want, but if they happened to be unsuccessful working in a salon environment, how can they prepare their students? (I doubt most instructors, while still students, dreamed of working at a beauty school for $15 an hour.) Not to minimize the sacrifices students make, but the investment of attending beauty school at a fixed cost for a specific number of hours does not compare to the investment of launching a salon, and the continuous demands of its operation. Completing beauty school is a prerequisite for attempting the licensing exam; does any state require a beauty school education to own a salon?

I ask that question facetiously because I’m frequently contacted by individuals who plan to open salons, despite having no professional education or experience in our industry other than receiving services. (I love dining out, but that doesn’t qualify me to own a restaurant.) These potential salon owners believe that their success in their current profession will easily translate to success in the nail profession. They’re just as naive as students. Opening a salon is easy; operating one that’s legal and profitable is much harder to achieve.

Returning to the plight of struggling manicurists, what’s the problem? Spend time around them, whether online or in person, and they’ll offer multiple explanations:

• the economy is bad and all salons are suffering
• I can’t compete with discount salons
• my clients will leave if I raise my prices
• my services take a long time, but it’s because I’m a perfectionist
• my clients expect free repairs and nail art
• the cost of quality products is too expensive
• the other manicurists in the salon don’t clean
• the salon owner doesn’t refer clients to me, and so on.

Apparently, not even glitter can cover their frustration. It would seem that there’s always some excuse, but very little personal responsibility.

Why do these manicurists reject the option of being employed by a successful and responsible salon owner? What makes them believe they could do better on their own? While optimism might sustain them initially, and sometimes indefinitely, it can also mislead. How else to explain the number of manicurists who persist in our profession despite not being financially successful? Maybe they don’t need to make money; they might have another job, financial support from a spouse or a trust fund. That’s not me; I’ve always valued my success more than my independence because I need to support myself. Each of us must consider what’s in our best interests, and for some, that might mean leaving the nail profession altogether. If that seems harsh, I’d say that encouraging those incapable of success, for whatever reasons, to stick it out would be far more so. If I’m wrong, they can prove it.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.