When you’re first getting started in the field of aesthetics, it can be challenging to try and grow your client base. However, just because you are trying to gain more clients, doesn’t mean you should cheapen yourself like we talked about last week. Here is one way to make sure that you assert yourself in the field: charge for your consults.
Say you have a new client that comes in for a consult. You give them an hour of your time, not only getting to know them, but figuring out the right treatment for them. You recommend different products, treatments, and details about what they should get done. Maybe you even give them a few samples of products to try. Now, they have all the information they need to go somewhere else. They can find a deal online, buy certain products elsewhere, and go somewhere else for a treatment if they so choose. Now you have lost a potential client and basically wasted your time. Charging for consults will help deter people from doing that, since they have already paid.
You can always soften the blow of an initial consult fee. If they schedule a treatment the day of the consult, that fee can go towards their actual treatment. Or, you can give away free consults to referrals. Give cards to your current, trusted clients so they can refer a friend to you and that friend will receive a free consult. That is a sure-fire way to gain more clients while not sacrificing your valuable time and effort.
Don’t devalue yourself just for the sake of building your client list. Your time is valuable, and you want potential clients to feel the same way. Charging for a consult is a way to assert your dominance and expertise in the industry.