To Raise or Not to Raise: Lash Artist's Complete Guide to Successfully Raising Your Prices
Are you thinking about raising your lash prices but aren't sure if it's the right time to do so?
In this blog post, we'll discuss some factors you should consider when making this decision.
You see, lash artists often find themselves at a crossroads when it comes to pricing…
Do they raise their prices to reflect the time and effort they put into their work, or do they keep them low to attract more clients?
Both approaches have pros and cons, and the decision ultimately comes down to what's best for you and your business.
Look, when you’re starting your lash artist career, it’s understandable that your pricing will be a little low.
To some extent, that isn't such a bad idea. This way, you can practice without feeling pressured, and your clients will understand that you’re just starting out.
Eventually, however, you’ll start to wonder when to raise prices because you want to earn more, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Now, if you're on the fence about raising your prices, we’ve got you covered.
It isn’t easy making the decision to raise lash prices and actually pull it off.
Many have fears and apprehensions about doing so.
That’s why here are some lash business tips that cover the basics so you can determine when it’s time to up your prices and how to do that exactly.
How do you set eyelash prices?
So, you’ve just finished your lash courses, what’s next?
How do you set your pricing—especially when you’re just starting and aren’t all too confident yet?
When deciding your initial prices, consider the costs you’ve spent so far.
First are the investments that you’ve made, which include the cost of your courses as well as the time you spent finishing your courses.
If you’ve invested in your own materials, consider those as well.
Second, you also need to consider the daily costs of running your own lash business.
This is where the bulk of your expenses will come from. This includes the materials and equipment you will use, the costs of maintaining your studio, including power costs, as well as your labour and time.
Third would be the value that you offer.
This is a bit more subjective, but you can brand yourself pretty much however you want. Ideally, you should back up your claims with skill.
It's a good practice to sit down and list all the expenses you need to budget for monthly.
Once these are all listed down, compute how much you earn monthly based on your current rate and clients.
If they aren’t matching up, then recompute your rate to cover your needs, given your existing number of clients.
Sure, you could add more clients, but that comes at the cost of time and energy.
Why should you raise your prices?
Many lash artists are understandably coy about raising their prices, particularly when your clients are pretty used to pricing as it is.
But there are many good reasons you should consider it, at least.
First, lash artistry is hard, tiring, physical work! It can be tough on your body—particularly your back, hands, and eyes.
You deserve fair compensation for the energy you expend in doing work that makes women feel happy and beautiful.
Second, you also need to make a living. If you’re serious about lash artistry as a career or even a business, it should be able to sustain you and keep you alive.
That’s good enough among all reasons for the price increase.
Thirdly, if you decide to expand your practice into a full-blown business, you want to pay everyone fairly—on top of the increased expenses and costs of running a business.
Lastly, if others do it, why not you?
Remember that there is absolutely nothing wrong with raising your prices because it makes you feel fulfilled.
Provided it’s a reasonable increase and not far beyond what your local market is increasing, go for it.
You see, careers should be fulfilling and play up your self-confidence and self-esteem—don’t ever let your being a lash artist feel like a slog just because your pricing doesn’t match up to what you need to make or your skill levels.
If your skills match, this is definitely a great counterbalance to raising your pricing.
When should you increase eyelash prices?
The simple answer is you should increase your eyelash prices when you feel you’re confident enough in your skills to do so and you are already fully booked.
This psychological reason might seem frivolous, but you also need to consider your self-confidence and self-esteem.
An increase in prices usually comes with the expectation of an increase in the quality of work.
So, do so when you feel you’ve reached that point where you’re confident in your skills—and you have something to show for it as well.
Other equal considerations include when you plan to hire and expand your service or business.
If you aren’t offering something attractive in terms of income, how will you draw in the best talent?
You should also raise your prices when it’s clear that you’re the cheapest lash artist around!
Look, if others can manage a raise in prices, why not you? Also, there’s the fact that cheaper isn’t always appealing because we subconsciously associate quality with price.
Finally, this might be the most personal thing here: you want to raise your prices when you feel like you want to work less.
Higher prices mean that you will need fewer clients and spend less time to earn more or less the same.
Of course, you have to consider that this means you might have fewer clients to your name.
But if you do need breathing room for your mental wellness or want more time for other pursuits, go for it.
An investment in your own wellbeing and health is worthwhile, no matter how you cut it.
How to increase prices without losing clients?
This is probably the biggest question on every lash artist’s mind.
After all, many might be taken aback by a sudden, jarring increase in eyelash extension cost and services.
But don’t worry because there’s a smart way to go about things.
First, be honest and open about why you’re doing it.
If it’s to meet the costs and expenses of running your lash business, many are quick to understand.
If it’s because you’re more confident in what you have to offer, many will respect you for it.
The most palatable reason to raise your prices is due to a high demand for your service - this triggers a feeling of FOMO in your clients because if they leave, they may not be able to get back in with you.
Being honest with your clients is a great way to build trust and rapport.
Now, if you’re really worried about losing your best clients, you might consider offering them an exclusive promo—their prices remain the same, and the increase will apply to new clients only.
If you’re confident, you can ask for referrals in exchange.
There’s much to be said about valuing your existing client base, but pick and choose for whom you will make this offer as it might defeat what you’re trying to achieve.
When you’ve finally decided on how you’re going to maintain that happy balance between satisfying existing clients and raising your prices, the next step is doing it.
Send out an email to your clients that’s professional in explanation but warm on its own.
Explain in simplest terms why you need to adjust your prices and closeout by letting clients know that you appreciate them.
Make sure to bring it up the next time your client comes in.
You have to be ready to lose some clients—but that’s normal even without raising prices.
Provided that the quality of your work is commensurate to what you’re charging, few will actually complain anyway.
The final word.
If you have no problem living off the prices that you currently charge, then by all means avoid the awkwardness of a price increase.
If, however, you're struggling to make ends meet and your lash artistry is starting to feel like a chore, then overcome your fears and raise those prices!
It doesn’t have to be an unreasonable raise in prices, nor does it need to be abrupt.
Just follow our advice here, and you can get the pricing you deserve without much fuss, stress, or hassle.
Remember that your worth is something only you can determine, and your pricing should match what you need to live a fulfilled life.
You’ll be surprised how many of your clients are actually understanding as they have to make their own ends meet in their own ways too.
We hope this article has answered your questions and given you the confidence you need to finally update your prices.
So, which of these pieces of advice did you find the most useful? Please let us know in the comments section below.
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