Losing Clients/Demand after Price Changes/Increases

Hey, friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hair Stylist Podcast. So we have a super special episode for you today. You're gonna get, be getting a sneak peek, VIP, exclusive look into one of our live group coaching calls within my programs, okay?

Um, this is a program where, uh, it's called Modern Stylist Movement, and it's an alumni only membership for PBP students. And it's super freaking amazing because we have these live group coaching calls and we've really curated an amazing space of support. Like, the community in this freaking group is insane. So brilliant, so supportive, and like, when somebody's going through something, it is, um, really awesome that we get to hold space for them.

And so, we had one of our members, Jess, she is such a talented stylist, such a brilliant business owner. She's amazing. She recently had a little bit of a pricing, um, change and a pricing increase, and, uh, she noticed a big drop in her demand and a little bit of losing her existing clients. So she came into the group coaching call and she asked us about it, and we all put in some really great feedback for her.

And I think that it was super helpful for her moving forward. Um, some of the other members spilled some great tea of, with their own experiences and gave her some really great advice, and I went on a big, long rant about how she is not alone and how this, that, the feelings and the anxiety that she feels is super normal and that she's gonna learn and grow from this. And I also gave her some great, tangible business advice moving forward. So I highly recommend that you listen to this baby all the way through.

Now, this is an outtake from our Google Meet call, right? So, um, the quality is not as beautiful as the quality that you're hearing right now. However, um, uh, it is really truly worth listening through because I think that when- whenever you're going through any scary moments because of changes that you've made in your business, it's really important to, um, trust the process, right, and lean into a community that can help you work through the changes confidently and troubleshoot what you got going on. And so, this, um, episode here is going to help you, um, even if it's just a different change that you've seen in your business or something weird is going on, right?

So without further ado, I will let you go ahead and listen to the coaching call. Let's go. Let me guess. You are a hustling, bustling hair stylist behind the chair, working so hard to build a beautiful career for yourself, one that gives you time, freedom, and energy to spend with yourself, your family, and your friends.

But you feel like you're always working in your business, even when you're not behind the chair. My name's Hunter Donia and I help you automate your systems and implement really beautiful strategies so you can grow your business without the overwhelm, and this is the Modern Hair Stylist Podcast. So recently, I restructured my packages and I bundled in haircuts and I went from seven packages down to four for existing clients and then four packages down to three for new clients. Um, so when you look at my packages, it looks like they went up a ton because now the haircut is included, um, and I've kinda restructured my website so it says, like, in bold, just like Hunter told me to, like, uh, haircut is included in every description.

I put at the top of the page, um, like, what I, what's included and I put in bold the haircut portion. Um, and then I'm going to start, like, posting more on Instagram. So right now I post once a week on Instagram, but I'm gonna start posting maybe, like, two to three times. Uh, do it more on Google My Business, and then maybe do, like, some email marketing, 'cause honestly, I'm not doing any email marketing right now.

But I wanted to see what you guys thought about, like, what else I might be able to do because right now, um, so I usually get, like, five to 10 new guest requests a month and I'm getting zero. And I'm, I'm freaking out. Like, I'm, my, my chest right now is lit up red, like, I'm, I'm suffocating . So, uh, I don't know what to do.

Um, so what do you guys think? Yes. Thank you so much for sharing. Um, we've all been there, okay?

We all, we've all been there, and lemme tell you, every second of my life, my chest is tight because I feel like everything's gonna fall out below me. So, so we've all been there, okay? We've all been there. Um, I think that the changes that you made, um, already are fantastic.

I mean, I'm biased because I, I talked those through with you. And, and this is, and by the way, I wanna point out too, you know, the theory, right, the hypothesis that you have made is that you're getting less guest requests because p- the, the, the, um, the visual of the price has gone up a lot because you've in- you've bundled in that haircut. So therefore, that people are seeing that high price and they're being turned off by that high price. So remember, this is a theory, right, and this isn't the only thing that we should take into consideration, but it's smart to be focusing on this one thing and to be figuring out how we can make sure that it is super obvious that that haircut is included and that that price actually makes sense to people.

Um, so if anybody- Does that make sense? has any ideas about how to make it really clear that that haircut is included, right, uh, we would love to hear it. Would you agree with me, Jess? Um, and then any other ideas about, you know, anything else that Jess said, we would love to hear it.

So, unmute. Have fun.Sorry, I just wanted to clarify really quick. Did you just do this and then have you lost clients too?

Or is this just affecting just new guest request? Both. So I'm losing existing guests, which I kind of, like, expected, but it's kind of a, a lot. Um, I mean, it's been like five in the past month.

And then new guests, like, I am, yeah, not getting, like, any new guests. And I, uh, did this, like, I don't remember. I think it was like three weeks ago, I did another rollout video, um, just announcing it. And for some of my existing guests, because I took seven packages and consolidated it down to four, there is like a huge jump for some of my guests who had, like, partial highlights.

Now it's grown in with, like, the partial teasy lights and partial balayage package. Um, so they're gonna be paying like a hundred dollars more. And I don't, I, I don't know. I, I haven't had to like confront them about that yet, but there's like probably six or seven clients who are gonna have like a $95 or more jump.

So, yeah. And then were you trying to lose clients too? Like were you doing this as a price increase because of your demand and all that? Like, is that what, like, prompted this?

Or was it just to kind of simplify your life and get rid of certain services or something? No. Yeah, that's like a really good question. Okay.

Um, so I did this to simplify my packages, but also I was booked out, like, really far in advance. I was booked out, honestly, like 10 weeks in advance. Um, and so I, I changed it so that nobody can pre-book and book online farther than six weeks in advance. And, um, I also, yeah, switched the packages around to simplify it, so that when they went to go book their appointments, because a lot of my clients do book out, like, farther than six weeks in advance for their appointments, like I do low, low maintenance color, right?

So they come like every 10 to 12 weeks or so. Um, it would make it super simple for them to just book one thing, and that's it. And then they're not contacting me like, "Hey, like, do I have to add a haircut to this? Do I have to add the Olaplex to this?"

Like, all of the things. It's just one thing, um, and that's it. So it made it like, so it was more simple for me and my clients and to lose a little bit of clients. But what I think is scaring me the most is the fact that I have no new guests.

Um, I'm just really scared. Jess, are you, um, are, are you doing your numbers? Are you making the same amount? If I ...

So a lot of people have been rescheduling lately for some reason. I don't know what it is, but it seems like it's been a lot more than usual lately. So that's kind of, like, messed up my numbers because I can't fill in ... I do have a wait list, but some people, like it doesn't ...

I don't really have that much of a wait list anymore actually, 'cause I'm not really getting new guests. I've gotten like all my other new guests who are on the wait list in at this point. But, um, so I have gaps on my books, so I'm making less, but I should be making more if my, if I didn't have those people rescheduling. And honestly, the booking, the six-week booking structure that I've now started implementing should help reduce that, and I should start seeing a difference in the next, like, month or two.

Yeah. Um, I like, I like the thought about looking about ... I, I, I like the thought about seeing how much you're making, right? Because that's like really like that bottom line that makes, that, you know, that's what, that ma- that's what matters at the end of the day.

So Michelle, I love that idea. I do think that it might have, it might have to take a little bit for you to be able to look at that number and like take it as like an accurate indication, right? Because you ... How long, when, when did you do your price increase?

A month ago? Yeah, it was about a month. Yeah. Jess, it takes time, girl.

Like, every time you do something that shifts your business, you're looking at about a quarter of the season to, like, really understand it and implement it and see what the changes are and did you make the right decision. I would say give it a little bit longer. Give it at least ... If your clients are coming within like the next 12 weeks, I would say give yourself 12 weeks to see what's happening and enjoy this time.

And just really focus on explaining to people what you're doing, so then they can understand what you're doing. Um, and I think that you would feel better, um, even if you wanted to reach out personally to each client and just go, "Hey, I just wanted to know what your ..." Or not, "Hey, I wanted to know what your thoughts are." But like, you know, "If you have any questions, I would love to like ...

Please reach out, um, and give me a shout-out. I'd love ... You know, I'm, I'm here to talk to you." Whatever, you know?

So, and maybe that'll help you feel better. But I know when I did the session pricing, it definitely, um, took some time. All right. I've been itching for this.

Okay. So for ... One of the things you said was that you don't post on Instagram very often. If you're doing such a big change, it's not your clients that you already have that are feeling this change, I don't think.

It's the new people, and so you're not getting an influx of new people. You need to speak to them more oft- That's where you need to spend your time and talking, upping your value, like Redonda said. That's one thing I see a lot of people talking about. We have to sell, you know, do, charge our worth.

Like, worth is a very emotional thing. Value is a tangible, like, experiencel-, like experience thing. That's part one. Um, and then two, you were just talking about the scheduling.

People rescheduling a lot. So, if people are like, "I really wanna be able to schedule eight weeks out," let them, but say, "Okay, but if you reschedule at any time, it's inconveniencing for me, and I don't have time for that, so there will be a charge of $10." Or any, you know, whatever, just so that it'll deter them from doing that. Or they'll have to give you something if they do reschedule, because it is a pain, even, even if you do have somebody to fill it with, but you don't always have somebody to fill it.

Okay. That's what I forgot about that. Alexis, I love it.Um, okay.

Love everything that everybody has said. I'm gonna ... Jess, I already told you this, but, um, you've had a steady flow of five to 10 new guest requests a month up until your price increase, right? That was because of the efforts that you may have been putting in already, or the structure and work that you already had put in, but maybe weren't keeping up with or being as consistent with.

And so now, you just made a change in your business, right? And with change, like everybody else said, there needs to come other things, right? If you wanna raise your prices, then there needs to be other things that are kept up with, changed, added, et cetera, et cetera. You are at a high ticket price point right now, and I don't think that you, uh, don't deserve it.

I think that you 100% deserve it, and I think that your indicators were there for this price increase. However, I think that we can't make scary j- and anxious judgments about everything that's going on yet, because you haven't gotten back into your flow of bringing your f- getting your funnel working, 'cause we ... So I know for me personally, when I was booked and busy and freaking crazy, I mean, I s- I have to do a price incre- crease like literally this week, but when I was booked and busy and crazy, when I was marketing to hairstylists, right? Or to freaking clients, not hairstylists, I know that I was getting new guest requests all the time, and therefore, I was able to take a month off social and not care.

I was able to not worry about getting reviews on my Google My Business because I was fine. I was getting these new guest requests, right? But then at a certain point, if I have to, if I wanna raise my prices, I knew if I wanted to raise my prices, then I know that inherently, if I'm not putting in work, then my guest requests are gonna go down. It is what it is.

So now, you have raised your prices. You're ar- you were already high ticket before you raised your prices. Now, you are high ticket and that is okay, and that's something you should be proud of. But now, it takes work to get those freaking people back into your chair and to make people see the perceived value of these prices.

So Jess, I really know that you are a smart, freaking beautiful human being who has worked hard to get to where you are right now, and it's going to take you getting really back into the flow of marketing again to get those new guest requests up again, because before it was like cake, it was easy, and because you just, you had already put in the infrastructure to make that happen. But I saw your Instagram, like you, you could be a little bit more consistent if you wanted to be, right? And I also think, like I said to you earlier, I think that you are in a scalable place to where I would consider hiring out a little bit of your marketing. And I, like I told you, I, I wanna come up with a class for that, for all of you guys about, you know, hiring out your marketing at some point, because the more, the higher your prices are, the more flow of traffic you need to make it, to make up for that high price, right?

So therefore, what that means is, is possibly adding another channel of marketing. It means adding more onto your plate, right? But we don't wanna add more onto your plate. And if you've gotten to a point where you've raised your prices, right?

Then you have earned scalability and you've earned the r- the, the income that you need to hire some of that stuff out and to keep it automated and keep that traffic really nice and high. So Jess, I don't think that you, you know, you have to hire somebody out right now. I don't think you have to necessarily add a new thing onto your plate right now. I think that you just need to revamp and, and re-up whatever you, you were doing prior to all of this happening.

Okay? I think that you need to really start working on your traffic again, and I think that that will solve your issue like tenfold. And sure, simplify your website, simplify your service menu, make sure that it makes sense. Like think about all the ways that you can make it as amazing and optimal as possible, I think that you've already done a pretty good job at that, and make it make sense to new clients, right?

But, but we need nobody, nobody ... If nobody's seeing the service menu, if nobody's seeing your website, if nobody's seeing your Instagram, then none of that matters at the end of the day, right? So let's work on getting more traffic into your funnel, and I really think that's like, that's gonna be helpful for you Now, recently ... Okay, first I'm gonna ask you how you feel about that No.

Yeah, I, I feel good. I think that everything that everybody said, like honestly, I feel a million times better. I just felt like I was suffocating all day. Yes.

Actually, Hunter, you helped me a lot this morning. That made me feel a lot better. But, um, no, I feel good. Thank you.

I appreciate everybody's input a lot. And you don't have to, you don't have to feel good. It's scary, like we're human beings and we like, and we are our own bosses, and we are our, our, we are responsible for our own income. Like that's scary sometimes, right?

And like making these big changes and decisions, it can be so much anxiety for us. And I'll tell you, I have gone through, I've had the biggest pit in my stomach these past two fucking months, dude. Like the biggest pit in my stomach. I feel you.

I understand you to my core. I know how you feel. I really, truly do, okay? And I recently, um, I actually recently I, I've, I've started therapy these past two months.

I've been doing a bunch of like coaching with people, of people getting, get coaching me. And what I started to realize is that I am not my fucking business, and when we let results create our...... feelings, right? We operate from desperation.

We operate from anxiety. We operate from spaces that don't let you show up as the badass CEO that you are. And so, what I'm gonna remind you is, is that the things that are happening in your business right now, if worse comes to fucking worse, you can always change things. If worse comes to worse, you can always lower your price.

Like, if worse comes to worse, right, then you can do what you need to do, but let's not worry, let's, let's not, let's not think about doing wor- what's worse comes to worse until we have tried to make this work for us first. Okay? And remember, you are not your business, and your worthiness is not, is not about how, how well you're doing in your business. And what's gonna happen right now, in all that you're learning in these lessons that you're having right now, that you're being taught right now, is you are going to grow so fucking much and you're gonna learn so fucking much, and you are going to uncover things and start doing things that you may have never done before if this didn't happen, that are gonna move you forward in a beautiful direction.

Okay? That's my motherfucking tea. Hide the children 'cause I'm just cursing it up. I, Jess, I, I changed my, like, entire, like, I was a la carte last year.

And in January, like, the worst time of all to, one, raise your prices or make big changes in your business, 'cause nobody wants to spend money in January, I switched to hourly pricing and raised my prices. So, like, to $100 an hour, and I was, like, maybe making $35, $40 an hour. So, like, I was vastly undercharging, and I wasn't busy. And I, after all, like, I feel all of those things that you're feeling, 'cause I literally spent days hyperventilating 'cause I'm like, "I don't know what I'm gonna do."

Um, but I will tell you that I try, I just, I fixed what I could. I worked on what I could, because you can't control anything, or any, everything. I just was like, "Okay, today I'm going to do this, and I'm gonna make these little tasks, and I'm gonna complete these little things because this is what I can focus on right now." And so I started getting really consistent on social media and explaining the value of why the way I changed my structure was important and valuable, because it was going to make their lives easier.

It was going to make the booking process smoother so they weren't having to message me or feel like, because I will tell you, I couldn't, I could be a billionaire off the amount of, "I don't wanna bother you, but." Like, I could be a billionaire off of that statement from clients. So, like, you, it's all about how you present it to them. Like, I've, you've heard Hunter say it a million times, positive energy will bring you back that positive energy, and he's 100% right on that.

Like, if you just explain in the most positive, exciting way about why what you just changed is so good for them, it's going to pay off. Because, like, I wasn't getting any new guest requests, and I'm gonna be really honest, I hadn't had a new guest request in probably, like, six months. But in the last month and a half, I've had, like, eight. So, it will change.

It just takes time. And as stressful as that is, if you really just, like, change your perspective on it, like, okay, today this is what I'm gonna focus on, it will make that, like, weight, that 1,000 pounds of weight on your chest so much easier to deal with because you're not thinking about tomorrow or the next day or next week. You're just thinking about what you can do today.

End of transcript. © 2022 Hunter Donia LLC.