“Are my prices too high?”

We’ve all had this thought pop into our minds at one time or another. Most likely, it raises its ugly head when you’re feeling a little insecure about your business. Maybe you don’t have as many clients as you would like and you tell yourself it’s because of your price.

So, what do you do?

You wave the white flag of business ownership and find yourself asking a string of questions to other lash artists in a Facebook forum.

You ask…what should I charge if I’m new? What should I be charging if I’ve been doing lashes for years? What do you other lash artists charge for full sets? And, the big one…is my price too high?

If you take this route and ask any of these questions, I can promise that you’ll get the answer you’re looking for. But it won’t be the answer you NEED.

{If you want to listen to the podcast episode on this topic, click on the player at the top of the post. Alternatively you can watch the video below, or read on…}

Do you think your price point is too high?

Well, if you ask this question on a Facebook forum, you’ll probably see at least one response or piece of evidence that supports that belief and take that as proof that, yes… indeed your price is too high, and that’s why clients aren’t pouring through your doors.

On the other hand, if you think your price is too low, you’ll probably get a few responses that agree with you and others that tell you the opposite. But if you think your low rates are the reason your business is struggling to keep its head above water and yet you can’t possibly charge more because you’re charging the same as your competitors…it’s time for some tough love.

Facebook forums are a great source of community and learning new things, but as far as business, medical and law advice is concerned, the forums are a death trap.

Facebook won’t tell you jack squat about what your price says about your business because they don’t know your business.

Your MARKETPLACE will tell you why you don’t have clients…you just have to listen.

Whatever you do, don’t take business advice from random lash artists from halfway around the world. They may have good intentions and genuinely want to help you, but they won’t give you the advice you need to actually attract more clients and grow your business.

Don’t take their word for it. Instead, do your own research!

In this blog post, I’m going to give you some honest, supportive and helpful business advice so that you can come up with your own theory as to why you may be struggling with your business.

1. Experiment with Price

Okay, let’s say that you have the following hypothesis:

“My prices are too high, and clients think I’m too expensive.”

I’m going to suggest that you experiment with your price a bit more. This will help you to identify the root of the problem and reveal whether your prices are driving clients away.

Don’t worry. You don’t need to put on a lab coat to carry out this experiment. It’s a simple one that even your grandmother could do!

So, let’s begin by changing your price temporarily. The best way to do this is to offer a limited time deal for whatever price point you think is the “right” price. If you do this and get an influx of new clients then yeah, maybe your price was an attributing factor as to why clients stayed clear of your services.

But if you lower the price and there’s still no clients, it’s your marketing that’s the issue, not your price point.

Put on your detective hat and do a little investigation around your local area. If you see other lash artists in your city or town charging a higher price than you, it’s a clear sign that there is a market out there that’s willing to pay premium prices for the services that you offer. And I’m willing to bet that the reason that the other lash artist is swarming with clients is because she markets like a pro.

Don’t think that you have to lower your prices to get clients through the door, because let me tell you, your success does not depend on you being the cheapest lash artist in your area.

So, if it’s NOT your price point, what can we do to test out why your business is so slow?

Well, we can test out your marketing.

I know what you’re thinking… ”But can’t I run my business without marketing?”

And I have one answer for you…nope!

If you deluded yourself into thinking the age-old “Build it and they will come” mentality works for business, think again. If you actually want to make money, you’ve got to learn how to market yourself.

2. Experiment with your Platforms

The next experiment I’m going to suggest is relates to how you post, interact and engage with potential customers on various platforms.

This is something I encourage everyone inside The Lashpreneur Society to try for themselves. We even had a 30-day Instagram Challenge recently with the goal to grow your following with actual potential clients rather than lash artists or the wrong types of followers.

The challenge was a complete success, and all participants had to do was post every single day for 30 days.

Couldn’t be easier than that, right? They were taught how to use hashtags more effectively and in a way that got more people to find them by using the right types of hashtags. They documented their results, and everyone saw a positive shift from more profile visits to an increase in their follower count and website visits.

By merely experimenting with the platform, they were able to leverage it as a useful tool to help grow their business – and you can do the same!

Of course, you can experiment with other platforms besides Instagram. Why not try to post more frequently on Facebook and track the results? If you’re posting similar things each week, try and switch things up by alternating your call-to-action at the end of the post. Increase engagement by asking your followers a question, request a “like” or ask them to comment and start a dialogue with people on social media.

You can do some A/B testing with Facebook Advertising. Maybe you could try running an ad in conjunction with your posts and see if it helps you to reach a wider audience and generate more leads.

Experiment with the type of content you post on your social media platforms too. If you’re continually displaying static images and not seeing much engagement, why don’t you try posting a short video now and then?

Head over to Instagram Stories and mix up your content a little more. Try running more polls and ask different questions to your audience. Did you know that 84% of consumers have bought something after watching a video? That’s one statistic you should be paying attention to!

When you experiment with your platforms, you’ll start to see a shift in your business performance online, and you might even gain more momentum to grow your business.

3. Experiment with In-Person Vs. Online Marketing

If you want more clients through the door, you’ve got to market your business. But finding the type of marketing that works well for you requires some experimentation. As you may know, I’m a huge advocate for online marketing, BUT I also love in-person marketing strategies too, especially if you want to develop meaningful relationships with your clients.

So, one of my top pieces of advice for you is to try both!

Word of mouth marketing is often more effective than any other form of marketing, particularly with lash businesses who have a smaller clientele. The next time you have a client who loves her new lashes, ask her if she would be happy to recommend your services to a friend. This is an excellent way to generate new clients and get people talking about your business.

You can also try to develop more strategic partnerships with other business owners in your local community. Cross-marketing is effective both online and offline. Don’t be afraid to ask other business owners to refer their clients to you and offer to return the favor.

When it comes to online marketing, experiment with your CTA’s and take some time to carry out hashtag research. Find out which ones work for you in your social media marketing and which ones are better left out in the cold.

If your website isn’t attracting as much traffic as you would like, it’s time to switch things up. Think of it as an experimental makeover for your site. It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy or high-tech either, simply switching grainy photos for high-quality stock images may be enough to generate more interest in your business. You can also try other things like using pictures of older clients or changing out the text etc.

The changes you make don’t have to move the earth. Even one tiny switch can have a significant impact on your business and start to get people to connect with you and, more importantly, spark their interest and make them want to book an appointment with you!

4. Experiment with WHO you’re Marketing to

If your marketing is excellent but it’s still not driving people to your business, it’s probably time to adjust who it is you’re marketing to.

For example, if you do very natural looking lashes but all of your marketing is catered to a younger clientele who are price sensitive and may prefer more of a dramatic lash look, it’s a good idea to change up your marketing. Maybe you can start marketing to an older clientele such as moms in their 30’s or even grandmothers in their late 50’s who are more likely to be interested in the types of lashes you do.

It’s important to consider who it is you should be marketing to and then coming up with a marketing strategy that speaks to your MFC (Most Favorite Client type).

Invest in Yourself as a Business Owner

I know when you’re struggling in your business, you want a quick fix. You want to stop the pain now. But you likely got into this position by trying shortcuts, following bad advice, and not committing to what it takes to run a business.

So, I encourage you to try something new. Step outside of your comfort zone. Take a risk. Invest in yourself as a business owner because what’s waiting for you on the other side of that struggle is a clientele packed with full-price paying women who you love to work with AND a business and a life you can be proud of and that YOU built.

If you want a forum of like-minded women who are committed to learning and evolving as business owners and who give you credible, tried and true advice, join us inside The Lashpreneur Society.

One aspect of the society is Our Facebook Community. It is a highly engaged, highly impactful, and highly transformative group where we share wins, struggles, and advice on strategies that actually work and move your business forward… and no, Groupon is a banned word in our group.

It’s also where I spend A LOT of time engaging with members to help them get through their hurdles and where we support what you learn through our training on how to start, build and grow a thriving lash business on your own terms.

We only open registration a few times a year, so sign up for our waitlist to be notified when we open up registration to new members at thelashpreneur.com/society

Have a Good One!

Tara Walsh

The Lashpreneur