Good care deserves a sound business behind it. This edition covers pricing, menus, rebooking and marketing that stays on the right side of the advertising codes.
From the editors
Many people come to scalp care because they want to help. Fewer come to it because they love spreadsheets. That is entirely understandable, and it is also why so many skilled practitioners undercharge, overwork and quietly wonder whether the business is sustainable.
This edition is about the practical side of the work. We look at the consultation as something of value in its own right, at how to arrive at prices you can explain, and at how to build a menu that makes sense to the people reading it.
We also look at rebooking and aftercare, which can feel like selling when done badly and like continuity of care when done well. And we set out, in general terms, how the advertising codes in the UK and Ireland apply to what you say about your services.
Running a business well is not at odds with caring for clients. A practice that pays its way is one that can keep investing in training, equipment and time, and that is still there when a client needs it.
The Trichollective editorial team
Practice
The most valuable thing you offer is not a massage, a serum or a device. It is the hour in which you listen, look and think.
Photograph Farhang Kokabian / Unsplash
Words by the Trichollective editorial team
Ask most practitioners what they sell and they will name treatments. Ask their most loyal clients what they value and the answer is often different: someone finally took the time to understand what was going on. The consultation is where your knowledge is most visible, and yet it is the part of the service most often given away.
A free consultation tells clients, without meaning to, that the conversation is a preamble to the real product. It can attract people who are shopping around rather than seeking help, and it puts quiet pressure on you to convert the conversation into a sale. Charging for it, or folding its cost clearly into a first treatment, changes the tone for everyone.
“A free consultation tells clients the conversation is only a preamble. It is not.
Clients value what they can see. A written summary sent after the appointment, a copy of the baseline photographs, and a clear note of what happens next all turn an intangible hour into something they can hold. They also give the client something useful to show their doctor if a referral is needed.
Pricing the consultation properly also frees you to be honest. If you are not relying on every conversation to end in a course of treatment, you can tell a client that they do not need one. Few things build trust faster.
Start by timing your consultations for a month, including the notes and follow-up you do afterwards. The number is usually larger than people expect, and it is the right starting point for a price.
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Next · Edition 05
Light and devices
What the evidence does and doesn't say.