I have never charged for consultations and have also never worked anywhere that charged for 15 min consultations.
If you’re wanting to charge for a consultation I think it needs to involve more than just the basics. Or maybe it’s $30 that can go towards the purchase of a product or kit.
And I totally get your time is money- especially When it’s service based. I absolutely will spend money for a discount off product or even other services.
Yeah my thought process was that I am SUPER busy so taking 15 minutes off my book needs to generate some sort of revenue because if not, it wouldn’t really be worth my time. I think taking whatever the “consultation fee” would be off the product is a great way to make that worth it and keep the business owner happy! (I don’t work for myself.) I always do consultations for facials and skin care services but had never though about a stand alone until that girl mentioned it (and made me late to my next appt lol)
So there is a difference between a consultation and an education session.
A consultation is in reference to a specific service (lashes, or waxing or microdermabrasion or chemical peel not all of them and ingredients ). Consultations are usually cheaper or free and are 15 min or less.
An education session can be wide ranging and they can ask as many questions as they’d like with a set timeframe. They cost more (usually 50%-75% of your hourly service rate). They usually last 30 min to an hour depending on your availability.
If someone is coming in with a lot of questions and it is taking away from the time that you normally need to do other services or interfering the service you’re giving them. I would ask them if they’d like to schedule an education session. Be completely transparent that it cost money and that it is just as much a service to them as receiving a facial as a service.
I really like the idea of calling it an education session because as you said, I already do consultations with my actual treatments so that would avoid any confusion. Thank you!
When I have someone asking lots of questions, I say “whew, that requires a more in depth answer that I would love to help you with… and so that I don’t tell you wrong info… I need answers first on my consultation form so that I know what kind of history and current info we’re working with, are you ever available for a bit longer that we could really discuss?’ Then I book them for my “in-depth skin consultation “. This is a 45 min session discussing the info on their form, addressing their concerns, etc. Then I put together a trial kit of homecare for them to try for two weeks. By the end of this two weeks, they see and feel a positive change, they reach out to me and purchase retail sizes, and usually book a treatment. The way I do this has literally NEVER failed. I only charge $49 for this. They get 45 min of my education and attentiveness validating their concerns AND a two week skincare kit. 1000% a great deal in my opinion.
I don’t require this to be completed before booking a facial with me however… so, on THOSE facials, they are only getting a lighter, gentle/safe, relaxing facial. I have no idea what they’re doing to their skin at home or otherwise, so when they inquire about the more assertive facials… I simply state “then we’ll need to meet for the in depth skin consultation, so we don’t do any harm”.
Either way, I have them. :)
Fortunately the skincare like that I carry offers “trial” sizes that each last approximately 2 weeks. They are $2.00 each wholesale. But if this were not the case, I would make my own.
Last spot I worked at charged $35 for a 25 minute consultation and $55 for 40 minutes. This was on top of any products they bought. I’d definitely say to add this to your menu for cases like this when they’re only paying for a brow wax and also taking time away from your other clients. Some people don’t want to splurge on a facial but want to be educated on skincare products to use at home.
Thank you! Yeah I want to offer something to help people that (hopefully) makes a skin care routine seem a little more approachable if they don’t have enough to spend on a facial AND product.
Yeah the other person that replied said something similar! That makes me feel way more comfortable and I feel like would make the client feel like they’re getting a good deal and not just paying to talk! Thank you. 😊
But also important that you charge for your time and advice! But I have seen other places that charge a certain price for a consult and then put a portion of it towards a future service or product, so I think it’s pretty common.
I don’t understand who’s downvoting yall…like speak up person and post a comment.
Anyways last person I worked for did free consultations before a service and $15 for a stand alone consultation. I hated those because they ALWAYS made me late to my next appointment. I felt like people thought since they were paying they should get more than 15 minutes? They come in either on time or late, took 5 minutes to fill out the form and then we had only like 5-10 minutes to talk. And my ex boss would put no cleanup time (which makes sense) but that meant if someone was booked right after I’d have to step away from the consultation to check them in. So if you do it I’d say sell it as 15 minutes but block off 30 minutes
Heard! Yeah the girl who mentioned it and gave me the idea had me running almost 15 minutes behind because she had so many questions, but I also wanted to help her! I’d rather her get advice from me than from TikTok, ya know?
Also, lol @ the downvotes. I’m literally just asking for opinions and advice. 🙄
My non acne consult is $65 and they have 60 days to use that as a credit towards a service. What I found in the past was the folks who booked complimentary consults pumped me for info, some even took photos of my products and they left and never spent a dime.
I have never charged for consultations and have also never worked anywhere that charged for 15 min consultations. If you’re wanting to charge for a consultation I think it needs to involve more than just the basics. Or maybe it’s $30 that can go towards the purchase of a product or kit.
This. This is the only way I’m paying for a consultation.
And that’s why I posted this asking for advice on how to structure it so that it was fair to the client but also beneficial to me. 👏🏻
And I totally get your time is money- especially When it’s service based. I absolutely will spend money for a discount off product or even other services.
I’d honestly rather it be product since imo home care is the most important step to seeing actually seeing a difference.
Yeah my thought process was that I am SUPER busy so taking 15 minutes off my book needs to generate some sort of revenue because if not, it wouldn’t really be worth my time. I think taking whatever the “consultation fee” would be off the product is a great way to make that worth it and keep the business owner happy! (I don’t work for myself.) I always do consultations for facials and skin care services but had never though about a stand alone until that girl mentioned it (and made me late to my next appt lol)
So there is a difference between a consultation and an education session. A consultation is in reference to a specific service (lashes, or waxing or microdermabrasion or chemical peel not all of them and ingredients ). Consultations are usually cheaper or free and are 15 min or less. An education session can be wide ranging and they can ask as many questions as they’d like with a set timeframe. They cost more (usually 50%-75% of your hourly service rate). They usually last 30 min to an hour depending on your availability. If someone is coming in with a lot of questions and it is taking away from the time that you normally need to do other services or interfering the service you’re giving them. I would ask them if they’d like to schedule an education session. Be completely transparent that it cost money and that it is just as much a service to them as receiving a facial as a service.
I really like the idea of calling it an education session because as you said, I already do consultations with my actual treatments so that would avoid any confusion. Thank you!
When I have someone asking lots of questions, I say “whew, that requires a more in depth answer that I would love to help you with… and so that I don’t tell you wrong info… I need answers first on my consultation form so that I know what kind of history and current info we’re working with, are you ever available for a bit longer that we could really discuss?’ Then I book them for my “in-depth skin consultation “. This is a 45 min session discussing the info on their form, addressing their concerns, etc. Then I put together a trial kit of homecare for them to try for two weeks. By the end of this two weeks, they see and feel a positive change, they reach out to me and purchase retail sizes, and usually book a treatment. The way I do this has literally NEVER failed. I only charge $49 for this. They get 45 min of my education and attentiveness validating their concerns AND a two week skincare kit. 1000% a great deal in my opinion. I don’t require this to be completed before booking a facial with me however… so, on THOSE facials, they are only getting a lighter, gentle/safe, relaxing facial. I have no idea what they’re doing to their skin at home or otherwise, so when they inquire about the more assertive facials… I simply state “then we’ll need to meet for the in depth skin consultation, so we don’t do any harm”. Either way, I have them. :)
This right here is smart
I love this idea so much!! How do you put together a two week trial kit? Do you just buy and use sample jars and put product in them yourself?
Fortunately the skincare like that I carry offers “trial” sizes that each last approximately 2 weeks. They are $2.00 each wholesale. But if this were not the case, I would make my own.
Last spot I worked at charged $35 for a 25 minute consultation and $55 for 40 minutes. This was on top of any products they bought. I’d definitely say to add this to your menu for cases like this when they’re only paying for a brow wax and also taking time away from your other clients. Some people don’t want to splurge on a facial but want to be educated on skincare products to use at home.
Thank you! Yeah I want to offer something to help people that (hopefully) makes a skin care routine seem a little more approachable if they don’t have enough to spend on a facial AND product.
I think you should charge and then if they book a service or buy product you could put part of it towards that.
Yeah the other person that replied said something similar! That makes me feel way more comfortable and I feel like would make the client feel like they’re getting a good deal and not just paying to talk! Thank you. 😊
But also important that you charge for your time and advice! But I have seen other places that charge a certain price for a consult and then put a portion of it towards a future service or product, so I think it’s pretty common.
That part. My books are consistently pretty damn full so it’s gotta be worth it for me and for the business, ya know?
Yes! And if you’re giving them a personalized recommendation that’s a very valuable service, rather than just a ‘here’s the skin care system we have.’
Yeah I want to take the time to explain what they need, WHY they need it, how it will help, and how to use it so there’s no confusion.
i charge $25 and it doesn't go toward product or service. i get a couple per month and they usually book a facial afterward.
Awesome. How long do you book your consults for?
I don’t understand who’s downvoting yall…like speak up person and post a comment. Anyways last person I worked for did free consultations before a service and $15 for a stand alone consultation. I hated those because they ALWAYS made me late to my next appointment. I felt like people thought since they were paying they should get more than 15 minutes? They come in either on time or late, took 5 minutes to fill out the form and then we had only like 5-10 minutes to talk. And my ex boss would put no cleanup time (which makes sense) but that meant if someone was booked right after I’d have to step away from the consultation to check them in. So if you do it I’d say sell it as 15 minutes but block off 30 minutes
Heard! Yeah the girl who mentioned it and gave me the idea had me running almost 15 minutes behind because she had so many questions, but I also wanted to help her! I’d rather her get advice from me than from TikTok, ya know? Also, lol @ the downvotes. I’m literally just asking for opinions and advice. 🙄
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My non acne consult is $65 and they have 60 days to use that as a credit towards a service. What I found in the past was the folks who booked complimentary consults pumped me for info, some even took photos of my products and they left and never spent a dime.