Story Time with Olga: Always Listen to Your Clients

This year I realized yet again, how all of us are so different. 

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Like many, in 2020 I’ve had time to myself I have not had in years. Time away from everyday work, my kids’ extracurriculars and the normal hustle and bustle we’ve become accustomed to. I was excited to spend this free time on my passions- dare I say it- on my dreams! How can you judge someone for being excited about what lights them up in life?

We all have our reasons. We have views and opinions based on what we’re taught and what we’ve learned in life. But entirely separate from these are our feelings.

Our feelings are not something we decide.

We can try to explain why we have the feelings we do, but it doesn’t work the other way around. We don’t think about something and then make an educated decision on how to feel about it. The feeling is innate and uncontrollable. We can only control how we respond to the feeling, which lies deeper inside us.

Often, people think they know what’s best for someone else. And in the beauty industry, this happens a lot. As beauty professionals, we are trained to know the industry standards; how- the nail- for example, is supposed to look. Our job is literally to better the appearance of something based on our training. As nail artists, we are well versed and educated on proper nail structure. We know the beauty standards and we are sure applying this to our client’s nails will always make them happy.

This is a big myth.

While most clients opt for these standard looks, some prefer their own aesthetic ideas. I would say about 80% of my clients want their nails done the way I recommend, and while 100% of them trust me, 20% of them know exactly how they want their nails to look and want them done that way.

Then there’s two sides of each of those coins. Within the 80% are clients who are up to try new designs that come into trend, and those who want their tried and true look every single appointment for years! As for the remaining 20%, there are clients who tweak an already existing look and then those who want to create something entirely different! 

Not all clients are made equal.

And we should never try to change them. 

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I had one client at the beginning of my career who wanted her nails done wider at the tips and two thirds of her nail bed white. This made her nails look very bulky and heavy. It went against every structure standard I had ever learned! So one day, I actually convinced her to try her nails my way. She let me and I was so happy to do it. I was sure that once she saw how beautiful they looked this way, she would never ask me for her other design ever again. 

I was so proud of my work! But I was also so mistaken. 

Her next appointment she tells me, “Please do my nails the way you hate them- I will love them!” I realized that I put so much pressure on her to try something else that she thought I hated her nails. They certainly weren’t my favourite nails to do, but I didn’t want her to feel judged by me. I’m someone who should make her feel good about herself!

From then on I made it a priority to listen to my clients. They know what they want. And they know themselves better than I do! If they want advice, they will ask for it!

Sure, as beauty professionals we are in the business of making our clients look beautiful. But isn’t it more important that they feel beautiful? Doesn’t true beauty come from the inside? I believe our job as nail techs is not only to create beautiful nails for our clients, but to make them feel comfortable in knowing that we will listen them. This way, they can tell us exactly what kind of nails they want. 

Our clients should be able to express themselves and look the way they want to look.

Day one of my basic training I tell my students, “Always listen to your clients!”