Baffled by Choice?
• There are so many machines available – which is best value?
• How do I know I am going to make money – what is the market like now?
• Who can I trust? Sales people all claim their equipment is superior.
• Why are some machines so much more expensive than others?
• Could I buy off the internet and save money?
• Can I avoid investing in aesthetic technology and still do well?
• It’s a big investment and I am baffled by the choices so maybe I should just sit tight?
These are the kind of thoughts that run through the minds of many of our potential clients.
The beauty industry has changed unrecognisably over the last decade and particularly so over the last 5 years. It is still evolving and new technology is being brought to market every year, but the mask has been lifted and knowledge is abounding so that at least the practitioner can begin to dissect the rhetoric, and draw meaningful distinctions between the myriad of seemingly similar claims that range from the grounded (in evidence and theory) to the completely unfounded in both.
How many times have you heard that a certain technology, or even a cream, promotes (sometimes described even as produces) new collagen for example? Or that a product (equipment, topical, or oral) is rejuvenating or diminishes lines or removes pigmentation or stretch marks? Why would you pay £15K for an investment in technology when you could pay a fraction of that for products (say cosmecuetical serums or peels) to do the ‘same’? Why would you invest in a hair removal machine if you can buy one at the town centre pharmacy for £350? Is it a question of ‘you get what you pay for’? Or are some things over-priced and not worth paying for – are you really lining the pockets of business owners capitalising on a trend or growth sector?
Well. there is some truth in some aspects of many of these concerns:
• By and large you do get what you pay for. However this comes with a big proviso that this general dictum is certainly not always applicable! Many items of equipment have a price tag that reflects the high cost of marketing and brand promotion, high salaries and commissions, and other overheads, rather than being a more accurate reflection of the worth of the combined product and service offering. It is not unknown in the industry that some sales reps are allowed to charge what they like (aka can get away with) and the more they charge the more commission they make.
Obviously it is a fact of business that overheads and commissions (in some cases) and other direct and indirect costs are necessary for survival, but if you want value for your buck then it does not always follow that the higher the price, the higher the quality of product or more attentive the service. There are a host of factors making up the cost of the goods you buy.
• The converse adage: ‘If something seems too good to be true, it probably is’ should be taken seriously in this arena of aesthetics. There are people today making money in the beauty industry on the back of claims that are never able to be fulfilled – based on the physical and biological impossibility of the equipment or methodology they are applying. Yet they have either believed the unscrupulous hype (although in fairness, sometimes borne out of ignorance on the part of both the seller and purchaser), or they have chosen to capitalise on the market opportunities, taking a short term view.
We know of someone who has bought a gadget off eBay for £100 which is supposed to eradicate facial lines and he sells the treatments at £100/time. He seems convinced himself that the results of the ‘before and after’ pictures supplied by the vendor can be achieved, or is that to salve his conscience? – as there is no way, based on the technical capabilities of that gadget, that any genuine results are achievable in line with his marketing spiel. That is one option for a short lived business but let’s hope you can fool enough people for long enough if that is the route you choose! It is not one we would advocate.
Similarly, we have lost count of the number of people we have come across who have bought hair removal machines (IPL) from stores for a few hundred pounds, to be surprised at the length of time they take to administer and the fact that any minor reduction in hair is temporary at best.
Another example of unfulfilled expectations can be seen from the practice of one well known company which claims they can achieve permanent hair reduction using IPL on black skins without even any radio frequency or assisted heat. For those of you who know a little more about the technology, have a think how this could be – or not be achieved, as is the case!
But how does the average salon owner recognise the reality from the myth without a comprehensive technical understanding? Our advice would be to get some understanding before investing. This can be explained simply and should be done without undue bias or sales pressure by the reputable suppliers in the industry. But we all know how hard it is to remain unbiased when we are trying to make a living. You too will relate to this in your own business – if a client comes in and wants to have an Elemis facial and you offer Decleor, would you endeavour to emphasise the benefits of your own facials or just send them to the salon down the road? So we suggest you gather as much up to date independent information as you can. ‘Up to date’ is key, as many beauty colleges and private training companies, are struggling to keep pace and courses have often been written up historically and adapted slowly. Books are out of date before they are published. The internet and forums are as up to date as you can get (IPL hair removal machine reviews etc.) and they are dynamic, but be careful as they are also the domain of many amateur ‘specialists’.
But if you gather your info from as many sources as possible and speak to a number of suppliers you should be able to increase your knowledge and make an informed decision, recognising or working out the inconsistent or irrelevant. We have a couple of events coming up in September in London and Cheshire, if you want to get background info that you can then verify or build on, when doing your own research.
• I don’t know about you, but these days we get about 6 emails a day from ‘manufacturers’ of very cheap machines, that are distance selling. Many of these companies also sell on the internet or are now dominating the search pages. Some are agents of manufacturers and most notable by the fact they are all offering the same machines; others are opportunists and some may be genuine manufacturers of varying reliability and quality.
There are some hazards in dealing with companies who are unknown and unproven in the industry, from an obvious safety perspective. But even if the machines are safe and suitable for purpose, this is just one aspect to be considered as many who have bought off the internet have come to learn. Training and support to ensure continuity of service and safe practice are essential when dealing with light and heat based products – in order to get results and to sustain them whilst operating safely and knowledgeably.
If the machine develops a fault whether inherent or from inaccurate usage, are you able to wait for weeks, maybe even months, or never, for the machine to be repaired? Are your clients? Your reputation, in a service orientated business, is everything. If the investment you are considering is likely to affect this, then think very carefully if you want to stay in business.
• We often get asked how the industry is faring (as we also run our own clinics). You will know from the media (magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, internet etc) that the non invasive aesthetics industry is a huge growth sector despite the general state of the economy. It is a sign of our times, that in the developed world where our basic hierarchy of needs has been met, that we aspire to look and feel younger.
We are also at that juncture in time where scientific discoveries have made possible things that were previously not – in terms of cell re-generation, permanent disabling of hair follicles, ingredients that can travel further into the dermal layers, technologies that can interact safely with skin tissue to eradicate unwanted marks and blemishes; and if these things are affordable then there is clearly a big market for them.
However that is not to say that you will make a huge success of a business simply by buying a piece of equipment. Business is business; and if you have the best machine in the world, but it sits in the corner of your salon and no-one knows it is there, you will not make money. Marketing is key as is knowing your intended market. Do you want to go down the cheap deal route – we recommend not for all sorts of reasons. So if your competition are doing this you will have to differentiate yourself in other ways. It can be done and is being done by the most successful companies. If you are unable to offer luxurious surroundings and can’t afford staff due to a lack of resources – financial and other, then you have to be creative in other ways – in promoting complementary packages and expertise that your competitors are not marketing. There are all sorts of ways to run a business and to assess whether you are going to make good money by investing in a hair removal and anti-ageing system, you have to consider your overall commitment levels and capability, as the tools are available but you have to use them.
• What we have all seen is that the industry has moved in a direction from where there is no return. Concorde may have been withdrawn from service (as indeed some extreme cosmetic treatments have fallen out of favour) but planes will not stop being used to transport us to places we could only dream of generations ago. The same is true of beauty and aesthetics: we will not settle for the sun damaged, aged look, when we can easily take years off our appearance, safely and comfortably; we will not continue with the tweezing or waxing week and month in and out, when there are more permanent solutions for unwanted hair removal.
Non invasive aesthetic treatments are now non negotiable in terms of the clients’ wish list – and they are becoming mainstream. The beauty industry is awash with therapists all trying to make a living in one of the most competitive industries. There are few if any barriers to entry in this profession so it has been easy to set up as a mobile therapist or even possible to set up a salon without too much capital, in the past. But it has not been so easy to make money, given there is plenty of supply in relation to the demand for traditional beauty treatments. Now things have changed: a chasm is being created between those who are recognising that our industry has taken a quantum leap forward – like the computer and mobile phone industry before us, and there will be winners and losers. The winners will not be those who don’t embrace the new opportunities.
It is time to quickly re-evaluate where you want to go and how you are going to get there in this brave new world. If you feel excited by the prospects now open to you both professionally and financially then please contact us. If you are feeling apprehensive and worried for your survival going forward, take a more optimistic and proactive stance remembering the words of Winston Churchill:
‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty’
Your attitude and your actions are going to be the most likely predictors of your success than what machine you buy (although that goes completely against the grain for me to admit it – as we firmly believe our machines are best in class!) Imagine the combination of both though! We’re here to provide our contribution to your success.
Please phone us on 01925 446688 if you would like us to visit to explain and demonstrate our technology or if you would like to attend one of our information days.
