Be professional - buy professional
Everyone wants to be taken seriously and if we're discussing business we are therefore discussing professionalism.
“Professionalism - noun, pro·fes·sion·al·ism, \prə-ˈfesh-nə-ˌli-zəm, -ˈfe-shə-nə-ˌli-\.
1. the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterise or mark a profession or a professional person.
2. the following of a profession (such as athletics) for gain or livelihood.”
What defines professionalism for a nail technician? Every single decision (s)he makes, every action (s)he takes, more specifically, the manner in which (s)he conducts her/himself when conducting services or any instance dealing with customers.
There is plenty, if not an endless amount, of aspects to talk about. Here, I want to focus on the impact of the products we buy, on the services we provide. Consequently, the way that allows us to project our image to our customers and peers, and the impact that has in our industry.
To me, buying professional products or not, is not a topic I am prepared to question as an industry professional, nor in my business ventures. However many in the industry think differently. Here is why I believe you should buy from professional brands and the impact that has on your professionalism.
There is an impact for you as a nail tech and an impact for you as a customer too.
As a professional buying professional means, you ride on the back of a good name brand. Therefore you benefit from its branding and brand awareness in the particular audience you want to attract. It also means, or it should mean (and the topic of choosing which brands to represent will come soon in another post), that you will have a pool of resources to draw from when needed. From the aforementioned branding to training and ongoing product support.
Next and perhaps, more importantly, there is an element of this choice that has the potential of making or breaking your career. Choosing professional means that if you choose a responsible organisation to associate yourself with, you have some legal reassurance that your liability is limited to a minimum. Yes, that's right. If you sell and use a certain brand while providing your services to the public, you are liable and open to legal action against the company you represent. Whatever brand you choose to use means you represent that brand, its products, its decisions, statements, etc. This is also why it is important to have a liability cover when choosing an insurance package for yourself (whether you are a solo practitioner or part of a team - also a theme for another post!).
Lastly and maybe the most superficial of all, but one all nail techs cannot resist to, there is the matter of range and choice itself. A good pro brand will have your back through and through across all services you provide (and yes, I really want to write about choosing the perfect brand(s) for you). It will provide you with loads of colour, price and product range to choose from. You should be able to keep up with market trends and techniques through the brand you choose. And if you can't that is probably a telltale sign to move on.
As a nail tech, or nail and beauty industry professional, you should be able to back your services and the brand you choose up when servicing your customers. You need to transmit the same level of confidence you have in your brands to your customers, in the same way your brand (should do) does to you. Your customers should feel that confidence in the way you describe your products, the confidence with which you use them and in your methodic approach to your processes (this is materialisation and result of your training).
You are what you buy and what you use.
What brands do you currently use? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.