On my travels I’m asked many questions about the nail industry and I pride myself on always providing truthful answers even when this may annoy my competitors. This is just the way I am and if you see me in September at the Olympia Beauty Show in London, or attend one of my summer seminars, you will get the opportunity to put this to the test. Come up and ask me a question and if I can answer it, I will. One of the questions I’m asked over and over again is, which system is the best? People are always looking for the reassurance that what they are doing is the most attractive and best proposition. I am fortunate in that I know from talking to many of the trainer who work for me, that they are also asked this question. Is acrylic the choice of technician’s worldwide or is it gel? Well, having traveled to over 90 countries, I can tell you that the most popular systems are usually the ones that develop in that particular country first. In the United States it has been true that acrylic liquid & powder nails have been the most popular and the companies that provided the acrylic systems for many years have been the ones that experienced the most growth. In many cases these companies made a point in their marketing that anything other than acrylic was a real ‘no-no’.
Now, when I travel to Europe, and in particular the eastern countries, gel is with out a doubt the most popular system. In the UK, I’ve seen the rise of fiberglass, liquid & powder and now I can see the growth in the UV gels. Running a manufacturing company I’ve always made sure that I offered nail technicians every system available. I viewed this as an obvious decision to make – why would I want to have a group of nail technicians who could not buy products from me? This is a little bit like a restaurant that only service beef and not fish or chicken. For me, the best system has always been the one that the technician is most comfortable with. The truth, and I use that word as much as I can, is that the systems are very closely related and as a good technician striving to become a great technician, which I hope you all are… You need to be able to master all systems and there are very real business decisions as to why you should and must do this.
When you have a customer visit your salon who has already experienced nail extensions and is happy with the system that she has had applied, then you must be in a position to offer that system to the client. You, as a nail professional, also need as many competitive advantages over your competition as possible. You must have the ability to offer manicure, pedicure and all types of nail extensions systems, as this may just be the thing that either keeps your current customer or attracts new customers and we all need as many customers as possible with the current state of the economy.
So my team has decided to embrace the fact that there is a place for all systems. The launch of Star Nails new range is in it self a complete eco system for nails. You have a powder that can be used with a liquid or a gel; the gel can be used on its own or with a powder, it is proof positive that the nail systems are more interrelated than you might think and that there is with out a doubt a place for all!
When I’m asked which system I prefer, the only stipulation is that I would always favor the system with the lowest odor. Your salon environment, for your customers and colleagues, will be better with the low, or no-odor product option.
So next time you go to a restaurant and they tell you that you can only have a main course or that you can have dessert but no starter, just remember how many customers that restaurant will be turning away! It’s a simple thing, which can be related to your business… think on!
