PMU industry – What happened when covid-19 changed the world forever?
March 4th, 2020 I was at the airport feeling very excited about meeting my family in Brazil after 16 long months.
I planned this 3 weeks trip very carefully to be sure that I would be able to be back to work on march 26th… well, as you all know things got complicated due to covid-19.
I had 3 flights cancelled and finally stepped on American soil on april 15th. Only 10 passengers on board, 5 flight attendants, everybody terrified and after a 10h layover in Houston, TX, I could finally arrive in Nashville, TN. I quarantined myself for 20 days and went back to work on may, 6th.
Before covid-19 I was running my PMU business in a very smooth way, not a lot of rules, no safety deposit or no-show/late cancellation fees… but that had to change when I had 65 clients to fit back in my schedule, at least 10 people calling every day to book an appointment and no time to waste! I had to give priority to the “follow up treatment” clients since all of them paid a full fee at their first appointment.
Being in the PMU industry for almost 25 years in 2 different countries educated me that I shouldn ́t give reasons for people to talk bad about my business, so I worked very hard for almost 4 weeks to be sure that all my “pre covid-19” clients would be satisfied with their second treatment.
I stopped doing previous consultations a long time ago way before covid-19. I didn ́t feel comfortable about charging for a consultation at that point so I ended up with many no-shows, “just curious” clients and even other artists trying to get information about my inks, techniques and procedures.
The choice I made was: when people called I explained to them that the consultation would be included in the first appointment since I would save at least 3h for them and I would only perform the PMU procedure after their total approval on shape and color.
I had couple of clients feeling not so sure about having it done so I just dismissed them for obvious reasons.
Now, in the covid-19 era, what would be the best way to conduct my business? What about the new clients trying to get a spot while I was working on follow ups for 4 weeks? Yes, I had to take action! I turned my over the phone friendly personal level scheduling to online and decided to start charging $50 security deposit since my goal was to make the best out of my time.
At first I worried I would not have enough clients coming and consequently would not make enough money to pay for my debts: We stayed closed for 8 weeks, I didn ́t get any government financial support and my biggest concerns were:
- Will people come to my business without talking to me over the phone as before?
- Will be okay for them to pay $50 non-refundable security deposit without asking all the questions regarding the procedure?
- What happens if I get bad candidates and my 3h spot goes to waste?
For the first time in 7 years since I opened my business in Murfreesboro, TN I had to focus on setting rules and make my business go with the covid-19 flow.
What I really noticed is that clients accept rules easier right now since a lot of things changed. When my client books online I always welcome them with a warm text message.
I also send them the covid-19 safety guidelines and pre-procedure care instructions. I asked them if they had further questions about the procedure after they read the instructions.
They were told to text me when they parked outside my shop so I could open the front door (in TN we are not allowed to take walk-ins since we reopened), I always checked their temperature and take them to the sink so they can wash their hands. Mask was mandatory and they cannot bring guests. All surfaces were disinfected with barbicide, bleach and UVC light between clients. They appreciated my concern and agree with all rules!
Surprisingly I was overbooked! I didn´t have a spot available in less than 2 months and I didn ́t get one single no-show since I started with my online only scheduling rule! I feel my business looks more professional right now. When people see how booked I am they feel that the service will be worth the wait! Word of mouth and social media helps a lot mostly when we artists can display our before and after pictures in regular basis showing people that we are really busy!
“If life gives you lemons, make a lemonade, or a margarita”
With that being said, I personally cannot complain about covid-19 at all. I had to cancel my trainings and apprenticeships for a while since we couldn´t have more than 2 people in the studio and of course I feel sorry for the businesses located in states which were still in lockdown for a long time, but thinking about the final balance I believe my business stepped up and looks more reliable and professional due to the changes.
I feel happy for writing this article and share my experience amid covid-19. I was born and raised in a third world country (Brazil) and life was always a challenge down in South America, so I call myself a survivor! Yes, we will all survive this pandemic and our business will grow if we know how to adapt and be creative in our marketing strategies. Wish you guys the best vibes! Namaste!