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Makeup booking deposit?!
Over the last few weeks I've had SO many last minute cancellations from clients, which has cost me money due to those appointments slots going to waste by me turning down other potential clients that could have booked. I take deposit for the wedding day, but I DON'T take deposit for wedding trials, special occasion makeup, prom makeup etc so I've started telling clients I take a deposit now for ALL bookings. Problem is, now when I say that to people, they don't want to book or they say they don't have PayPal etc to pay the deposit. Maybe they think I'm bring dodgy or something or feel wary about paying money to someone they haven't yet met? (Deposit for weddings dates are usually paid face to face at the trial) Feeling a bit frustrated and not sure why to do now, should I stick to my deposit rule or just keep deposit for wedding day bookings only and hope that all other makeup bookings Don't get cancelled? kelly-melissa.com Jul 10 15 04:06 am Link Just my opinion...  The real problem is that you are running too low of a profit margin. I have shoot dates change all the time, it really is just a normal part of business. Either raise your rates to cover this cost, or find better clients. It sounds to me like you have answered your own question: Your clients are not willing to make this change, so you must make changes to your business plan to survive. Jul 10 15 04:46 am Link Robert Jewett wrote: Everyone I know takes a retainer. Jul 10 15 10:27 pm Link KungPaoChic wrote: That may be true for specific niches, but it certainly isn't industry standard. Jul 11 15 05:50 am Link KungPaoChic wrote: I'm not familiar with the term. What is a "Retainer"? Jul 15 15 08:08 am Link Kyrah Banks wrote: A portion of the fee paid in advance to "retain" the services in question or some future date. Jul 15 15 09:29 am Link J E W E T T wrote: I know plenty of makeup artists that charge retainers before they travel anywhere. Jul 16 15 04:25 am Link If it's studio work with on-the-fly concepts, I never charge a retainer. Mostly because I just have fun creating. HOWEVER... Wedding/Bridal, Runway, Film, Special FX and Travel beyond 15-20 miles.....RE-TAIN-HER(ASS) [To non-English speakers, I'm simply saying retainer lol] Not sure of everyone's markets, but people are notoriously fickle. If someone doesn't book you because of your retainer fee, that means they aren't that serious about retaining your services. Sure, you might take a loss for a bit, but the bookings and appreciation of your work will be that much more. Same thing with Retouching Artists. Photographers (not all) and models (again, not all) will hit you up fast for a TFP. Once you mention how you don't do TFP but will do it for normal/reduced rate, you'll never hear form them again. Jul 16 15 02:13 pm Link Funny story, I had been working as a makeup artist for years and NEVER had a inconvenient cancellation/no show. Then, all of a sudden, I had 2 in one week. Weird! One went out of her way to reach out to me and even requested me on FB. I showed up, called, texted, called from a different number-No answer. Perhaps she forgot she friended me? I saw on FB that she spent the day at the fair :-|... Anyway, that was one too many for me. In 2015, as a entrepreneur or business owner of ANY kind, I don't care if its makeup or moon bounce, you should have a upfront fee that holds the person to the date (retainer, trial, consultation, deposit-whatever you want to name it)! For Brides I would include this fee in the overall package and let them know it is non refundable. If they decide to go with someone else or have to make any changes, fine but I didn't waste all of my time, energy, product, gas, train ride, etc for your consultation. Hope that helps!! TP Jul 24 15 01:06 am Link Deposits are totally understandable and definitely necessary for weddings, because they're a large sum. Usually deposits are expected when there's an appointment and a large payment involved. However, I could understand a client getting frustrated when its just an event makeup, or prom makeup etc, since the sum is usually a lot smaller. I wish we could require a deposit on all bookings… but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way and for some reason it could scare away potential clients. If you think about it, when you book an appointment at a salon or spa, there isn't a down payment. But, if you cancel last minute, even at a doctors office, there will be a fee. However with us, being freelance, it may be very difficult to collect that fee, unless you get an agreement in writing and they sign it, but still tedious and difficult. Perhaps, on your professional website, you could add a "shopping cart" feature, where they could pay the deposit with a credit/debit card or a pay pal. Let them know the deposit is required to hold their appointment, if they're actually serious about going through with the appointment, they will pay it, you just have to make it easy for them. Aug 29 15 12:57 am Link Since I was having the same issues I settled for middle ground, I don't take retainer fees with the exception of weddings and full day shoots. Instead upon booking I send the clients a promise to pay contract they must sign before I will put them on my books. If they cancel less than a week in advance (I make exceptions of course) they are still under contract to pay for the service they contracted from me as they would any other type of freelancer. Just because we are in the beauty business does not mean we should be walked on. Sep 06 15 06:11 pm Link My makeup artists are part of my photography team. I collect the retainers for them. If the client cancels or no shows they get half the fee. I also get a small fee. These are for my wedding and debut jobs. For small jobs like kiddie parties, we don't collect upfront fees. I think most of the photographers in the Philippines do it this way. We also have big typhoons on a regular basis. It messes with our schedules a lot. It is only a small charge when this happens. Good luck. Sep 06 15 07:22 pm Link |
