As 2017 comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to talk about what next year might look like, from a business perspective. Each year seems busier than the last and, for this, I'm truly grateful. I've never booked further than I have in 2017. This was also my first full year at Now or Never Gallery and I certainly admit that the balance and support I've found there has only added to the success. If this trend continues, 2018 looks to be a pretty exciting ride. I'm looking forward to new clients and new ideas, as well as strengthening the bond with the clients I've come to know and call friends. If you've been tattooed this year, you were probably met with a longer wait than expected. I'm hoping to streamline my booking process in order to make this as efficient as possible. Here are a few things that are changing that you may want to make note of:
Deposits Alright, no one likes that word. I've avoided strictness with deposits for nearly 10 years now, but considering how busy I've been lately, I think it's time to get serious. I will ask for a non-refundable $50 deposit at the time of booking an appointment, no exceptions. Before you say, "whoa, not cool," let me explain why deposits have become a necessity. That $50 is your promise to me that you will, without a doubt, be there. I once had a soldier on leave call in hopes of getting a short-notice appointment. Unfortunately, I was completely booked and had to turn him down. That week, a long-term client no-showed for their appointment. By this point, the soldier had already made plans with his family and couldn't come. There's no need for this situation to happen. It's a financial hit for me and needlessly keeps someone else from getting tattooed. When people leave a deposit, they're much more careful in marking their calendar and making the effort to be here. Should someone leave a deposit and no-show for their appointment (seriously though, who wants to throw away $50?), the deposit still pays me for any prep work that I've already put into your tattoo. I understand that unexpected things do happen. If you can give 24-hours notice that you can't make your appointment, the deposit will be transferable towards your next appointment. 3 Month Cut-Off Let's face it, life comes at us pretty quickly. The way your life looks right now may look very different 6 months from now. This year, I've had clients that booked 4-6 months ahead and, by the time the appointment came, they weren't in a position to keep it and had to cancel or reschedule. Sometimes it's financial reasons, personal problems or you simply forgot that you booked a tattoo in the spring and it's now winter. It's tough on clients and it's tough on me. I have a family and, unfortunately, the schools don't often give 6 months worth of notice for their programs and activities. It's a challenge to plan life that far ahead. For these reasons, I'm going to try booking no further than 3 months at a time. Once the first 3 months of 2018 are booked, I'll open up one week at a time. This will be my first time booking with a cut-off, so we'll consider this an "experiment." If it seems like it's not working for me or my clients, then it's not a policy that I'll keep long-term. Social Media I haven't booked appointments via social media in years, but it is a topic that comes up often, so I'll go ahead and discuss it. I have 3 channels in which you can book an appointment: email, in shop, by phone. Often, when I come into the shop for the day, I'm tattooing until closing. Our shop manager handles most of the correspondence, especially via phone and email because, well, my hands are tied. It's just not realistic that I can prep artwork, break down and set up my station multiple times, tattoo, and respond to all messages without compromising in one area or becoming less efficient. Our shop manager does a fantastic job of scheduling and corresponding, much better than I ever did. However, when appointment requests start coming in from Facebook, Instagram, personal accounts, etc., it becomes extremely difficult to keep order. When all of these channels of communication open up, messages fall through the cracks, dates offered to one person get booked for another. It really just becomes total chaos. So, when you're ready to book your appointment, all the information you need can be found on the Contact page. That being said, if you have an ongoing project or may be interested in booking in the future, I do encourage you to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I utilize social media to make announcements, share tattoo-related news and write up articles that I think might be beneficial to the tattoo process in general. My social media links can also be found on the Contact page. A New Year I'll close with a little advice for tattoos in 2018. What I enjoy the most about tattooing is when people step outside the box with their tattoo ideas. Tattooing has advanced so much and we truly have reached a point that if it can be painted, chances are it can be tattooed. Be adventurous, bold and creative with your tattoos. Now, don't take this as me condoning a tattoo of your boyfriend's name across your forehead. Know what works for your life and don't compromise just because you're excited once appointment day arrives. When you're searching for ideas, don't just browse tattoos that other people already have. Look at photography and various types of art. Be inspired by things that you already know you love. Beware of trends (there are going to be a lot of bird silhouettes in the nursing homes in about 50 years). Be safe, be happy and go seize 2018.
1 Comment
Tommy Little
12/7/2017 07:09:46 pm
I would like to take this time to thank NOW or NEVER, especially Nikki and Summer. I have 3 tattoos and Summer has ink’d 2 of them. There is NO ONE I would EVER let ink again except Summer Hamrick! She is amazing, professional, courteous, attentive and her talent is OFF THE CHART! Thank you Summer! And thank you Nikki, your wonderful personality dealing with me and other customers is only one of the reasons that makes NOW or NEVER an exceptional and successful establishment. You guys are the best!.........Thomas Little.
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AuthorSummer Hamrick at Now or Never Gallery |