Overheard a stylist say she charges $150 for a consultation and I was shook

I was at a supply shop in Austin last week and heard this stylist talking to her friend about how she does a full 45 minute consultation before every color service and charges for it. She said it cuts down on fix requests big time because clients actually understand what they're getting. I've never charged for consultations, always just baked the time into the service cost. But now I'm wondering if I'm leaving money on the table or if clients would get annoyed paying for what they think is free. Has anyone else tried charging for consultations? How did your clients take it?

2 comments

2 Comments

henrycooper9d ago

That whole 'cuts down on fix requests big time' part is the real hidden value here, charging for consultations basically makes clients mentally commit to the process instead of treating it like window shopping. Honestly I bet the ones who balk at paying are the same ones who'd be picky and waste your time anyway lol. Sounds like a solid filter that pays for itself honestly.

mila_flores89d ago

My friend runs a small repair shop and he tried this thing where he'd do free estimates. People would show up, ask a million questions, take pics, and then ghost him. He'd be out an hour of his time easy. Then he started charging $25 for the consultation and applying it to the repair if they went with him. Suddenly people stopped treating it like a trip to the mall. He said the calls dropped by like half but the people who actually booked were way more serious. One lady even complained about the fee on his Facebook page and he was like "good riddance" basically. It's crazy how money just makes people filter themselves.