to be annoyed with my clients?

[MalibuStacy]

I am fully prepared to be told IABU, but here goes…

I fun a very small business where I go to people's houses to carry out a service. I love my business and am in the process of going full-time. I have recently quit my job to just focus on this.

I have quite a few long-standing clients but not enough to sustain me doing this full-time, so I am desperately trying to push the business as much as I can. I have set up a Facebook page advertising my business and make regular posts with offers, etc. I have asked all my clients - very nicely and politely - if they wouldn't mind 'Liking' my page on FB and 'Sharing' my latest offer so that all their friends will see it. All have said they will, but not one actually has.

People really like the service I offer, I am frequently told I am a 'lifesaver' (I'm not) and they ask what they would do if my service did not exist. So why not support me in growing the business? Is it too much to ask? Fair enough if you are not on FB, but all my clients are.

At this rate I am going to have to give it up. I am really annoyed with them for not supporting me.

AIBU?

I dont think you have a right to be annoyed, sorry. Also, people are fake. Just because someone calls you a life saver doesn't remotely mean they mean it. They have no obligation to do anything for you. Don't offer more than you can afford to give, and certainly stop the freebies. Build up a client base by linking with other local business, get savvy about Google optimisation, start a loyalty scheme. Good luck. Fwiw, there is no local mobile beauty where I live. If there was I would want someone discreet, who didn't blur the boundary between therapist and client, didn't talk to me about their problems and who didn't comment on the state of the house, and someone who didnt pressure me into supporting their business.

heraldgerald, thanks for your post. I do think I expect too much from people.

Everything BIWI said.

Also find out about any small business networking events in your area. Usually there are women in business networks too. Not only will they be able to offer practical advice but if you build up links they may use and recommend your service, and you might be able to use them for marketing/website/leafleting advice. It's a win-win.

If there are certain products that you use then make sure they have you listed in any of their local directories.

Depending on whether you have any budget, you could always hire a consultant to compile a marketing schedule for you. There are lots of initiatives you can introduce that cost little or no money.

FB business pages are great for online businesses because you can click straight through and purchase. However, that's not your business model so try not to get too caught up in selling your FB page. Conversion rates are pretty low.

If you are giving away free services, do you really expect those clients to help promote you and possibly have to start paying? Because that's how some will see it, I can guarantee you. It's not nice at all but some will have forgotten, some won't be arsed and some will think this way.

When my uncle's businesses kicked off, that became very evident. Some people see it as they may lose their freebies if you start taking on more people or that your prices may rise. It's shit but it's one of the biggest reasons they'd not share and promote you. They other is just forgetting or thinking they'll get around to it later.

Why not private fb message them with an update when you update your fb page, include a link to the update and ask if people would like or share. FB will tell you who has seen the message and anyone who did genuinely mean to get around to it will likely use the message as a prompt. You'l see then if your freebie customers bother or not. I suspect not, which is when you then send out a revised price list to everyone so they are aware that you'll be charging in the future.

Netmums have excellent local pages.
Look out for pamper evenings - most of the schools and community organisations local to me seem to run them as fundraisers and they are a good way to meet a different client group.
Ditto wedding fairs in local wedding venues.
Contact local care homes/ assisted living units and ask the manager if they would be interested in having you go in and do basic treatments for residents for a small cost (but several people in one place in an afternoon, much like the pamper evening packages).
Most towns now have business websites where you can have a basic listing for free.

Your opinions on your customers are very telling

I wouldn't 'like' a business if I was asked to, repeatedly by the owner.

You are pinning the success of your business on facebook likes and setting yourself up to fail. You need to urgently make a plan B.

Also,liking a page isn't guaranteed to really bring in more custom. I used to use a salon very regularly but it wasn't very glamorous so although I liked it on Fb,I wouldn't have shared it shallow. Perhaps they simply don't want to advertise your service for reasons you don't realise.

well, if you PMed a few mumsnet friends of yours they could like it on facebook problem solved. Some people don't like liking pages as it gives a green flag to facebook advertisers to bombard you with ads. I think you are being a little unreasonable to rely on them to do it. Do they even go on facebook lot? I know lots of people who have accounts but don't use them all the time because of all the ads.

What area do you live in? Our town has a large FB women's group that you can advertise for free on once a month, loads of businesses near us are spreading the word that way. Often people ask if anyone is free to do nails etc on X date and people pick up business that way.

You could offer free mini treatments at school fayres or pamper evenings and hand out discount vouchers or 2 for 1 offers. Offer a voucher for a treatment as a prize in a school raffle etc. Lots of things you can do.

You need to not be so hung up on Facebook, the way things are going with business pages on there, even if you have 200 likes, FB are manipulating business pages so they don't actually reach Rey ,any people, unless you pay for FB advertising.
I have a small business that I'm growing, yes I have a FB page, but to be hones give not. I there'd updating it in about 6 months, as the business it generates isn't worth the amount if time I'd have to spend on it. I'm better spending my time working than in social media.
I've used Gumtree for a couple of adverts, which has given me a pretty good response with no cost-have you tried that?
I'm in a different business to you (dressmaker/alterations/curtains) but there are some similarities in that some customers are "regulars", but some I do a 1 off job for and don't see them again. I do the occasional small freebie for friends now and again, but I give them half a dozen business cards and ask that if they hear of someone looking to have a job done that I can do, that they pass on card-I've had a LOT of business this way.
I'm fortunate in that my main job is not in any way connected to my sideline, but it gives me access to a lot of people who can use my services..do you have a work intranet you can make use of in your job before you give it up? (Although maybe not possible if you're currently employed in the beauty industry!)

Definitely stop giving the lady free treatments.

Ring her up or text/email her and say thanks for letting you practice on her, but as you're now good enough to offer this treatment professionally you can no longer offer it for free. I'd introduce a loyalty card with 6th or 10th treatment free - whatever is sustainable for you from a business perspective - and tell her she can take advantage of that.

Have you tried fliers with your price list and a discount for first treatment? Also some other great ideas upthread.

To be honest I wouldn't be rushing to use someone's services if they were liked by a friend on FB, I go on FB to catch up with my friends, not to peruse services,but if I got a flyer through the door I would remember that next time I needed my legs waxing or whatever.

Fingers crossed you manage to build your business.

Another thought-I agree with others about stopping the freebies- people can perceive that if you're giving a lot of freebies or offers, you're either not worth paying for, when you'll do it for free, or you totally undervalue your services. People are happy to pay for good service. It took me a while to learn not to undervalue my time and skills, so don't fall into that trap

If you click them to invite them to your page then you might get more likes - do it with a competition for free treatments.

My sil and a few friends have their own businesses, if you 'like' other small businesses on fb they tend to like you in return. Also ask all your actual friends to like your page too. Facebook is good but I wouldn't pick a service based on its number of likes on fb tbh.

Perhaps you should offer a percentage off their treatment if they like your page. That might make them do it, and if not they pay the full price.

Could you offer a treatment as a prize at school fair and get your name out that way to other clients at schools. Get people to give email addresses or like you on facebook to be in with a chance to win, but more focused on a demographic. You need to think of other ways to get your name out.

Maybe offer a free gift for every existing client who shares your page.

Some people dont always know how to use FB fully. My DM for example didnt know how to share pics she kept annoyingly tagging herself in pics she wasnt actually in. Make sure they know how also.

For other free PR, have you thought about offering mini tasters from a chair at your local gyms? get you card distributed that way.

Also do you have a local mum markets? ive heard they are good.

Look out for charity fundraisers and offer a free makeover for the raffle and every treatment done (mini express ones) donate an amount to the charity.

Does where you live have a circuit of local festivals, ladies lunches - once you get onto that sort of thing you meet other small businesses staller holder etc who you pick stuff up from about events.

Have you sent off promo stuff to schools and done a wedding fayre?

Look out for chairy fashion events too.

All these are ways of selling yourself and getting your cards out there.

Print off a business card offering 15% off their next service if they like and share your page on Facebook.

Or if they "check in" with a picture during your visit.

• I mean hand those cards to your current clients.

Maybe someone has suggested this, I didn't see it unread. I think you ought to do the free things only in exchange for a tag on Facebook. Even with paid-for services you could be tagging clients who agree to it. So your Facebook posts read along the lines of

'I had a lovely evening at my lovely client Solaia's trying out my new nail art techniques. I think you'll agree her nails look fabulous!'

Or something to that effect. That's how most of the business on my Facebook work. I have a personal trainer and recently he put a photo of me post-workout on his page, tagged, and with some nice blurb about special training we had done for an event. I really like d it - made me feel like he values me as a client and was a good post for him on his page.

Unread should read upthread

Does your town have a local Spotted page on Facebook? If so put a post in there - we have a couple of beauticians who advertise on ours when they have offers or last minute availability and their posts always get "likes" and people tagging their friends on it etc.

Sorry it isn't going well OP however I hate FB feed clogged up with sponsored posts and pages - it has the opposite effect on me in that I hide that post and then the FB asks if I want to block ads etc for that page and I say yes - so never seeing your ad again. Maybe your clients are similar.

That said I would stop giving away the treatments

Good luck

Thanks everyone, there is some really good advice here. It is all very much appreciated. Thank you.