Products have gone up twice, rent has gone up, you are better at this than you were a year ago — and the price list still says the same number. Every time you go to change it, the same thought arrives: what if everyone leaves.
This is the most commonly postponed decision in the trade, and it is almost never postponed because of the calculation. So the place to start is separating the two.
Signs it was overdue some time ago
- You are booked two or three weeks out and have been for months. A waiting list is not a thing to be proud of — it is an underpriced hour.
- You work as much as before and the same amount is left. Costs rose; the price did not.
- You have started avoiding certain services because they are "not worth it".
- You worked out the cost per service and found items running at a loss.
- You are noticeably better than when you set that price, and you know it.
The first is the most reliable signal. A persistent waiting list means demand exceeds supply and the price has fallen behind what your hour is worth. That is not greed; it is arithmetic.
By how much
- A small rise costs almost as much nerve as a proper one. If you have decided to do it, make it a step that changes something.
- Frequent small rises irritate more than infrequent meaningful ones. Once a year, predictably, beats three times in dribs.
- You do not have to raise everything. Often correcting the loss-making items alone lifts the average without a general increase.
- Round to something that looks like the result of a calculation rather than a fidget.
And a special case: if the maths says the rise has to be steep and across the board, the problem is probably structural rather than about price — services that are too long, or occupancy that is too low. Starting there is cheaper.
How to announce it
- Give noticeTwo to four weeks. A price that changes suddenly in the chair offends more than the increase itself, even when the difference is small.
- Name a date"From the 1st" beats "soon". Specificity reads as a decision; vagueness reads as a trial balloon.
- Say it once, calmlyA message that apologises three times communicates that the price is unfair. The fact and the date are enough.
- Do not over-explainOne sentence of reason at most. A long justification turns an announcement into an invitation to argue.
- Let people book at the old price firstFor anyone already planning to come soon. It costs a handful of appointments and removes most of the resentment.
Who actually leaves
| Who | Reaction | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Comes for the result | Barely notices | Stays |
| Comes for the relationship and convenience | Asks, then stays | Stays |
| Comes for the price | Leaves | A slot frees up |
The third row is the entire loss, and it is worth counting honestly: someone who leaves over a modest difference was usually the least profitable and the most easily replaced.
In practice, if you lose some of your cheapest clients and earn the same in fewer hours, that is not a loss — it is the point.
What not to do
- Do not make exceptions "just for you" after announcing. It becomes known, and then the new price is optional for everyone.
- Do not postpone a second time. A rise deferred once tends to be deferred again, and again.
- Do not raise quietly and hope nobody notices. They notice, and then it is a conversation about trust rather than money.
- Do not ask permission. "Do you think I could raise my prices?" puts the client in a role she should not be in.
How often is normal?
Predictably — once a year, or when costs have moved noticeably. Frequency matters less than not being sudden: a client who was told in advance accepts it almost every time.
Do regulars get raised too?
Yes, otherwise over time your most loyal clients pay the least and new ones subsidise them. If you want to recognise long-standing clients, do it with something else — priority booking, a preferred slot, a small addition.
Bookings dropped noticeably after the rise. What now?
Look at who disappeared. If it is the cheapest clients, that is expected and temporary. If people who came for the result also went, the issue is how the change was communicated — and that is worth asking a few of them about directly.