I’ve got a question for ya’ll but let me set the stage first. Get comfy, this is going to be a long one! You’ve spent a lot of money and time going to school to become a professional. You’ve worked hard to hone your skills. You’ve shelled out a ton of money and emotional energy to create your beautiful treatment room/spa. You’ve invested in advanced training, equipment and products. None of this happened overnight, it’s taken time and energy to become a professional Esthetician. Maybe you’re just getting started or maybe you’ve been doing this for years. It doesn’t matter, you’ve still invested money, time and energy. So one day a new client shows up and the first thing she says to you is “can I have a discount?” She’s a new client. She hasn’t been coming to you for years. She hasn’t given you great tips over the years. She has not been dedicated to your services or referred any clients to you, she is brand new. Now here’s the question…how does that make you feel when she immediately asks for a discount? Respected? Nah. Appreciated? Nah. Excited to work with this person? Definitely no. Not once in the 90’s or early 2000’s did I have a client ask for a discount. Not once! It’s gotten out of hand. I believe that these discount offers online have perpetuated it. What shall we do, raise our prices so that we can discount down to what we would like to get? I don’t wanna play that game! Here’s another question…..do you do this to others? Maybe unknowingly. Are you asking or expecting discounts all of the time? It’s become so common that maybe we aren’t even aware that we’re doing it. It’s happening more and more to me. I’ll get an email from an Esty that I’ve never had contact with before and she/he is asking me for a discount. What do you think my first impression of her/him is?  Not all warm and fuzzy that’s for sure. If we want to be appreciated by our clients, we in turn need to appreciate others in the world that offer their time and expertise to us. I think about this often when I tip at a restaurant. This person has worked hard to make sure I have a good experience. Am I going to go broke if I add in a little extra on the tip to make sure this person feels appreciated. No I am not. It’s only going to come back to me ten fold! What’s the saying? You get what you give!! Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts! By the way…..I feel so very appreciated by so many of you!! Thank you for that!