How to Maximize Income as an Esthetician

Many people, myself included, enter esthetician school thinking they’re on a fast track to earning money as an independent business owner. The promise of setting your own schedule and having it lined up with clients consistently right away is an easy fantasy to fall into! While some estheticians might be really lucky and achieve that early on, most would agree that it takes a long time, a lot of hard work, and a lot of strategies to really earn as much money as possible.

Whether you are newly out of school and working for a chain, have been working at a salon for a while, or are branching out on your own, we at Nova want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to maximize your income as an esthetician.

Table of Contents

Upsells & Add-ons to Maximize Income 

One of the most effective ways tomaximize your income as an esthetician is by upselling and offering add-ons during services. The reason why it’s such an effective way to make a little bit more is because of accessibility.

Offering to add a brow tint after a wax or maybe an added facial massage during a facial requires nothing from the client - they’re already on your treatment bed being worked on! One great way to bring up upselling or add-ons is by making recommendations during the consultation stage of the service. 

You could say things like “I also offer brow tints, which would fill in those gaps you were talking about” or something about remedying whatever concerns they brought up during the initial consultation. Planting the seed early on like that makes it easier mid-service to bring it back up by talking about it again and is a great way to earn more per service.

Always make sure your client realizes it’s an extra charge, though! The last thing you want is for them to feel like they were taken advantage of…even though your work is probably totally worth it. 

Researching pricing to get an idea of how much add-ons from competitors in your area is a great way to gauge prices you can set in order tomaximize your income as an esthetician. 

You want to make them competitive enough to where it’s an easy sell but not too low to where you’ll actually lose money in terms of your cost of goods vs. cost of service.

READ: How to Improve ROI and Increase Salon Sales

Selling Take-Home Products for Clients

A second way toincrease your income as an esthetician is by selling home care products for your clients. Selling take-home products is an easy way to make some additional income because of upselling. If you buy a product wholesale for $10 for example, you can resell it for $25 and make $15. 

Not only is selling take-home products simple, but it also shows your clients that you genuinely care about their results. 

Sales through education is how you create strong relationships with your clients. Once they have a home care routine that works for their skin, they'll truly begin to see those improvements they've been longing for!

In today’s world it’s very easy to go to amazon or search tik tok to buy products promising “quick” fixes; but, by being the one selling to your clients you are showing them you’re invested in their results.

Creating relationships with clients and reinforcing the idea that services don’t stop and end on the treatment bed but are a commitment to at-home care as well is a crucial part of a successful business as an esthetician. 

Educating Clients on Product Quality 

On that note, educating clients about product quality is a great way tomaximize your income as an esthetician. Investing in quality products, like Nova, is just the beginning of creating experiences that leave clients feeling like they made a good choice in choosing you or your salon.

Of course, with quality products comes premium pricing. Some clients may be hesitant to spend that extra money but if you outline the benefits that come along with high-quality products the concerns often go away.

OurFragrance Free Nova Hard Wax Microbeadsfor example may be pricier than other comparable hard wax microbeads which likely means the service charge is higher; but, letting the client know that you offer a product that’s gentle on skin, extremely effective,andhypoallergenic can easily sell them especially if they’ve had bad reactions to other waxes in the past.

Knowing your clients and what selling points to educate them about is key. Always remember that client peace of mind = profit!

Educating clients on ingredients, the importance of home care, and why it’s important to see a professional all reinforce why it was a good choice to choose you as an esthetician as well.

Using Social Media as an Esthetician

Definitely one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways tomaximize your income as an esthetician is by becoming social media savvy! 

Unless you’re running paid advertisements on facebook/instagram/etc., social media is a free tool that can be used to effectively target potential clients in your area.

One of the best ways to get clients via social media is by using hashtags and tagging your location. I know in the past when I’ve looked for estheticians I’ve just gone to my Instagram search bar and searched for whatever service I’m looking for followed by the location.

By hashtagging “#brazilianwaxmiami” or “eyebrowwaxingmiami” for example, not only can clients find you but they can also see your work. Likewise, if someone is browsing a city tag and you tagged one of your posts there they can find you even if they weren’t seeking any services!

Another great way to increase your visibility is by offering incentives for tags on social media, which go hand in hand with referral discounts! Asking your clients to tag you in their selfie story or next post in exchange for a discount on their next service is a great incentive. 

Tagging makes you more likely to get referrals and gives existing clients a reason to come back.

READ: How to Start a Waxing Business

Referral Discounts to Maximize Income as an Esthetician

Offering discounts for referrals is a great way to get access to new business, while also locking down continued future business with whoever it is doing the referring! Structuring your referral discounts correctly is crucial when it comes to maximizing your income as an esthetician. 

One thing I always did in my business that was effective was offering referrals contingent upon next visits. For example, I’d let clients know that I’m offering a referral discount on their next visit after the client they refer comes in and lets me know that they referred him or her.

That way, the new client who was referred has to come in and the client who provided the referral has to make a next appointment. It’s a great way to get the most out of word-of-mouth advertising. 

Letting your client know that the referrals work for Instagram stories or Facebook posts is also an easy way tomaximize your income as an esthetician. 

SHOP: Professional Large Hard Wax Kit

Creating Bundle Deals for Esthetics Clients

Creating bundle deals for clients is a clever way tomaximize your income as an estheticianthrough exposure. When many people think of bundle deals they think of simply offering a discount – 3 brow waxes for $50 vs. the typical 1 wax for $20, for example. 

While bundling that way can help you get money and guaranteed business upfront, a lot of estheticians fail to see the opportunity bundling can really create which is exposure to new services!

If you’re a waxer instead of offering bundles of the same service, you can do a mix-and-match bundle where you offer deals on each of the services only if they’re combined with unlike services. 

That way, if you have a loyal Brazilian client they can save on an eyebrow wax, leg wax, and their next Brazilian wax if they purchase them as a bundle. 

In the best case scenario, they end up loving all those services too and now you get more business from them and have maximized your income! 

READ: The Complete Brazilian Wax Guide

Loyalty Programs to Maximize Income as an Esthetician 

Coming up with a loyalty program, like a punch card, is a low-cost way to cover all your bases with consistent clients! The best part about loyalty programs is that you get to develop great relationships while also showing your clients you value their investment in your services.

There are a lot of different ways you canmaximize your income as an esthetician with a loyalty program, but most involve a discount after a certain amount of visits. Whether you’re offering 10% off after 10 visits or 10% off after 5 visits, loyalty programs encourage repeat business like nothing else.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to maximize your income as an esthetician is a valuable skill that can bring great benefits. As for the things that can be done easily in the treatment room, upselling and offering add-ons as well as offering home care products for sale are effective ways to up your revenue! 

More modern methods, like social media, also have their value.

With social media, advertising your services is easier than ever and with great visibility comes greater clients! It doesn’t stop at social media, though. Establishing referral discounts, creating loyalty programs, and getting creative with offering bundle deals are all tools you can use tomaximize your income as an esthetician.