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take a deep breath....
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Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on October 25, 1999 at 23:26:53:
In Reply to: College henna is getting messy... posted by Rosie on October 25, 1999 at 21:59:15:
Back up and think carefully about what YOU need from henna....and how best to get it. If you're in this for money, make all your decisions based on money, or lack of it. That University money policy is absolutely normal...When a dorm floor had me come in at KSU, I signed paperwork for the time and materials, and I suppose the $ will come in with my next paycheck for teaching there. Sounds like your biggest current problems are cash flow and getting paid. Maybe something here will help: 1) Do you have a decent wholesale connection with a henna supplier? GET ONE! Castle Arts has a very fair wholesale break for people doing business. Email them (link below) and find out the particulars and see if it's to your advantage to do that. Eat nothing but Ramen for a week if you need to do that to fund your first wholesale order of henna, but get some bulk henna in your fridge NOW. Or, for henna supply money, sell plasma ... whatever .... but get some supplies on hand. 2) Your're getting practice with the money thing....you'll get better with experience. You have made some small mistakes estimating your time spent so far, but don't panic. You can work that out. When you are young, it is difficult to be firm about prices and time, just out of timidity. When doing the money thing, adapt the same calm firm tone of voice that a dog trainer or horse trainer uses to maintain control of a situation. When you're trying to schmooze up a sale, raise your voice high and be bouncy and enthusiastic ("the good doggy! Want a cookie? tone of voice). When you're doing collections use the "Down and Stay" tone of voice....lower tone, patient, firm, all body language must express calmness and authority. Work on eye contact and body language when negotiating money deals. Exude glacial calm, discipline and controal (think Marlon Brando in the Godfather). Think about obedience training a Rottweiler. You'll get better at it. You'll also, just by experience, get a better handle on how to estimate what a situation is going to require of you. Remember, this will improve hugely. 3) When people try to mess with you about price, don't panic (unless you are genuinely rediculous about your prices ...... $35 an hour for competant henna is reasonable) To a certain extent people just do this and it's mostly a game they play like children trying to get mom to buy them candy at the grocery checkout. Know down to the bone what you will, and will not put up with. If someone is genuinely startled at a price for a major job, and is going into verbal twaddle about it, put yourself in this mindset: The person is a horse. You have just startled this horse by introducing something unfamiliar or scary (that they'll have to pull out their wallet and pay for something, God Forbid.) Square your shoulders, be calm and stand your ground. The horse-person will run it's flight distance. Let it. Once it's gone its flight distance (about 1/4 mile, or 20 minutes) it will be ready to listen (or accept a bridle). You never need to yell or argue. Just know exactly what you need and be firm about it. (Moms...this also works really well with adolescent children...view them as skittish horses and unruly Rottweilers, and the parenting job gets much simpler...there is no obedience problem that can't be solved by a choke chain, crate, or trip to a spay-neuter clinic) 4) For the dorm gigs....make this offer: (works for me!) Set a price per hour, and give the lecture, and then YOU henna as many people as fill out the rest of the hour. BUT have a couple of extra cones that you've stashed in the freezer that you let people use on themselves. That way, everyone goes home happy, and you clean out your freezer. More fun, more bang for the buck.
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