Formerly, the tattoo industry had an image of dangerous-looking Tattoo Artists and dark tattoo shops. Lately, as tattoos have become more mainstream, the modern tattoo industry is putting more emphasis on customer service. A big part of tattoo customer service is understanding what your customers expect from you during their visit to your tattoo studio. Subsequently, in this article, we will talk about the how-to of tattoo customer service when changing careers to become a Tattoo Artist in Los Angeles.
To start as a Tattoo Artist, you have to complete a tattoo apprenticeship. Want to get started right away? Find a tattoo apprenticeship near you and get a guaranteed job offer as a Tattoo Artist after completion of our program.
Shortly after completing your tattoo apprenticeship, you can work independently as a Tattoo Artist in Los Angeles. Sounds great, right? If you really want to make a good start with tattoo customer service, it is very important to focus on this aspect of the profession as well. In a nutshell, we can summarize customer service for Tattoo Artists in the following highlights:
As you know, tattoo apprentices will learn how to become a Tattoo Artist by watching experienced Tattoo Artist’s work. Subsequently, they will develop their style in a tattoo apprenticeship under the guidance of someone who has already mastered their craft. Once you finished the apprenticeship, the real fun will begin!
Want to change careers and become a Tattoo Artist or learn how to become a Tattoo Artist?
Look, a well-designed portfolio is the most important element for any Tattoo Artist in Los Angeles. It is the key to showcasing your work while introducing yourself to new clients. Therefore, a good portfolio must include a mix of different types of tattoos, from small to large, from simple to complex, and from realistic to abstract. A good Tattoo Artist should be able to vary between styles, regardless if they have a signature one. In the beginning, you should be able to work with most of them, even if you seek to master one. The following tips will help you to build your tattoo portfolio from scratch:
Don’t forget that when potential clients walk into your workplace, a portfolio is the quickest way to showcase your work! The more diverse the portfolio, the more likely people are to choose you as a Tattoo Artist. Parents who want to help their children become Tattoo Artists can help them create a portfolio by volunteering to get tattooed during their apprenticeship.
As you know, the first impression always sets the tone. Therefore, you should always make sure that the space you tattoo at meets all safety and quality standards. Subsequently, by maintaining the space well, you make potential clients feel safe. This is where the basis for a good relationship with tattoo clients begins.
“Did you know that… our oldest and simplest sense is smell? So when faced with new experiences, we naturally trust our nose first.”
Certainly, it is very important to get the odor in the workspace correct. It should never smell too much like chemicals, but a sterile smell should also not be completely missing. This smell, the sterile smell, is recognizable to many people and provides a sense of reliability when they walk into the tattoo shop. Additionally, you have to make sure that the shop looks neat and that those potential customers are not confronted with used needles or blood laying around outside of sharps containers and bio waste bins. Never can they see used needles and blood! Add some nice interior design and music to the mix and you are guaranteed to make a good impression.
Remember, a big part of tattoo customer service is designing meaningful tattoos. As you know, tattoos are a form of self-expression and as a Tattoo Artist, it is your job to visualize someone’s ideas and proudly bring them to life! The art you make is permanent and can be seen by everyone. Your customer is a billboard showcasing your art. This is why it’s so important to design meaningful tattoos for your clients. How? That’s what you’ll figure out during our tattoo apprenticeship program where you focus on:
Designing a meaningful tattoo doesn’t have to be complicated. The extent to which the design has meaning depends entirely on your client’s experiences and your ability to create an actual, authentic relationship with them. Although a simple star may be meaningless to you, it can be completely different for your client. The best Tattoo Artists get to know their clients, so they can ensure that their experience, and their tattoo, is meaningful.
Look, the tattoo industry is not just about the design, it’s also about the relationship between you as a Tattoo Artist and your clients. The more you build a relationship with a client, the more likely it is that they will come back to you for future tattoos. The best way to create a valuable bond is by stepping into your client’s shoes and trying to understand what your client wants and needs. You should also be extra mindful of their concerns and fears so that you can address them properly. This will make your clients feel at ease and confident in your skills as an artist and as a professional.
Never forget: exceptional service will turn into exceptional profit. What’s our advice? Put all of your efforts into creating genuine client loyalty. Subsequently, this will serve as both your most effective development engine AND your finest defense against the competition in a crowded market. Remember, loyal clients will enthusiastically advocate your work! Also, they are less sensitive to price competition, a lot more tolerant of minor flaws, and will ultimately turn into “walking portfolios”, allowing you as a Tattoo Artist to attract new clients!
Client loyalty should be the goal of every tattoo done by every Tattoo Artists. In today’s world of social media and online reviews, creating customer loyalty is an interesting quest. Tattoo Artists are faced with an increasingly competitive market where they have to compete with other Tattoo Artists who offer the same service at cheaper rates. So what’s the key to achieving it?
In his book Customer Loyalty: how to earn it, how to keep it, Jill Griffin tells us that there is no “silver bullet” that will solve growth problems in any business. This means that you have to continuously go back to the basics of providing services that benefit your clients. You cannot forget about your clients, ever! This will help you stand out from other businesses that provide similar services and make your customers feel like they can always rely on you for their tattoo needs. You can create customer loyalty as a Tattoo Artist by:
You should know that tattoo apprenticeships are a great way to learn the ropes and gain hands-on experience before starting your own tattoo business or starting to work at a tattoo shop in Los Angeles. During your tattoo apprenticeship, you will learn everything from how to properly set up the equipment, how to sterilize needles, how to mix colors, all the way to what type of designs work best for different types of skin and areas of the body, and how course, how to actually implement and impeccable tattoo. All of these elements we just mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg for why completing a tattoo apprenticeship is so important.