Do not ask “diagnostic” questions of your client.  You may not like the answer.  Believe me, make positive  statements, don’t ask questions about your clients feelings.  If you do have to ask a question, just look at them, smile and ask,   OK? . . . as a benign question.  Asking OK means you get a Yes or No answer, short and sweet.  If you ask,  “How are you feeling?”  You can easily get a dissertation from the client . . . not what you want in the piercing room.

Train yourself to make positive statement to your piercing clients, instead of asking probing questions ( that means a question that requires an answer)!  This is totally different than our discussion earlier about not making statements that could incite arguments about jewelry selection or piercing specifics.  Making positive statements is completely appropriate and desirable when in the piercing room or tending to your pierced or about to be pierced client.

Try not to use the the word BLEEDING in the piercing room.  If your client ask if they are bleeding, and the are, just say:  “You are oozing just a little.  It’s going to stop”.  One problem you will have is a friend or relative in the piercing room blurting out,  “You are bleeding.”  In that case you say:  He (or She) is doing just fine.  Minimize to the best of your ability what others say in your piercing room.  Always offer comforting statements to you piercing client.  If you do you will be surprised how many time they tell you, “That didn’t hurt at all.”

On the other hand, do not over comfort your piercing client.  If you do, they will stay and stay, and you will never get rid of them.  The more you enable to act hurt, the more they will do it.  Don’t be an enabler, be a strong positive comforter, and encourage your client to get up and on their way.  Understanding you body piercing client and how they react in the piercing room is very important.  Body Piercing Training Videos will help you establish confidence in the piercing room where you can perform your piercing, while making you client feel confident too.

Train yourself to avoid using the word PAIN with your body piercing clients.  Substitute the word DISCOMFORT instead of using the word pain.

Your conversation could go something like this.  Sure you could experience some discomfort.  Most people experience pressure.  That’s about all the sensation you will have.

Or you could say, if you experience any discomfort at all, it will be just a little pressure.  Although it is difficult to eliminate the word FEEL from your vocabulary, I try to substitute the word EXPERIENCE for FEEL  as often as I can.  Experience something is a lot more exciting than feel something.  Experiencing “a thing” has a fun connotation, while “a feeling”  had a dual meaning.  Could be good, but generally means bad feelings.

It is never a good idea to use the word OOPS during a piercing.  That tells your client something is wrong.  Not a good thing in the piercing room.  Train yourself not to react to what is going on with the piercing.  Your conversation during the piercing, if any, should be comforting and reassuring to your client.

I personally think you should NOT always be asking your client “How are you doing?”  It is a good idea to never ask your client “How do you feeling” either.  If you ask that question, you are asking your client to evaluate themselves and give you a thoughtful response.  You don’t want that.  You want your body piercing client to be thinking – that wasn’t so bad.

You suggest that attitude in your client by saying: “You did great!”  Looking at any observers in the room and saying: “He/She did very well!”  Make all of the positive statements you can think of.

If you are confident in your body piercing skills in the piercing room, it will be very easy for you to be thinking of your client’s comfort during the entire piercing process.  This is when your client experiences true confidence in you and no certificate hanging on your wall can replace real piercing room skills.  Check out the  body piercing training videos.

Everything you say and do must be comforting to the piercing client.  That means there are certain works you never use.  This takes some training and discipline on your part but you will thank yourself if you delete these words from you body piercing lexicon.

Those words are:

HURT

PAIN

OOPS

BLEEDING

RECOMMEND

When people walk into a piercing studio, they are very susceptible to suggestion, both from you and those accompanying them.  Consequently, the words you use are very important.

Your piercing client will ask:  Does it hurt?  Your answer is:  You will feel pressure, that’s about all.  If they persist:  You just say:  it is a pressure piercing, that’s about all you will feel.  It’s just like pinching yourself quickly and letting go.

If you do the piercing right, that is all they will feel.  Basically, all they are experiencing is the feel of the “drag of the needle” going through their tissue.  This is where the feeling of “pressure” comes from.  Train yourself to avoid these words at all costs.

The best body piercing success tip I can give you is to learn “how to talk” at the front counter and in the piercing room.  In body piercing, words have important meanings and those meanings can make you business or break your business.

In the body piercing business what you say and how you say it is just as important as the particular piercing skills you possess.

The words you use project security, safety, confidence, experience and skill to every one of your clients.  Your selection of words will either create fear in your clients  or comfort them making the piercing experience a happy one.

Your piercing client is frightened and apprehensive from the moment they walk into your door, if not then, at least by the time they make the walk back into your piercing room.

Everything you say and do should be comforting to your piercing client.  Good body piercing training will help you make a satisfying experience for your clients.

Wearing body jewelry is much different than wearing a ring on your finger or wearing a bracelet or necklace.

Body jewelry is a foreign object placed into the body.  The body must adjust and co-exist with the body jewelry.  The body does not have any responsibility when you slip a finger ring, bracelet or necklace on.  The body acts only as a structure that is adorned with jewelry hanging from it.  The body does not react to this type of jewelry, unless, for instance a ring is too tight on your finger.  You simply remove the tight ring and the problem is solved.

When body jewelry does not fit correctly, the body starts reacting and communicating with you immediately.  It communicates by becoming red, swollen, and festered – producing liquid discharge.  If the jewelry is not corrected it can migrate out of the body leaving a scar behind.

When selecting appropriate jewelry for a body piercing, always select gauge, diameter, or length  that will easily co-exist in the body.

In addition, high-traffic areas of the body such as navels need special consideration when selecting jewelry.  High-traffic areas get a lot of movement from the jewelry and thicker jewelry is necessary to reduce irritation.  Play areas such as nipples and genitals also require thicker jewelry to avoid severe discomfort from play.

Discuss with your client the concept of how their body must adjust to and co-exist with the jewelry you insert into their piercing.  If they understand that the body is conforming to the jewelry, they will understand that the jewelry you select is very important, and must be of a certain size and gauge.

Therefore, don’t let other piercers intimidate you.  Just because they put big, unattractive jewelry in their clients.  Don’t let that persuade you to do the same.  They are not doing their clients a good job by putting big gaudy jewelry in their piercings.

Making “matter-of-fact statements” to your clients when you are trying to influence them into taking a particular action,  is strongly discouraged.  We never want to put our piercing client on the defensive by making statements that create an uncomfortable reaction from your client.  We want to provide our clients with a great service and receive a fair compensation in return.  In order to do this you must be able to obtain certain information, or agreement from your client. The way to do that is to ask questions that are to-the-point and non-threatening.  Some suggestions are as follows.

Generally we do this . . .
Generally we find this . . .

A lot of people do this . . .
Many of our clients find this  . . .

This jewelry would fit better if . . . wouldn’t you agree

Your piercing might heal quicker if . . . don’t you agree

It might be better to place the piercing here, don’t you think

If you did . . . you might get better results

If we use this jewelry, it would look better, wouldn’t you agree

Can you see how this would fit better

Doesn’t it make sense to . . .

Wouldn’t you like it better if . . .

Don’t you feel better about . . .

Don’t you think your jewelry would look better if . . .

There are many more questions/phrases you can use to avoid being “Fenced In” to a statement you cannot get out of.  Try using these terms, I think you will find your body piercing life will be much easier.  Body Piercing Training is so important to making your life much easier.

In all of my Body Piercing Training Materials, and conversations working with clients during piercings you will observe that I use very general language. There is a reason for that. General terms are used so no one can “Fence Me In” or “Corner Me” into an indefensible or uncomfortable position.

There are very few absolutes in the body piercing business. That is why I use the word “generally” often.

For instance, people can heal their piercing many different ways, and somebody out there has used some product to heal their piercing successfully which you strongly suggest that they not use. In some cases people don’t use anything to heal a piercing and do it successfully. If you make an absolute statement, “you cannot heal your piercing with that particular substance, someone out there can prove you wrong.

During your piercing career you will learn to pierce a certain way. It is a way you feel comfortable with and is successful for you. That does not mean other ways will not work too. An example would be, you don’t feel a certain piercing should be done free-hand, but somebody else always does that piercing free-hand and seems to be successful with the piercing.

I am not a fan of free-hand piercings and OSHA is certainly not a fan of free-hand piercings – we will discuss this issue later . . . for now let’s get back to protecting you backside with careful, general-in-nature conversations with your clients.

Avoid arguments at all costs. As the piercer you will never win an argument . . . at least winning arguments will not pay your bills. Avoiding arguments means never talk in “Statements” or “Absolutes” with your clients and other piercers. Learn to temper your statements with questions. Questions take the edge and argument out of the important point you are trying to make.

Don’t misunderstand, you must communicate proper aftercare, jewelry selection, and a host of other information to you client, and you expect your client to follow your suggestions. The key is how you communicate that information to them that makes you a hero instead of a zero.

Watch for further conversations on how to stay out of trouble with focused conversation in your piercing business. Your words will make or break you body piercing business.

According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) an employee with the potential for exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material (OPIM) is required Universal Precautions training annually.

Universal Precautions are infection control procedures that involve the use of protective barriers. These barriers include gloves, gowns, aprons, masks, and protective eyewear, which can reduce the risk of exposure. These measures also include personal hygine practices like hand washing and the disposal of contaminated materials.

Body Piercing is not a universally regulated industry, therefore, there are NO universal procedures and requirements throughout the United States. That is why body piercing training is so different coming from various providers . . . there are no common standards practiced and required by governing agencies. Therefore, it is very important that you do your own research to determine those standards that specifically apply to you in your individual state.

Aseptic means “without micro-organisms”. Aseptic technique refers to practices that help reduce the risk of post-piercing infections in our body piercing clients by decreasing the likelihood that micro-organisms will enter the body during piercing prodedures. some the these practices are also designed to reduce the piercer’s risk of exposure to potentially infectious blood and tissue during the piercing procedure.

Aseptic techniques are those that do some of all of the following:

* Remove or kill micro-organisms for hands and objects
* Employ sterile instruments and other items
* Reduce clients’ risk of exposure to micro-organisms that cannot be removed.