Learning to Read Professionally

[Ruby Jewel]

I've have a tarot reading booth in a local emorium in town. Up to now, I haven't had a lot of business, but it is picking up. Recently I ran into a couple of issues that I'm thinking merit posting a sign in regards to.

First, I did a 2-1/2 hour reading (Past Life Relationship, 29 cards) for a person I know, and at the end, they had no money or check...only a credit card which I cannot process. So, they wanted to know if I could trust them to pay later, and of course, I had no choice but to say "sure". I'm still waiting for it 4 days later.

Second, the next reading I had was for another person I know (it's a small town) who had a friend from out of town. They both wanted a reading. The one who went first invited the other to sit in on her reading, and the second one did the same. I had never had that happen so I sort of went along with it. Now, I'm thinking that is rather unprofessional. First, the client's privacy, which I consider sacred, is exposed. Second, they tend to converse and talk to each other, deciding whether they agree with me, which interrupts the energy between me and my client. It puts me, the reader, in a somewhat defensive mode.....two against one....rather than a one-on-one communication.

I'm making a sign to post that says "Private Reading Only (no observers please)" and "Please pay in advance." "Thank you."

I'm trying to anticipate what other problems I may encounter in readings before I make up this sign, so my question here is, what other problems I might expect to appear down the road that other readers have experienced, and how they handled them.

 

[HeatherRose]

I think collecting money ahead of time is a good idea. And on that note...what your policy would be if someone requested a refund, how would you handle that. I'm not saying you should have a sign stating it, I'm saying for yourself.

A book that you may find helpful that I read quite some time ago is
Professional Tarot: The Business of Reading, Consulting and Teaching by Christine Jette

You may pick up some tips or things you hadn't thought of.

Good luck!

 

[Apollonia]

I've have a tarot reading booth in a local emorium in town. Up to now, I haven't had a lot of business, but it is picking up. Recently I ran into a couple of issues that I'm thinking merit posting a sign in regards to.

First, I did a 2-1/2 hour reading (Past Life Relationship, 29 cards) for a person I know, and at the end, they had no money or check...only a credit card which I cannot process. So, they wanted to know if I could trust them to pay later, and of course, I had no choice but to say "sure". I'm still waiting for it 4 days later.

Second, the next reading I had was for another person I know (it's a small town) who had a friend from out of town. They both wanted a reading. The one who went first invited the other to sit in on her reading, and the second one did the same. I had never had that happen so I sort of went along with it. Now, I'm thinking that is rather unprofessional. First, the client's privacy, which I consider sacred, is exposed. Second, they tend to converse and talk to each other, deciding whether they agree with me, which interrupts the energy between me and my client. It puts me, the reader, in a somewhat defensive mode.....two against one....rather than a one-on-one communication.

I'm making a sign to post that says "Private Reading Only (no observers please)" and "Please pay in advance." "Thank you."

I'm trying to anticipate what other problems I may encounter in readings before I make up this sign, so my question here is, what other problems I might expect to appear down the road that other readers have experienced, and how they handled them.

My experience after reading professionally for some years is that you will never be able to anticipate all the problems that may come up, let alone have signs to cover them all, unless you want your walls absolutely papered with warnings and pre-emptions, which can be unsettling to potential clients, as it makes them feel you cannot handle your job without having a lot of rules set up beforehand.

IMO, I would tell people rather than have signs up, whatever the subject. Posting signs indicates that you are uncomfortable with the subject matter. The sooner you get comfortable with saying, "Okay, that'll be $50, cash or check, and then we can begin your reading," or "Let's get the boring stuff out of the way first, how do you want to pay?" or whatever you choose to say, the better. I always think it's helpful to say the same thing each time, so that it becomes second nature. If people ask why you need the money up front, you can say that you need to clear away the financial details before you can get into reading mode. My guides clarified it for me when they told me that getting payment in advance clears one's mind of having to think, "Am I going to get paid for this?" (I have turned people away who wanted to defer payment, and nearly always noticed that those people had nice clothing, jewelry, and often a pack of cigarettes tucked into their purse, so it's not like they were destitute.)

Also, it may be beneficial not to set hard and fast limits just yet as to whether you will allow more than one person in the reading room. When I was reading in a shop, I got way more business than the other readers who wouldn't allow friends or family members to come in for a reading together. I think the most people I ever had in the room at once was eight, and those who started out just wanting to observe ended up getting their own readings, once they had seen how the readings worked and had the comfort factor of being with people they knew. Don't forget, many people never had a reading before and it is up to you to put them at ease. If you can get used to having more than one person present, I feel it could strengthen your abilities and increase your client base. I can't count how many times I had a client come in, saying, "I'm dragging my cousin/aunt/brother/mom in for a reading, and they said they wouldn't do it unless I promised I'd stay, so that's all right, right?" And they liked it that I was okay with it, and at the end of the reading, I had two people who could recommend me to their friends, instead of just the one.

 

[Apollonia]

I think collecting money ahead of time is a good idea. And on that note...what your policy would be if someone requested a refund, how would you handle that. I'm not saying you should have a sign stating it, I'm saying for yourself.

A book that you may find helpful that I read quite some time ago is
Professional Tarot: The Business of Reading, Consulting and Teaching by Christine Jette

You may pick up some tips or things you hadn't thought of.

Good luck!

Good book recommendation, I used it a lot when I first started out.

And it is great advice to think ahead of what your policies will be, because if you have them firmly in mind, you will give off an energy of confidence and people will tend not to try to get you to bend your rules.

Personally, my policy for refunds was, "I will give anyone who asks a full refund for the most recent reading I have done for them, but I will never read for them again." The same if someone stiffed me (in the beginning, I would sometimes say it was okay to pay me later, before I learned), I would take the hit and never allow them to make another appointment with me.

Just be confident and consistent and you will be fine most days.

 

[Amanda]

Aside from the great advice you've already gotten here (I read the book by Jette as well), they do have credit card readers these days that plug right into your smartphone with presumably a program you can link to your bank account (you'd have to do some research if this is something you would be interested in because I don't know much about them myself - I'm sure there may be some fees associated). But any small business/operation that opens up the possibility of card usage for payment will most-likely increase on their profits.

 

[Ruby Jewel]

Thanks you for your great advice.....

Thanks all of you for this great advice.

HeatherRose, I'm getting the book.

Apollonia, you are spot on. I'm not posting any signs because you are right....they are insulting to the client. I'll deal with the money issue verbally, and up front. I like the terminology you use in requesting payment up front. As for more than one person in the booth at a time, it is not big enough for more than two clients. Maybe I'll just ask them not to comment on the reading as it breaks my connection with the client and the incoming spiritual energy. I would be interested in your thought on that? And a soft way of saying it. You seem to be good at that.

Also, I like the idea of giving a full refund if a client requests it. I think it is important for the client to be pleased with the reading, and if you give a refund when asked, well that is good advertising.

Amanda_04...I'm checking on a smartphone this week. From a professional perspective, I think it is essential.

You guys have given me great advice and guidance here. Thank you.

 

[Disa]

Thanks all of you for this great advice.

HeatherRose, I'm getting the book.

Apollonia, you are spot on. I'm not posting any signs because you are right....they are insulting to the client. I'll deal with the money issue verbally, and up front. I like the terminology you use in requesting payment up front. As for more than one person in the booth at a time, it is not big enough for more than two clients. Maybe I'll just ask them not to comment on the reading as it breaks my connection with the client and the incoming spiritual energy. I would be interested in your thought on that? And a soft way of saying it. You seem to be good at that.

Also, I like the idea of giving a full refund if a client requests it. I think it is important for the client to be pleased with the reading, and if you give a refund when asked, well that is good advertising.

Amanda_04...I'm checking on a smartphone this week. From a professional perspective, I think it is essential.

You guys have given me great advice and guidance here. Thank you.

I was also going to suggest the smart phone readers. Square is very easy to get and to use, however, AFTER I signed up, one of the things I saw in the terms of service is you can't sell any "occult" items....not sure WHAT they classify as "Occult" but for my card readings I will not be taking payment with square...so maybe paypal is the better way to go with that? Paypal has a smart phone reader, too-I just don't have one yet.

 

[Grizabella]

I'd cheerfully refund but that wouldn't stop me from ever reading for that person again. Some days it just doesn't click with one person or another. If the person was a real jerk about it, then maybe I wouldn't read for them again, but if it was just a polite request, no problem. But you can bet I wouldn't be giving them a refund. I'd keep the money for the first reading, anyway, if not for the second, too.

If someone just flat gets a reading and then doesn't pay when it was a paid reading, I definitely wouldn't read for them again. Maybe, though, if they were willing to pay me for the last reading plus the one they're sitting for all in advance. But people who rip you off usually aren't stupid enough to try to do it again.

 

[Ruby Jewel]

Disa, thank you for the info. I was looking at Square as that is what the store owner uses and she says it is good. I sure wouldn't want to bother with it if they don't allow occult item purchases....of course, a tarot reading is exactly that. So I really thank you for that. I am a member of Pay Pal. I'll look into using Pay Pal. Maybe I won't need a tax ID for Pay Pal, but I'm told I would need a tax ID for Square.

Grizabella, giving refunds is a hard thing to do, and it is also hard to know just how to handle something like that. So far nobody has asked for a refund. They have all enjoyed their readings. I haven't had to experience someone being unhappy with their reading. I think one would have to consider the circumstances. For instance if I gave someone a $65 reading that took 2 hours, I would definitely not want to give a refund. I can sure see your point because I know when I have given an accurate reading of the cards. Just because you don't tell the client what they want to hear is not a good enough reason to refund the money. The only option we readers have is to interpret the cards as we see it, and there's nothing personal involved...a reading should be totally objective. I don't really see a justifiable reason to refund money. I make it a point to be sure that my clients leave my booth happy and somehow pacified. I really see no purpose in predicting doom as I don't feel I have that right, nor are the cards meant to function in that way. I'm not a fortune teller, nor am I telepathic. I make sure the client understands that I do not predict the future. That is why I don't read reversed cards. I depend on the context to define the positive or negative aspects. The client is in the driver's seat.

Gosh, knowing how to handle all these 'off the wall' situations can be challenging. The information in this thread sure makes one think. I can see that experience is going to be the great teacher. I'm doing a lot of studying on that now. Christiana Gaudet has a good book on setting up and operating a tarot business. I've also ordered the Christine Jette book. Hopefully, there will be some guidance there.

Thanks for all the input here. It is a great feeling to know that we are all peers....and helping one another. I'll be updating this post as I proceed here. Great info. Thanks again.

 

[nisaba]

I'm making a sign to post that says "Private Reading Only (no observers please)" and "Please pay in advance." "Thank you."

Signage like that is a bit intimidating to a client.

As you take the one you'll be reading for in, you can say to the other one "We'll be about half an hour (or whatever time you think) - there's a nice cafe down the road." That gives them the hint that the reading is private. If either or both of them object, saying they have no secrets, you say "Really?" and give the person who spoke a penetrating look. Don't say anything else. If they *still* insist, tell them that you and your Tarot guides work better when you have to deal with the energy of only one person, and does the client really want a second-best reading?

Paying in advance is always good. Again, before they sit down, say something like: "Let's get the business side out of the way, then we can both relax." Working in the reader's room of a new age shop or a metaphysical festival is great: they collect the money for you, so you're at one remove and there isn't that awkwardness that some readers feel, about asking.