When I’m coaching my salon clients, one of the biggest problems they always talk to me about is retaining their clientele. They’ll get a new client, give them great service, but for some reason, they won’t hear from them again.
This is a common problem throughout the industry, however, it’s one that can be easily prevented if you do the three things I’m going to teach you today!
The Point Of An Appointment
I had a great mentor of mine was tell me this: “The point of a meeting is to book another meeting.” Basically, what he was saying is that if you don’t book another meeting with a client or a prospect, you’re leaving it up to chance that another one will happen.
I think that this is one of the most common problems I see in the salon industry.
One of two things usually happens: either the salon owner forgets to book another meeting altogether, or more commonly, they don’t want to feel pushy or salesy so they don’t ask. Here’s the truth: you’re getting in your head WAY too much!
Here’s a simple way for you to book a future meeting with a client. You have some sort of software that keeps track of a person’s information (name, phone number, email) as well as their appointment history. Then what you do is after you’re done, you say the following:
“So Tina, typically you’re going to want to get _____ done every six months. We stay pretty booked so if you want, I can set you up with that appointment now, that way in the future, you don’t have to worry about it. You’ll get a reminder text and email as well a weke beforehand, that way, you’re good to go!”
See how easy that is?
Have A Loyalty Program
People love being rewarded for being a continual customer, whether it’s a grocery store, Amazon, or the salon. Having incentives to keep your customers coming back is a great way at retaining your existing clientele.
You can offer discounts on services, products, or even some sort of VIP add-on experience. The point is you want your lifetime customers to feel important, like continuing to come back gives them status, and doing these types of things will definitely do the trick.
One great thing you can do for your clients is get their birthday and anniversary date of when they first came in and send them a handwritten card on these days. It might seem small to you, but the simple fact of you remembering a date AND taking the time to write them a card shows that you care . . . much more than the average business does!
Find Ways To Keep In Contact
This goes back to the first point when I talked about getting their name, email, and if possible, phone number in your system. People lead busy lives, and once they walk out of your salon they’re going to most likely forget about your business.
It’s not a bad thing, it’s just people have a million other things going on that it’s easy to forget. However, if you’re building an email list or a text list, you can let them know when it’s time for them to book another appointment, when you’re doing a special, or when their favorite product is back in stores.
Once again, if you don’t get their information, like booking another appointment, you’re HOPING that they get back in touch with you . . . which is not the way to run a successful business. Get their information, and even offer them an incentive to do so, like 15% off their first service with you!
Conclusion
Turning new customers into lifetime customers should be your number one priority when running a salon. Offer them a great experience, incentivize them to come back, and make sure to get their information.
If you do these things, your salon will always stay booked out and the referrals will start coming in!
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