Clients are like water; they follow the path of least resistance. They will go where you lead them. That is, if you lead them!
Most service providers allow the client to lead the way, but a successful salon/spa service provider puts a plan in place for every individual client. We talk incessantly about the re-booking aspect of our business and yet, the statistics on the actual re-booking process remain at around a dismal 25%.
Service providers often think they have LOTS of clients but the reality is that a client is only yours if they are coming back! That means they have an actual future appointment booked. Go and look in your calendar now and see how many clients are actually booked! You will either be delighted that you are doing such a good job or you are absolutely horrified to realize that you only have 10 clients!!
Enough of the doom side of this lecture; let’s talk about another alternative to keeping our clients happy.
The Beauty Budget!
We are seeing an interesting option being offered to clients by service providers; an annual program! What a great way to put a fence around your customers and keep them happy and your business healthy! Here’s how it works! During the initial consultation with a first-time client, (which all of you do religiously, right?) one of the questions you will ask will be, “What are you planning to spend on your beauty needs this year?”
You will then explain that the amount of money will also allow you to determine the care and attention and style to be recommended. You do not want to recommend a high maintenance colour regime to someone on a student budget. A precision haircut can also be high maintenance. Spa services are much the same thing. A full-on facial may be 12 times a year may be out of the question, but an express one 6 times may be just right for your client. You get the picture?
Work Together to Plan the Year
You have done two things with this consultation. You have shown the client that you are a true professional capable of taking care of their needs on an ongoing basis and secondly, you have put a fence around the client. With the commitment you have shown the client, why would they go anywhere else?
We MUST stop being “by chance” providers and become PROFESSIONALS, someone who truly cares and plans for our clients needs. Be brave, be bold! Try it just once and see what happens; you may get the shock of your life to find out we were right! And then what? You can practice on every client you work with. That is the key phrase, “work with”, it implies that there is a relationship and that the client is YOUR client, not anyone’s wandering opportunity. As our businesses continue to experience changing economies with no changing strategies, we repeat what has always gone on.
If nothing changes, nothing changes! We have the opportunity to make a difference in our customers’ lives and in the life of our businesses. Let’s be proactive!
Header photo by Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash
