Clients leave! What happens to them? They come as regular as clockwork that you almost think of them as a friend and then POOF, they’re gone!
The number one reason that clients leave the salon is BOREDOM! Yes, it isn’t because their stylist was running late or had to park a couple of blocks away. It's because they are BORED! They're bored because their stylist hasn’t asked them if they would like to do something different and has taken them for granted.
We have heard clients say that they changed salons because they were afraid to hurt their stylist’s feelings, have to explain to their stylist that they wanted to do something different, and also completely changed salons!
How do we change OUR behavior to make the experience more comfortable for our clients?
Doesn’t this strike you as bizarre. The client would rather completely leave the salon than ask their stylist to create change! So how do we change OUR behavior to make the experience more comfortable for our clients, and how do we make our stylists more comfortable in developing a more professional relationship with their clients? Do you give them a consultation each time they come in for their appointment or do you just assume they will have the same service?
Create a rock-solid first-time client consultation is one of the most important aspects of building our businesses
One of the areas we do quite a bit of coaching and training on is on the consultation. One of the best ways to get started with this kind of relationship development is to have and use a first-time client card. This card asks the client for their personal information, their hair and fashion habits, their personal style, the time they have available for hair care, the products they are using at home, etc. This card becomes the basis for the interview that the stylist has with the client the first time they sit in that chair! The questions are already designed and the guesswork is taken out of the equation. The second step in the consultative process is to understand that EVERY visit from the client requires a short interview or consultation. The second, third, and every visit that follows requires the stylist to ask that client: did they have any challenges with their hair since their last visit; what were they loving about their hair; and what was the thing they liked the least about their hair.
Follow up with the recommendation of the day
- Do you re-book them before they leave? Another reason that clients forget to come back is because we don’t direct them to come back! If we are to truly take care of our clients’ needs we must let them know what it is they need to do after they leave the salon, which is to come back at a particular interval for their next hair care session.
- Do you stay in touch with them between visits? We aren’t suggesting that you call them once a week or ask them out for coffee, but if we are building a relationship we need to communicate with the client. That communication could take the form of follow-up phone call, a thank you note, a reminder call, an email on the latest promotion, a birthday card or your monthly newsletter. Your Vagaro program is the perfect tool to use to stay in touch between visits!
- Do you send them home with the information and products to recreate the salon experience? If they are re-creating the style you created for them and using your products, chances are they are thinking about you every day! They also won’t get bored with everything you have given them! You have let them know that you care about what they are doing at home and goes a long way to enhancing that relationship you are building with your client!
Practice good relationships ! It takes focus, every day, to keep your clients happy! Get your consultative systems in place and make ‘em work for you!
Header Photo by Kris Atomic on Unsplash
