Excellence, not perfection, is the secret to growing a successful clientele and stylist business. The hard skills we use behind the chair are important, however there are 10 must-dos to increase excellence and exponentially grow your clientele.
Provide an Excellent Client Experience: This ‘must-do’ is at the top of the list because it is the most important skill to ensure a steady growth of new and returning clients. Here’s a list of key things that clients point to when critiquing their experiences:
- Be professional, friendly, and respectful.
- Greet clients as soon as they walk-in making them feel welcome.
- Clearly communicate every step of the way ensuring that you fully understand the client’s expectations.
- Let clients know what to expect from their bill before beginning any work.
- Make sure your workspace is tidy and you are well groomed (no smelling of smoke – this is big one).
- Bring a great attitude taking care that your work is precise, clean, and on time.
Practice Great Client Communication: It is said that happy clients are won or lost in the consultation process. Here are some great tips for excellent consultations:
- Do a consultation on every client at every appointment. Make it clear that it is a consultation!
- Do not be afraid to ask returning clients what was working or to identify if there were any areas that were a problem for them. They will love that you are not shy to hear feedback.
- Learn about your clients so you can build the relationship but keep it professional… no gossiping and try not to talk about yourself too much.
- Try to turn a bad client into a good client. Sometimes a bad client is simply someone who’s expectations were not met. If you win them over by exceeding their expectations, they may become some of the most loyal clients you’ll have.
Leverage Yourself on Social: Think of social as the digital word of mouth and don’t be shy to post your work or re-gram a happy client’s post. These social ‘must-do’s’ are free and powerful:
- Create an Instagram account just for your professional self and keep it separate from your personal profile.
- Create beautiful images of your work (try not to just snap a photo in your chair). Set it up with a nice backdrop and let your work speak for itself.
- Provide behind the scenes of your self at educational events or anything that positions you as an expert.
- Be active. Post several times a week and reply if you are tagged. Tag your distributor in your posts, as they often will profile client’s work on their feed as well.
- Use creative hashtags so your work can be found by inquiring clients.
Capitalize on FREE Digital Marketing: The #1 strategy for digital marketing is to create a business Gmail account and get your freelance salon on Google. You will be found when people search for hair salons near me and your clients can rate you giving FREE feedback advertising. Make sure to keep it updated with current photos and hours of business including closed dates.
Establish Your Brand: Who are you and who is your target market? Answering these two questions will go a long way to focusing your efforts to gain new clients. Even if you are renting a chair or an independent in a home salon you are a business, so brand yourself as a business.
Let Data Drive Promotions: Data never lies, you can trust it to tell you exactly how you are doing each month, and where you need to focus your growth energy. Here are some key methods for using data for growth:
- Track the number of new clients you have every month.
- Returning clients – what is your retention rate & how can you increase it.
- Average ticket price per number of clients will help you strategize ways to increase it.
- When are your busy/slow times? Create promotions to increase in slow seasons.
- Digital/Social Presence: How many clients are finding you via your google listing, social profiles, and website.
Value Feedback for Change: This is a difficult one for all of us. The key is not to take client feedback personally. Try not to react defensively but listen attentively to see if there is anything you can change to meet their expectations. Be wise and separate those you’ll never please from those you can adjust and turn into a loyal client.
Network Everyone Everywhere: Give out your card to everyone you meet. Talk about your craft always. Show off your passion for what you do – you will attract clients like crazy!!
Get Friendly with Your Community: Your community is an excellent place to connect and be known locally. It can also be a place where you can give back and show that your business is community minded and takes social responsibility seriously.
Participate in Education Constantly: This ‘Must-Do’ is really a #1 practice to attract and keep your clientele. We all know how uplifting learning is to our morale and skills, this gets passed on to your clients and let’s them know that you’re keeping up your skills. Trends come and go, independent service provider’s will need to be able to answer all client questions… especially about new style trends!
Please feel free to reach out to our Icon team if you want to explore any of these tips or need someone to talk it over with you. We are here to help you grow! It is our pleasure to provide you valuable information that you can use in your professional life.
To Book an appointment with an Icon Salon Consultant call
Customer Service Toll Free (1-800-862-2311)
Locally (604-591-2339)
Or email [email protected]
