Keeping your chair full on a daily basis is the lifeblood of your business. The more people you see, the better you do – it’s that simple. Yes, new arrivals are always great. Nothing like a fresh canvas on which to work! But businesspeople know how important your return customers are. These returning clients are what really put food on the table and keep your business booming.
Client loyalty is vital in today’s business climate. Not just for salons, but for any business. According to Forbes, by creating a return client, you’re creating a customer who will spend more, visit more, and spread the word about your business. These people are invaluable to your success, so it would be nice to make more return clients, right?
Are My Clients Loyal?
We’re sure you notice which faces come through your door more often or who pops up on your schedule each few weeks. But it’s important to take a look at which customers are actually loyal to you and your chair to see how healthy your business is. Look back over the last 90 days and keep track of your retention rate. This will show you how healthy your business is as of today. Point-of-sale systems can run a report for you.
By checking up on this loyalty, you can see who’s coming back on a regular basis and who isn’t. This can drive your marketing and sales angles for the future.
How to Boost Client Loyalty
If you’ve noticed that your clients are more one-offs than repeat customers, something needs to be done. Here are 3 simple ways to increase your client loyalty and create a better customer.
Care About Their Hair
This seems obvious – of course you care about their hair! But what we mean is to keep up a dialogue with your client, starting when they walk through the door. Ask them how they’ve like their hair since their last visit, and if they had any concerns or care issues.
If the client is brand new, be sure to ask them a few questions about how they feel about their hair as of today. What do they like and dislike about it? How bold do you want your look to be? What kind of maintenance schedule are you able to keep?
Putting this much time into the client before getting going can set the mood and create a level of trust between you and the customer. Building trust is important, which brings us to our next point.
Consistency Is Key
Whether it’s through the aesthetic of the salon itself, or how you communicate with your client, or the quality of the service you provide, it’s crucial that you are consistent in whatever you are doing. By being predictable and consistent, you continue to build trust. Building trust means that this one-time client will have faith in your work. That means they’ll want to return, spend more to have you take care of them, and so on.
Make it Fun and Fruitful
Most importantly, to keep a client coming back, they need to have an amazing experience. You love styling hair, so show it! Offering extras can help forge long lasting clients as well. If you have extra time, for example, a deep conditioning for your client or a scalp massage is a great way to show that you’ll go that extra mile. The love of your business will shine through, and your client will trust you more for it.
The love for your business shouldn’t stop once the client has paid. Proper communication is vital to building that relationship. Even thanking them after a session goes a long way to building client loyalty. A post-appointment email or a reminder sent to them to rebook are great ways to create a fruitful conversation between you and a client. You are passionate about your work, and they will be too – as long as you stay in touch.
Client Loyalty is In Your Hands
These are just 3 helpful tips to help you start creating a loyal client base in your business. There are many other ways to keep clients coming back, and ultimately we know that you have some tricks up your sleeve. If you have a secret that keeps your clients loyal, we’d love to hear it!