An age-old struggle for salon owners and hairdressers is client retention. The best way to ensure client retention is to get them to pre-book. According to Kat Riley, owner of Katherine Jon Salon and National Trainer for Eufora, pre-booking keeps clients coming through the door, helps predict revenue and ensures that clients get their desired appointments. Read her four tips on how to convince your client to pre-book here:
- Education: Remind your clients that maintenance is necessary in keeping their look’s integrity. Waiting too long between appointments can affect the work that needs to be done in subsequent appointments, resulting in more time in the chair or even higher costs! Pre-booking ensures they get an appointment when they need it.
- Explain Their Value: When clients don’t pre-book, they can often try and “squeeze in” appointments. Remind them that you want to provide them with the best service possible each time, and that “squeezing them in” will result in a rushed service and is not up to your standards.
- Offer Incentives: Both the stylist and the client like to be rewarded, so by offering simple incentives like gift cards or prizes for stylists who get their clients to pre-book, or for clients who consistently pre-book, it encourages everyone to participate.
- Remind Them This is Their “Me” Time: Clients are often hesitant to pre-book because they have hectic schedules, especially in the summer, with vacations and kids off from school. By reminding them of the importance of not only taking care of their hair, but their overall wellbeing by coming to the salon, it keeps us top of mind and offers clients with hectic schedules a way to unwind.
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