Building a successful beauty business is heavily reliant on your ability to build a loyal customer base that turns into lifetime customers. The reason that this is so important is because if you don’t give your clients reasons to specifically come back to you, then they’ll simply move on and look for a cheaper option.
Today, I want to give you three specific things you can do to build your loyal customer base for your beauty business and turn your clients into raving fans!
Build Relationships With Your Clients
I know this might seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised by how many beauty businesses simply take client appointments, create small talk, then send them on their way, HOPING to see them again.
Hope is not a strategy, and neither is simply booking another appointment thinking that just because they came in once they’ll continue to come back forever. Because the truth is, during the time they’re gone, if they find a better place or a better deal, they’ll take it.
If you want your clients to keep coming back, you have to build a relationship with them. That means getting to know them beyond the surface and really developing a friendship with them. When you do this, it ensures that when the time comes, you know they’ll come back.
Here are some great ways to help you develop relationships with your clients:
Following up with them via phone/text AFTER the appointment
Following them on social media
Getting to know their product preferences
Send them cards on special days (anniversaries, birthdays)
Most salon owners won’t go the extra mile like this, and by you doing it, you will establish yourself as the “go to” for your clients because you’ve shown them that you don’t just see dollar signs above their head, but that you care about them.
Focus On Quality & Consistency
The salon owners that build the most loyal customer base are the ones that care about the quality of their service and create that consistency quality time and time again.
I can’t tell you how many times I or a friend of mine have gone to the same salon twice and received a different quality of service each time. One time was great, the other was average. One time was great, the other time was terrible. With a lot of salons, there’s very little consistency.
The reason that we love the places that we do (restaurants, services, etc.) is because we know that when we go to them, we know what to expect . . . there are no surprises. However, if you do all the work of turning a new client into a returning client, only to have the quality of your service differ, you’ll lose them as fast as you gained them.
That’s why you need to make sure that the level of your services is always of the highest quality but most importantly, that it’s consistent. You can achieve this by doing things like:
Having people’s appointments on the same time/day
Making sure they work with the same person every time
Using the same chair/room for their appointments
Anything that you can do to create that consistent quality will keep people coming back. We as people like knowing what to expect, so if we know that every time we go, the service and quality will be great, and we like the person, we’ll continue to come back.
Show Apprecation For Your Clients
Not just salon owners, but all people, love feeling appreciated. When people feel appreciated, it shows that you care about them and it makes them want to come back. So how can you achieve this as a beauty business or a salon owner?
First-time incentives (discount, free travel products)
Birthday specials (discount, free product, gift)
Promotional discounts
Every “x” service they get something (20% off, extra service)
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it starts to give you an idea of some things you can try. In reality, you clients could go anywhere because there are a million different options, but they chose to come to you, and showing your appreciation for them doing that is something that will keep them coming back time and time again.
What Will Doing These Three Things Do?
It takes a lot of work getting a new client, and the last thing you want to do is depend on new clients walking through that door. It is much easier to turn a first-time client into a lifetime client, and if you do these three things, it will give you the best chance at retaining your clientele and being their trusted person for whatever service they need!