Are you coming off as rude?

Even if you’re the kindest soul on the face of the Earth, there are times where you still might come off as rude to your clients - and you might not even realise it. No matter if you’re a mobile beautician, a booth renting hairdresser or a home-based nail tech, you’ve more than likely had a situation in which you do everything you usually do to please a client, and you still come off as rude. So just what exactly is going on behind the scenes, and what can you do to prevent this from happening?

Signs you might be coming off as rude

If a client walks into your place of business (or you arrive at their home) and right off the bat they’re very stone-faced towards you, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re to blame. The client might be dealing with difficulties in their personal life and simply isn’t in the mood to be a ray of sunshine. However, if you start off with a strong and energetic conversation and abruptly run into a wall, then chances are the customer might have taken offence at something you may have said during the conversation. Other symptoms are clients not responding to your countless message attempts and simply not booking treatments with you any longer. Here are some of the most common culprits that may be turning clients away from you.

Being “too much” of anything

Running a business means you have to work your magic in order to make a profit and to stand out from the crowd, but overdoing it can make you look rude. In most cases, constantly encouraging clients to book treatments and make purchases can make you look too salesy, being too talkative, especially if the client isn't interested in a discussion, can make you seem too pushy, and talking too much about yourself might make you seem full of yourself. Less common examples are being too distant from clients, too much of a chronic complainer and too truthful. Now let’s address each of these and see just what your clients might be thinking:

Too salesy: your customers aren’t cash cows - they should be treated with respect and as individuals.
Too talkative: some clients just want to relax during their treatment - if the conversation isn’t going back and forth, don’t say anything and wait for them to start talking.
Too full of yourself: there’s nothing wrong about being proud of your successes and having a passion for what you do - but don’t ramble on about yourself only, unless of course the customer asked about your work experience or are in a talkative mood. Ask them about their thoughts on certain topics as well.
Too distant: if you’re going through a difficult time, consider taking a break from work, but don’t let it affect your work life. If a customer tries to get a discussion going, try to take interest in what they’re saying - if they feel ignored, then you might as well wave them goodbye.
Too many complaints: this situation depends on your relationship with a client - if they’re a regular and are close to you, then you shouldn’t fret. However, being a constant negative nancy in front of a new customer is a definite turn-off.
Too truthful: unless the client asks for your honest opinion, keep this to yourself. Shaming a client for a poor box-dye colouring can really hurt their feelings and land you a negative review.

Not staying in touch

Regularly staying in touch with customers is beneficial for your business in two ways - on one hand, it shows clients that you remember about them and that you value their business, on the other hand, it reduces the possibility of them visiting another business. Now, let’s say a new customer had a full head of highlights at your business and they’re just head over heels in love with them. They come back once or twice and they begin to consider going elsewhere. Why is that? Well, chances are they might not have felt a strong bond with your business. They’ve spent hundreds of pounds and you didn’t send them a thank you message or a text regarding some of your latest offers? That customer is now more likely going to go elsewhere. If you’ve been in the industry for some time now, you know the importance of staying in touch with customers, but writing to each client by hand is just too much work. To help streamline this, send automatic SMS notifications with Booksy salon software. Aside from the usual “thank-you” message, send birthday wishes, review requests, appointment reminders, booking confirmations and a number of marketing campaigns with the Message Blasts feature.

Being very expressive about your opinions

Getting into an in-depth discussion with new clients is great - it shows that they feel at ease with you, which can even earn you a new regular client, depending on how the chat goes. However, make sure to avoid being too expressive and blatantly bashing those who don’t agree with you on sensitive topics such as politics or religion. Even if you agree with the client on certain matters, being very expressive about them (especially the sensitive ones) can cause a rift between you and staff or other clients who may have different views. Obviously, sharing your views on whether or not a soy mocha latte is more delicious than a flat white coffee isn’t going to cost you a client. Respect others who may have different views from you in order to avoid being rude!

Not rewarding customer loyalty

Did you know that it costs double the amount of resources to gain a new customer than it takes to maintain the loyalty of a regular one? Your loyal clients represent the success of your business, so the more you have, the more successful your brand is. And how can you ensure that your regulars stay with you? By working with them! Reward clients for their purchases and referrals - if you choose not to reward clients for their loyalty to your business, you’re not only going to come off as blatantly rude, but you’re also going to lose a steady source of income. Those clients are going to choose another business over yours and are going to help promote it. Now, how long can a business stay afloat solely relying on one-time clients? Not long at all.

Sometimes, you can’t influence what clients think of you. Even if you have good intentions, there is always a chance that a client might see you as being rude. Remember that you’re a service provider, and as such, you should maintain a high level of professionalism and focus on providing clients with an overall great experience. By rewarding loyal clients, regularly staying in touch with them and avoiding sensitive topics, you’ll be less likely to come off as rude and more likely to make lasting bonds with your customers!