Attract more clients – word of mouth referrals

Attract more clients – word of mouth referrals

Is asking a client to recommend your service to others a bit out of your comfort zone? Are you wondering how to go about approaching your client with this question, without running the risk of ruining your reputation as a professional? Perhaps you’re afraid of giving your client the impression you're struggling to manage your tight schedule? By applying a few simple methods, you no longer have to fear such an awkward situation.

It would seem that satisfied clients don’t need that further push to share a good review or testimonial of your salon. However, come to think of it – if your clients tell their friends about how good a job you do, how much more effective will this recommendation be if you introduce a small incentive?

Before you get cracking on spending money on online advertising, first you may want to stop and think about how to attract friends of your satisfied clients by preparing a special offer for them. Taking some time to invest in personal contact and collaboration can really pay off. An effective customer referral system is based on two fundamental elements:

• Reward element – the client is recognized for spreading a positive opinion about your salon
• Incentive element – gift for a friend

Making it a two-way street: reward clients for recommendations

There are many ways to make a client feel special when rewarding them for spreading the good word about your salon. Regardless of what you decide on, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the client is made aware you appreciate their effort. An expression of gratitude can go a long way and it can strengthen your relationship with existing clients.

• Reward them with a discount for their recommendation

Offering a discount on services or products is the easiest and most commonly used form of thanking a client for recommending your salon. It’s worth pointing out that giving your client a discount voucher is a proof of gratitude for spreading positive feedback rather than for the work done.

• Or maybe a nice gift?

If you’re planning to surprise your client with a small gift for their loyalty and recommending your salon to others, you can do so under set conditions. For example: for one successful recommendation the referrer receives a specific discount on further services.

What’s the best way to promote “friend invites”?

The effectiveness of a customer acquisition strategy from referrals depends on several important issues. Before you introduce the system into your daily work, take some time to consider what might go wrong and prepare the solution to the potential problem – foreseeing possible complications is vital.

• The client doesn’t see the “friend invite” as a valuable gift

Instead of giving everyone a £50 voucher for their first treatment, make sure that the voucher received depends on the client’s spending amount. Use the right communication technique to make the customer feel that the “friend invite” they receive is a valuable gift. For example: “Since you have spent more than £200, we’re giving you one voucher worth £50 for someone who has not been to our salon yet”.

• The client asks if they can use the voucher for themselves

Clients will always find solutions that will benefit them. To avoid misunderstandings or generic messages, immediately indicate that the voucher for a friend is a one-off promotion, only for those who haven’t been to the salon yet. Also make sure to add: “In exchange for sharing a positive opinion about our salon, when your friend takes advantage of the invitation and books a visit, as a gift of gratitude we’ll provide you with the same voucher."

• Your client doesn’t know anyone they could give the voucher to

It’s worth keeping in mind that not everyone has someone they can give a voucher to. When this type of situation arises, we can encourage the customer to support the salon by writing an opinion on the treatment and services they received. It's so much easier if you have salon management software – a request is sent automatically asking the client to leave a comment and in return they receive your bonus. Client reviews are automatically published on your online booking profile to help build your company’s image.

“Friend invites” – are they really worth it?

There are many marketing tools around that can help increase your salon’s profitability, but they can often be very time-consuming (and costly!), which causes the whole project to become unprofitable in the end. 

Acquiring customers from recommendations is such a simple process that you can easily implement at the drop of a hat. All you need is an invitation template and reward ideas. Vouchers can be ordered from a printmaker or graphic designer, they can be printed at a printing house or you can use up your outstanding voucher forms.

To make life even easier, you can use a notebook in which you can jot down the numbers of used vouchers – or the online management software will automatically do this for you. Sign up with Booksy for your free trial today and see how easy managing your business can be!