Has your salon become a one time stop?

Has your salon become a one time stop?

What is the main objective of most successful salons and spas (and it is not always making more profit!)? The answer is growing the customer list with loyal clients who enjoy visiting your business and taking advantage of your services! However, they do not appear out of the blue - your business and staff need to create a positive and memorable impact on them in order to build trust. So what happens when your salon or spa gains more one-time clients and less loyal customers? Chances are your business has fallen into the quicksand pit known as a “one-time stop”.

Symptoms

During busy periods, you and your staff may not take notice of this - you may get a few loyal clients that regularly book your services, but they are overshadowed by a flood of first-time customers. Instead of directing your focus to your regular clients, you and your staff work hard to get as many new customers into your chairs as possible. It is after the busy period that you may begin to notice the symptoms of a one time stop salon. As the slow season approaches, you begin planning marketing campaigns aimed to bring more customer flow back to your business. You launch your campaign, only to see a dismal response rate - now you can begin to worry.

Preventing this issue from occurring

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure - the same could be said in this situation. If you notice a fall in rebookings and customer loyalty, address the matter with your staff, as they work with clients every day. If the cause is obvious (rude staff, poor customer service, low service quality), then resolving it is just a matter of time. However, if customers have no complaints about your business and rebooking rates continue to stay low, you may need to approach this issue from a more creative perspective.

When it comes to preventing your business from becoming a one-stop salon, two words come to mind - customer loyalty. The concept of customer loyalty is fundamental - a client chooses your business over another for a number of reasons. If your salon is being deluged by one time customers, chances are they were expecting a unique experience, but did not find it at your salon. So what exactly are potential loyal customers looking out for when searching for the perfect beauty business for them?

Give clients a unique experience!

Place yourself in your customer’s shoes and imagine you are visiting a salon - you have booked a service, you sit down on a nice, comfy chair, small talk is exchanged with your stylist and while they work on your new look, they greet new clients and chat with other staff from neighbouring stations. After your transformation is complete, they ask how you like it and direct you to the receptionist to pay for the visit. Although the transformation makes you look dazzling, the customer service was sloppy, to say the least - this, as a result, creates those dreaded one-time clients. Give first-time customers a unique experience - treat them like royalty, and not just another number, as customer loyalty is grown, not simply purchased. Spend time getting to know them - ask how they found your business, what they do and what hobbies or interests they may have. Although this information may seem irrelevant to you, it can benefit your business in two ways:

• Marketing campaigns - store information on your clients in your Booksy customer records section and create customer groups which you can target in marketing campaigns. Launch a Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Veteran’s Day offers to the right customers, without having to worry that it will not reach the intended audience.
• Improving customer loyalty - who would not love going to their favourite salon and being offered your favourite tea or coffee? Or being asked about your favourite show? A salon that knows its clients has the key to success.

Go beyond discounts

A natural knee-jerk reaction to improving rebooking rates in most beauty businesses is implementing an attractive discount. Although they work to some extent, there is a higher probability of attracting offer-driven clients, who tend to purchase discounted products or services only. Instead, try implementing service packages or memberships. This is the perfect way to tie customers with your business for longer and boost your revenue. And how to persuade your clients to purchase services in bundles? Why not offer them a free product or a bonus add-on service to complement the treatment available in the package? And with your Booksy salon software, it's so easy to manage and monitor the sales and redemption of gift cards, packages and memberships.

Bringing back long-absent customers

For salons and spas, bringing back a client who has not booked a visit for months seems almost like a lost cause. After all, there is a reason why they have not booked another appointment. If the client visited your salon or spa only once, chances are they do not even remember your business, which is the perfect opportunity to pull them back to your salon! If you have their contact information, invite them to your business but do add a value proposition - anything from a “welcome back discount” to a free consultation or a gift bag with any service. If the clients return, now is your chance to work on improving their loyalty to your business.

However, calculating the time past since the customer’s last booking is a time-consuming task and results may vary. To automate this, Booksy has the Message Blasts module that automatically contacts clients who have not made bookings for an extended amount of time, encouraging them to pay your salon a visit.

The secret to a successful salon or spa is not the number of clients, but the number of the loyal ones, who are there to not only look and feel good, but also to help your business prosper. And with the right tools and approach, you have another opportunity for turning first-time clients into your favourite regulars!