How to handle prom divas and their wishes?

When your curling iron starts screaming for help, the air in your salon is heavy from glitter and you can’t find a single bobby pin, even though you bought ten thousand last week - you know it’s the most wonderful time of the year again. The one and only - prom season.

Future prom queens and kings increasingly decide to turn to beauty salons in order to get their makeovers done, instead of trying to do them themselves - and that’s why you should definitely target them in your marketing campaigns. Certainly, there will be a lot of teenagers in your area interested in your services, so your appointment book will be bursting at the seams. Moreover, they are often children of your regulars and are likely to turn into your future loyal customers as well. What’s not to love about prom season?! Well - actually, there’s a lot.

Unrealistic expectations (fueled by social media)

Oh, those inspiration photos from Instagram! The beautiful updos made from lustrous locks, enormous fishtail braids every mermaid would be jealous of, those puffy crowns that look so effortlessly messy! They are so unbelievably beautiful… and so painfully unreal. First of all, almost every Instagram beauty guru wears hair extensions. Some of them don’t even bother and just put on beautiful, expensive wigs. And even after all of that, they still edit their photos, giving their coiffures additional volume, shine and colour. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, however, it heavily influences the way young people set their expectations. As a result, almost every single one of your prom clients shows you a picture with a hairstyle that may be either impossible to achieve on their type of hair, or even impossible to achieve at all, unless topped with an enormous amount of hair extensions. What’s more, even if you succeed, the hairdo will definitely look a little different than the one on the digitally enhanced, filtered and carefully posed picture.

What can you do?

There is not really much to be done, except to educate your young clients. As a professional, you are in the right position to explain to them that hair has different textures and will perform differently depending on many factors, their condition included. Also, don’t hesitate to explain that not every hairdo will be obtainable without using extensions.

Big dreams, small wallets

Let’s be honest: more complicated updos aren't easy to afford at a waitress's wage. Updos are time-consuming and require a lot of skill, experience and patience, so it’s no wonder they are not cheap. Doing a certain style is one thing, but making the whole coiffure stable and secure for a whole night of dancing is quite a challenge. That’s why many prom queens get surprised by the price of the service.

What can you do?

Remember to be very clear about your prices in the services menu - include the information that the final estimation depends not only on the style but also on customers’ hair thickness and length. Secondly, when a future prom queen asks you for an estimation online, ask her not only for an inspiration photo but also a picture of her own hair. If she seems distressed by the price, offer her a less pricey alternative (something equally pretty, but less complicated), but avoid giving discounts. The price is what it is.

Twists & turns

Any stylists who has dealt with teenage customers has experienced this situation, at least to some extent. Young clients tend to book hastily while still looking for a “better”, possibly cheaper option. They are very likely to be late-cancellers or even no-shows. Impetuous and spontaneous, they may not think about the consequences of such behaviour - and it’s your business that suffers.

What can you do?

First things first, did you remember to set and display your salon’s cancellation and no-show policy? You have to make your approach towards this kind of behaviour very clear.

Now, there is a clever way to make sure your young clients will not only remember about the visit but will also think twice before cancelling it late. For all of the ladies who booked "Prom updos" or "Prom makeup" - send them a message a few days before the visit, with your no-show and late-cancellation policies. If you are using a system for hair salon, you probably send automatic reminders anyway, however, carefree teenagers may need more than one. If that does not work and you notice you still get no-shows and late cancellations, implement required online prepayments for all the prom-related visits in your Booksy system.

So much drama!

Teenagers can be a lot to handle - every mom will tell you that! When you add prom stress, unreal expectations and desire to look like a bombshell, you get a recipe for a disaster. Your young client may be whiny, constantly changing her mind or can even suddenly burst into tears. It would be best to delegate your team member with nerves of steel to do the job. Also, be prepared to get familiar with some high school drama, latest gossip and be ready to give love-life advice and ensure that her prom date will love her look.

What can you do?

Keep your painkillers handy - you're going to need them for that migraine afterwards, but you definitely won’t be bored with your prom clients. Maintain a high level of customer service and make sure your approach is forgiving, but still, keep your prices steady and your policies relevant, even if the client is a child of your regular.

Prom season may be challenging for salons and their owners, but provides a great opportunity to make an extra profit and gain the trust of potential regulars! With Booksy salon software (and a glass of fine wine afterwards), you will be able to provide the greatest customer service and the most beautiful hair transformations for all the belles of the ball!