Getting a potential client to make a booking is one thing (and not to be sniffed at), but getting them to commit to coming back? That’s a whole category of its own. So how do you turn a one-time booking into a recurring one?
Create a programme
Let’s be clear here: clients hate upselling. It’s an uncomfortable situation at the end of a treatment when the therapist lines up every product they’ve used and tries to add them to the bill. So give that routine a miss, and rather talk to your client about a programme. Ask them what their goals are, be it clearer skin or more permanent eyebrow tinting. And then suggest a way you can work together to achieve this.
It’s a team effort
Your treatment may be perfectly priced, and it may be carried out brilliantly, but a rude greeting at reception, a less-than-clean waiting area, an absent offer of a glass of water on arrival and zero chatter at payment time can all leave an air of disappointment when someone visits for the first time. A customer chooses the whole experience when they select a salon; they want to feel special, seen and appropriately tended to. Ensure all staff is on the same page, and up to scratch when it comes to creating the ideal customer experience.
Offer a deal
Simply suggesting, “I’d like to see you in two weeks, what day works for you?” is direct, sure, but it’s also confronting. It’s a better move to involve the client in the planning. Sitting down at the end of the treatment and highlighting to them what you think you could achieve and within what framework, is more likely to get them onboard. Offer them a few different options at different price points to have a better chance of having them commit.
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