Proper Care and Feeding of Clients

     Today’s tip is the proper care and feeding of a clientele. If you are just building or almost fully booked proper care and maintenance of your clientele is essential for your long-term success. The average technician loses an average of 5 percent of their clientele per year through no fault of their own. Clients move, they unfortunately move on to the big spa in the heavens, their economic condition changes dramatically. Whatever the circumstance we need to be constantly monitoring our current clientele.
     Thanks you’s are essential. I know I’ve talked about his before, a nice handwritten note especially after the first service but how about just because. Maybe you know they got a promotion at work, maybe they had a few difficult weeks or months or year for that matter. If you haven’t seen a client in a few months, chances are something’s up. Don’t ignore the warning signs and take the passive route. Take action with a phone call or a quick email, or yes that hand written note. Something like I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen your smiling face lately and just wanted to check in to make sure everything is alright with you. You may want to offer an incentive to return, It’s up to you to decide how you manage your offers. If you haven’t seen clients in more than a few months try a “Miss you” promotion.

 

     Same theme, maybe offering new items or services since they have come in. I sent out an email to my entire list when I started offering Shellac and it brought clients out of the woodwork. If you are consistent with your efforts chances are eventually something is going to strike their interest.
Do you send your guests home with an instruction sheet to ensure they successfully maintain at home the professional service you gave them at the salon? I am including a link in my blog this week from Beauty Tech that has many useful ideas to use in composing your own client letter. http://www.beautytech.com/articles/consumr.pdf
     Things like, treat your nails as jewels not tools, check your grip when lifting heavy objects to make sure you don’t break a nail, wear gloves when you do housework and gardening. You know all the things you think they know but don’t. I know a tech that makes her clients sign off that they have read her “10 commandments of nails” before she will guarantee her work.
Do you recommend the right retail for them to be successful? Are you educating them about their nails or just providing a one time service stand? Are you building relationships or counting cattle? Do you follow up a new client service with a phone call to see how they liked their visit? Find out if they have any questions or challenges with their new full set or treatment products. If they are not happy, catching problems early and fixing them will score you big points toward the future of the relationship. I worked with a girl that had one of the first mobile nail salon service businesses in the country. While she was building she was truly a one woman band. She would work all day and at night, in her best British accent, call her clients back to see how they liked their visit. Needless to say she built her business with a strong foundation of loyal clients. So in these challenging times it is more important than ever to keep in touch so you don’t loose touch with your clients.