When working as a salon suite owner, having a healthy clientele is a must. After all, you do have rent due on your new suite and will want to make sure you have enough clients every week to pay your rent and other expenses while still being profitable. Having your books filled at least a month out is the best way to ensure success as a salon suite owner. Here are some helpful tips on how to build a loyal clientele and most importantly keep them coming back:
Decide who your dream client is and target those people
Choose one of your favorite and most profitable services and advertise that as your specialty. Ex: Create an ad or Groupon for a service of your choice and advertise it as a discounted service (even if its not a substantial discount).
Offer free consultations to make your potential clients feel more comfortable with choosing you as their service provider.
Create a social media ad, you don’t need your degree in marketing to do this. It is very easy to boost a post on Facebook and Instagram and you don’t have to spend a lot! Through Facebook and Instagram ads, you can boost your post and choose exactly who you want to see it (age, gender, interests, city, etc.)
Perfect your Craft & Continue Education
Do you have an area of expertise or are you trying to do it all? Figure out what you are good at and stick to that as your main service. Are you really great at applying hair extensions and your clients just rave about how happy they are after you perform that service but maybe you’re not so great at men’s cuts? That’s OK! We can’t all be great at everything, if you focus on the services you are good at and enjoy, your passion will turn into happy clients who keep coming back for more!
When working out of a salon suite and owning your own business, it is on you to make sure you are continuing your education and staying up to date on the latest beauty trends. Never stop learning and perfecting your craft. The better you are as a beauty professional whether you’re offering hair services, facials or microblading, the happier your clients will be and the more referrals you will receive.
Keep them Coming Back
Keeping your clients coming back is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure a loyal clientele. Make sure you are listening to your client’s needs and ensuring that they are happy with their service before they leave your chair.
Create a referral or loyalty program. Offer your clients a discount on their next service for each referral they bring to you or offer them a discount or free service for returning (ex: Free hair cut for every 5 visits).
Pre-schedule their next visit before they leave. This is vital to keeping your books filled at least a month out. Encourage your clients to book their next visit that day and if you’re getting push back, offer them an incentive to do so (ex: you will get 10% off your next visit if you book your next appointment today).
Lastly, never undervalue yourself! Charge what you are worth, do what you love with passion and you WILL build you dream clientele. There is a quote that states - energy flows where attention goes. This simply means that once you have a clear goal and focus your energy on it, amazing things will happen.