HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR CLIENTELE

 

 

To some people building your clientele seems almost impossible! It really is so hard to do! It’s one thing to start something new, but clearly another to step out of your comfort zone and meet new people. When you finally get someone new into your chair you think you’ve done it all! I want to give you some MAJOR props for accomplishing one of the hardest steps. But it shouldn’t stop there. I am here to tell you there are a few more things that need to be done to KEEP that client coming back to you. Oh by the way… I am not an expert in this area. Trust me I have lost many clients. However, there are a few KEY things I have ALWAYS done that I know works well (for me at least). That’s it for the small talk let’s jump right in!

 

#1: Confidence! There is a difference when you are confident and when you are cocky. Trust me on this, no one likes cocky. What clients do like is a strong confident person who they trust. They need someone who they feel knows what the heck they are doing and talking about. Even if you are new and you don’t know the answer you can still act confident while you go ask someone. That’s how we learn! We have all had a beginning and we’ve all started with very little knowledge and experience. That is ok! 

#2: Deposits! I remember the first time I decided I needed to require a nonrefundable deposit to hold a spot for a full set of eyelash extensions. I was scared out of my mind to send that text! Do you know what happened?? She said “okay, how can I send it to you?” WHAT?!?!! Yes, it was that easy! I, of course, gave all the info about it before receiving the money so there was no confusion. There have been people who haven’t responded and I have never heard from them again. This does two things. First– It weeds out the clients who are just scheduling with you because it sounds fun but they know they will most likely cancel. This is not ok for me because I am usually booked out for 6 weeks! So that means I will hold an appointment for someone for 6 weeks to have them cancel the day of or become a no-show! I need responsible and reliable clients in my books. Second – If they don’t end up showing up (rarely happens) at least you made a little money and aren’t out as much! 

#3: Consultation! Now you’re thinking yeah yeah I’ve heard this a million times! But seriously! This is SO important when it comes to building a clientele. You need to find out what your client wants before you start! I have had so many people come to me for the first time and I start asking my normal questions and they look at me in shock and literally say “Oh! No one has ever asked me these questions before. They just did whatever they wanted.”  These are the questions I ask. Do you normally curl your eyelashes? Do you wear a lot of mascara? Do you like a more natural or dramatic look? That’s it! It’s that simple. If you start off doing this your clients will be so much happier with their lashes and they will want to come back!

#4: Education! I’m not talking about your education (although I hope you are well educated in what you are doing) I’m talking about educating your client. In my case I do eyelash extensions. I can’t even tell you how many times I have had a new client (new to me) come to my chair and they know nothing about what I’m doing or how to care for their eyelash extensions. I usually spend 5-10 minutes educating my clients on how to properly care their lashes. Now the client really trusts me because not only did I perform a service on them but I have now given them information that they didn’t have before. This has helped us build a relationship and they trust that I know what I’m talking about. This can also help me stand out more in the industry because I gave them something someone else didn’t. Clients love this!

#5: Rebook! Now this is the scary one! But this is the MOST important step! If you do not rebook your client chances are they will not come back to you. Not because you didn’t do a good job or they didn’t like you but plainly, because now they have to reach out to you and schedule something and that is inconvenient for them. This is something I have done from the beginning and I still have a lot of my first clients coming to me regularly. I finish the service, rebook and have them pay. If they act hesitant to rebook this is what I say “It’s ok if you don’t want to rebook but chances are you probably won’t be able to get back on my schedule when you want to so it’s best to rebook!” I have had maybe a handful of people come to me that didn’t rebook. Most of the time clients need a little push to reschedule for the first time. DONT LET THEM LEAVE UNLESS THEY ARE BOOKED. This WILL maintain your clientele. I’m 99% sure of it. 

#6: Follow up! This is something I try to do with every new client. I like to send them a message a few days after their appointment to make sure they are still happy with their lashes! This helps them feel really special! They are always so happy that I  have reached out to them. It shows them that I value them as a client and that I really care.

 

Well Beauties, that basically wraps it up. If you do these things with all of your clients I am confident you will be able to build a strong and steady clientele in no time! If you have questions feel free to ask. Thanks for reading.