As an esthetician, your clientele includes 100% of your income. He survives only on appointments and product sales. So, aside from your vast and thorough knowledge of skincare, product ingredients, application techniques, and a million other things, your business acumen must be in tip-top shape! When it comes to service-based businesses, customer retention is the name of the game. Time is money and money means keeping those books on hold! Once you get a client, your number one priority is to bring them back again and again. Keeping in mind that you’ve already done the work of getting a client into your treatment room for the first time, let’s explore some ways to make sure they come back again and again.
Quality of service
Yes, you retail skin care products, but your service is also a product you sell! Your customer is buying your time, attention, and industry expertise. Your service is your signature! Don’t be a cookie cutter here. Don’t take shortcuts or go through the motions. Be attentive, educational and give it your all! Also, there is a transactional element where you exchange your service for a dollar amount. For this reason, you should always make sure that for the customer, your service is not only equivalent to what they are paying for, but that they are getting a little more on top of that. Some tips to ensure a quality service experience:
– No, you’re not a masseuse. But people love massages! Go overboard!
– Make sure your menu descriptions are accurate to create an accurate expectation.
– Choose your product line carefully.
– Make your space clean and welcoming, pay attention to lighting, don’t over decorate, choose your music accordingly.
– Your energy dictates your space. Clean your life of its chaos as part of what you offer to your clients.
– Actively help solve skin problems through education: the results will speak for themselves.
Trust
However, let’s be honest, customers can buy a “service” anywhere. If they’re going to be a repeat customer, what they’re really buying is time with you. A customer relationship is similar to any other relationship in that it requires trust and reciprocity. To a client, you are someone they see, on average, once a month. Be a part of their life experience by keeping up with them! Even for the client who’s just going to fall asleep after the first few minutes, use those first few minutes to ask not only about her skin, but about her son Jack, her finals at school, her new dog, anything that be of utmost importance. priority for them. You can use your skin analysis to break the ice. For example, your client mentions that his skin feels dehydrated because she travels a lot for work. Your next question should be about the trip, not the skin! You’re going to rehydrate them, that’s a given. This is your chance to create a relationship! Don’t miss this! This registration process will do two things. It will show that you really care about them and their life. It will also allow them to get something important off their chest so they can relax. When you create that level of intimacy, you make your service more personally meaningful to that client. If you have a large clientele and are as forgetful as I am, use your software to keep very detailed notes on your clients’ profiles. This will keep you on track! However, I would advise you to be very cautious with the limits. READ: Do not inquire into people’s personal lives. Your job is simply to be a blank canvas for them to paint the picture they would like you to see. If you judge them in any way I can guarantee you will never see that customer again! If you continue to be your client’s biggest cheerleader, you’ll have them for life. Celebrate their accomplishments, validate their challenges, and encourage their efforts. And you thought you were only going to give people facials?!
Booking
Another way to ensure that customers return is through your reservation process. Offer a discount on a package. A pack of 5 facials is guaranteed to keep them coming back 5 times! And an additional benefit is the next four visits, they will probably buy more products, since your service has already been “paid for”. You can also develop a personalization system within your booking operation. For clients with a very regimented schedule, offer a standing appointment (ie the first Saturday of every month or 11am every other Thursday) that they can cancel as needed. This is a very simple option for people who know that they come regularly. For customers with unpredictable hours, offer to text them your opening day on Saturdays. Offer a courtesy reminder the day before scheduled appointments, and ask if they prefer text, email, voicemail, or no reminder at all. This will integrate YOU into YOUR life.
personalization
Get involved in what they are involved in. For example, a client comes in for a facial and mentions that she is planning a trip to Hawaii for Christmas. Why not mention that you do eyelash tinting and plucking? Also be sure to give them plenty of samples to take with them because they are very small and “travel friendly”. Will they need to bring any gifts? Because you have a lot of products and gift cards available. Book their next appointment now, because you can’t wait to see their photos when they come back! You are not selling them anything, you are filling in the blanks for them! Now they’ll be ready for the beach AND vacation, and you’ve left room in your suitcase for other things. And I’m sure you’ve warned about the strong sun in the tropics and made sure they have enough broad-spectrum waterproof sunscreen for themselves and their family! Your company has now become a solution to your problems. And you already have a customer for life!
conflict resolution
Finally, if something goes wrong, use the conflict for good instead of evil. A customer doesn’t like a product he bought from you. Don’t just return it. Talk to them about it: what didn’t they like and why? Is there anything to learn from what they are saying? Validate their frustration and try to find a new solution with them. If she’s late with one client and late for the next, add a scrub or give her a card for a free brow tweezing with her next facial. Conflict is not the end of the world, but it can become the end of a client if you don’t face it head on and work with it. Usually, if you handle a conflict with someone well, they will become your best customer because they respect how you handled the situation!
Building a customer base takes time and commitment, but the shortcut is not losing anyone! With these simple techniques, you can keep building. Your customers will recommend you to their friends and family, and your success will follow.