Here in Phorest, we firmly believe that if your salon has had over 3000 clients through its door, then you should stop continuously chasing new customers and focus a little more on your salon client retention rates. You have done all the hard work already. It’s a natural thing to lose customers, but according to CTL Europe, a 2% increase in client retention has the same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10%. Huge, isn’t it?
For a quick second, I want you to picture the magic beanstalk in your mind. Why? See, salon client retention and customer loyalty are very much related. Your customer, on the first visit, starts at the bottom of that beanstalk. What happens after, whether he climbs it up or not to become a loyal client or better and advocate for your salon, depends on many things all mingled up into one: how your customer experiences your salon.
First-Time Client Retention: What It Means?
First-time salon client retention is the percentage of first-time customers that return for a second visit within a specified period, usually ninety days.
First-time client retention measures your salon/spa’s quality score and your consistency. If your salon/spa’s first-time retention rate is 40 percent, that means 60 percent of the first-time clients you fight hard to attract are not returning. That rate also indicates that your salon/spa might lack in customer journey consistency.
According to CTL Europe once again, a 5% increase in client retention can increase profits by 25 to 125%.
5 Foolproof Strategies To Boost Your Salon Client Retention Rates
While putting these strategies to work, remember to get as much information as possible from your customer. Don’t stop once you get the contact details. You are selling more than a service; you are building a relationship. The more information you have, the more personable you can be and the more ways you have to target your clients.
- Offer to pre-book every client, every time.
Don’t be shy to ask your client when would suit best for the next appointment. It’s not pushy; it’s more like a “we want to make sure keep your beautiful color”. The more you know about your client’s booking habits, the easier it’ll be to pre-book. - Be all ears.
It all starts with a consultation but make sure there is communication throughout the service. Your client needs to receive what is asked. Catch on to your customers’ cues, desires, interests. - Make a good first impression.
The more your staff has policies and guidelines to follow, the more consistent will your services be across all platforms. Every client should feel like they’ve been treated with the same care. You’d be surprised to see how quickly you can lose a first-time client because of a difference in service and attention. - Make the salon experience easy on your client.
You already know this, but your clients are busy and stressed. Write down their habits and preferences (it can even go down to how they like their coffee!), any little thing that makes their experience incredible will have a direct effect on your salon client retention rates. - Get feedback.
Feedback from your team, from your customers. Improve on what can be improved and develop your teamwork at the same time!
Apart from that, as a salon owner, you need to know your numbers. Client Retention isn’t the same as Request Tracking. This second method measures “who requests who”, not how many first-time clients return to your business for a second visit. A client coming back to your salon, but to a different stylist, for example, will not affect your salon’s retention rate – but sure, it will change your stylist’s personal retention rate.
EXTRA: Client ReConnect & Phorest Academy’s Client Retention Webinar
If you are a Phorest client and haven’t tried it yet, Client ReConnect is a true revolution regarding increasing salon client retention. In fact, wait until you hear about this amazing SMS campaign by Baroque Hair in Harrogate this summer.
They sent an SMS to a select list of clients using Phorest’s Client ReConnect tool in the marketing section. It was a super smart campaign by the team of stylists, as they knew exactly who they were targeting and why. Firstly, they targeted two client categories: cut and style and also color clients i.e. clients who have had one of these services with the salon in the past.
From just £5.06 of sent SMS, they generated over £5000 by getting clients back in!
This could be the case of your salon too! Why not book a Client ReConnect training to learn how to make the very most from this truly game-changing marketing tool?
For a video walkthrough of the feature including the setup, watch the video below!Also, if you are looking for tips on how to run a successful loyalty program in your salon, check out our Salon Owner’s Bible To An Incredibly Successful Loyalty Program.
If you enjoyed this salon loyalty program article, then you’re going to love our brand new eBook focused on Client Retention and, save your spot at the next Phorest Academy ‘Client Retention Expert’ Webinar on Monday, September 5th, 2016 @ 11:00 AM GMT.
