156: The Secret to Keeping Salon Clients Coming Back
Jun 21, 2023Season 3Episode 156
Danise Keilitz
Ever wondered why clients might not return or provide feedback after a salon visit? In this eye-opening episode, we're sharing our 30 years of industry experience to help you uncover the potential reasons and solutions for this common problem. Learn how to maintain a neutral and welcoming atmosphere, be sensitive to clients' emotions, and provide accurate price quotes upfront – essential tips for any salon owner.
Join us as we discuss the importance of daily actions that can greatly impact your clients' salon experience. Communication is key - we'll teach you how to effectively engage with your clients, ensuring they feel heard and respected. From navigating tricky conversations to time management and building trust and loyalty, this episode is a goldmine of valuable advice to help you create an unforgettable salon experience for your clientele. Don't miss out on these practical insights!
Ever wondered why clients might not return or provide feedback after a salon visit? In this eye-opening episode, we're sharing our 30 years of industry experience to help you uncover the potential reasons and solutions for this common problem. Learn how to maintain a neutral and welcoming atmosphere, be sensitive to clients' emotions, and provide accurate price quotes upfront – essential tips for any salon owner.
Join us as we discuss the importance of daily actions that can greatly impact your clients' salon experience. Communication is key - we'll teach you how to effectively engage with your clients, ensuring they feel heard and respected. From navigating tricky conversations to time management and building trust and loyalty, this episode is a goldmine of valuable advice to help you create an unforgettable salon experience for your clientele. Don't miss out on these practical insights!
Well, hey there, welcome to the Salon Ownership Made Easy Podcast. As a former Salon owner, i know how tough it can be to deal with things like hiring new team members, managing your KPIs and fixing everything that seems to break in the salon. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. But don't worry, i'm here to help you navigate the ups and downs of the industry. Let's face it beauty school didn't prepare us for the real world of Salon ownership, but with the right techniques, systems and mindset, you can achieve amazing success. With over 30 years of experience and four successful salons under my belt, including two that hit over seven figures, i've learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn't. So buckle up and get ready for some practical tips and real talk. Let's do this.
Speaker 1:
Today we're going to talk about something that I don't know you probably have thought about before, but maybe you really didn't consider it. Have you ever been doing someone's hair and you just kind of know that they weren't happy, but they didn't say anything? when you turned them around and you said, here you go, how do you like it? And they're like oh, yeah, it's fine, yeah, uh-huh, okay. You kind of know that they weren't thrilled, but they didn't say anything, but they just didn't come back. Most clients won't say anything, they just won't. I mean, have you ever been at a restaurant and, um, you know, and you're like I don't know about this, you know the food wasn't good or undercooked or something, something, and the waiter comes by or the manager and hey, hey guys, how's it going, how's everything here? And you're like, fine, You just don't say anything. Some people say stuff, i mean, but the majority of people just don't give their feedback.
Speaker 1:
Right, let's explore five of the reasons why your clients don't say anything. Or maybe that they're thinking, but they don't say out loud. Okay, and kind of put yourself in their shoes and see how maybe you might handle it differently the next time something like this comes up. Okay, here's the first thing. Their feelings were hurt for whatever reason. Right, it could be that you had conversation that they didn't care for. Maybe you talked about religion or politics or I don't know anything that they, maybe they're going through something with their family and you started talking about, i don't know, maybe somebody in their family had cancer, and you started talking about somebody who had cancer and you didn't know. But their feelings were hurt and you just didn't realize.
Speaker 1:
So the thing to do is to always strive to just maintain a neutral and welcoming atmosphere, and it's really, really crucial to just read your clients emotions. Get really good at reading body language. What I mean by that is that you need to be real sensitive. If they bring up a subject of I don't know politics, let's say, because that's a hot topic and you don't agree with what they're saying, you do not When you're standing behind the chair. I would not recommend disagreeing with them Now. You might disagree in your head, but you need to be very neutral, be indifferent and change the subject. Get it back on their hair care, how to style their hair, anything, the weather, for God's sakes, anything other than what this uncomfortable conversation could be. And that includes even if you have a co-worker having a conversation with their client with an earshot of your client As a team member. You need to have some kind of like code word or at least something, an eyeball that you can look at your co-worker and say, yo, that's no, no, we don't talk about that In our salons. We never talked about, we were not supposed to talk about religion, sex, politics. Those are just three things that we just don't talk about, because they can really start an uncomfortable environment because so many people disagree on so many different things. I think the number one reason that people don't come back to the salon has nothing to do with their hair. It's that they either overheard a conversation, their feelings were hurt, end of story.
Speaker 1:
The second reason I would say is that they were surprised by the cost. How often does that happen? And if you have somebody who works at the front desk, or if you've ever worked at the front desk and you went to go check somebody out and it was a couple hundred dollars and you see their jaw drop to the floor, they might not say anything, they might pay it, but I guarantee you they probably won't be coming back. So what do you do in this case? if they're surprised by the cost, you price quote up front. You know, you have your consultation and you tell them exactly what it's gonna cost. Or ballpark Always, always discuss their budget.
Speaker 1:
Maybe they came in and they wanted a full balayage, full like makeover. You know they're showing you this Instagram picture and they want it And in your mind that's gonna be I don't even know a couple hundred dollars, but their budget is 75 bucks. They're gonna be very disappointed if they get up to the front desk and they don't have the money to pay for it And they're too embarrassed to say so. Ooh, nobody likes surprises when it comes to money. So just let them know what you can do within their budget. You don't have to say no. Don't say no. Don't say um, oh, sorry, then sucks to be, you Can't do that today, you can't afford me. Don't do that. Don't be that person. Say hey, i get it. Say this is what we can do for that amount of money. It might be just a few face framing highlights, but you can always do something. Okay, the number three reason They just didn't feel heard.
Speaker 1:
You know, when I talk to people who have gotten their hair done at other salons and they're disappointed in their hair cut, it's not like it's a bad haircut, it's not like it's a bad hair color. They just didn't feel heard. They say something like they just didn't listen to me or they just did what they wanted to do. How many times do you catch yourself, as a hairstyle, standing behind the chair, looking at your guests and you're already conjuring up what you want to do in your head? That's not a good thing to do. You need to get eyeballed eyeballed to them. You need to repeat back to them what you've heard. You are a professional and it's your responsibility to ensure that your clients feel heard and understood. So just take the time. Just take the time to listen and engage and have a meaningful consultation. I think they would appreciate that.
Speaker 1:
Alright, the fourth reason They felt disrespected. Respecting your client's time is essential, right? So if you're running late, you need to tell them. Or if the services take longer than expected, clients may feel disrespected. I don't know about you. I don't have five or six hours to spend in the salon to get my hair done, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:
So if it's gonna take a while, you need to tell them upfront, say, wow, this may take them a little bit to get you there, because honoring their time and communicating it clearly it helps to build trust and loyalty. The worst thing you could do is say, okay, let's tackle this, and 10 hours later they're still in your chair. Trust me, no one has that kind of time on their hands. If it took that long, you better believe I wouldn't be back. I mean, it might take two or three services to get to their goal. I would rather it be that way and maybe a couple hours at a time than 10 hours in one sitting. But ask them, maybe they have all day, maybe they want it, maybe they have a I don't know a wedding or high school reunion and they really just wanna look phenomenal And they're willing to spend the time. But if you don't tell them upfront, respecting their time And that's another thing too is when their appointment starts and you're with someone else.
Speaker 1:
You need to respect them. I mean, have you ever been somewhere and you've been waiting and nobody's even telling you what's going on And your appointment time's come and gone and you're just like hello, does anybody even see me here? That's how your clients feel. If you're running late, you need to at least excuse yourself. Go over to them and say hey, i'm just running like five, 10, 15. Maybe you're running an hour behind. You need to let them know and give them the opportunity to either reschedule or wait for you. It's okay, just respect their time, okay. And then the fifth one is they just didn't feel appreciated. Yeah, i know We used to say pretend, like everyone has a sign on their head that says make me feel important, because that's really what it's all about.
Speaker 1:
You need to make every single person who sits in your chair feel like they're the most important person in the room, because guess what They are? They really are. And sometimes it's just the small things that we do that make a big difference. Like, maybe send a thank you note or just a text, just checking in on your guest after they had a big color service or a brand new, fresh haircut, just text them and say, hey, i was just thinking about you. Are you having any difficulties dialing your new haircut? If so, i invite you back in. I'll give you a styling lesson, right? You can do things like that.
Speaker 1:
Or if a client gives you a gift because we have wonderful clients, right, and they love their hairstylists. So if they give you a gift maybe for Christmas, a holiday, your birthday how about sending them a handwritten thank you note? Wow, getting something in the mailbox and a thank you card? That just wow, that leaves a lasting impression, believe me. And then just showing your appreciation for them, thanking them for their time, thanking them if they referred their friend to you, just thanking them and remembering that they're the lifeblood of your business, right? Just remember effective communications, the foundation of exceptional service, and it's just really the little things. It just takes a little tiny bit more to go above what people even expect. Just being mindful of these potential issues, it'll help you improve your client relationships and, ultimately, the success of your business.
Speaker 1:
So just keep them in mind and see what you can do to better yourself the next time you're behind the chair, because the last thing you want is your client to leave the salon disappointed. Because I guarantee you, they will tell everybody. They will tell everybody. When somebody's disappointed in a business, they tell at least 11 people I think there's a study somewhere And when they're happy with the business, they might tell one or two people. I just love my hair. Oh my gosh. They don't shout that from the rooftop.
Speaker 1:
In fact, i've heard people say I'm not gonna tell anybody where I get my hair done, because my style is to get all full and I won't be able to get in. That's the last thing we want. But I can guarantee you, when they're disappointed, they might not say anything to you, but they're gonna tell everybody And you don't want that, do you? Well, hopefully these tips helped you in some way. Maybe it made you think a little bit If they did share this podcast with your hairstylist friends, let's get together and just really elevate our industry Again.
Speaker 1:
It's the little things that we do every single day behind the chair, and it has nothing to do with hair, believe it or not. Until next time, remember when you know better, you do better. Thanks for hanging out with us on today's podcast. We hope you found it interesting and learned something new. If you liked what you heard, hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on future episodes. We're always open to your feedback and suggestions for topics to cover in the future, so don't be shy. Drop us a line on social media or shoot us an email. Thanks again for listening and we'll catch you on the next one.