Salon Success Secrets

Your Cancellation Policy Is Getting You Cancelled

• Lindsay Lowe & Jen Booth

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We rethink cancellation policies through hospitality, not fear. We show how a loud, punitive stance can push loyal guests away and why better systems—not bigger warnings—solve most no‑show issues.

• roots of “cancellation” and “policy” and why language matters
• the viral all‑caps policy post and what it signals
• contrast with luxury hospitality and leading with warmth
• how fear‑first messaging creates guilt and churn
• guardrails vs hammers as a policy mindset
• target 5–10% cancellations and read the data
• systems fixes: rebooking, reminders, future picture, confirmations
• coaching teams away from social media copy‑paste policies
• culture over consequences and rewriting the policy voice
• practical exercise to test tone and guest feeling

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SPEAKER_00:

What if I told you that the very thing that is protecting your salon may actually be pushing guests away? You know, your cancellation policy, it's a big word thrown around these days. The one that you're promoting on social media in all caps with dollar signs and explanation points might be the exact reason that clients are ghosting you. You know, they're shrinking when they walk back in, or worse, never coming back at all. And so today we're going to dive deep into why your cancellation policy could actually be getting you canceled.

SPEAKER_01:

Love this topic. So let's actually dive in first with the word cancellation. You know, it's from the Latin word canceller, which means to cross out to make void. And isn't that exactly how it feels? It's like your books are full, your team is ready, and then poof, a no-show wipes it all away. You know, and that's truly why we set policies, you know, and the word policy comes from the Greek word polis, meaning city. And so a policy was never meant to be punishment. It was created to keep order so that everyone could could thrive, truly, you know. So, but here's where it gets tricky. Sometimes without even meaning to, a cancellation policy can tip too far, you know, and so a loyal guest calls with a genuine emergency, or a new client reads a strict rules list before they've even met you, or a team member enforces the rules in a way that feels cold or robotic. And suddenly the very thing that's supposed to protect your business starts to push people away.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, Lindsay, it got me thinking of that uh screenshot that you just shared with me. Was it like a nice picture? And can do you remember what it said? It was like all in a caps locks. Yeah, tell us what it said.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, I've got it right here. So it was all in caps and it had a beautiful picture of hair, and that's what actually made me stop. Um, and then, you know, when you start to read what it what it said on there, it says announcement starting, you know, the date, uh, Tuesday, September 30th. No show appointments will receive a$100 fee. This fee does not go towards your next appointment, it goes to pay for your service providers and their hourly pay because no one gets to work and doesn't get paid. And it went on and on and on.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. I was I remember, I was like, oh goodness, wow. You know, it got remember we were thinking about that too. Like, man, like we've stayed at the Ritz before. And like every time we go in there, it's never about the cancellation policy, right? I've never even seen it. Like, that's more about like that hospitality making us feel warm and welcome. So it's like just interesting if you flip the script for salons. Like, why do we think that that's the thing that we have to market to? And I love what you said, Lindsay, about the word policy itself is not made to be a punishment. Like it's really just there to protect you because yes, well, there'll be one or two, or maybe three, four, or five clients that you need to use the policy loan, policy on absolutely. But just like the writs, it's like it doesn't have to be the forefront of everything. And I think that's the place that we're losing credibility on as salons and salon owner or and as being salon owners is because we're making that the first thing that a guest sees.

SPEAKER_01:

That's so true, Jen. And you know, I think a lot of salon owners think if they don't post a strong cancellation policy that people are gonna walk all over them, you know. But like it's almost like the belief that like if they're tough, if they aren't tough, they're gonna lose money, they're gonna lose respect, they're gonna lose time. But here's what actually happens when you put your cancellation policy front and center. You know, the wrong people, the one, the ones who like are truly abusing your time, they don't even see it, you know. But the right people, your loyal guests, the ones who love you, are the ones who do see it. And when they see it, they feel guilt. You know, they remember that one time life happened, like they had a sick kid, a flat tire, a family emergency, whatever their reasoning was. It doesn't even matter, you know? But now instead of walking and shining like they usually would, oh my gosh, I'm so excited to see you. You know, they walk in smaller, they dim their light, you know. And here's the truth guilty clients don't become loyal clients. Guilty clients, they avoid, they cancel more, or you know, they just simply fade away.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's so true. They just simply fade away. So when you think about like, here's the real breakdown like for cancellation policy to new guests, you know, truly a harsh cancellation policy screams, this place is risky. Like, I'm gonna need to think about this before I go in there. You know, to your loyal guests, like Lindsay was saying, it kind of whispers like, hey, if you mess up, you'll be punished. And then to your team, it signals, hey, we care more about rules than relationships. So I could see like that salon owner posting it, her team being like, Oh, ooh, yeah, yeah, I like it. Give me more of that, right? But like if you think about it, like your real goal is to, you know, create amazing experiences for guests. It's not punishment, it's you know, just a cancellation policy is just there for protection. You know, it should be a guardrail, not a hammer.

SPEAKER_01:

Jen, that is huge. It should be a guardrail and not a hammer, you know, because here's the truth like life is gonna happen, you know, and so here's what you need to know plan for a five to 10% cancellation rate. Just have a plan for that. That's normal, that's life, you know. But but I think it's also great to know if your cancellations are higher than that, you don't have a policy problem, you have a systems problem because there's, you know, maybe the guest experience isn't magnetic enough. You know, maybe you're not planning a big enough future picture for your guests, you know, or maybe your pre-booking process is weak, or maybe it's that you're not calling to confirm appointments or, you know, sending out texts or emails or whatever your reminder system is. Because you guys shouting your cancellation policy will not fix those leaks. It's just duct tape over the real issue. And I and I really think too, you know, one of the best reminders when we're thinking about this is, you know, when somebody on my team comes to me and they're like, hey, I've had so many cancellations. The first thing that you need to do as a salon owner is actually look and see how many cancellations they've had. Because if they've had three out of a hundred clients, they're doing great because we're planning on five to 10%. But if they've had 30 out of 100, okay, let's see what's going on. How can we make this a more magnetic experience? Um, because it is a systems problem at that point. It's, you know, there's not a desire for those people to come back. And I think another key thing there is like, have you ever called out sick? Have you ever been late? Because if you have, then you've already sent that signal to your guests that that's, you know, where we're at, you know, and also, you know, think about that as a human being. Like if you've ever called out, if you've ever been sick, if life has ever happened to you, well, it's happening to everybody else that we're serving to.

SPEAKER_00:

That's so good. You know, and Lindsay, I think a lot of uh where this stems from, too, if you're scrolling social media, is you see a lot of uh booth renters or call closet people, or you know, when you say closet people, I mean sweet people, uh, you know, and they don't have the marketing systems in place. So they're scared to death when they get two cancellations in one week because their entire livelihood depends on that. And so I think that's where we really have to have these conversations with our team too, just like you said, and to make sure that, you know, they have discernment on really truly understanding what's true for them and to not just be scrolling Instagram, read a cancellation policy and be like, oh yeah, they have one. That means we need one too. So I think they're that is a really beautiful opportunity to view and look at as well. Because truly, if you think of your salon like a city, you know, cities have laws and consequences, but they don't plaster giant posters everywhere screaming a hundred dollar fine if you jaywalk. Whoop, I might have a hundred dollar fine if I lived in that city a time or two. Yeah. Uh, you know, the rules are there, yes, but like what cities promote is the culture. They promote the food, the music, the lifestyle. And you guys, your salon should be the same. So you got to lead with culture, not consequences.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that. You know, and so here's an exercise that you could do, you know, to really anchor this in. Write down your current cancellation policy and then ask yourself, you know, if this were the very first message a guest ever saw about your salon, what feeling would it create? Would it create excitement, safety, trust, or would it create fear, guilt, and the ick is what I like to call it, you know? Um, because if it's not trust and excitement, rewrite it. Think of the message that you do want to craft for them to see. How what's gonna open them up to already create that feeling that they want to buy things when they get in there? They want to experience that transformation. They really want to see what's truly possible for them.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So you guys, here's the bottom line is like your cancel cancellation policy, it exists to protect your time and your team. But when you promote it too loudly, you know, you risk canceling the very relationships that you're actually trying to build. You know, the key is balance. It's firm enough to prevent chaos, soft enough to build trust. And so you have to ask yourself, is your cancellation policy protecting your guests or pushing them away? Because your salon is your city and your policy is just the guardwell. So let it guide, not hammer. Because in the end, the real secret to salon success isn't fear, it's actually trust, vision, and relationships that shine.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks for tuning in. Share this with another salon owner that you know could really get some great insights from today's episode. And we look forward to seeing you again next.