Esthetician Podcast; Business tips for Beauty professionals

065: From Good to Unforgettable: Transforming Your Esthetics Business

• Kari Jo

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What separates a good esthetician from one who commands premium prices and has clients raving about their business? The answer lies not in the technical skills, but in crafting an unforgettable client journey from the first point of contact through long-term relationship building.

I'll never forget the moment that transformed my already successful esthetics business into something extraordinary. After bringing luxury hair extensions into my practice, I witnessed firsthand how a meticulously designed customer experience could justify premium pricing of $1,700-$3,000 per service. The revelation was immediate: if I applied this same framework to my esthetics services, I could elevate them from merely good to truly unforgettable.

The eight-touch-point framework I developed has become the foundation for creating exceptional client experiences. From how potential clients discover you online (hint: before-and-afters aren't enough), to the critical reassurance period between booking and arrival, to the often-neglected follow-up process—each touch point presents an opportunity to differentiate yourself. Most estheticians view treatments as one-time transactions rather than building blocks in an ongoing transformation story. By mapping the complete journey—including celebrating client milestones and creating shareable moments that turn clients into advocates—you can command higher prices while delivering experiences clients can't help but talk about.

Remember, technical expertise may get clients in the door, but an extraordinary journey keeps them coming back and brings their friends with them. If you're ready to stop competing on price and start standing out through experience, it's time to intentionally craft each touch point of your customer journey. Your clients deserve more than just good service—they deserve an unforgettable transformation that makes them feel valued at every step.

Want to discuss how to implement this framework in your specific business? Book a free coaching call with me and discover how to elevate your client experience to justify premium pricing while building a sustainable, client-focused brand that stands the test of time.

To learn more about coaching please visit: https://www.karijopatterson.com

Connect with me on your fav social platform:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kari.jo.patterson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karijopattersonestheticiancoach
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karijopatterson
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@kari.jo.patterson

Links You May Want to Check out:

Join the Client Building for Estheticians group to go deep in learning all the latest tips and strategies https://www.facebook.com/groups/clientbuildingforestheticians
Check out Kari Jo’s courses here https://esthelaunchacademy.com

Announcer:

Welcome to the Esthetician Podcast, where passion meets prosperity. Your host, Kari Jo Patterson, transformed from a solo esthetician into a successful business owner, achieving ultimate time and financial freedom by the age of 38. Kari is the author of Fearless Prosperity, empowering estheticians to build their empire and achieve financial freedom, and the creator of the Empire Growth System for Aestheticians. Get ready for some empire-building wisdom Now. Welcome your host, Kari Jo Patterson.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Let me ask you a hard question Is your service just good or is it unforgettable? Because the difference between a booked-out solo esthetician and a brand that people rave about online with their friends, their family, is basically going to be the journey that you take your clients on. Today, I'm going to literally walk you through the exact system that I used when my services were really good and I thought that they were the best, but I was able to just take that to the next level. This is about how you get to standing out, how you can raise your prices and how you can build something that truly lasts. If you're ready to go from basic to best in your town or class whatever it is you want to say then this is for you.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Let me be clear I was not struggling with client retention when I implemented this. I had already built a successful and profitable aesthetics business. I think I was I don't know six years in, maybe seven years in, and I had already built a bunch of employees. I had all my employees have a phenomenal rebooking percentage. I was making money. I had built a business, all of the different things, my clients were rebooking, my services were good, my clients loved the results and we had a bunch of systems in place for that. But I remember the exact moment when I realized, oh my gosh, I could take this up a whole nother level. See it's when I brought luxury hair extensions into my business. So I had my aesthetics side and it was really good and I decided I was going to add hair extensions because you know it's aesthetic, it makes you aesthetically pleasing to look at when you have beautiful hair, I don't know. So I just I wanted to add it because we did hair lash extensions. I thought hair extensions would go into it and I wasn't going to do hair at all, I was just going to be for hair extensions.

Kari Jo Patterson:

If you don't know hair extensions and if you haven't had them done and you want to know the price on them, here I'm about to drop some bombshells for you so you don't have to. But basically it's a really expensive service, right? So I think at the time and this was like COVID, I think our installs were like $1,700 for installs. It was a new, brand new hairstylist. This is not one that's been in the industry. The girl I go to now she charges $3,000. Yeah, and don't tell my husband about that. He may or may not know. So don't go look for him and break my secrets, okay, but anyways. So. Hair extensions, but anyways. So. Hair extensions they are expensive, but they are a luxury service and nobody is going. No woman is just going to come in and drop, say, $3,000 for a service if it doesn't have enough value to it.

Kari Jo Patterson:

These hair extension companies basically teach you how to create a customer journey that is going to make it so that the hair extensions themselves are worth the $3,000, $2,000, however much it costs for you to get them done. Basically, what happened is when I, when I hired a cosmetologist, I put her through this course. It was NBR Hair Extensions and they basically teach you the client journey to make sure that the clients feel like they're getting their money's worth. But I learned so many different things from this course. For one, let me just tell you, I at the time, for six years, I'd been using models to build my employees schedules.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Like I could take a girl from zero clients to being 80% booked within one month by using model clients. You just have to know how to use them. So if it's not working for you, it's because you haven't learned the right way. I do have a course for that you can go find it. This is what I learned is I've been doing that for years. Well, when you are doing the hair extension course, they teach you how to build your hair extension brand and business as well, and they do it by using shocker models too, because models work to build schedules If you know how to do it right. Well, one of the things that they did that I was not doing, that I then implemented, was they have them sign a contract and I was, oh my gosh and the things that I put in the contract. I was like that's so genius.

Kari Jo Patterson:

But basically, through taking learning this client journey that they go on when you get extensions from, okay, they find you and then you're going to fill out a form and then you're going to come in, you're going to, you know, have like your in-person consultation and how you get them to say yes to this $3,000 service and which there's secrets behind that of selling. But then, when you're there, you get lunches, my hairdresser I mean, I even have makeup artists that comes in and does my makeup and so I look really good, I can go on a date night. But they teach you this whole entire experience, even down to taking the photos, how to make it an experience for the client versus just you just randomly taking photos. I was, oh my gosh, what if I apply that same level of attention to my aesthetics services? That's see, that's when I stopped just giving good facials and good services and I started crafting what is known as a luxury client experience. And hey, when you are crafting luxury experience for your clients, guess what? You can charge more. When you charge more, you're going to make more with less time, which is ultimately what you want.

Kari Jo Patterson:

What I realized is, hey, when I was implementing this course, I was like, oh my gosh, there's so many things that I'm doing for my clients already but I just kind of give it away. But if I craft it into this client journey and client experience, I could actually charge for it and make more money. My clients would pay for it because of the value that they're getting and it would just be worth everything. I want you to know I apply this same thing in my coaching, because, sure, I could just have someone jump on a phone call with me and then let's say they don't sign up for coaching and they just, yeah, I don't want to, okay, and then they just drop off the face of the planet. That could totally happen. Tell me that doesn't happen to you right now.

Kari Jo Patterson:

When do you have and I'm sure you do, because you have many different things on your plate and you can't keep up with everyone but tell me that you have never experienced a client coming in for a facial and then them leaving and you, that was it and it was over. One, why aren't they coming back? And two, what are you doing? Cause that service ended and they're just what gone. Do you have a follow-up plan for that? You know what I mean? That's when your client journey becomes so stinking helpful.

Kari Jo Patterson:

So, basically, I want to break this down to you and I call this the eight touch points of the next level customer journey. So if you want to turn your first time clients into lifelong fans and command premium prices, then this is a framework that you're going to want to use and I'm just going to break it down with you and I'm going to give you examples. So the first one is going to be when they are discovering you, because you want to list down every time that your clients touch you, your business, and what is the experience that they are going to have for that touch point. You can get even more detailed than these eight if you really break it down, but we're going to go with eight. The first one is what I like to call the discovery where they find you on social media, through SEOs, google, whatever it is.

Kari Jo Patterson:

What most estheticians are doing wrong is they are posting just random before and after images. That's great. You should do that, because you do need to have proof. But what you what it just looks like is your, your business is a hobby. You're just posting the same crap. What you want to do instead is you want to show them you are the experts, and so how can you do that is you've got to create videos explaining common skin problems or problems that they're going through experiences. You want to highlight your client's customer journeys. You want to talk about your philosophy. You need to show your face and make someone say I get it, I trust her, she gets what I'm going through. And you're not going to get that by just posting before and afters. Before and afters help, you still need them, but I'm saying you got to do a little bit more Now, after they say they went and they are like oh yeah, she's it, she gets it, I'm going to book an appointment with you, right?

Kari Jo Patterson:

It then moves on to the next touch point which I like to call is the decision. So what most estheticians do wrong in this phase is they book a call or they book not a call. Sorry, I'm thinking of myself. They book an appointment and they're like okay, yep, we'll see you today at 12, whatever it is. And then what? How was that client experience Extraordinary, above the rest of everybody else? It wasn't right.

Kari Jo Patterson:

What you want to do instead is send a personal message to them, right? So, for an example, you could be like hey, emily, I'm so excited to meet you, I've got your booking confirmed and I'm going to walk you through everything that you can expect a day before your appointment. You are going to love this. So it's basically telling them what's coming. Like, you got them and they're like oh, wow, wow, yeah, okay. Now, after they book their appointment, between the time they book their appointment, they come into the appointment. That is the red danger zone. That is when they are going to literally need some reassurance that they made the right decision, because they're going to be like I don't know, is she going to be worth it, maybe she's not good. They're going to start hesitating and so you want to knock that off in the beginning. That is why you told them earlier in the message hey, I'm going to reach out to you about what to expect the day before you come in or whenever. Yeah, so now this is what you do.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Most estheticians do this wrong. They send no information to them. They don't send them what they need to do before. Maybe they need to come in with no makeup for a lash lift. You don't want them wearing mascara. This would be a good time to say it is the day before, right, because they're questioning do I wear mascara, do I not wear mascara, or for example.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Another example is I went to go get my hair done the other day, and let me tell you it was. What I hate is I walked into the hair salon. There's no freaking receptionist, which is annoying, and so I was like I don't know where to go. So then I go left, I go sit down in these seats, and the hairstylist came to get me, like I don't know, 10 minutes later and I'm sitting in this chair and I'm left. I go sit down in these seats, and the hairstylist came to get me like I don't know, 10 minutes later and I'm sitting in this chair and I'm like does she know I'm here? Do I need to go find her? But like I actually don't know who she is because I'd never seen her before, and like I'm questioning in my head, that is an awful experience to leave me with.

Kari Jo Patterson:

If you are an esthetician and you have a booth rent or you rent a room or a studio somewhere, you're probably giving the same experience to someone else. They don't know where to come in, they don't know what to do. Well, if you help by reassuring them, you're going to create a better experience for them. So a day before they come in, you're sending them a message like hey, like what would have been nice for this hairstylist. When I come in, hey, there is no receptionist right now. I know there's no receptionist before I get there and when you walk in, you'll just turn left and there'll be some chairs. Go ahead and have a seat. If I'm running a few minutes behind, I just want you to know, don't worry, I know you're there and I will come and get you, or something like that, so I know what's going on. I mean, you can edit that so that sounds a little better, but you want to reassure them.

Kari Jo Patterson:

If you have a studio, it's the same thing. How many doors down do I go? When I get to that door, do I knock Cause I'm going to wish like, do I knock on it, or is she going to be there? Is she in with somebody else? I don't want to ruin it. These are the things that are going through your client's heads. You got to take it off their plate so you could even send even 10 times better, better a video. Here's where to park, here's how to find me. Here's what to do. Let them know exactly what they're going to be experienced before they sit in your chair. Doing this is the reassurance that's going to build the trust before they even come to sit in your chair. Then you have the experience. I'm not going to go into the experience, because that's like a whole nother level and a whole nother episode, and it would. This would go on forever. So do a good experience, okay.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Next, when they're leaving, is what I like to say. They should not just be leaving Like they came in and they got a facial and they leave. No, and this is part of the experience too they need to have a plan for what is next. What is the experience? For example, if I did my consultation right With an acne client first time, I might be going when they're leaving they I'm reassuring them of the plan of okay, so in order to really hit your acne, we're going to book you an appointment in four weeks and we are going to do a chemical pill to really suck up at that oil and then in another, and then, about three weeks after that, we're going to be doing a facial and we're gonna be using the blue light therapy so that it kills the bacteria. Whatever your plan is, they should have a plan in their head, they should see it, they should know what they're moving towards. That is called leadership, and that is the difference between a good a citizen and a bad one. Okay, after that, I Okay.

Kari Jo Patterson:

This is where most estheticians fail. Again is what I like to call the progress. So they leave the estheticians, never check in with them, it's silent and they miss an opportunity. If I'm going to create a high level service where people are willing to pay for my services and I could charge for the time that it's going to take me to do this you want to send a follow-up two to three days later? Hey, taylor, I'm just checking in. How's your skin feeling after your facial? Do you have any questions with your products? Are you liking it? You know what I mean. Or how is that chemical pill? Are you starting to peel? Yet, whatever it is, check in with them. Basically, when you check in with them and saying, hey, I didn't forget about you and they won't forget you either. Forget about you and they won't forget you either.

Kari Jo Patterson:

Next, it moves into what I like to call the commitment stage. Most estheticians view each treatment like a one-time transition and they don't build an ongoing relationship. What you need to do instead is you need to nurture the relationship. You need to remember their skin goals. I like to. I would. Here's the thing you need to.

Kari Jo Patterson:

When you are building a brand and a business, you're not the hero in your client size. Your client should always be the hero. You should always be the guide that's helping them achieve their goals. So when your client reaches a milestone, you should celebrate their progress right. So maybe the first time that they they come in and they're like I use my products for 30 days straight, you should celebrate that right. Whether it's like you celebrate them on your social media on a story. Maybe, if they got their acne, you took their pit before and after pictures like they did something right. You celebrate it, and maybe they get a little branded cookie. I don't know. You could I don't need to give you ways to celebrate them you could probably cause that's the fun part Celebrate them. Celebrate them and so they feel special, they feel like they're doing something. That's what you also nobody ever does.

Kari Jo Patterson:

The next part it moves in to the eighth one, and this is the advocacy. Am I saying? Did I say that right Advocacy? I think I did. Anyways, okay, basically, it's where they are going to what you reviews. You're late, waiting for them to go and tell them to bring in your clients and stuff like that, and they hope that their clients will post about them. Their clients never post about them. Instead, what you want to do is you want to create shareable moment, so you want to have the photos for them and send it to them. You want to then introduce your thank you or your bonus referral program to them at that point, after, after they get their first one. That's when you want to introduce your referral program and be like, hey, if you really love the results that you're getting, I would really appreciate it If you would leave me a quick review, or it would mean the world to me If you would refer me someone. That's when you introduce it is after that client's first win, which is also it's always forgotten.

Kari Jo Patterson:

But here's the thing, guys you want to create a journey for your client, because that's what's going to make you a wow esthetician and it's what's going to fill your books. Let me just say this A good service is everywhere, but an unforgettable experience those are rare, so that can be your edge. You're not just offering facials, you're offering a transformation, but only if you guide your clients through the entire journey. You want to charge more, you want to retain more and you want to build a brand that feels different. And if you want that, then you have to map out your customer's journey and their touch points. Start with your journey, make it intentional, make it elevated. Don't stop at the facial. Take them all the way through.

Kari Jo Patterson:

If you want help mapping this out, then I definitely suggest you should jump on a coaching call with me. I would love to try to help you in any way possible. Get you started. It's just my way of giving back for the success that I have had. I do have my free one-on-one coaching calls and I do it just on Tuesdays really to give back to the industry for the success I had. I think I just said that four times. But yeah, thank you for tuning in to today's episode. Please leave me a review. I would love a five star. I would love to read your comments and I will see you next time on the next episode of the Esthetician Podcast. Thanks, bye.

Announcer:

Thank you for listening to the Esthetician Podcast with Kari Jo Patterson. Each week, Kari brings you real world lessons on how to grow your empire. To learn more about Carrie's Fearless Prosperity Mastermind Group, one-on-one VIP coaching opportunities and more visit wwwcarriejopattersoncom. That's wwwcarrijopattersoncom. See you next week for more insights and strategies on the Esthetician Podcast.

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