How to encourage repeat business

Your team and the client consultation are key to encouraging repeat business, says director of Salon Evolution, Steven Gunnip, New client retention figures and request rates are key areas to keep track of when assessing how well your team are performing in the eyes of clients. After all, if the ultimate goal for a salon owner is delivering an experience that is superior, both on a technical level and on a customer service front, while keeping ‘value for money’ as a key element, how do we ensure this happens with every client coming through the salon door? With many of our partner salons, Salon Evolution starts by looking at the consistency of what we call ‘the client journey’ across the board. How is each member of staff delivering your desired salon experience, from greeting the client, all the way through to closing out the bill and rebooking? The first thing to make clear is that the team’s creativity and personalities an integral part of the process; it’s not about turning anyone into a robot, but instead developing a client journey that delivers every aspect of what you feel, as a salon owner, each client should receive. Spending time training your salon team to deliver certain aspects that are consistent across the board plays a crucial part in ensuring retention figures improve or remain high. Our partner salons that have successfully standardised their client journey are those that have placed a massive emphasis on their consultation structures. Training this process of new client consultation is very time consuming, but worth every minute. Making the client understand you care about their hair, giving them advice to achieve results they desire, and simply ensuring the client knows more about their hair when they leave your salon then when they arrive, is all part of achieving high levels of retention. The ultimate goal is to leave the client thinking: “This is great, they really took the time to understand,” as they are walking to the backwash. Once your consultation process has been perfected and the client journeys are standardised to ensure the level of service is great across the whole salon, Salon Evolution then starts focusing on ‘value for money’. What aspects of your client journey places your salon on a pedestal compared to your competitors?  Is it the superior coffee? The home baked brownies? Is it the client notes a stylist takes to greet the customer next time with enthusiasm and confidence? What key elements of your client journey do you want to be remembered for? At the closing out the bill stage, be creative! For example, you can provide a re-booking incentive, such as a free treatment on their next visit when they share their experience on social media. Make sure client notes are taken, plan their next visit and ensure they are rebooked before they leave. It’s an industry standard that it takes three visits to properly lock the client into your salon, so be consistent, encourage the client to see the same stylist for those first initial few visits and remember that the time spent investing in your team’s delivery of your expectations will benefit them when working in a structured, happy environment and will ensure you get the most from every client coming through your salon door.