It’s always important to attract new clients into your salon, but if that’s your sole focus, you may be missing valuable opportunities right in front of you.
Using simple sales techniques with your existing clients can make an immediate difference to your business’s revenue and growth. If they’re already in your salon, why not maximise their visit?
We’ve put together three easy-to-follow sales tips that focus on upselling your existing clients and driving more revenue for your business!
1. Rebooking
Do you know your salon’s rebooking rate? Rebooking clients directly after their appointment guarantees future income for your business! Rebooking your clients after their service also improves your overall client experience, as booking in advance means that your clients are more likely to get a day and time that suits them best, as well as helps ensure they don’t wait too long between visits.
Take a look at your current salon rebooking rate and see how it could be improved. For most salons, a rebooking rate of 80% is a good goal to aim for, but this will depend on the types of services you specialise in and your clientele. Use Kitomba’s Benchmark feature to compare your businesses rebooking rate to other businesses in your country and industry.
How to improve your rebooking rate
A simple way to improve your salon’s rebooking rate is to set rebooking targets for your staff individually, or for your salon as a whole.
With Kitomba Targets you have the ability to set individual targets for each staff member for a range of goals, including a rebooking target percentage. You can then adjust your settings so each staff member has access to their targets, and can see in real-time how they’re tracking towards reaching them!
Learn more about setting targets in Kitomba: How to set targets for your salon, spa or clinic.
An effective strategy for getting your clients to rebook is to provide them with recommended dates to come and see you next, rather than asking them if they’d like to rebook.
For example; “You’ll be due for your next colour and toner in six weeks. Does Tuesday the 15th or Thursday the 17th work best for you?”
If they’re unable to commit to a date (e.g. school holidays are coming up or they don’t have their calendar with them), tell them they can always book their appointment now and get in touch with you if they need to change it. Remind them that if they don’t secure a date now you cannot guarantee their preferred date and time will be available closer to the time.
You can then add an additional reminder to that appointment to send a couple of weeks before the appointment, as well as their regular appointment reminder that gets added automatically. This reminds the client and gives you two weeks to fill the appointment slot if they are unable to attend, but also gets them to commit to their next appointment while they’re in the salon.
2. Retail sale
Being successful in attaching retail to your services has to do with the overall approach – try to be proactive with your retail selling, and prescribe rather than sell.
Remember that you’re the specialist, and your salon clients look to you for guidance and direction on how to keep their hair and skin healthy and looking fabulous in between appointments. It’s your responsibility to ensure they have the adequate home care that will help them to maintain their results once they step out of your salon.
Pay attention to the language you use throughout the client visit. Making recommendations tailored to each client, and helping them understand what product they should be using and why, how much to use, and how to apply it goes a long way to reinforcing the fact that they should be walking out the door with these products. Place the products in front of them during their appointment so they can read the labels and keep them front of mind.
At the end of their appointment, simply say; “which products will you be taking home with you today?”
3. Reward your word-of-mouth referrers
We all know that a big portion of your new business is going to come from your existing clients talking about you. Catching the right behaviours of your clients and rewarding them is key to maintaining and growing your referral network.
Kitomba can look at everyone who is coming in today for the first time, and who actually referred them to your business. It’ll then automatically send your referrer a “Thank-you” email or text. It’s amazing how far a simple thank-you can go in motivating your loyal clients to do more of the same.
Maximise your salon’s clientele
Use these three simple tips to grow your salon’s revenue and maximise each visit of your regular clients. Small changes can make a big difference over time, so share these tips with your team, set targets in Kitomba, and perhaps get a staff challenge started with a prize for the best performers or a team lunch if you hit your rebooking or retail sales targets!
Read next:
- The client numbers that will grow your salon business
- How to create an impactful referral programme for your salon, spa or clinic
- 3 ways to become an expert in retail sales
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on 25 September 2015 and has been updated for relevancy and comprehensiveness.
