80% of your salon, spa or clinic’s future revenue will come from just 20% of your existing customer base. That makes your loyal customers pretty special individuals! Here we share 5 tips for maximising your revenue through customer growth and retention.
1. Get Personal
For maximising customer retention, it is important to get into the habit of collecting information such as email addresses, mobile numbers and birth dates each time a new customer books with you. This way you always have an ever-growing database of customers to reach out to when implementing your retention strategies. A simple way to make your existing customers feel valued is to email them a personalised greeting on their birthday that includes a discount voucher for their next treatment. You only need to design the birthday email template once and fill in the personalised details each time you send it.
2. Implement a loyalty rewards program
Every beauty business should have a loyalty program that rewards return clients. This involves allocating points, or a stamp, every time a customer checks in for a new appointment. When they reach 100 points (or say, 8 stamps), they receive a complimentary treatment or products of your choosing. To strengthen the likelihood of your customer using their loyalty card, double their points or stamps on their first check in to give them an encouraging head start towards their reward goal.
3. Deliver a V.I.P experience every time
Be sure to maximise the use of the notes section in your customer database. Imagine how special and valued your customer will feel when you remember how they like their coffee or if they prefer cold or room temperature water? They will also be delighted when you know ahead of time that their best availability for appointments is Tuesday afternoon. Take notes of your customers likes, dislikes and preferences and make it a business policy to greet them on a first name basis with a warm, friendly smile when they enter reception.
Another way to treat your clients is to create a V.I.P circle of your top 20 clients, where they receive exclusive first access and discount introductory rates to new treatments and products before your official launch. Create a private Facebook group for your V.I.Ps where they can see your exclusive V.I.P offers and mingle with other V.I.P customers.
4. Implement customer surveys
Take the time to develop and implement a short and sharp customer survey sent via email after a customer’s first visit. A simple “How did we do, Jane?” with a short set of questions and a mix of answers where they can write their feedback, as well as rate your service from 1 to 10 can help immeasurably to gauge whether you have your finger on the pulse with your client’s wants, needs, and service expectations. Use any negative feedback to propel your team to a higher customer service standard.
5. Make re-booking the norm
When your team go above and beyond to deliver a first class experience, you can feel confident to discuss re-booking at the check-out counter and know that the customer will likely take you up on your offer.
Re-booking a client 4-6 weeks in advance also ensures they get the date and time that suits them so they avoid disappointment when they try to book last minute. Customers nowadays are busy and pressed for time, so the days of them waiting around to fit into your schedule are long gone. If they can’t get the appointment slot they need, they will take their business elsewhere — so be sure to develop and implement a solid re-booking strategy and have your team briefed and trained up on the process.
