The Coaching Chronicles

Schedule Control

by NAILS Magazine | March 21, 2008 | Bookmark +

It’s so exciting that Adrienne is finally making a name for herself and for her unique services. In a land that had never heard of "gel toes" she broke down the barriers by providing services to the people she knew would share the news, and they did!

 

It’s great that the owner of Hair, Body & Sole is a hair designer because she offers Adrienne a captive audience. When clients are sitting under the dryer, they could be trying out all sorts of services. Manis, express pedis, gel toes, etc. Take a look at the missed opportunities when clients are sitting right there under your nose. The challenge? Rebooking those clients.

 

Clients that begin by timing services with other services are typically doing it for the convenience. Case in point: these clients are rebooking for six weeks, instead of four for their pedis. When you're not so busy it isn’t as complicated. When you're starting to pick up, you can’t always accommodate a rotation that doesn't fit. Susie comes week one and rotates every four weeks; Sally comes week six and rotates every six weeks. Their appointments collide with each others’ every 12 weeks (uh oh).

 

Sometimes this is hard to avoid. In Adrienne's case, she’s new enough to set the stage. Her owner is also a pre-booker and can help control this situation as well. Setting specific days apart is easiest; for example, designate Tuesday and Thursday for two-week and four-week clients and Wednesday and Saturday for three-week and six-week clients.

 

When I began to condense my schedule, this was the most time-consuming challenge. Getting clients to not only rotate the weeks, but also the time, i.e. Sandy mani-pedi from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Susie at 10:30 a.m. for manicure in 2 weeks; Sandy just a manicure at 9 a.m. and Susie at 9:30 for mani-pedi. The 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. block is always full. I know it seems complicated but just try it out on some scrap paper and see.

 

Saturday for Adrienne is slammed — she even had a referral from her sales rep! (What a compliment!) Her next step is to begin her Spring Pedi Promo. She now knows the value of giving a deal on a product that works. The promo is designed for clients to try out the recommended maintenance at a discounted price. Tracking is the key; we'll check in soon the see what the results are. 

 

—Heather, success coach

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