Start Those Holiday Cards

The holiday season is just around the corner and some of your salons are already decked out for the season. Pretty soon our stations will be full every minute of the day. We'll be making our customers sparkle for their holiday parties and events. With all of the hustle and bustle, don't forget to take the time to thank your loyal customers.

 

In last week's post we talked about the Holiday Game Plan. What will we do right now to prepare for the holiday season? How will we thank our loyal customers for their business throughout the year? Let's start with giving them a holiday card.

 

Start right now by going through your books and compiling a list of your devoted clients. Now is the time write these cards — before the holiday season when we are too busy to get this project done. I say project because writing out 50-100 cards is a project. Put together a list and start thinking about the clients you want to give a card to. Many of you will be shocked at how many cards you will have to write out.   

 

Now, go shopping and pick out some holiday cards. (Hint: I usually purchase cards at the end of the holiday season and save them for the next year.) Picking out cards can be tough. I get the same cards for all of my clients. If you want a variety, it's up to you. But make sure you buy more than you think you will need. I tend not to choose cards that say "Merry Christmas" or have a Santa on them. I don't want to offend anyone. I choose "Holiday Season" or New Year’s snowman or snowflake cards. I find that this applies to everyone and is a nice gesture no matter what holiday they are celebrating.

 

Get a colorful writing utensil. I like to use a red gel pen or a metallic gold or silver to write in my cards. It makes my writing pop and it makes the cards more festive. We use blue and black ink all year long. Spice it up a bit, it's the holiday season.

 

Choose what you want to write in your cards. I suggest making a template of what you want to write before you ink it in the cards. This way you will avoid wasting cards with unplanned thoughts, words and sentences. Some nail techs take a lot of time here and write a novel to each and every customer. If you want to do that it's up to you, but I suggest keeping it short and sweet. Stick to the basics of thanking them for their business and avoid all the gushy pleasantries. You have a lot of cards to write out, make your statement simple. Some key words to use are “thank you,” “your loyalty,” and “business.”

 

Get coordinating stickers to seal the envelope. It's a cute little extra and will it save you from getting paper cuts on your tongue. We will not be mailing these cards, so don't worry about the seal. I believe handing your client the card is a more personal touch.

 

I have also been told by many nail techs that when you give your client the card is important too. If you give it to them just before they are about to pay, I hear the holiday tip can increase. A tip is always optional and we should never expect it. Just because we give them the card just before they pay, don't count on a bigger tip. This is just information I am passing on from other techs. I like to give the card before they pay too, I find that when I give it to them at the beginning of the service, they waste time opening it, reading it and gushing over the card images and stickers. We are so busy during the holiday season, every minute counts. I like to give them the card and wish them a happy holiday.

 

Start compiling your client list, picking out your pen, cards, stickers, and card content. Next week, I'll give you ideas for what to include inside the card. I'll also share a little holiday treat you can give your clients. Preparing for the busiest time of the year with your Holiday Game Plan — one more way to make you stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

 

— Jill