I remember when we had all of those problems, Jill. It was a struggle to get some of the staff to retail and get them to ask for referrals. That did not make them comfortable at all and so it didn’t happen. I had trouble retailing; I struggled with making the offerings to the fill clients I was seeing twice a month, because I was so gridlocked. It took us all a while to really put the business strategies into practice, but we have all worked really hard on improving those skills here and I think it shows. 

Yes Jill, the hair team really worked on their referrals. They asked all of their clients if they knew of anyone who would like to have their hair done and gave them referral card specifically geared towards that person. They also really promoted the two new-to-our-salon members on the team. Those two would work at the front desk during down times and introduce themselves to the clients coming in. They would also hand out referral cards whenever they were out and about town. They really did an amazing job. Now they just need to work on making sure those people come back.

Keeping the clients you have and making the most of them is crucial to a thriving business. We use several methods to help keep our guests happy and coming back. One of those ways is through contests. Clients look forward to winning and it is something different. We run contests for the guests to enter via Facebook and also in salon all the time. It is a really fun way to catch their eye.

Another way we work to keep our clients is by the good old-fashioned practice of hand-written thank you cards. New guests get one, anyone who gives us a referral gets one, and I send them randomly to my guests throughout the year just to give them a little surprise. I try to do this around their birthdays, but some of our guests don’t give us that information so I have a list that I work through. It is really amazing to see how the guests respond to this. They love it and they remember it.

Sometimes the simplest of things can be the most effective. Like, selling the benefit of a product rather that the product itself, asking for your clients to recommend their friends, and having a way to bring them back are all simple tasks but can really make your business grow on a much larger level.

— Sandy