For the average salon owner, rewarding clients might sound like a waste of time and money - after all, if you provide great treatments and products, customers are going to visit your business either way, so what’s the point? Sure, you might give out a discount to close friends and family, but for the most part, you try to avoid handing them out to just anyone. However, by not rewarding your clients, you may be missing out on some great benefits, like a loyal customer base, an increase in sales and the number of new customers. Now that I’ve piqued your interest, you might be tempted to begin rewarding your clients, but where do you begin?
If you’ve never been big about rewarding clients, you need to take it slowly. First off, focus on what you’d like to gain from doing this - after all, your business should be your top priority, so make sure you keep your goals in mind. By implementing a rewards scheme for clients, you increase their loyalty, improve sales, introduce new customers to your salon, but also create a friendly atmosphere in your business. Start from the basics - focus on what you’d like to gain from rewarding clients and begin planning out how to do it! Remember to keep your cool and plan carefully. Keep an eye out for customers who have been to your business at least three times or more, have visited your salon with friends and family, or have made huge purchases, as these clients are what truly helps your salon grow.
You should also take into consideration clients who have not visited your business for some time. Just because they’ve been absent for a while doesn’t mean that they’ve left your salon for good - they may be busy with other things. It’s a great idea to remind them of your treatments, products and most importantly - your caring team!
When it comes to rewarding them, it’s important not to get carried away. Just because a client came into your salon for a second time doesn’t mean they should be flooded by discounts. Rewards should be earned and not just given out freely - so make sure everyone knows this, especially your beauty salon receptionist! They should know how to encourage new clients to book again and to mention that there are rewards and discounts up for grabs.
Running a referral system is a perfect way of making first-time clients your loyal regulars and at the same time gaining new ones. You can offer a one-off discount, a free product or an amount voucher for every person successfully referred to your business.
Another great idea is to offer discounted service packages to selected customers - this way, clients who pay upfront for a certain number of sessions of their favourite treatment will feel truly appreciated, and you in return can be sure they'll keep coming back to your business to redeem the bundle. Or instead of a discount, how about people buying a package receive an amount or service gift card or a free product to complement the treatment? It will let you promote your retail stock and boost your sales.
This can get tricky since you need to find out what your clients are most interested in. Ask your most loyal customers what kinds of rewards they’d like to get. Or you may want to go an entirely different route! Make use of Booksy’s statistics feature in order to find your least popular products. But why would you want to do that? Well, you’ve spent money on them and it would be counterproductive to wait for your products to expire and then toss them out. With your less-popular products and treatments in mind, bring their prices down. Then, simply send customers a text notification and watch them rush to your salon!
Though it technically isn’t considered a “reward”, compensating clients for things like keeping them waiting during a scheduled visit, ruining their treatment, or having to deal with an unruly employee is something you shouldn’t hold back on. Even if they aren’t too bothered by the experience, you should always offer something in return - be it a discount or a product for home use. This is highly important, as it shows the client that you care for their comfort and at the same time, you improve your relationship with them!
Bear in mind that there are also clients who take advantage of the kindness of such salon owners. Typically, mischievous customers lie about their hair history or allergies when they visit a beauty business, and when the specialist eventually messes up the treatment, the client demands compensation. Make sure to do an in-depth consultation with each customer before they book a treatment that utilises strong chemicals or contains possible allergens. You should also remember to stand your ground and learn not to give in to such demands. If the client blames you for an allergic reaction or a ruined treatment and clearly they weren’t truthful during the consultation, chances are they may threaten to tarnish your reputation or leave without paying - which is a theft of service. For more advice on dealing with such uncomfortable situations, check out our article on professional negligence!
One thing is certain - you should reward only those that actually help grow your salon! And with the help of a referral system and service packages, do so without wasting valuable time! See all the benefits yourself!
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