Your Favorite Repeat Client Hasn’t Returned? Don’t Freak Out!April 28, 2020Even though most budding entrepreneurs tend to peruse every single word in the rulebook about salons, they will still come face-to-face with situations that will leave them at a loss of solutions. This, in essence, is to say that there is no set modus operandi for running a salon. Like every other business, uncertainties will emerge at the oddest of times and threaten to obstruct your way if you lay down your arms right there. Among other uncertainties, a few that top the list are unforeseen fall in sales, reduced client influx, consistently bad reviews, sudden drop in the market demand or threatening competitors entering the market. Since none of these can be predicted, the preparation and equipment required to deal with it in a healthy manner is often lacked by salon businesses. Managing unforeseen eventualities can become even more cumbersome if they are resulting from a promising start. Let’s say, a salon receives an excellent welcome feedback from consumers after inaugurating its business in a certain area. Chances are that this will leave the owner with an impending sense of victory which will not last long since the hype will most likely die out. Because it may be attributed to the surprise that it took residents of that locality by, the enthusiasm will soon settle like froth and reveal the actual standing of the business in the market. When reality unveils itself salon business owners often tend to lose morale and give up all hopes of seeing their business progress. However, it is important to note that this is only a false alarm. Just like a business cycle that economists theorize about, booms and recessions hit every economy and a microcosmic model of that is reflected in individual businesses. Even though these circumstances are entirely unpredictable, after making some headway in the industry, one can tell when and how situations might aggravate and ways to best manage them. One such situation includes loss of a client who gave promising reviews about your services in their first service and then vanishing from the scene altogether. While it might seem like they went into hibernation or were a figment of your imagination, records of their service do exist and it cannot be denied that they availed your services with rather satisfying results. The question that boggles your mind is where they went? The disappearance of such clients can be attributed to a lot of reasons. Here are a few listed to help businesses overcome the initial shock of losing clients. Raving Clients Some kind soul, made wise with wisdom and age, might have warned young salon entrepreneurs about raving clients. These are clients who, on their first visit, give the impression that they have never been served better by any salon, running or closed. Not only do they raise the expectations of salon owners who tend to all their needs and demands with utmost attention and care, but also establish a bond of loyalty only to never pay a visit again. Even though their absence may leave salon owners perplexed about what went wrong, experience with such customers tells that there is no plausible explanation for such erratic behavior. Salons tend to distress over a loss of a client who had been so thoroughly satisfied. It must be noted that such clients are not an indication of how well you are delivering your services. They are just an anomaly in the regular trail of customers and are not a reliable scale to gauge the standards of your salon by. Internal Conflicts A reason that salons may overlook this fault but perfectly happy clients may completely ban your salon due to internal conflicts. Internal conflicts may have occurred between two workers or a worker and a client. Despite the damage they cause to your salon’s business, they still might not surface because of the nature of these conflicts. Some possible scenarios may be like these: A worker commenting on a vanity or health issuewith the client. Workers engaging in unprofessional banter or using informal tone with each other. Workers making unwelcomed and overfriendly advancestowards a client. Workers having hygiene issues like body odoror unclean nails. Workers being too inquisitive about a client’s personal life. Workers sharing excessive personal information without being probed. The way these factors end up affecting customer reviews of a salon is by stealing all the loyal clients. Even though clients may be willing to forgo a lacking in service but they will not bend the rule when it comes to professionalism, personal space and hygiene. Such cases may sometimes be reported and other times go unreported. It is best to urge clients to report all negative or positive reviews about their experience so that you have a constant source of information about how your services are received. If such cases go unnoticed, they pose a greater risk to the growth of a business because corrective measures cannot then be taken. Follow Up Most high-end clients almost assume it a necessity to be informed and updated about any new services being offered, new deals or reminders about their next skin appointment or haircut. Even though most salons may consider it a task to be able to spare time to list contacts for calling when they are already neck-deep in work, it is necessary to retain your profitable clients. A follow-up can mean the difference between losing your client to another hair stylist and a couple more references lining up for appointments just by hearing customer care reviews about your salon. Just as bad a grumpy client can bad-mouth your services, a happy one can praise you in front of the right audience. Calling your most regular clients to remind them about collecting their dues or coming in for a complimentary service or telling them about an interesting discount package will lighten up their day and your prospects. This could also be a reason why some clients may switch from one salon to another. Irrespective of how qualified your stylists may be or how good your services are, a friendlier and welcoming salon will always win the client. While you may be wondering why a client has not shown up for a few weeks, the answer could be hidden right there in your question. A happy client is just a call away if salons pay heed to notice it. Following up on clients can accrue tremendous results and ward off client-loss calamities just with the help of social networking. All these reasons present a rough sketch of why you might be losing clients that seemed perfectly happy. Instead of worrying over the issue, it doesn’t hurt to ask the concerned person themselves. No client would ever mind being shown a genuine concern that values their presence and contribution to the business! Salon Income Booster is an online consultant providing counseling services to salon businesses about ways to stay on top of their clients’ go-to list. We provide all the information you need to retain your clients the best way possible and run your business at par with the market as well. We generate ideas for salon income generation through customer care tips and up-to-date services tailored to businesses. We also offer marketing solutions to boost revenues for growing businesses. We are here to help salons strengthen their client base with consumers who are happy to avail their services and suggest alterations on optimizing retail displays, merchandising, and sales. If you want to be an influential name that minimizes client attrition, we are your way to that rank!