Many business owners say that their staff is the heart of the trade and keeps the location going. While this is exceptionally true, there is one more vital aspect of your salon that, without it, can plummet your hard work into the ground. Having a loyal clientele is essential to any business for continued success.
But even as your schedule fills with appointments, you might find that staying afloat is more challenging than you thought. The good news is that there are clients who are able and happy to pay a bit more for services, and the influx of funds can aid in keeping your salon doors open. Here are eight tips to attract high-paying clients to your salon.
Identify Customer Needs
Client pain points are specific problems that a business can experience along its journey. These issues can present themselves in service prices, booking flexibility, convenience, and competition. The sooner you identify these problem areas, the sooner you can plan to mitigate profit loss.
For example, if there is much salon competition in your area, you’ll want to find differentiators that can help your business stick out from the rest.
Sift Through Your Socials
Like any business in this era, you’re not a stranger to social media and its mechanics. Social media is one of the best ways to reach your target audience in a specialized way that in-person referrals cannot. Take a look through your socials to gauge who has and hasn’t booked a session with one of your stylists.
The chances are that your stylists will also share their work on their socials to gain exposure. Ask your staff to sift through their most engaged followers and offer an opportunity to book an appointment through your scheduling software. Be sure to use geotags and hashtags specific to your location when promoting work such as before-and-after photos and giveaways to make your salon easier to discover.
Revamp the Client Experience
The improvements are minor when revamping the client experience. For example, if your business offers client consultations before booking an appointment, this would be the perfect opportunity to turn a quick chat into a luxury experience.
Offer your client a refreshment and sit down with them to get a feel for what service they’re looking for, what preferences they have, and if they’re comfortable with alternative plans if a cut or style is unfavorable to their hair.
As certified professionals, your stylists should prioritize the client’s needs and preferences before their own before providing advice. Making your clients feel unique and valued upon the first meeting leaves them with a lasting impression that can incentivize them to engage in continuous business with your salon.
Fine Tune Your Message
If attracting higher-paying clients is something you struggle with, adjusting your message on your website and social media pages is a tactic that can promote consistency and professionalism across the board.
When targeting a luxurious audience, focus on promoting your high-quality services. Advertise the amount of care, precision, and detail that goes into each session and encourage professionalism within your team.
Host Giveaways for Exposure
Contests and giveaways are fantastic methods that generate attention and buzz that can be beneficial to business exposure. The contest can promote your stylists’ favorite haircare products or can offer a free or discounted service upon a customer’s next visit. Remember to use this tactic sparingly, as too many free giveaways can make your services appear less valuable.
As the owner, setting the contest and giveaway stipulations is up to your discretion. In most cases, having entrants refer your salon to two friends, share your story on their social media, or use your custom hashtag are all valid entry options. Not only is your business gaining more attention, but a giveaway also allows you the opportunity to give back to the community that contributes to your success.
Raise Your Standards
Affluent salon clients can take their money and time rather seriously, so it’s all more of the reason to do the same with your business. Your salon is your livelihood, and others should not take your time for granted. You’ll want to get into the habit of enforcing a no-show/late cancellation policy that clients should be aware of upon scheduling.
Such a policy will encourage forgetful clients to show up to their sessions on time, so there are no hiccups in your schedule.
When raising your standards, consider raising your prices. While intimidating at first, raising your prices to what you think your target clientele will pay can encourage them to book a session.
Give Your Salon a Facelift
When revamping your marketing strategies, it’s easy to forget about creating a physical aesthetic that matches the tone of your message. After updating your socials, you’ll want to shift your focus to your website and scheduling software. Your business page might need a makeover that facilitates easier accessibility and appointment scheduling.
Remember to prioritize more straightforward navigation, so clients know where to go to schedule sessions. Include pricing for each service on your webpage to promote transparency with future clients and update the webpage as promotions occur.
Apart from your webpage, you don’t want to forget about the brick-and-mortar aspect of your business. Your business should exude the luxury and extravagance that speaks to your target audience to attract high-paying clients.
It might be time to replace old styling chairs, invest in new washing stations, or include new services like manicures and pedicures to help promote that sleek, chic look you’re aiming for.
Establish Yourself as a Trusted Professional
Clients are willing to spend more money with experts they can trust with their hair, nails, and skin. But how would you go about getting a new clientele to trust you and your stylists? You can start by educating your audience. Your social media pages and website offer space to post tips, tricks, and tutorials to maintain hairstyles.
These pages can also offer product reviews and provide a voice to answer direct messages and questions that potential clients may have. It’s important to note that many future clients read reviews before booking, so you’ll want to gather plenty of these to show them the love and appreciation the community has for your location.
Attracting high-paying clients to your salon is dedicated work that should be an ongoing goal, as your clientele plays a significant role in maintaining your location’s success. Think about it like this –as your staff is the engine that moves your salon forward, consider your clientele as the fuel that energizes your business. Without the fuel, the engine is just an empty component with no motivation to start and get in motion.
At Salon Equipment Center, we’re all about providing the tips, tricks, and information to help your business succeed, but that’s not all. Our primary focus is to supply you with equipment for your salon that is durable, reliable, and of the finest quality.
Our selection of modern salon styling stations is vast and offers some of the best options on the market. If that’s not enough, our equipment includes a gracious three- to five-year warranty that you won’t find anywhere else. Feel free to explore our webpage and contact us with any further questions today!
