Level Up And Fill Your Books With Good Clients - Part 3: Keep Good Clients Being Good clients

Congratulations! You have a good client! You’ve either converted an existing client or attracted a new one and you’re worried that it’s too good to be true. Appointments are going smoothly and you want to keep your good clients coming back to you. There are a few things you can do to protect your workplace bliss.

1) Book next appointments before your client leaves

2) Give your client information on their lash health 

3) Repetition and positive reinforcement

 Book Next Appointments Before They Leave

Why is this important to do?

1. You protect the investment you’ve made in attracting that client - whether its advertising money, sales you ran to attract them or the time you’ve spent selling the idea to them before they booked the first time
2. You protect yourself from the ups and downs of your cash flow
3. You are able to have a life outside of work if you know what you’re doing for the next two weeks! 

The number one most important way to keep your schedule evenly spaced out and worry free is to book your clients in for their next appointment before they leave your studio! A good client is a client who books their appointments in advance and respects your business hours, right? Well, this is not something we know inherently as a patron. I remember being flabbergasted that my first lash tech didn’t have last minute availability to fit me in for a fill. “What, no appointments on  a Sunday??” *cringe* I wasn’t doing lashes yet and genuinely didn’t understand how she was already booked up or didn’t work on Sundays. If we want to prevent last minute “lash emergencies” we have to encourage good booking habits by prompting our clients to book in.

When we don’t book in clients ahead of time we are left scrambling to squish everyone in and we end up overworked and resentful. Even worse, we may not have the client’s ideal time slot available and they may go get a fill somewhere else. This is the easiest way to lose a client. Booking in your client while you’re there together also eliminates the endless texting back and forth that happens when you try to do it over the phone. You have enough to do with managing your accounting, inventory and advertising, it’s not your job to chase clients down to keep their lash fills on track. Save time and do it face to face.

The best way to get clients used to the idea is to present the idea as a fact, not a question or an option. At the end of their fill, once they’ve gotten up, get them in the habit of booking their next appointment. The key here is to be firm and say something like “Let’s book you in for your next fill” or “what’s your schedule like this month? Let’s book you in now”. This is standard practice for beauty services and they may just not be aware of this. Be confident in your tone and open your calendar and suggest a date and time according to what you’ve determined to be their fill frequency.

If they protest and say they’ll text you, point out that they like evening appointments or weekend appointments and that these book up fast. If they still hesitate, say “we better book you in now and that way the spot is reserved for you.” Another thing you can remind her of is that she needs to come in every 2-3 weeks or else it’ll turn into a new set. Explain that lashes will be grown out and needing replacing, even if they’re still attached. If they STILL don’t want to book in, let her wait and see and if you genuinely have a booking and she wants that spot, don’t move things around, just let her see that spots do get booked up. It may take a few times but for the majority, a simple prompt works like a charm.

When I first started lashing, I was insecure about my skills and I didn’t want my clients to feel like they had to come back if they didn’t like the lashes I did. The problem was, sometimes clients did want to come back but they would try to book last second and I’d already have plans or they’d come back when they thought it was time for a fill and it would be a whole new set. They’d either go see someone new if I was busy or they’d wonder WHY IS EVERY FILL SO LONG, when really it was a new set, and she needed to come in sooner than 4 weeks. Don’t take chances with the clients you’ve fought hard to earn, just book them in. 

Things can get crazy during holiday season or summer busy season, don’t be afraid to ask clients to book 2 or 3 appointments in advance. This will save you both a headache in the future. You will be able to book enough time for each client and you won’t have to work outside of your business hours. Most importantly, you may be able to book in some down time and enjoy the holidays or sunshine for yourself! Remember that rest and recreation is just as important to your craft as the hours you put into improving it.

Give Your Client Information About Their Lash Health

Notice that your client’s lashes are getting stronger? Let them know! Has she developed a ton of baby lashes on the edge that you want to skip? Let her know! These small things may affect your small decisions throughout the service but sharing it with your client provides more value than ever. Why do we like horoscopes? Or quizzes to find out what personality type we are? We like to know more about ourselves. It’s a vain characteristic but we are all curious about what makes us US. The difference here is that, we cannot see our own eyelashes very well and it is valuable to hear your professional opinion. More importantly, having an open dialogue about any changes to her lashes can help you both figure out the underlying reasons between diet, lifestyle, hormones, birth control, general health and her lash health. Retention issues can often be solved by keeping track of changes together. This long term partnership between client and provider is invaluable and will not only keep your client loyal but ensures they continue being a good one since they are as invested in their lash health as you are.

Repetition and Positive Reinforcement

Repetition is a great tool to reinforce a habit. The same goes for reinforcing good behaviour and customer loyalty. This is why I encourage you to run your appointments the same way every time. You want your client to keep her appointments with the least brainpower required of her as possible. When you know what to expect, keeping an appointment is easy. Prebooking is part of this because she will book her life around her standing biweekly lash appointment. She should be so sure of where to park, when it’s best to use the washroom, how she will pay, when to rebook and when to say goodbye that she could do it in her sleep. Your job is to let her know what you prefer and try not to change it. If you prefer that she sends you a message before coming in and waits in the car, let her know and keep it that way every single time. 

Now I’m sure you’ve heard of Positive Reinforcement. This part is simple but powerful. Thank your client when she does the things you asked her to do. For example, acknowledge and thank your client when you can see that has clean lashes! This lets her know that the time and effort she put into cleaning them actually makes a difference. Did your client message in advance to let you know she may need more time because she had bad retention? Thank her! It’s these small gestures that make our job easier so thank clients and give them credit. When a perpetually late client gets there on time, you can thank her as well. If you are running behind and had to start late, thank her for waiting. An apology can sometimes fall flat when you are running late but thanking her for waiting can leave you both with a positive feeling. The act of thanking your client when she gives you a heads up or she takes care of her lashes reinforces the fact that you are a team. The mindset that you must work together to give her the best results takes pressure off of you but also reinforces customer loyalty.

I hope you enjoyed this final part of the Level Up and Fill Your Books With Good Clients Series!

 Stay tuned for the next blog post which will be about my experience with having 2 breast augmentations and the time I took off doing lashes to get it done. 

Your Lash Bae,

Kady-Jo