Schedule A Tour
Schedule a tour nowSteps To Get First Time Clients to Come Back
Posted on: February 7, 2020
Getting a new client in the door is fantastic. It means your marketing plan is working. However, getting those new clients in the door is only half the equation. The other half is transitioning them from a new client into a repeat and regular client. How?
From New Client To Regular Client In Four Steps
1. Offer A Program, Not A Service
Services can be scheduled at-will, whether that’s weekly, monthly, yearly, or never again, in accordance with what the client feels is best. If it’s a busy or expensive month, a service doesn’t seem so pressing. Plus, when it’s just a service, then hundreds of other spa providers have the same offerings.
The above means that it’s necessary for the spa professional to look beyond the current treatment being offered. What you should be offering your clients is a comprehensive treatment program to plan out those services on a prescribed schedule. Diagnose their issues and offer a professional plan to solve or mitigate those problems via both self-care at home and the services you’ll regularly provide.
2. There’s Not An ‘I’ In Team
Retaining first-time clients is about giving them a smooth spa treatment experience, and that takes a team effort. From the staff cleaning the lobby and bathrooms to the receptionists delivering your appointment into your hands, each encounter accumulates to form the client’s satisfaction opinion. Get that satisfaction rating at its highest to spur a repeat visit with these tips:
• Ensure staff is working with, not against, each other in coordinating services so that you can avoid keeping the client waiting during transitions.
• Keep co-worker drama away from clients; your client doesn’t need to hear about your personal/professional issues with another spa professional, and it will almost certainly deter them from returning to you and/or branching out for other services.
• Always call your client by name to personalize their experience, which includes your reception desk booking them and announcing their arrival by name.
3. Make The Best Use Of Your Treatment Time
While you want to engage receptive clients in a small amount of friendly chit-chat, the bulk of your communication should be focused on connecting them to your business and establishing yourself as a professional. Ask them what brought them to you. Ask them about their skin history and what products they currently use.
Once you’ve collected the assessment information, you can detail a plan for both today’s visit and the future of their skin health. Written instructions for products and regimens on a paper with your business logo serves as a constant reminder to follow-up with repeat in-house treatments, and it’s a good way to connect your name with the recommended product so you can sell products as the client needs to restock.
It’s a good practice to obtain permission for before and after photographs. Documenting your client’s journey cements the progress and value you’re providing.
4. Don’t Leave Appointments Open-Ended & Passive
Open-ended questions are great for client assessment, but they’re horrible for client retention. At the end of treatments, you should use an active voice for return visits. Instead of passively asking your client to book in x amount of time, tell them when and for what you’d like to see them back and what day would be most convenient for them.
These four steps are simple to implement, but they have big results for turning new clients into long-term clients. Of course, once you get a client returning, they’re not just a constant booking. They can actually become brand ambassadors bringing more first-time clients into your spa to retain.
