How To Increase Bookings In The Summer
As we enter July, we know to expect an increase in the obvious summer trending services, such as waxing, spray tans, and pedicures, but we are also familiar with a ‘’less regimented’’ diary.
Clients are busy in the Summer, busy preparing for their family summer holidays, maybe they are getting married, or generally more busier than usual because their children are off school - so it’s safe to say that salon appointments can easily get forgotten, and their beauty appointments are not always at the top of their minds.
Here are a few tips on how to keep the bookings coming in:
Managing clients' expectations
It’s our jobs as professionals to manage the expectations of our clients. Despite us going above and beyond to make her/him feel like they are the only client we have in the world, we know; that they are not! To help your clients avoid disappointment for when they next try and book in with you (and for you to avoid burn out!) get yourself in to a routine of asking clients at every appointment BEFORE they leave to secure their next appointment with you. Not only does this hold your client accountable, as a business, it's good for you to forecast the revenue coming in for the months ahead.
Recommend a friend, digital version!
Offering an exclusive price for when your clients recommend a friend via their own socials is an incredibly powerful tactic that isn’t used enough in our industry. In the digital space we now find our business in, a smart way to leverage client recommendations would be to ask clients to tag themselves at your business, with a photo or video, and upload to their IG story, supported with a few words to describe their experience with you.
Cross selling opportunities
Create an exclusive and limited offer where you can recommend this at the end of the appointment, BUT this is no ordinary offer, this offer comes with terms! The offer is for a service they have not yet had (but often question you about it over the nail desk/lash couch).
Oh! and they have to book it before they leave the salon! Creating a sense of urgency with your offers has been proven to increase sales by 59%!
It's time to automate your beauty bizz
Setting up an automatic system for SMS and email will not only help with the show-up rate for clients but it will also help clients to continue rebooking. You can send them reminders about their appointments, to review the salon, to rebook, and to even send offers during quiet times. If you have a quiet day, you can send an alert to say that there are available appointments left or you can offer a discount for last minute appointments for that day.
Membership Mum!
You can set up a membership where you can offer very specific time slots to ''mums only''. We all know the job of a mum is one like no other, and that role only becomes more demanding when the kids are off school in the summer holidays, so why not create a space for Mum to escape for the morning or afternoon. We value mums time, and we know she will appreciate the payment part of the experience to be dealt with once and for all via a re-occurring amount that leaves her account, to yours, every week. TOP TIP! ALWAYS give way more value in your services than the monetary value your client pays you, and that direct debit will always be there.
With these creative ideas you’ll be sure to get your clients to book in with you consistently, and reduce the empty space during the summer months.
