The Real Reason Clients Won’t Pre-Book With You
When clients book in advance, it helps you get a clear idea of what your income will look like for the next week or month, and when your schedule starts to fill up on a regular basis, you’ll know you’re ready to start doing some awesome things like:
- Raise your prices
- Expanding your business
- Go independent
None of this is possible if you can’t even get your clients to pre-book.
So, what are you doing wrong and what can you do to fix it? Here are the top four reasons clients won’t re-book.
Reason #1
YOU DON’T HAVE A LATE CANCELLATION POLICY
Clients who cancel late or don’t show up, have commitment issues. Good luck trying to get them to pre-book. You need to develop a great clientele that respects your time. It will be tough at first, but once you start enforcing your no show/late cancellation policy, those chronically late clients will start to learn their lesson. Eventually, they’ll learn to respect your business, show up on time, and pre-books for appointments they can actually commit to.
Reason #2
YOU LET CLIENTS BOOK “EMERGENCY” APPOINTMENTS
You all know that client. The one that calls you on your day off, or asks you to keep the salon open late for an “emergency” hair appointment – they forgot they had a wedding to go to and now they NEED your help.
If you’re willing to take last-minute appointments like this, there’s NO NEED for clients to ever pre-book!
You are not responsible for managing your client’s personal time. Next time they’re leaving for vacation and need an “emergency” bikini wax, tell them you’re fully booked. They won’t make that mistake again.
Reason #3
YOU’RE SENDING THE WRONG SIGNALS
If your salon or work space puts off an unprofessional/ unorganized vibe, clients will assume they can just stroll in whenever they feel like it and book an appointment. Think about it, fancy restaurants don’t always have dress codes, but you assume you should dress up when you visit right? If you want clients to feel the need to pre-book, you need to create a professional environment.
Reason #4
NO ONE ASKED THEM TO!
After every service, before you check out, you should be asking clients if they would like to re-book. Here’s how you do it:
- Let them know your schedule is filling up and you won’t be able to take last minute appointments.
- Give them special “VIP” access to your schedule so they can pre-book before someone else does.
- Give them your suggestions. If they get color touch ups, let them know if they want to maintain their look, it would be best for them to pre-book an appointment six weeks from now.
- If you miss your opportunity to lock in a pre-booked appointment while you’re in the salon, you can always send an email marketing campaign. Apps like StyleSeat [Join Page] allow you to send clients emails – you can remind them to pre-book and the email includes a direct link to your booking page.
Looking for software that will help you do all of this? Click here to learn more.
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