HOW TO TRAIN YOUR CLIENTS TO RE-BOOK, EVEN IF YOU ARE A VETERAN AND HAVE NEVER RE-BOOKED!   Do you re-book your clients? Here are some tips to TRAIN your clients to start!    RE-BOOK YOUR CLIENTS ~ Learn how, when and where to do it, so it becomes super comfortable and part of your…

RE-BOOK YOUR CLIENTS ~ Learn how, when and where to do it, so it becomes super comfortable and part of your routine.

What would EXTRA 35 appointments a month on your books do for your business?

That’s what happened to our salon PER stylists when we started rebooking! Would that help?? So many salons do not rebook, stylists say they are not sales people, they don’t want to be pushy…etc.

One of my stylist right out of school was super confident that she could build her clientele in our small town that she grew up in, with NO marketing and with her skill level. She’s got this, she said!! The first month, she had a few friends come in and some walk ins. I asked her if she rebooks. She replied, “no, I am not like that. I myself just call when I need in, so I feel I don’t want to be pushy to my clients.”
I must ask… Is that how you feel also? Did you ask if they would like to rebook their next appointment and they told you no, so you never asked again?
WELL, I have good news for you. It’s all ABOUT HOW YOU GO ABOUT IT!
First, let me give you examples of what happens when you don’t rebook and what happens to your business when you do. This should make it VERY clear of the importance of re-booking.

If it is left up to the client to call you, when they need a haircut or color, they will call when they notice they have ugly grow out or bad hair days that are occurring day after day. At this point, YOU may or may not have an available time slot for them. They are now several weeks beyond their appropriate time. AND that my friend, this is your work out there!

Statistics show they will go over 1 to 3 weeks without a prior re-booked appointment.

You also miss out on serious income! Below I have done some simple math, using a 4 to 6 week example.
Let say the cost of your haircut is $30 and your client should come in every 4 weeks, which is $390 per year generated from that client.
If they get off schedule by just 2 weeks per visit because you do not re-book, with 6 week appointments that client only generates $260. That’s a difference of $130 for that client per year. Miss rebooking just 10 clients, that’s your LOSS OF $1300 per year. That’s just on the price of haircuts, color is far more expensive…right?! Okay, so you lose considerable income…got it?

NOW IF YOU RE-BOOK….then you get that $1300 in your pocket AND your client can avoid bad hair days and look their best every day!

I did a test in the salon I worked for before opening my own. The stylists were like my new booth renter…they never rebooked because they did not want to be “pushy”! I wanted to show them without making it hard on them or fighting with them how to do this. I put a bowl at the front desk with a sign that said… “REBOOK YOUR NEXT APPT BEFORE YOU LEAVE AND BE ADDED TO A DRAWING FOR A $50 SALON GIFT CERTIFICATE”

This created 35 more appointments each for our top two stylists in the salon! 35 more appointments the next month EACH!! If your haircuts are $30 that is an extra $1050 that next month for EACH of those stylists! Think about that over the year!! Dang! We were on a paper booking system at the time, so I only tracked the top 2 stylists. But the entire salon grew dramatically from that drawing! That was soo successful and easy to do for the staff that we ran that drawing every month for a year! $50 a month to the owner was nothing. For booth renters…even better…right! That experience taught the stylists to re-book.
Now, I know what you are thinking. Yeah Yeah, that’s all good, but I have been doing hair for 30 years and my clients just don’t rebook. I have tried for years!! Right? Well, that’s what those two top stylists said too.

Okay, in order to change there has to be a change…Right?

I extended the conversation with my new stylist that was right out of school, “Do you want your clients to be just like you?” You know…call whenever they think about a haircut or color? Or…do you want A+ client? She said YES OF COURSE I DO, I WANT A+ CLIENTS! And my response was of course you do, we all do. In order to have A+ client we must guide them…IE: TRAIN THEM TO BE A+ CLIENTS.

Our clients will do what we teach them to do. They WILL re-book if you can convey to them WHY they need to. We need to create the VALUE of re-booking.
The agreement rebook is done in the first 5 minutes of the appointment.

HERE’S HOW…When you do the hair consultation and they show you the photo of what they want and you are doing your thing…you know, telling them if it will look great on them and so on….You say to them “Wow, Susie client, that will look great on you. Now, to keep this particular cut you will need to get it cut every 4 to 6 weeks (whatever you think it needs…maybe it is 3 weeks for some) are you okay with that?” Pause and let them talk. 
If they say YES or nod their head…YES, then they just confirmed the rebook!!
You then reply…”Great, we will get you an appointment set up before you leave” and go on about the appointment.
Now, if they say “Oh NO I only get my hair cut once a year” or disagree in anyway, then you need to discuss another look for them…RIGHT? Because, they are not going to be able to maintain that particular look.
Here’s an example using color… “Susie client, with this color option you’ve chosen you will have grow out with in approximately 4 weeks (6, 8 wks etc.) are you okay with that look or would you prefer not to see grow out?” Pause and let her talk.
Whatever her answer is…you say…Great, we will get you back on my schedule for the 4 weeks (6, 8 weeks) so you do not have to see grow out…or an inch of grow out etc. Whatever she says, no matter the answer…she needs another appointment.

At the end of the appointment when you are done, you say to them. “Wow, that looks sooo good on you!” Okay, you are almost done. As we discussed, I’ll need to see you in 4 weeks…today is Friday…are Fridays best for you? Pause and let them answer. DO NOT ASK WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT! It will be NO, 95% of the time.

She already told you she wants to maintain her look, so get her on your schedule and just proceed with the re-book.
IMPORTANT: IF at any time they say “I better go home and look at my calendar” then you say “Okay, let’s do this…let’s get you on my schedule in 4 weeks and go ahead and check your calendar when you get home. If we need to adjust the time, just call. That way, it reserves your spot, so you don’t have to worry about grow out, sound good?” PAUSE and let them answer.
It is better that they make the appointment before they leave. It is proven that less than 2% will call back and change an existing appointment. Now that you are re-booking, you are going to get booked up FAST! You do not want them to call and have to wait for a future appointment because you are booked.
In the case especially with existing clients that are in the habit of calling and cancelling last minute…..When you make the appointment say to them as you hand them the appt card…”I look forward to seeing you on xxx at xxx time. Look them in the eye and say…”if something changes, please be sure to call 48 hrs in advance so I can TRY to fill your RESERVED spot.”
Use the word “Unexpected opening” rather than “Cancellation”. Throwing around the word cancellation implies that you accept cancellations and you don’t want that.
HOW TO HANDLE NO SHOWS / LAST MINUTE CANCELLATIONS: Quick tip (See complete blog)
I only allow 3 no shows and or last minute cancellations. Then the conversation goes something like this… “Name of client, you seem to be very busy. I completely understand”…(then say with a sincere smile) why don’t we do this…call me the day that you need your hair done and I will see if I have an opening.” Don’t let them back on your schedule with a reserved appointment.
That may seem harsh, but this is your livelihood. It is important to train your clients to respect your time. When you have a completely booked schedule, they will quickly learn to keep their appointment with you or they will have to wait another month.
If you want A+ client, guide them to be A+. Set yourself apart, REBOOK, KEEP TRACK AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

I did a LIVE VIDEO on this topic on my Facebook page. See it here…

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY VIDEO “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR CLIENTS TO RE-BOOK” 

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