Salon Client Cancellations And Your Salon Brand Promise
Trust is built on promises kept
Tis the damn season for being exhausted and also frustrated by clients canceling their salon appointments, however, this lesson is evergreen, as it has to do with your salon brand promises, clear and simple Salon Business Agreements (salon policies), healthy boundaries (not walls!) and lifetime client value.
First, let’s talk about your brand promise. Your salon brand promise is the experience you create, the expectations you set, and how you want your clients to feel, all moving towards building trust with your clients through consistency in delivering on your promise which leads to building a healthy salon brand.
Next, let’s talk about Salon Business Agreements. The truth is, many of the Agreements I’ve seen over that last decade, have either not been clear, simple, or easy to find, or aligned with the salon brand promise. This is why we created an Awesome Salon Client Agreements template several years back for our clients which can also be found in the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. And it’s important to note, the reason we use the word Salon Agreement and not Salon Policies, is that Agreement indicates shared responsibility, and policy is almost always one-sided.
Now let’s talk healthy boundaries. This is a big part of the overcorrection I’ve seen in the last few years in the salon industry, and it is not anything I would ever recommend to our clients. The confusion seems to be understanding what healthy boundaries are and aren’t. Healthy boundaries are not walls, they are flexible and permeable, they create clarity, and connection, where walls drive disconnection.
The reason this is important is because you are dealing with human beings, who are imperfect, and there will inevitably be a time when someone messes up. If this salon client has been coming to you for years and has a high lifetime client value meaning how much revenue, referrals, and joy they bring you over the lifetime of your relationship with them, then you may think twice before charging them for a missed appointment when they had a sudden medical emergency. This doesn’t mean to don’t hold up your Agreements, it means you understand that there will be cases when you will make decisions that are most aligned with your salon brand long term.
Here are some things to consider when you are making decisions about ‘enforcing’ your Salon Agreements (salon policies)
1. Consider lifetime client value meaning how many referrals this client has sent you, how much joy they bring you, how much revenue they’ve brought to your salon, and the outcome you are seeking such as retaining the client or letting them go
2. Consider clients cannot predict when they get sick or have an emergency
3. Consider your clients may be tight on money atm and feel embarrassment and shame and don’t want you to know
4. Maybe your system for clients reading and opting into your Agreements needs improvement
5. Maybe there was a glitch in your confirmation and reminder system
6. Appointment based businesses are always going to have cancellations, including salons. A few are to be expected, a little more if it’s sick season, and if you are getting more than the norm, it’s almost always a system failure, not a people failure.
Here are some examples of Conversation Frameworks that can help you navigate the inevitable salon client late cancellation or missed appointment and make the best decision in alignment with your salon brand.
When you begin to move away from black-and-white thinking and adjust your expectations of how you wished it was to what it actually is, you’ll save a ton of time, energy, and resentment around inevitable salon client cancellations.
This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your salon brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.
Much love, in service to you-
Nina
Your Salon Social Media Content Is Your Marketing
Your content is your marketing
Every photo, video, caption, like, comment, and share is connecting you to your salon clients or disconnecting you from them. When you have clarity of your salon brand story, you also simplify your salon content creation.
Aligning your social media marketing with this narrative is the key to resonating with your target audience or what we call ‘brand people’. This alignment goes beyond aesthetics or your brand identity; it’s a strategic choice that extends to how you price your services and products. By understanding this intricate web, you’ll gain clarity, allowing you to make informed and aligned decisions and navigate building and growing your salon brand with purpose.
Let’s look at an example of content, context, and aligning that with your salon brand. The image below is my sweet baby Courage. This picture could have several different meanings, thus, it’s important to provide “context” which in this example would be a caption.
I decided for this example to make this a message about our Salon Animal Agreement, or what some would call a policy. I prefer the word Agreement as it indicates shared responsibility, versus being a one-sided rule, which we all know how most folks feel about rules, lol. Ok, back to the lesson. So the context here is the caption, which is written in alignment with our salon brand story, and uses our Content Framework below;
Content Framework
1. Who is this content for?
2. What problem is this content solving?
3. How does this content add value for the clients, teams, or tenants I serve or want to serve?
4. What feeling do I want to inspire?
5. Is this content aligned with my brand story?
6. What result or action am I seeking?
Now, if I was feeling resentful, in a rush, and didn’t have clarity of my brand story, I may instead post something like the example on the right below.
How did the message on the left feel versus the message on the right? It matters because your current and potential future salon clients are listening.
This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your salon brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.
Much love, in service to you-
Nina
Going To A Salon Isn’t A Luxury, Going To A Luxury Salon Is A Luxury
Your experience is your brand
In the awesome landscape of the beauty industry, you don’t just provide a service; you create an experience.
Understanding your brand story, and market position, helps you create experiences that are aligned with your brand, business model, objectives, and desired outcomes. Your brand story is the foundation from which you make all of your decisions for your salon, and clarity is the first step to simplifying your decision-making so you have more time for joy!
There are many different brand positions – from bougie luxury to the accessibility of value brands. Understanding where your salon fits into this spectrum is essential to help you create your brand story. Understanding your salon’s story, business model, and market position isn’t merely a strategic exercise; it’s the essence of creating an authentic connection with your clients, teams, and tenants (renters).
Your brand story isn’t just about the services you offer; it’s about the problems you solve and the emotions, values, and experiences you evoke. It’s the thread that weaves through every cut, every color, and every client interaction. Aligning your marketing with this narrative is the key to resonating with your target audience or what we call ‘brand people’. This alignment goes beyond aesthetics or your brand identity; it’s a strategic choice that extends to how you price your services and products. By understanding this intricate web, you’ll gain clarity, allowing you to make informed and aligned decisions and navigate building and growing your salon brand with purpose.
It’s super important to dispel the misconception that all salons are synonymous with luxury. The beauty industry caters to a diverse clientele with varied preferences and budgets which is awesome. Whether you’re a luxury salon offering high-value pampering or a value brand creating accessibility, each has its place and purpose. Your salon brand is a reflection of your values and the experiences you deliver, creating a space where individuals, regardless of budget constraints, can indulge in feeling and looking more beautiful.
This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.
Much love, in service to you-
Nina
Two Simple Ways To Keep Your Salon Clients Coming Back To You
Consistency builds trust. Trust builds relationships. Relationships build referrals. Refferals can be retained when you deliver awesome experiences consistently.
In 2023 and beyond, your salon clients are looking for more value, and to know you care about them. They have so many choices, and one of the reasons they choose you, again and again, is because they feel like they matter. That along with the experience you deliver, how that experience is aligned with what they care about and value, and clear, consistent communication.
Telling your salon clients you care is not enough. You must show them. And the truth is, it’s really simple to do that, particularly now that nearly every salon software program and booking app has these capabilities for you. And if you are not sure what is available to you, contact your salon software platform or booking app and ask them.
Two ways you can show your clients you care is in your post-experience follow-up communications.
Post-Experience Thank You Message
This is an awesome way to say thank you and invite your salon clients to share their experiences on your primary review and referral platform such as Google or Yelp.
Salon Client Check-In Message
This is a real game-changer. It is inevitable that your client won’t pre-book their next experience with you for whatever reason and some just ‘fall off your books’. Each week, or month, you simply run a report that shows which of your salon clients are outside their regular maintenance schedule, and you reach out. This not only shows them you care, it gets them back into your chair. One of our clients, who owns two employment-based salons, runs this report and sends this message every week. In less than a year this one action generated over $100K in new appointment revenue. Yes, you read that right.
The truth is long-term growth happens when you execute the fundamentals consistently. And salon client care and communications are fundamental to building and growing an awesome salon business and brand.
This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.
Much love, in service to you-
Nina