Humans are wired for relationships. Naturally, that extends to the personal bonds within our beauty businesses, too. There’s no better way to build a solid health and lifestyle brand than to refocus your limited time and pour that energy into your clients.
Your customer relationships can carry your business during a slow season, put a newly established salon on the map, or support you when you switch locations.
Ignoring or undervaluing them can be equally costly. Businesses who have poor relationship management practices lose between 20-80% of their customer base each year!
The key is to continue to nurture and build relationships with your clients over time. They’re sort of like plants. You can’t put them in a sunny spot and forget about them. You need a consistent, high-touch approach that demonstrates they’re more than just means to an end.
Whether you’re looking for ways to get started or want to level up what you’re already doing, use these pointers for managing client relationships.
Benefits of Customer Relationship Management
Managing client relationships isn’t just about profit. It’s also about making a human connection and growing your community in the process.
Though some perks are more tangible than others, you can expect to see:
- Your sales increase
- More positive online reviews
- Consistent new client referrals
- Less customer attrition
- Better employee morale
- Meaningful, lasting connections
- Improved product sales
Keep in mind that the relationships you nurture go both ways. Not only do they support your business, they also support your clients on an individual level. Having you as part of their trusted network is essential as they navigate the stressors of life, especially in an ongoing pandemic.
Proven Ways to Center Your Clients
The most successful businesses understand that their clients are the foundation of their work. Showing you care and staying communicative is the secret sauce for stellar client relationships.
Here’s how beauty professionals in particular can put these best practices into, well, practice.
- Keep in touch. Don’t assume your clients only want to hear from you when they make or show up for an appointment. Life is busy. Stay on their radar by sending gentle, automated reminders when you haven’t seen them in a while. Wish them a happy birthday, happy anniversary, send them a coupon for a free product after being a client for a certain amount of time. Use any and all touchpoints to keep your name top of mind and show you care. Feel like that’s a lot to keep up with? Customer relationship management apps like Gina’s Platform can help you automate your outreach!
- Be a positive influence. The world can be a scary place. Make your space somewhere clients can seek respite and take a healing moment for themselves.
- Share what you know. Use different outlets to showcase your expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader. It will help demystify your services and show just how much work goes into each one, be it balayage techniques or nail art.
- Stay open to feedback. Sure, you’re the expert. But stay open to client feedback, too. They may actually have a suggestion that might make your business better. Learn to listen well and read between the lines to hear what’s not being said.
- Show your human side. Make it clear that all emotions are welcome when you walk through that door. There’s something to be said for professionalism, but know when to take the smock off and put your friend-hat on.
- Prioritize their needs. Will automated appointment reminders or the ability to make an appointment online make your client’s lives easier? Do they need an easy way to message you to figure out what type of service to book? Would a pre-appointment consultation help them get more out of the service and allow you to show up better prepared? Find ways you can anticipate and meet their needs to go that extra mile.
The Importance of Customer Relationship Management Apps
No matter which type of beauty service you provide, you can complement your hands-on talents with apps and digital tools.
Making a personal connection starts by reaching your customers where they are: Their phones.
Solutions like Gina’s software provide a free mobile app designed for both you and your clients to communicate, schedule and pay invoices. They also provide a place where you can solicit feedback on your services, engage in valuable customer research (like the age and demographic of your client base), and personalize your communications. You can even create promotions around certain demographics or run reports to show how clients rank by revenue, group them by services or products purchased and more.
Client Relationship FAQ:
How do you maintain effective relationships with clients?
There are endless tactics you can use, but when in doubt, adhere to the golden rule: communicate with and treat your clients how you’d like to be treated.
There is no business without business relationships. If you want to grow, you’ll have to grow your client relationships. They’re the factor most closely tied to your revenue and your reputation.
How to build relationships with clients?
Relationship building takes time, but you can use available resources and tools like client management apps to help you stay consistent.
Need a business management and marketing system that works as hard as you do at building your client relationships? Gina’s free mobile app is the personal lifestyle resource you’ve been calling in.
Gina Rivera
Beauty Icon and Expert
Gina Rivera skyrocketed to success when the company she founded in 2007, Phenix Salon Suites, became the fastest-growing salon suite company in the beauty industry. With more than 300 locations nationally and international expansion occurring in the UK, Entrepreneur Magazine named Phenix Salon Suites a Top 500 Franchise list seven years running.
