If you have your own personal styling business you will probably agree that you spend a significant amount of time trying to attract new clients. In fact, you probably spend more time on this than actually styling. And while, for obvious reasons, this should be an area of focus, there's another area that many Stylists seem to neglect, and that's retaining the clients they already have. Personal styling is not a one-time service, and you shouldn't see clients as a one-time transaction. Your goal should be to keep your clients coming back for more and I'm going to share with you some of the ways you can make this happen.
1. Be you - You are the face of your business and your branding should represent who you are and what you do. Make sure that your website and your marketing materials reflect your personality. A client will come to you because they are attracted to your branding and like what you have to say, but imagine their disappointment if you are very different in person than your website seems to indicate. Be truthful, be honest, and be you!
2. Make a connection - From that very first interaction on your website, on the telephone, and that first consultation, you need to start making a connection to the client. How do you connect to the client? Be human, be real, and once again, be you! You need to make your client feel comfortable, after all, you'll be spending time in their personal body space, and also in their home. It's important to find that perfect balance between being professional and being relatable, so don't hide your personality, but if you're the kind of person that drops f-bombs like they're going out of fashion, leave that part of you at home.
3. Stay connected - After your first session with the client, even if they haven't booked another service with you or indicated they might, you should still stay connected with them. Be sure to get their email address so that you can follow up with them at a later date and send them promotional offers etc. I like to send my clients a follow-up email to simply thank them for choosing me. You can also send out holiday cards and birthday cards to add a personal touch. Now, of course, you don't want to go overboard and bombard them with emails, so find the right balance.
4. Use marketing materials - If you don't already have a stock of pens, fridge magnets, etc with your business information on them, then go get some. Leaving something with them that they can actually use will give them ongoing reminders of your business and they're more likely to reach out in the future.
5. Give them a discount - One way to get clients to book your services again is to offer them some kind of discount for additional bookings. There are many ways to do this and you'll need to find the right one for your business, but some that you might want to try are; discounts for when they refer a friend, or booking 3 hours and getting an additional hour for free. You could also create coupons for a certain percentage discount that they can use within 6 months.
6. Get them to subscribe - If you don't have a subscribe option for your website then you should definitely get one now. It's a great way to attract new clients but also to retain existing clients. Send out regular blog posts and seasonal trend alerts to all your subscribers to stay connected with them.
7. Agree to follow-up - Before I leave my clients I arrange a timeframe to follow up with them just to check in and see how things are going with their personal style goals. This can be 3, or 6 months, whichever works best for your client. If I have done a body type analysis with them then I do a free telephone re-analysis with them in 6 months to see if their shape has changed due to weight loss, weight gain, etc. If it has then you can arrange further services with them to help them dress their new shape.
8. Treat them like a Queen - It goes without saying that if you provide exceptional services then chances are they'll come back for more. So treat them like a queen and go the extra mile whenever you can!
Happy Styling,
Louisa 💕
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