How to Turn First Time Clients Into Regulars

How to Grow A Lash Business Part 2 | How to Keep Your Clients Coming Back

Getting clients through the door is one thing, but keeping them is what’s going to really show that your business is successful – not only do people want to come to you, they want to come to you again. For a Lash Technician that’s the biggest compliment, but how do you get first-time clients to come back?

Book Their Follow Up Appointment at Their First Appointment

We all know that eyelash extensions need maintenance, and that maintenance involves regular infill appointments to keep their lashes looking freshly applied and full. At their full set appointment, book them in for their lash fill 3 weeks later. At their fill appointment, book their next one. 

The main thing to consider here is that the average client may not know that they need follow-up lash fill appointments or even why that’s the case, so it’s really important that you explain why they will need one, otherwise, they won’t want to book an appointment and they may also start sending you angry messages when their lash extensions start to fall out, leaving gaps. 

Communicate Well

The last point is one example of good communication with your clients, but also consider these:

• Factor in consultation time. At any given time, your client may decide that they want to change up their lashes. By giving them the space at each appointment to go over what they’d like, you’re making them feel well looked after as well as meeting their exact needs. If they don’t want any changes then your consultation time can be spent having a quick catch-up before their appointment, making their lashes extra full, or taking some extra shots for  Instagram at the end!
• Send confirmation messages. This can be a text or email to confirm their appointment time, what they’re booked in for, and where to come. Be sure to also mention any house rules you might have in place; for example, don’t bring children/friends with them, feel free to bring a blanket, try to avoid caffeine, etc. – whatever you have in place to make your life easier, let them know. With confirmation messages, it’s good to send one at the time of booking, and a day before just in case they’ve forgotten. It helps to reduce no-shows and it’s a nice touch. 
• Explain your policies. It’s all  well and good having policies in place, but if your clients don’t know about them or why they’re in place, they can’t really follow them. If you have a website, include a link to your policies in their confirmation messages, and be sure that you explain your policies verbally to clients as well. This isn’t to scare them, obviously, but it just means that everything is clear for both of you.
• Explain how they can look after their lashes. Nothing kills a relationship between a lash tech and their client faster than poor lash retention, so taking the time to explain why they need to keep their lashes clean is going to pay dividends. Not only will they have better retention and healthier lashes, but they’ll also know that you care about them and you’ll have less cleanup to do at their next appointment because they’ll have kept them squeaky clean in-between!

Similarly…

When you’re delivering any message to clients you need to consider your tone of voice. If we’re going to a dentist who is blunt and a little rude about our teeth so be it, but we definitely don’t want that from our Lash Technician! 

It’s so easy to not realize that we’re being blunt or coming across as rude, especially over text or email – we know what tone we were aiming for, but that’s not always how your client reads it. Simple things like including cute emojis can really improve the tone of your message, for example:

‘Hi Sam. Your appointment is tomorrow at 10. Don’t forget to wash your lashes before you come. Alex’

It says what it needs to, but is it nice? Well, it could be nicer.

‘Hi Sam!

Looking forward to seeing you for your Lash Fill appointment tomorrow at 10. As usual, please don’t forget to give your lashes an extra close clean before you come to see me!

See you tomorrow, Alex x’

Not much has changed here with regards to the overall message, but can you see how the tone has changed and it comes across a little bit more approachable? Like we say, adding emojis can help but if it’s not on brand for you to use them don’t feel pressured to do so! 

Consider This...

Something else to keep in mind is that it’s very easy to accidentally insult our clients during the consultation. When we take a training course in eyelash extensions, we learn about mapping and styling based on the client’s eye and face shape. 

Is it okay to say to a client ‘you can’t have a Cat Eye Style because your eyes are too far apart’? Not really. Whether it’s the truth or not is immaterial, we should be far more tactful in our delivery: ‘Cat Eye Styles are gorgeous! Just to make sure it makes you look and feel your absolute best, let’s have a look at some different options…’ 

Make Them Feel Special

Eyelash extensions by nature make us feel special and looked after, but it’s those little touches from our Lash Technician that make a big difference. A really simple thing to do is to make it your personal mission to remember things about your client that you can bring up at their next appointment. We don’t expect anyone to just remember everything every client says, so a little hack from us to you is to make a note on their client record card. 

Carrie: Hybrid Lash Extensions: 0.07 3D fans and 0.15 Classics, C/CC/D, Squirrel Style.

Going on first vacation to Italy with girlfriend in June!

Just by asking Carrie how her trip to Italy was, you’re showing that you care about her as a person, and not just as someone who comes to you to spend money.

On a slightly different note, reach out to clients who you haven’t seen for a while. Perhaps they forgot to book their lash fill, or maybe they got sick and had to postpone their last appointment with you. Either way, a little message to say ‘Hey, how are you doing? I haven’t seen you for a while…’ can make a big difference to how a client perceives you. 

Loyalty Schemes

This is an age-old classic in customer retention and for good reason – we love to be rewarded for our loyalty! Whether it’s a ‘have 9 treatments and the 10th is 50% off’ kind of a deal or anything else you can imagine is up to you and the limits of your own imagination, but either way, it’s a good way to keep clients coming to see you. 

Keeping your clients happy should be at the core of your business model, the form that takes is up to you but at the very least, aim for clear communication and a friendly, approachable tone and you won’t go far wrong!