Getting your clients to step foot in your shop is a tough game. Getting them to stick around, rebook, and become a regular on your schedule, well, that has the potential to be even tougher.
Despite the challenge, client retention is a much more cost-effective focus for your barbershop than constantly acquiring new clients. Don’t buy it? The numbers don’t lie. Winning a new customer can cost about 5x more than the efforts that go into retaining a current one. That same source tells us that the success rate of selling to a new client has about a 5-20% chance of success–but selling to an existing customer has anywhere from a 60-70% chance of success.
You like those odds, right? We do, too. That’s why customer retention is such an important topic in the barbershop world.
But how exactly are you, a busy barber running a successful shop, supposed to focus on not only winning business but also retaining it?
This blog has all the helpful tips you could ever need to start enacting client retention strategies. Give these few techniques a try and see how well they work–then share them with your fellow barbers, too! You’ll be surprised how impactful these small changes can be.
Top Tips for Attracting Clients Back to Your Barbershop (& Keeping Them There)
It’s All An Engagement Game
Your main goal should be to keep your customers engaged from the moment they leave the shop until they’ve stepped back into it. Does that sound sort of obnoxious? It doesn’t have to be. Engagement isn’t a game of pushiness and bothersome emails–it’s a game of strategic check-ins and convenient messages. Coming up with key ways to keep customers engaged in ways that won’t irk them is a major part of this strategy. What does this look like? It can be anything, but here are some low-key, impactful examples to consider:
Signing them up for text alerts, so they know ASAP when you’re running sales, deals, specials, or discounts
Semi-regular emails or texts that check in to see how they like their cut, if they need any touch-ups, and if they’d like to schedule their next appointment
Responding back to DMs on social media & putting out a strong social media presence that’s active and engaging
Answering questions, sending over resources, and providing value to clients even when they’re not booking with you automatically
Rewards Programs Are the Way to Win Loyalty
We’ve talked about the big benefits of loyalty programs before–but that doesn’t make it old news. This is one of the most impactful and effective ways to keep your customers coming back for more.
Why? Because they feel like they’re getting more value out of their visits with you. Don’t get us wrong, we think your skills and winning personality are enough–but clients want to feel like they’re walking out with more. Loyalty programs can build that up and provide that value they’re seeking in addition to great service from you.
Repeat Scheduling Should be a Breeze
The best way to ensure your clients are coming back for more is to make sure there are no barriers to booking or walking in. Want to focus on walk-in clients? Make sure it’s clear what your walk-in hours are. Looking to go with a model that’s more focused on appointments? Your software for scheduling (and your website) should be seamless and easy to use.
If you can eliminate any trickiness and make it simple to rebook, then you’re in good shape to set your customers up for success. The more barriers to booking there are, the less likely a customer is to rebook. You have to make it easy, seamless, and simple!
Never Stop Refining Your Customers’ Experiences
Even if you feel like you’ve created a seamless and enjoyable customer experience for all of your clients, we’ve got news–the process is never over. In this ever-changing industry, there’s always something you can change, evolve, or perfect to help elevate and enhance your customer’s experiences–and the more you focus on that, the more they’ll be willing to rebook with you and become a regular client.
Want a pro tip to ensure you’re going about this the right way? Don’t guess about your customers’ experiences–ask them. What could you do better? What do they value about your shop? What do they think could change? Listen to them, hear them out, then actually provide them with that value and those changes. They won’t just notice that; they’ll appreciate it–and that’s the quickest way to win regulars on your books.
Do you have a few tricks of your own up your sleeves for how to attract clients and retain them all at once? We want to hear about them. Drop your hot knowledge in the comment section below and share your wisdom with your fellow barbers. This community is all about helping each other grow, change, and perfect our craft–so don’t be afraid to share your helpful tips and tricks.
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