Relationship Before Revenue: Why Salons Benefit From Waiting to Sell Products

Boulevard CEO and co-founder Matt Danna talks about how to foster great relationships that keep clients coming back

Repeat customers are the lifeblood of any good salon. They not only create a regular stream of revenue but also add to the feel and culture of the business. Many salons try to sell the client too much on the first visit to impress them with everything they have to offer. This well-intentioned overeagerness can lead to a one-time customer. 

In episode 7 of our podcast, “Last Client of the Day,” Boulevard CEO and co-founder Matt Danna discusses data from the recent Salon Industry Client Retention Report and highlights the value of a slow build in a salon/client relationship. He also discusses how to fight the temptation to oversell during a client’s first visit and how to leave breadcrumbs that will entice them to come back on their own. 

The data on repeat customers 

According to the report's data, salons identified as “best-in-class” saw a 70% retention rate for clients after the first visit. However, the average retention rate on the Boulevard platform was approximately 45%. This suggests that top salons are doing something to retain clients that other salons aren’t. 

Failing to convert first-time clients has greater financial impacts than simply not booking those extra services. With lower client retention rates, you may have to spend more on marketing. However, to offset that marketing spending, you need more clients. Of course, if you’re not getting those clients, then you keep spending on marketing and so on. 

The best way to avoid overworking for client retention is to value and optimize the client’s time once they're in the salon. 

Valuing a client’s first visit 

Based on our experience, some salons work too hard to impress a customer during their first visit. They immediately try to sell them retail products or get them to book their second appointment before the first one is even finished. Before long, what was meant to be a relaxing salon experience has become a high-pressure sales pitch. 

The key is to view the first visit as a time to build a relationship, not make a sale. The start of each new client relationship should mimic, in certain aspects, the start of a new friendship. Allow the client to guide the depth of the conversation, and don’t be afraid to ask them about themselves. What do they do for work? For fun? What is their family like? Show that you’re interested in them as a person, not just a ticket.

The first visit is also an excellent time to leave breadcrumbs for a second visit. Talk to the client about the potential you see in their hair and how you might address it “the next time you come in. What do you think?” Not only does this plant the seed for their return, but it also paints you as an expert who cares about them. 

Walk-ins can be repeat clients, too!

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times: the client experience starts before the client even sits in the chair. A comprehensive and easy booking process gets your relationship off on the right foot so the client walks in the door already feeling good about having chosen your salon. 

But It’s also important to remember that walk-ins can become repeat clients. It’s understandable that you’d want to favor clients who’ve taken the time to pre-book, but the best salons find a way to make walk-ins feel just as valued and welcome. Do what works best for your business; maybe one or two staff members are on walk-in duty every day or each stylist has a specified amount of walk-in time per shift. Use your scheduling software to maximum benefit to view what times are available during the day to openly communicate about availability with walk-in customers. 

Make relationship building a part of your culture

A relationship-first approach must start with the salon owner. As Matt noted during the podcast, you should “have a playbook where you’re not trying to overload customers on the first visit and just trying to build that relationship. Your operations, goals, incentives, and commission plans should reflect that.” 

Salons will develop this approach when they stop viewing each first visit as a precursor to a second visit. Instead, when salons prioritize relationships over revenue, each initial client visit is the first of many.