Salon Hopping

So you’ve all probably experienced a client who’s a salon hopper. She sees you one or two times and then is off to try a new place. She goes to that salon a couple times and then moves on to yet another salon.

But then there are those clients that see you regularly for six months or even a couple years and then they just disappear—the mystery clients.

Today, I am here to analyze these ladies and their mysterious behavior. My scientific analysis is based on my girlfriends and their disloyal salon habits.

See if you recognize any of these traits in your clients:

The Picky Girl: This one is the worst. She’ll sit in your chair, tell you what she wants and then won’t be happy with it when you’ve done exactly as she asked. So she’ll come back in six weeks, give it another try and this time, maybe she likes it. But it’s not exactly what the precise shade of blonde she wanted, so she’s going to try another salon where maybe, just maybe, they will be able to achieve the perfect buttery blonde on her Level-3 hair. Sigh …
Lesson Learned: Don’t bother losing sleep over her. She’s never going to be happy.

The Atmospheric Girl: This client is big on the vibe she gets from your salon. I had a friend who stopped going to a salon once simply because she didn’t like the culture. The salon was very hip and laid back and my friend is very loud and vibrant. She felt like she had to be too quiet and didn’t fit in there. She loved her services though. Didn’t matter … off she went to a new salon.
What to Do: Not much you can do about this. Hopefully the clients attracted to your business are in line with your salon’s culture. If not, well, they should find a place that makes them happy.

The Trendsetter: This client is always looking for something new. She wants the latest cut and color and you never do the same service twice on her. This is great! Fun for you and for her. However, the danger is that she may eventually feel like she’s in a rut at your salon and look elsewhere.
How to Keep Her: Always have new ideas and pictures to show her when she comes in. Make sure she knows about any classes you’ve taken or industry events you’ve participated in. She needs to know you are as cutting edge as she is!

Every person is different, so you never know who will be a lifelong client and who will bop over to the next salon at the drop of hat. Give your loyal clients lots of love and don’t lose sleep over the others!