Building and Retaining a Clientele

I belong to a number of nail-related forums. I participate in a lot of networking events. I mentor nail techs. I read and hear all of the time how some nail techs are struggling with building a clientele or keeping clientele.

A lot of techs blame the salon or the salon owner. They feel that not much is being done in terms of advertising to get people in the door. What a lot of techs don't realize is that YOU have to market yourself. The salon can get clients in the door, but it is up to YOU and your service to keep them coming back for more. Most techs don't consider retention when building a clientele.

So if you are struggling, ask yourself, do people come back? If not why? Do you give a crappy one, two, three massage with a manicure? Do you talk to your clients during the service or do you just try to bang them out in the fastest time possible? Do you talk on your cell phone through the entire service? Is your end result something that you are proud of? Is your station clean?

All of these issues will affect if a client will return for a service with you. No one wants a half-assed job. No one wants to have someone so engrossed in getting you in and out, that they will not have a conversation with you. No one wants to listen to your personal conversations on a cell phone through their entire service that they are paying for.

A lot of people want to blame the economy for their lack of clientele right now. That is just a cop out,in my opinion. Every study has shown that our industry has stayed steady and is actually growing. The salon industry has thrived each and every time there has been a recession. People feel better when they take care of themselves.

So, if you are struggling to build or maintain a clientele, I think it's time to ask yourself some questions and quit making excuses.