10 ways to keep your
clients coming back

1. MAKE EVERY VISIT MEMORABLE

Let's get creative for a moment and imagine a situation: there are two lash artists. They are both super professional and experienced and their work never disappoints. Artist A works quickly and efficiently, your lashes are flawless and hold for a long time. Artist B does the same, but in addition to that she has an amazing personality: she is always friendly and open with you and remembers all the little things and conversations from your last appointment. There is pleasant background music playing during your sessions, you're comfortable and relaxed. She is never late, doesn't cancel on you last minute and offers nice free additional services such as aromatherapy or even a scalp massage at the beginning of your sessions. Which artist are you most likely to come back to, A or B? Beauty industry is an extremely competitive environment and you absolutely need to find your own unique ways to distinguish yourself from other artists on the market. And what's better than astonishing your clients with amazing approach?

2. SHOW CLIENTS HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE THEM

Lash extensions are getting more and more popular every year, hence there are more and more lash artists you have to compete with. Your clients have a great deal of choice at their disposal, but they chose you. It's important to show them how much you appreciate it. Connect with every client on a personal level! Ask questions about their day and life in general, get to know them as people better. You don't have to befriend each and every one of them, of course, but you do need to make them understand they mean way more than just money to you. You can also give them small presents for their birthdays and different holidays, or maybe discounts or even free services! Such close attention will warm anybody's heart and create a sense of comfort and loyalty in your clients.

3. NEVER FORGET ABOUT YOUR CLIENTS

A good way to secure a client is to try and rebook them on the spot. To do that you can offer them a new date right away, adjusting to their schedule and trying to find a time suitable for them. If they're not willing to set a new date on the spot, don't push too hard, but don't forget about them either! Contact them later, ask about how their lashes are holding up and offer to rebook until your schedule is all filled up.

4. LAUNCH A LOYALTY PROGRAM

There are many different types of loyalty programs: punch cards, coupons, more complicated point systems, etc. You can choose whatever suits your liking and your business model. Offer points for different activities such as referring a new client or making a new appointment on the spot or spending a certain amount of money. Introduce bigger rewards such as good discounts or even free services that require gaining more points. Whatever you do, the main purpose of this program should be making your clients feel rewarded and appreciated and make them want to come back to get even more prizes in addition to their awesome extensions. Don't forget to monitor your program and always follow through with it — never back off of the promotions you offered. If your client earned a reward, they should get it!

5. RECONNECT

You have a regular client who comes back every month to get a new set of extensions, but suddenly they vanish into thin air and stop booking new appointments? Well, you can't just leave it at that. Call them, ask how they're doing. Maybe something happened that prevented them from coming back, maybe they are struggling with something or moved to another town, or maybe they just need a gentle nudge and a kind reminder of why they used to enjoy your work so much! If they previously told you they wanted to take a break from extensions, that's not a reason to forget about them either. Vice-versa, it's a reason to contact them and offer a discount for their next session, so they can decide that break time is over!

6. AFTERCARE

Finishing a set doesn't mean your work is over yet. You, of course, know lash extensions need maintenance, but that might not be that obvious to your clients, especially new ones. A great way to ensure trust of those newcomers and make them into regulars is telling them everything they need to know about aftercare. It's even better to print out and give them info sheets with tips & tricks and dos & don'ts. Inquire how their lashes are holding up, guide them through any issues they may have. They will surely appreciate your help and attention.

7. CLIENT RECORDS ARE YOUR FRIEND

When you have many clients it's almost impossible to remember all their preferences and which materials you used for their lashes by heart. So, a good way to do so is to keep record of those facts. Write down curls, lengths and their specific preferences, what they liked and what they didn't. It's a good idea to also make notes about conversations you had with them. Just imagine how amazed they will be when you ask about how that dream job interview they mentioned last time went!

8. BE FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL

It seems obvious, but, unfortunately, not to everyone. Of course, if you have lots of appointments in one day and clients follow one after another, it can wear you down pretty quickly and it's easy to forget that you're not allowed to show clients how tired you are or snap at them. Always be pleasant to talk to, don't complain or gossip, don't let your interior slip. Your space always needs to be clean and sanitary, while you always need to follow all the necessary safety procedures and use gloves and clean tools.

9. BE EASY TO DO BUSINESS WITH

Making or rescheduling an appointment should always be easy for your clients. No matter if people book your appointments online or via phone calls or texts, it needs to be simple and convenient for them. Try to always leave a spot open. If you're constantly booked up they will eventually grow tired of never being able to get an appointment and switch to another lash tech who can accomodate them better. Try to avoid cancelling or moving appointments, especially last minute. Of course, sometimes that will happen — such is life — but making a habit of it is definitely a bad idea that your image will suffer from. Also, try to be understanding when clients are the ones making changes. They're people as well, things come up in their lives too.

10. STRIVE TO BE THE BEST

We mostly talked about etiquette, but the biggest part of being a great lash artist is still doing fabulous eyelash extensions. Your works have to be perfect. Don't look for shortcuts in order to save time and squeeze another client in. If you have a feeling you need more time for your performance to be flawless, don't hesitate to allow yourself have that time. Trust us, it will pay off since your clients will be extremely happy with results and will come back for more. Besides that, it's important to keep on improving to stay on top. Take training classes, follow trends and learn new techniques. Beauty industry is constantly shifting and evolving, and to stay relevant you have to make active efforts.

If you alway strive to be the best, you will be. And your clients will be clients for life!