Every salon owner has them…sucky clients!

They make everyone’s life a misery with their poor attitude and lack of respect for your salon. 

They make you feel like you say and do everything wrong but still, they keep coming back. 

The dilemma lies in what to do with them.  Do you live by the old adage, “The customer is always right”, or do you pull up your big girl’s panties and move them along? 

Well, that’s pretty much determined by your tolerance level and their level of misbehaviour.

Let’s take a look at what makes a sucky client and whether or not they’re worth keeping in your salon.

Sucky Client #1 – The Complainer.

You know which clients are the complainers – there’s always one or two in every salon. 

They are the ones that find fault with at least one thing, or sometimes more, at every visit. 

The air conditioning is too cold, they are too hot under the covers, your massage is too heavy or too light, the waxing is more painful than usual, the new price increase is outrageous, they don’t like the new aromatherapy candles you’re burning, the lights are too dim/bright for them, they preferred your hair when it was the other colour, and so on and so on.

This client is truly a pain in the butt but is generally very loyal to your salon. 

You feel like inviting them to try the salon down the road (your main competitor) every time they are in, but generally, they spend reasonably well and are pretty regular. 

So what do you do? 

My advice is to grow a slightly thicker skin, understand the problem lies with the client and not your salon and just suck it up. 

These people just don’t feel happy unless they can find something to complain about, but while they are spending on a regular basis in your salon, just learn to expect the odd complaint, smile sweetly and take their money. 

Deep down, they really love you!

Sucky Client #2 – The Always Late Client.

The one good thing you can say about these clients is that they are consistent – consistently late!

It really doesn’t matter how many times you remind them that they need to arrive on time, they just can’t get their act together. 

But the one thing you should remember is that it’s not just your salon that they run late at.  It’s everyone they make appointments with. 

They drive you to distraction because you know for sure that no matter what time you book them in for, they’re going to be 10 to 15 minutes late for their appointment and that’s really going to throw out your schedule.

So, what do you do?  It’s simple really…you just book them in 15 minutes later than you tell them you have. 

This way when they turn up 15 min later than they think they should have arrived, they’ll actually be on time and everyone will be happy. 

You haven’t been kept waiting, your next client won’t be kept waiting and everything will still run on time. 

If your always late client does happen to turn up on time, then she gets to wait the additional 15 min and she will either have to accept this or move on to the next salon. 

Don’t let these clients ruin your day or put you out, play their time game and come out on top.

Sucky Client #3 – The No Show Client

These clients are my least favourite clients. 

While it’s important to remember that everyone forgets an appointment at one time or another, these clients make a habit of not turning up with no or almost no advance notice and then they ring up and ask to make another appointment like nothing’s happened.

These are the suckiest clients of the lot and can’t be tolerated under any circumstances. 

They cost your business a great deal of money and add stress to your life as well!

The solution first and foremost is to make sure you have a clearly worded cancellation policy for your salon. 

Put it everywhere – website, cards, service menu, promotions and in your reception area. 

Not showing up for an appointment must have a consequence otherwise your clients don’t think you really mind. 

You may wish to ask for payment in full or part for the missed appointment, or even decide to ask for non-refundable advance payments in the future. 

Your no-show client won’t like this one little bit and will, in most cases, not return to your salon.

Is this a problem for you?

Well, it does mean that you have lost a paying client and that’s not a good thing, however, these clients generally cost you more than they make you and are better set free. 

They often cause enormous stress and angst because of their disrespectful behaviour and are simply not worth keeping.

At the end of the day, there will always be sucky clients.  It’s just life and business. 

The one thing you must remember is that they only make up a tiny percentage of your entire database and therefore you mustn’t let their behaviour influence the way you treat the rest of your clients.  This would be a major business mistake.

And if you find that you are experiencing a bigger percentage of sucky clients than most, then perhaps you need to look at yourself. 

Clients will continue to behave badly if you tolerate it and do nothing about it. 

Perhaps it’s time to review how you handle these clients and start showing yourself and your staff the respect you all deserve. 

Until you respect your business, your clients won’t either.

Oh, and on the topic of sucky clients…don’t be one yourself!

Everybody loves to receive a little something extra and your clients are no exception. 

So how could providing your clients with the odd extra service for free, be causing damage to your business? 

Seems impossible doesn’t it, but the fact is you could be setting yourself up for an unhappy client in the future.

And here’s why…

When a client comes to your salon for her facial (or any other treatment), she expects to receive exactly what she had on the last visit and the visit before. 

Because she has returned to your salon, chances are she’s been satisfied with what she’s received in the past. 

Then one day you have a bit of extra time up your sleeve and decide to throw in an additional foot massage just to pamper her and make her feel special.

Well, your client will just love her additional foot massage, but something just went horribly wrong. 

You’ve just created a new expectation within your client and when she comes in for her next facial, she’s not only going to expect what she’s had in the past, but is also going to expect that pampering foot massage that she got at her last visit.

So, what happens when she doesn’t get her extra foot massage because you don’t have a bit of spare time? 

Yup, you guessed it. 

She’s going to be disappointed in her service – the exact same service she’s been happy with in the past.  She didn’t get her foot massage and now she feels cheated.

Now you have a dissatisfied client on your hands instead of a satisfied one.

What went wrong?

You were only trying to be nice and caring, and it all came back to bite you on the backside.  You’ve turned a happy client into an unhappy client because you decided to provide something extra just that one time.

Doesn’t seem right, does it?  But the fact is, you set a precedent and then didn’t follow through. You weren’t consistent in your treatment protocol.

I bet that wasn’t what you intended when you gave her that nice foot massage, was it?

So, what’s the solution?

First, each treatment you provide in your salon must have a strict protocol that every therapist/technician follows.  You must deliver this protocol without exception every time.

Nothing less and nothing more.

If you wish to add a foot massage to your facials, then do so, but it must become part of your standard protocol that is delivered every time – not just when you have some extra time on your hands.

Second, if you feel you must give the client a little extra something for some reason, let her know that it’s a one-off event.  This way she can appreciate her foot massage without letting it become an expectation during future visits.

Third, reward your clients consistently.  If you want to give you client’s something a little extra because they referred a friend, then create a proper referral system that rewards your clients with the same thing every time they refer someone to you. 

If you want to give your clients a little treat because it’s their birthday, create a birthday program that goes out to every client on her birthday. 

The key is consistency and predictability.

Now, you might say, “I don’t want to be predictable”, but predictability will help you get to the top.  Let’s face it, McDonalds doesn’t produce the best hamburger in the world, but wherever in the world you order a Big Mac, you can be 100% sure of what you are going to get. 

That’s because McDonalds has built their business on consistency and predictability and millions of hamburger lovers prove that I’m right.

So next time you feel in a good mood and want to throw in a little extra for your client, think about the possible long-term consequences and instead create a better protocol.