Attention Salon Professionals:
If you rely on referrals to get new clients, let me ask you a question…
Are you making it as easy as possible for your current fans to tell the people they know about you? I don’t mean social media “friends”.
I’m talking about putting word-of-mouth on auto-pilot.
If you’re good at what you do, you might believe that people will — or “should” — refer new people to you automatically.
You maybe be feeling…
“I provide a great service, so I deserve referrals. I’ll get referrals because I’ll get what I”m entitled to.”
Sometimes the feeling come from a sense of need…
“I have a need, I am a good person, I provide good service, and I need referrals, so I’ll get what I need.”
Now hold on a minute!
“Should” and “Need” aren’t good motivators — for others. If you’re not getting as many referrals as you want, it’s probably because you have “no system”…
How To Get More Salon Referrals
Here’s how to get referrals. Your must make your referral “machine” intentional. Decide on how to get and respond to referrals, and do the same thing every time. Give it some thought and be prepared in advance. This is an investment of your efforts that will pay off BIG TIME.
Salon Plaza’s simple recipe on how to get more referrals only has 2 steps:
1. Be your own best spokesperson
Do you have a process in place for telling others what you are really good at? Your customer may not know what to say to put you in your best light. Remember, your customer is not your salesperson. It’s not their “job” to refer you.
Besides, you are your best spokesperson for your business – Why leave it up to your well-intending friends, family, and clients to do the talking for you?
2. Put your salon professional referral system on auto-pilot:
What do you know a lot about that your referrals would like to know and can use right away? Come up with a FREE Giveaway that would help someone get a little bit of what they want in advance, such as –
- 10 Tips for Healthy Hair
- 7 Things to look for in a great hairstylist
- The 5 Do’s and 5 Don’t’s of Hair Color
Put these helpful tips on your website. It could even be a “How To” video – a new one each month if you are ambitious.
You are creating an information page that makes it easy and less awkward for your clients to refer you.
Hand out cards that have your website address. If you send out an email, include a link.
Train your clients to share the link with friends and family. You hand them referral cards and tell them how to use them.
Say something like…
“By the way, many of my clients refer me to their friends and family. Here are 3 referral cards – (handwrite THEIR name on the card).
Whenever you are talking with someone who wants a great new look, healthy hair and a 5 star experience, here’s how to refer them to me.”
Then hand them the card and point out the website where their friends can get your FREE Giveaway.
This approach is the OPPOSITE of expectation – “should and need.”
Referrals for salon professionals are important. A referral is a high-quality new customer “predisposed” to do business with you now. These customers start with a greater level of trust and are more likely to stay with you and refer others.
Instead of relying on good things happening automatically, make it easy to happen naturally. Train your customers and make it EASY for them to refer others to you.
How to get more referrals?
Do the opposite of what everyone else does. Make it easy to refer you by communicating who you are and giving away something of value for free.
Quick litmus test to know in advance if this approach will work for you:
Unsuccessful people think to themselves, “This won’t work.”
Successful people ask…“How can I make this work for me?”
Want more mindset tips? Check out:
- 6 Principles to Live By to Grow Your Base
- 7 Hidden Truths of Salon Owner Success
- Salon Owner’s Guide to Success: Know Your WHY
Our Salon Referral Success System: Step 2 coming soon – Click on the image below to be among the first to get it:
