Play the Long Game - Tips to Keep your Lash Clients for Years
Simple Rules to Keep your Lash Clients Coming Back Time After Time
A successful lash extension business is built on a solid base of returning customers. It's not just the infills that will keep your income coming in and you should never be solely reliable on this. Word of mouth recommendation is the best way to attract new local clients. At the same time, unhappy clients can damage your reputation and problems with a treatment can have long term consequences.
So, how do you ensure your clients remain loyal? How do you manage customers with unrealistic expectations? These are some of the key factors that define a successful lash business. There are other factors, of course, such as location, pricing, promotion etc but, unless your clients are happy with the service that you provide it's an uphill struggle.
The first rule of keeping a happy client is to do no harm. Reactions to lash glue are quite rare but; if your client does develop an allergy, they are lost to you. Allergies will not get better. In most cases, each reaction will be worse than the last. You can develop an allergy even after years of successful treatment. Avoid skin contact with eyelash glue at all costs. All eyelash glues are irritants and not designed for direct skin contact. Good glues are made to be safe, but that's for accidental contact only.
Always patch test, and do it according to the manufacturers recommendations. If you patch test on skin it can sensitise your client and prevent future treatment. Take care to avoid glue reaching the base of the lash or touching the eyelid, if you work to a minimum 2mm safety distance your client's skin will not come into contact with the glue and you reduce the risk of them becoming sensitised.
The next tip is to manage your client's expectations by taking the time to have a proper client consultation. While you are patch testing you can look carefully at the health and growth pattern of the lashes. Many new clients will ask for the biggest, longest and heaviest lashes they can get. The truth is that their natural lashes may not support the look that they are asking for. You'll need to use your knowledge and powers of persuasion to design a look that is sustainable. If your client's lashes fall out after a couple of days, the best you can hope for is a chance to rectify the situation with a free treatment. Most of the time the client will either demand a refund or disappear to tell others about their bad experience.
Build up a portfolio to show your client what they can expect. For first treatments, go light. Explain that it will take time to get used to wearing extensions and that you can build up the look over time. A great promotional offer is to give the client a light set and her first infill for free. This gets the client into the habit of returning for infills and builds up a rapport that will keep her loyal for years to come.
