How To Train Your Clients, Ask For Referrals & Raise Your Rates
Its a simple system to remember…T.A.R.
Train, Ask, Raise.
This past week I had the pleasure of speaking to a large number of hairstylists, more so than the previous week, mostly because all of them happened to be part of the hundreds of hair professionals who read the “From The Bottom Of My Heart” blog I wrote.
I know this because they all gave me kudos on it, and by proxy of opening up to them pubicly, they felt comfortable opening up to me in private.
Again, I don’t say this to brag, I would never disclose details, however, the one thing all conversations seem to have in common, was that they all had to do in some way shape or form with not enough refferals or clients or to many clients and a lack of strategy for raising current prices.
We are all basically struggling with different variations of the same problem.
While I cannot offer each one of you (hundreds who are reading this blog right now) specific advice on your specific problem through one blog, I can tell you what general advice I was able to offer to the few hairstylists I was conversing with.
This is how I spend my time in between the public work you see me post, connecting with artists one on one.
I’m playing the long game here.
Enough of them gave me enough positive feedback on my suggestions, that out of all the advice that I offered, I came up with a simple 1-2-3 easy to implement system, to which you can add your own details as it relates to your specific needs.
In other words, you would apply this system on a new client however you could always try to tweak it and try it on existing clients.
Some of you also said you would try it on existing clients to pull refferals out of them…
…Here’s what you do:
Train Your Clients.
From the first paid service you do for that client you must start getting them used to the idea that you will expect them to reffer new clients your way at some point.
If you know your work is good, and they are happy with your services, they should have no problems introducing you to prospects at the very least, people you could have in for a consultation, giving you an opportunity to expand your clientele faster off of your current clientele.
If you do not train your clients early on, and command that business — minded respect, it will be much harder later on to ask them to form this new habit. The earlier you start training them the better.
2. Ask For Referrals.
When you are ready to make the leap, there is one thing left to do…make that leap and actually ASK!
I have seen two for one deals being considered on the Facebook forums, thats not what im talking about. I don’t want you offering your services for half by getting more clients, for having double the clients and still have to make the same money.
I’m saying ask for referrals but also offer them an incentive, a bonus, an extra reason to refer people to you, anything creative which keeps their prices the same for now.
One piece of advice I had for a hairstylist who said she would impliment it was to tell the clients THEIR prices would stay the same however, the new referrals prices would increase and they, as established clients would be grandfathered in to your “old” prices.
Your current clients will feel more special and will feel as if they are in on something, further strengthening your bond with them.
They will respect your hustle because your not trying to hustle THEM and directly, and they will respect you that much more for having a long term business vision and not having to jack up their current prices more than you have to.
3. Raise Your Prices.
Now for the most uncomfortable part in every hairstylists growth (as it was in mine as well) is the actual raising of the prices.
There are two things you can do here, two strategies where you can implement one of them or both depending on the situation.
They both were suggested to a few stylists and received positive response.
Tonight I will give you the first strategy, and in part two next week, I will write about the second strategy.
First Strategy:
Once you train your current clients and ask them for referrals, you keep your promise, and you test higher price points on the new prospects while keeping your current clients happy at their current rates.
The “secret” is to have the current client understand that they should essentially keep your prices for them as current clients to themselves and not reveal them to the referrals.
Again, remember your current clients have to feel as if they are winning in a game where you are asking them to share you with people they know.
They are desinged as humans are, to selfishly keep something good I.E. your art work just for them. Again, you have to train them or re-train them to habitually refer new people to you.
It is your duty as a business person to figure out a way to help them break that habit, something that does not benefit you at all.
There’s got to be a mutual understanding stemming out of your client/service provider relationship where aside from the time and services you are offering them, you are to encourage them to support your vision for your personal business and career goals and they have to know referrals are business-growth “bread and butter”.
Aren’t they?
Melissa.
P.S. I love all your comments and feedback ,private and public, and as always, any questions you ask will most likely be answered in a upcoming blog in the near future.
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