Skip to main content

Why aren't your customers coming back? How to build customer loyalty.



You have worked on your marketing and promotions and you have new customers coming in daily. But it's a never ending exercise and it can get exhausting. It's very expensive and a constant battle having to come up with innovative ways to bring in more new customers. While you focus so much on bringing in new customers in the hope to bring in more profits, have you ever wondered what would happen if all your new customers re-booked and came back? Do you have a 100% re-booking rate? If you do, congratulations! You will soon be unable to accept new customers unless you expand. 

If however you find your customers retention rate is poor, have you ever wondered why your customers don't come back? I'm not saying that getting new customers is not important, businesses need to grow, but the only way the business will grow is to retain customers and build loyalty. Beauty businesses who have a strong loyal client base are far more resilient that businesses that rely on walk-by traffic.  

Do you have customers on your database you haven't seen for some time? Did you know that if you could get back just 5% of your lost customers, you can potentially increase your profits by 25% - 125%? We all know that it is far easier to sell to an existing customer than to a new one. Studies show that repeat customers spend 33% more that new customers. This is because they already have a relationship with you, they know you and they trust you. 

So why is it that some of your customers are not coming back? Studies show 96% of customers who have not come back, leave because of poor or average customer service. Your customers are real people with real feelings. If they come to see you and leave feeling just like any other customer, or worse, can you blame them for not coming back? If you received average service, would you go back? 

With so much competition in the beauty industry, customers are selective and choose to go back when they feel like they are important to you. Of those that don't come back, 68% leave because they felt you or the people in your business didn't care enough. This is really mind blowing, the reality is that it's not the product or the beauty services your business delivers, but HOW you deliver it. It's all about the delivery, the attitude of your staff, their ability to connect with your customers to make them feel truly special. It's about creating an amazing experience that will make your customers want more. 

Truly exceptional service is a skill and a mindset. The mindset you and your staff have to be in is that of complete focus and attention on the client when they are with you, how to make them feel more comfortable, how to create an amazing and unique experience and how to find and deliver a solution to their problem. The skills that are required include superior interpersonal and communication skills, knowing how to really listen and ask great questions. Being in the service industry, demonstrating good etiquette, manners, grace and style are very important in delivering exceptional service. Do you feel your business can deliver this better than your competitors? If they are not completely satisfied, 9% of your customers will leave because they tried the competition and liked them better. 

Businesses that focus on the customer experience generate 60% higher profits than their competitors. 

Some of your customers will leave because they were not followed up. Do you follow up a few days after they had a treatment or purchased products to ensure they were completely satisfied? Do you book a follow up consultation to ensure they are happy with the results and are using the products correctly? If you truly care, and you want to show to your customers that results are important to you, follow up is a must. This is one of the best ways to engage your clients, demonstrate your expertise and build long-term loyalty. 
If you feel awkward contacting your clients, why? Does this mean you need more training in communication skills and build your confidence? If you say you don't have the time to follow up, why is that? Aren't these customers important enough to you? If you feel that if you follow up, the customer may not be completely satisfied so you don't want to open a can of worms? This tells me you don't have the confidence in your products and services, why is that? More importantly what can you do to fix it? 

Do you regularly contact your customers you haven't seen for a while? It's good practice to go thought your client base regularly to touch base with your clients and invite them back in for a treatment. Do you feel awkward contacting your client because you don't want to seem pushy? Why is that? If you don't contact your clients, they will fall off the radar because they felt you didn't care if they come back or not. Try and see it from their perspective. Do you feel like you are being pressured when you doctor sends you a reminder for a pep smear? Do you feel pressured when you dentist sends you a reminded for a dental check up or an optometrist ringing to remind you it's time to get your eyes checked? Why do you feel awkward to contact your clients to remind them it's time for their wax, a facial or a skin check? Don't you feel these services are important enough that deserve the same respect? 

We are in the business of making people feel great about themselves, about discovering their beautiful self. We have the potential to change peoples lives by helping them build confidence in themselves through looking and feeling better. The ripple effect of spreading this love and care for people can be a life changing experience. Successful beauty businesses are built on loyal, returning clients and word of mouth referrals. If you focus on how you can change your customers lives for the better, you will have their loyalty and they will spread the word.

Want More Tips Like This?

Subscribe to my newsletter and get free business industry updates, practical guides, business strategy ideas, marketing and social media tips! 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From Anti-Ageing to Age Management: A Smarter Strategy for Beauty Clinics

For years, anti-ageing sat at the centre of beauty marketing. It was familiar. It was easy. It promised something clients thought they wanted. But lately, that word has started to feel out of sync with how clients actually speak, and how people actually think about their skin. I recently read an industry article questioning the relevance of anti-ageing language, and it stopped me in my tracks. Not because it was radical, but because it mirrored conversations I’ve been having with therapists, clinic owners, and clients for a long time. The industry has moved forward and as a clinic owner, this matters more than you might realise. Anti-Ageing No Longer Reflects What You Truly Do The term anti-ageing suggests that ageing is something to fight, fix, or erase. Yet most clients are not asking to look twenty again. They want confidence when they look in the mirror. They want to age well, and feel good about themselves. This is where the disconnect happens. When language feels unrealistic, cli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Plan Your Strongest Start to 2026: A Simple Strategy for Salon Owners

Do you ever feel like January arrives before you’ve had the chance to breathe? You open the salon doors in the new year and suddenly you’re already behind. Your database feels quiet, your social pages look a little tired, and your marketing plan still lives in your head instead of on paper. It’s not that you lack ideas. You just haven’t had the time to map them out. Does that sound familiar? Many salon owners start each year hoping things will simply “fall into place.” But what if next year didn’t have to rely on hope at all? What if you walked into 2026 feeling prepared, calm, and clear about what needs to happen? THE REAL REASON PLANNING MATTERS I read something recently that made me think. It said most businesses don’t struggle because of poor effort. They struggle because they’re always reacting. Does that sound familiar?  How often do we step into a new year knowing we’ll be juggling bookings, clients, staff questions, and last-minute marketing, all at the same time? What ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beauty Therapist vs Dermal Therapist: Why the Industry and Consumers Are Still Confused

  Ask any skincare professional or client, and they’ll tell you: the terminology in the beauty industry is confusing. Titles like "Beautician," "Beauty Therapist," and "Dermal Therapist" are often used interchangeably. But they aren’t the same, and that creates uncertainty for both consumers and professionals. This confusion isn’t new. It’s the result of decades of changes to qualifications, training structures, and industry language. And unless we address it, it will continue to affect the credibility of our profession and the confidence of our clients. So what do these titles actually mean? And more importantly, what should they mean? The History of Beauty Therapy Training in Australia Before the 1990s, Australia had no national framework for beauty therapy qualifications. Despite this, many private colleges offered exceptional training programs, Certificate IV and Diploma in Beauty Therapy, that produced highly skilled professionals. These course...
Post a Comment
Read more