New clients who don't come
Recently, I have had a rash of NEW client who just don't show! Yesterday it was a woman who talked my ear off over the phone about her appointment and 2 hours later didn't come or call. I don't want to charge ahead for appointments because I feel this turns people off quickly...but my time is valuable! Any suggestions?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by J.L. on
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Lay out a clear cancellation policy, explain it over the phone or in an email, take credit card numbers and start charging. There are of course going to be exceptions to the rule, you can adjust where you need to.
It stinks, but if it makes you feel better, it happens to the best of us. :)
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Permalink Reply by Cindy Greenwood on
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A follow-up phone call is in order for any no-show.
I flag anyone who no-shows...if they try and book again I let them know that they have a "no-show" fee that is due.
We can block them from being able to schedule on-line so that they can't "sneak" in.
More than two no-shows gets someone banned from ever being able to book with me.
She could have been one of those people that call and ask a bazillion questions but don't ever book.
I am curious as to what her line of questioning was. Because it is possible that she either didn't get an answer that she was looking for or something you said made her change her mind.
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Permalink Reply by Crickett Enos on
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Cindy I like your style. :)
Robyn, you are right, your time is valuable. And Jaclyn is right, we have all been there. That is why we develop new policies, because one or two bad apples spoils it for everyone.
There are always going to be exceptions, of course. And there are always going to be periods of no shows, it just seems to happen that way. It's frustrating, and an unnecessary evil of the job. I post my policy in my room and it is stated on my client intake form as well. So they cannot say they didn't know. If you feel that it has become such that you need to take a credit card number and inform them of the no-show policy to get them to show or at least be considerate and call to cancel, then that is what you must do, no matter how uncomfortable it is. We teach people how to treat us, and once you let them know that this behavior is unacceptable, they will either start behaving appropriately or you will never see them again.
Good luck
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Permalink Reply by Ann Prendergast on
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Cricket said it! We teach people how to treat us...and while it is true that "no-shows" happen is spurts, you can do something about it. I allow one no-show without saying much, except I do call (usually getting their v.m.) and let them know they missed their scheduled appt and if they want to rebook they may. If the rebook and no-show then, I will not take them on as a client. I have told 2 people that. Rather than feeling uncomfortable, I felt empowered. I wasnt confrontational or angry. I simply said "you no-showed on me twice now and I will not be able to see you as a client". simple as that :)
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Yup, Ann is right. I have had a few client's that I have had "the talk" with. One woman would show up for one appt then miss the next. I allowed (key word) her to do this twice, then the third time, she showed up 45 minutes late for her appt and was expecting me to fit her in. She wasn't even rushing in, saying "I'm so sorry I'm late....." nothing, she just expected me to perform her full service. Well, I told her that 1) since she was 45 minutes late I would not be able to take her 2) that she would have to pay half of her service price ($50) for missing her appt and 3) that this was not the first time she had done this. She was not happy and said, "I'm a business women and I was with client's and couldn't get away". I looked at her and said, "I am a business women and this is my business, by you missing your appt and not at least calling to let me know you would be late interferes with my business". Needless to say, she paid the fee and never booked with me again, which I was not at all sad about. We have a full service shop and she still comes in AND behaves the same way with the other girls. Like Ann, I didn't get angry or raise my voice, just simply stated the facts and let her know that this would not be tolerated if she wanted to continue to see me.Then I had a client that I was doing acne treatments on. She is a young woman with a child, and on several occasions had trouble getting a sitter and would call me to cancel 10 minutes after she was supposed to be there. After the third time, the next time she came in I said, "you know I understand that it can be difficult to get a sitter, but this is how I make a living and if I know that you are not going to be able to make your appt ahead of time, I can fill your slot, but if you call 10 minutes after you are supposed to be here then I can't. In the future, if you don't have a sitter the night before your appt, just call me and we can reschedule. Since then, she has been the perfect client. If she can't get a sitter she calls, if she is running late she'll text me to let me know she is on her way.I give people chances, but they are not allowed to take advantage of my kindness. Also, if people are repeatedly late, I have been known to charge them a late fee and then reschedule them (even if I have time to perform their service). Typically I only have to do this once, then they are never late again.
Again, none of this is done in an angry manner. And we shouldn't feel bad about commanding respect and sticking up for ourselves. Yes we need our client's to remain in business, but we don't have to be stepped on in the process. That's just not any way to be.
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Ohhhhhhhh K. So here is what happened to me today.
Got a call yesterday from a guy wanting to come in for a Brazilian. He said that he had called someone else and that they had told him it would be $150. When he got to their shop, the woman looked at his hair, found that it was a lot, and declined to do the service. After about 20 minutes more of him asking me if I wanted to see his hair first before agreeing to do it, I told him it didn't matter how much hair he had, I would wax it if he wanted to make an appt. I told him it would be $85. He didn't like this number, he wanted me to charge more because of the amount of hair that he believed he had. I told him if he really wanted me to look at it first he could come in, and I would look and then perform the service. So, he made an appt for today at 1pm. He said if he changed his mind he would call me. He called at 10 this morning (I assumed to cancel), but noooo, he again wanted to make sure that I knew that he had a ton of hair so that I could charge accordingly. So I said again, it really doesn't matter how much hair you have I will wax it. If it makes you feel better, bring $150 it won't be more than that, but if it's less than that you get to go home with some money. He agreed. Well, 1pm rolled around, then 1:15, then 1:30 and what do you know, he didn't show nor did he call to say that he changed his mind. I didn't call to see if he was coming because honestly I got a weird vibe from him. You just never know. Some people are crazy. Like you Robin, he spent a ton of time talking to me on the phone then..... At least it gave me a little extra time to read the latest people magazine :)
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LOL Crickett! That ALWAYS happens when you are talking about it!
FWIW - I have found that almost ALL male clients that have called for waxing services are full of BS.
I finally even took the back and chest wax off my menu because I am tired of the male nonsense (seriously...8 yr olds make prank phone calls!)
He didn't want a wax - he wanted to flash his package.
With caller ID you can still flag his name and number.
These guys make the rounds once with their calls then come back around and go thru their list again.
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Totally :) Most of my male client's are very rational about this sort of stuff. I usually only do male Brazilians by referral from someone I know. I have had some weird calls. So now when I get calls from men wanting this service I'm very matter of fact and almost stern about it. I want them to know that this is not one of those "happy ending" type services, nor will I put up with their childish games. Again, it's such a shame that a few pervs ruin it for the rest. Ahhhh just another day in the life of the Brazilian waxer :)
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Permalink Reply by Laura Cooksey on
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Like it or not, no shows are just a part of this business. An enforceable cancellation policy is just good business, nothing else. You don't need the clients that can't respect your time.
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