How do you get your clients to pre-book with you, so that the majority of your appointments is scheduled for few weeks in advance?

That’s the question many nail techs don’t have the answer to. Quite often they’re just simply afraid of doing so, as pre-booking clients feel to them as being pushy.

Hear me now – you’re not pushy – it’s your business.

 You have to fill in your diary, as that’s where your income and profit comes from. The matter of pre-bookings is not an option, but it’s a must! It’s your job’s security.

So, how do you do that without feeling pushy or uncomfortable?

The most important thing to remember here is that scheduling a client for the next appointment doesn’t mean or make you you pushy. You simply care about them and, fairly enough, your business too. If they’re booked in, they have something to look forward to, especially if they’re crazy busy all day week with their jobs, children, etc. There’s no time for themselves, so the vision of having an hour or two of me-time is very exciting. (Ask mums, they’ll tell you how it is).

To make it “less painful” for yourself prepare the client to be pre-booked. During the service talk to her about the aftercare, advice her how often visit you and why. By educating her you create a sense of care and professionalism. 

Ask her

After the service simply ASK HER “when shell I book you in”. Never ask “if” though, as you may hear “I’ll call you”, or something like that, which is not the scenario you want, so always skip the “if”.

Giveaway/ ruffle 

You may also run a little contest, or give away like a ruffle for all clients who pre-booked this specific month. Include their details on a card and pick a winner of extra service, a care product, simple nail art, etc. It will be even more encouraging for clients to pre-book immediately. 

Book her in advance

If you have your regular clients, then check out what’s their pattern of booking in with you. If they usually book in every 4-5 weeks at a specific day at a specific time, then pre-book her in advance. Tell her that you know she likes to be back every XYZ weeks, on XYZ (day of the week) at XYZ (time of the day), and apparently you had that spot available, so you booked her in, to make sure she’ll get the most convenient appointment before it’s gone. 

Do you think she’ll go like – “are you crazy, I don’t want it”; or she’d rather feel like a VIP? Exactly! 🙂

Sense of urgency 

We also want things that are less available to us. That’s human nature. If people know that even if they don’t pre-book  you’ll always fit them in, even if it’s last minute appointment… that’s not a good scenario.

You need to let them know that if they won’t book in now, they may not be booked in at the time they want. Create an authentic sense of urgency, so they’ll feel the need to book in right after their visit.

“I’ll call you back”

It may happen that you’ll hear that. In this situation ask, if she’d like to get on your VIP waiting list? That will create a sense of curiosity, cause who doesn’t want to be a VIP, right? Take her contact details and the approximate date when she’s due to be back, and give a call around that time to simply remind her. People are busy and have tight schedules, so it’s easy to forget about the next nail appointment.

These are really simple, yet powerful techniques you can use right away to increase pre-bookings.

BUT… here’s the paradox.

You don’t want to use up all your appointments! 

You need to have some options available for new clients who will be coming to see you due to your marketing efforts. The thing with new clients is that if you cannot offer them an appointment in a relatively short period of time, they’ll go somewhere else and you’ll never have a chance to see her, nevertheless to convert her into a regular guest. 

So, never close your books, don’t pre-book people in for too many weeks in advance, and never stop marketing yourself. Have a system and strategy in place to grow and create a dream career for yourself.