New client incentives - what do you think?

['chelle]

I recently started renting a room in a hair salon. There is also a beauty therapist based in the same building.

Anyway, we have decided to do a joint advert in a local magazine. Its a really nice full colour, glossy, half page number, and we are focusing on the "get all your treatments under one roof" aspect. Mine is the newest business of the three so I'm looking for additional ways to fill my appointment book. I've offered a couple of things so far, free nail enamel at the first appointment etc, but I need something fresh to offer.

I'm not a fan of offering discounts, I want to advertise quality rather than price. I'm not expensive, I just dont want to gain a load of clients who want cheap nails, then lose most of them when I want the going rate for my work. I dont mind offering money off, provided its dressed up as something other than discount (if that makes sense!).

I have two ideas, and would like to know what you think.

1) A free voucher worth £5 off a manicure or set of enhancements for every new client in April and May (the advert is published mid April)

2) Buy one get one free when you have a treatment at the hair salon or beauty salon (for new clients in April and May, free treatments must have been had before the end of May)

With that second one I'm thinking that the client pays full price, the friend gets hers for free. Obviously most people will just pay half each so they get it half price, but I think its makes a difference how you put it to people if you know what I mean.

Anyway, what do you think? Any ideas or comments gratefully received:green:

 

[Sassy Hassy]

With that second one I'm thinking that the client pays full price, the friend gets hers for free. Obviously most people will just pay half each so they get it half price, but I think its makes a difference how you put it to people if you know what I mean.

Anyway, what do you think? Any ideas or comments gratefully received:green:

I know the hair salon I used to rent space in did this when they first opened ... they never looked back! Sometimes it's just a case of getting your work out there so that the recommendation clients start coming too. I'm doing spray tans for 10 euros which is MEGA cheap, but they take me ten minutes so not a big deal (client in and out in 20!). But I have done more spray tans in the last 2 weeks than in the last 8 months! We are getting the salon promoted and clients are recommending us to others and having other full price treatments. I am sure when the offer finishes that the spray tans will die down, but it is getting our name out there which is what we need.

Oh and each new client we give 3 business cards to and ask them to spread the word (10% off for the new client's first visit and 10% off the existing client's next visit for each referral)

TBH this is all working out a lot cheaper than advertising- there are so many publications in our area and we have found that self promotion is getting us more new clients than anything. 4 new clients in the last week from a business card drop to all the local shops ... and a lot of the shop owners weren't aware we even existed and they are just around the corner.

 

[skymark]

Like the buy one get a friend free idea, as people who would otherwise go alone will bring along a friend to get it cheaper, therefore two possible repeat clients instead of one.

:hug:

 

['chelle]

Yeah, thats pretty much what I was thinking with the buy one get one free deal. Ok, its effectively 50% off, but you have the benefit of two people to tell their friends about you rather than one!

Sass, Thanks for that, I'd never thought about it that way by offsetting money off deals against advertising costs, I think this is going to be the way to go for me.