Bargain hunters - how to deal with this salon nightmare

Bargain hunters - how to deal with this salon nightmare

You take pride in your salon, the certifications you have earned, the unique services and superb products offered at the salon, and not to mention your experienced and friendly staff. In other words - you run a professional business. Loyal clients are aware of this, but there are those who overlook these details. 

Clients of this type are not obvious at first, however, as soon as they ask about any new offers or start negotiating prices, then you know you are dealing with bargain hunters. They tend to be either first-time clients or ones that rarely visit your business. Instead of giving in to their requests or turning them away, here is what you should do to deal with them in a professional manner. 

Educate your clients

It is in our nature to look for inexpensive top-quality products or services. Rarely do we take into consideration their cost for the business. Next time a bargain-hunting client comes to your business and has a complaint regarding your pricing, let them know why your prices are what they are. The salon is built on superior service quality and an overall high standard.

If you or your staff are certified in their field, then it is also worth mentioning, as this enforces the professional look of your business. Additionally, it would not hurt to flaunt awards the salon or staff have received - most beauty businesses have them placed for the clients to see, so they know exactly what kind of quality they can expect.

Create strategic discounts

Even though you prefer to stay away from offering too many discounts, you know that they are effective in bringing new clients in. However, offering too many bargains can create disadvantages for your salon - reducing its standards and creating more bargain-driven clients. In other words, it may make your business look desperate.

Instead, satisfy your bargain-driven clients AND boost sales by making calculated discounts using real numbers. With your Booksy hair salon system, regularly check the salon statistics and follow any drops in individual product or service sales. If this drop is long term, consider offering the product or service at a discount price.

Additionally, check your products and their expiration dates. If the product is to expire within a weeks time, it would be wise to discount it as well - clients will rush to grab your product and you won't have to toss it into the bin.

When you decide on the discount, send a bulk message from your Booksy account and inform all of your clients on this offer and watch your bargain-seeking clients rush to your salon!

Work with your bargain-hunters!

Most salon owners and specialists try to get away from these clients as fast as possible - but rarely consider working with them. Since they are driven by offers on your excellent services and great products, why not make use of this?

Encourage bargain-hunting clients to become your brand ambassadors! Launch a referral system in which your customers will get a free service/product or an amount voucher for every successful referral. This way, you'll not only turn them into your loyal regulars but will also see your client list grow!

Before turning away bargain hunters, take a more professional approach and reap the benefits from a seemingly unbeneficial situation!