HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR TEAM TO REBOOK CLIENTS
ABOUT RICHARD MCCABE
Richard is a salon owner turned coach, dedicated to transforming time-poor business owners into confident, profitable leaders. After building successful salons in the UK and Australia, he began sharing the systems that supported this growth. This evolved into the launch of his brand, Lifestyle Salon Coach. More recently,
Richard created SAAMM (Salon AI Automated
Management Machine), ‘a digital manager for salons’.
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Your salon team may only be mentioning rebooking to clients once: when they are about to leave. Nail techs may feel awkward; they know clients can say no, so rush or soften the recommendation, or avoid it altogether. What they need is a clear client journey.
Start with a strong consultation Clients often don’t rebook because they haven’t been given enough direction. They may not know how long their results should last, or what happens if they leave too much time between appointments.
Your team’s role is to understand what clients want, then explain how to achieve this. They should ask:
• ‘What result would you like from today’s treatment?’
• ‘For how long would you like to maintain that result?’
• ‘How do you normally maintain this at home?’
Once a nail tech understands a client’s goals, they can recommend a treatment plan. This isn’t pushy; it’s professional advice based on the client’s desired results.
Introduce rebooking three times:
1. After the consultation: ‘Based on the result you want, I will need to see you again in approximately three weeks.’
2. During the treatment: ‘You should enjoy this result for around three weeks. After that, you will notice regrowth, so that’s the ideal time for your next appointment.’
3. At the end of the service: ‘Let’s get your next appointment booked to keep you on track.’ recommendation, such as: ‘You are due back the week beginning 18th. Is Tuesday or Thursday better?’.
Practice as a team Use staff meetings to practice rebooking conversations. Ask a team member to play the role of a client, while another carries out a consultation and recommends the next appointment. The ‘client’ should give an objection for the pro to handle.
How to respond to rebooking objections
• ‘I’ll book online.’ – ‘As the week mentioned will be most ideal for your maintenance appointment, let’s reserve a time now. You can always move it online.’
• ‘I don’t have my diary.’ – ‘No problem. Shall we secure the same time in three weeks? We’ll send you confirmation and you can adjust if needed.’
• ‘I’ll call nearer the time.’ – ‘You are welcome to, but your preferred slot may not be available. Let’s protect that appointment today.’
• ‘I can’t afford to come every three weeks.’ – ‘I understand. Let’s look at a plan that works with your budget, while helping you achieve the result you want.’
• ‘I’m going on holiday.’ – ‘Let’s work backwards from your holiday and choose the appointment that will give you the best result while you’re away.’
• ‘My work rota changes.’ – ‘Let’s book the most likely time now. Once you receive your rota, we can adjust if needed.’
• ‘I’m too busy to come that often.’ – ‘Let’s look at a convenient maintenance schedule that supports the results you want.’
Don’t ask closed questions Avoid saying: ‘Would you like to rebook?’ and instead, make a confident
The aim is not to force clients into booking; it is to promote confidence in your team and make the next appointment easy.