How do I fill a new stylist's book faster at my salon?
By the Margin Media team · Updated
You fill a new salon stylist's book faster by sending every new client who has no preference to that chair, and by making sure those enquiries are answered. New clients arrive by phone, text and search without a stylist in mind. If the call is missed, the opening that could have filled the new book is gone.
Why does a new stylist's book fill slowly?
A new stylist's book fills slowly because regulars already have their person, and new clients are the only ones up for grabs. The salon gets a limited number of those each week, and some are lost before anyone speaks to them.
Senior stylists also answer the phone between clients, and it is natural to book a caller with whoever is standing there. Without a rule, new clients drift to the people who are already busy.
What are the steps to fill the book?
Agree these as a salon, so everyone books new clients the same way. The aim is simple: no new client is lost, and the ones with no preference go to the chair with the room.
- Set a salon rule that any new client without a stylist preference is offered the new stylist first.
- Add the new stylist to your website and Google profile with photos of their own recent work.
- Post their work on the salon's Instagram, naming them and the services they are taking bookings for.
- Answer every new enquiry the same day, including the ones that arrive while the salon is busy or closed.
- Follow up by text with anyone who asked about a service and didn't book, offering the new stylist's open times.
- Ask each of the new stylist's clients to rebook before leaving, and for a review that mentions them by name.
Should a new stylist offer an introductory price?
It can help, with a limit. An introductory price gives a cautious client a reason to try someone unknown. Put an end date on it and say so plainly. Photos of real work and a review that names the stylist do the same job without touching the price.
How does Margin help fill a new stylist's book?
Margin sets Mia up to answer the calls the team can't get to and to book new clients into the times you choose. On the audit, Margin looks at how the salon books today, chair by chair, and tells you plainly what Mia would book and what would stay with your stylists.
People who asked and didn't book are followed up by text until they book or say no. Bookings land on the portal calendar and the team is told. Texting begins once carriers approve the salon's number. Ads for the new stylist's services are an option, in an account the salon owns.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Mia, the AI receptionist, on every call
- Booking onto your calendar
- Follow-up until they book or say no
- Review requests after each visit
- Ads on Facebook and Instagram, in an account you own
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
How Margin works for salonsSee the portal with a sample business
Related questions
How long does it take a new stylist to build a clientele?
It varies with the salon, the area and the stylist, so no honest answer fits every case. What a salon controls is how many new clients reach that stylist's chair each week, and how many of them rebook before they leave.
Should new salon clients choose their own stylist?
Let them choose if they have a preference. Plenty of new salon clients don't, and ask who is available. That is the moment to offer the stylist with open times.
Do walk-ins help a new barber build a book?
Yes. In a barbershop, walk-ins are the natural way a new barber meets clients. Seat walk-ins with the new barber first, and have the barber offer the next appointment before the client leaves the chair.