My 6 Steps To Attracting Affluent Clients
If I can speak for lash artists that are serious about their craft, I'll say that we all want to attract quality clients that love what we do, are loyal and that we enjoy spending time with on a regular basis.
Sure, we all know of lash salons and artists that are more interested in volume and getting a lot of people in the door but that's not us. We think about the long game and we know that fast paced, high volume clients is a hard game to play. We want to build a business that's stable and solid. That's why it's important to position ourselves to attract high quality, affluent clients. Clients that have an eye for quality and are willing to pay the price for it.
As a 10+ year veteran, I've managed to attract an AMAZING group of women that I feel blessed to work with. I never set out to work with famous people or have my work seen on television but when the opportunity came knocking, I was ready. H
How did the opportunity come knocking, you ask?
There were a few things I did early on to set myself apart from the pack. Here are the 5 big steps I took to attract more affluent, high quality clients.
STEP ONE: BECOME A LASH MASTER
Affluent clients don't want to look like everyone else. There's a certain level of elegance and sophistication that they want. They want to look classy and not cheap. If you haven't mastered your application, the first step you should take is to work on a lot of different clients with various eye shapes and lashes. While this may sound like a hard task to achieve, it's not hard at all. A simple model call in local facebook groups offering free lashes in exchange for photos will get you a lot of models lined up to practice on. You can use the photos to build up your portfolio as well.
By the way, I share a lot of tips on how to take your lash artistry from basic level to mastery via my newsletter. You can sign up to receive those free tips and styling guides below.
STEP TWO: TAKE HIGH QUALITY PHOTOS
One thing I see is that everyone in the industry copies one another. We can all take to Instagram and find at least 10 artists that have a video brushing lash extensions. It's like one person does something and everyone jumps on board. Instead of playing follow the leader, separate yourself from the pack. Invest in a good camera and lighting so you can take better photos. Go on Youtube and find tips on how to take better photos. There are a ton of YouTubers that are photographers and they share a lot of tips and tricks that can help you for free.
Personally, I invested in a quality DSLR camera but with today's technology for cell phones you can get by with a cell phone camera. Just make sure your lighting, camera settings and angles are good.
The start to attracting higher quality clients is to take and share higher quality photos so you stand out above every other lash artist in your area. Believe me, few artists will take the time to master photography which will give you an edge.
STEP THREE: GET A DEDICATED BUSINESS LINE
You cannot answer business calls from a cell phone like you would for family and friends if you're trying to attract high quality clients. Affluent clients want to know they're calling a legitimate business and not some chop shop in the middle of who knows where. When you have a dedicated business line that's answered within standard business hours, they see you as a professional. I wrote an article all about how to get a dedicated business line with little to no budget here.
STEP FOUR: BUILD A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE
One of the biggest compliments I get from clients is that they love how clean and professional my website looks. I designed it in a way that's easy to navigate so the answers to any questions they may have can be easily found. I always try to put myself in the position of the client and think about the questions they'll have in mind when visiting your site. Are you credible? Are your services and pricing up front and easy to see?
I know designing a website is a hard step. Especially for someone who hasn't designed a website on their own. If it's not something you think you can put together on your own, I suggest paying a professional to set it up for you. Even if you have a tiny budget. I personally love Squarespace because they have a wide range of templates you can choose from to make your website look incredible. There is a slight learning curve but if you're willing to invest the time to learn, you can get the basics down and have a professional website up in a short amount of time. I'm also a Squarespace developer and have designed various websites if you're interested in hiring out for something like this. I'll share the websites I've designed at the end of this article.
STEP FIVE: GET ONLINE BOOKING
A lot of times, affluent clients are busy. Especially celebrities. They have full schedules and they don't want to coordinate your availability with theirs over the phone. Personally, most of the celebs I've worked with book their appointments outside of my normal business hours so I wouldn't be available by phone anyway. It's just easier to have online booking. For them and for you. I personally use Acuity and have been complimented on how easy it is to use. Here's a link to check out Acuity and learn more about it.
STEP SIX: INCREASE WORD OF MOUTH
It's always good to have a friend put in a good word for you. But don't fret if you don't have an inside connection because testimonials and reviews are the new word of mouth. Use Yelp to your advantage. Remember those model calls I told you about earlier? You can use those to build your reviews as well. Models are happy to write you a review for free lashes. If you need help getting started with Yelp, check out this
Did you have an a-ha moment while reading this article? Drop a comment below and share what you learned. I promise I read every one.
(Website references: www.pleasantonlashes.com, www.amberthelashandbrowcrafter.com, www.laurieandjoeslabs.com)