ist magazine November 2021

Lync IT

A Time to Give Thanks By Melissa Damiani As we welcome November, we are presented with the perfect time for reflection – to show gratitude for all of those people in our lives for whom we are thankful. As we continue to navigate and adjust to the new reality we were presented with last year, it is more important than ever to express appreciation to the loyal cus tomers who have continued to support us, even through unprecedented times. You surely thank your customers verbally for their patronage with every visit, but do you show them just how thankful you are for their business? Per haps you have, but are looking for new or creative ways to demonstrate your gratitude, other than giving the usual “swag,” and don’t know where to start?

and increase referral rates is to start by implementing a loyalty program (or enhancing your existing one). A simple yet effective aspect of a loyalty program is to allow your customers to earn points on service and/or product pur chases. And if you are looking to increase

It’s no secret: the most inexpensive and powerful advertising method is word of-mouth. Another way to thank your existing customers is to automatically reward them when they refer new cus tomers to your salon. They will, without doubt, appreciate a store credit or even a discount coupon to be used toward a future purchase. As a result, these rewards may inspire them to make an even more conscious effort to spread the word about your business, allowing you the opportu nity to give a warm welcome to new guests. We are all in this together – and re gardless of the type of gesture you choose to implement, expressing gratitude to your customers is not only uplifting for them , but the positive vibes will surely impact you and your team, as well.

Regardless of the type of gesture you choose to implement, expressing gratitude to your customers is not only uplifting for them, but the positive vibes will surely impact you and your team, as well.

revenue in a certain area, you can configure your program so that earned points can only be redeemed for specific items, such as session upgrades or select retail products. Loyal salon guests tend to spend more over time; you can effortlessly view your top spenders for the year by tapping into your customer database. To show these VIPs your appreciation, you can do things like offer them a free upgrade to your highest equipment level, insert a recurring customer-specific discount on their account, or randomly choose to extend a one-time discount at the point of sale, to name a few possibilities.

If you currently use a salon manage ment system, you already know just how important it is to electronically track your customers and their contact info, as well as to maintain a history of their buying habits. Analyzing this valuable data will help you develop a solid plan for thanking your customers throughout the month of November and beyond. Retaining the existing customers who patronize your business on a regular basis requires less expense than obtaining new ones. A great way to maintain strong relationships with these valued customers, foster repeat business

About the Author: Melissa Damiani is the Sales Manager of SunLync Software, Inc. a member of the JK-North America group of companies. With the company since 2002,

Melissa has served the organization in several capacities, and has extensive knowledge of all aspects required to deliver robust salon manage ment software solutions that are designed to enable measurable growth within its users’ ever-evolving business models. Call Melissa at 866.SUNLYNC x3 or email mdamiani@sunlync.com.

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istmagazine.com

November 2021