Being successful in the beauty industry isn’t just about mastering lashes or nails — you also need to be sure that you are setting proper boundaries with your customers. It can be very easy to either let them cross these boundaries or not even bothering to set them up at all, but creating and communicating clear salon etiquette for clients will help you keep your business professional and sustainable. 

How should you get started? Keep reading for our top ways that beauty professionals can create strong boundaries that keep both you and your clients satisfied. 

How To Set Boundaries With Clients 101

It should be super easy to find your beauty salon rules for clients. Consider sending an email to clients when they book with you for the first time that includes all of your important policies. This way, your clients has them in writing and there should be no confusion later on. Don’t let your customers push your boundaries!

It’s important to emphasize that these policies not only benefit you, but also the client! Having these sent to your clients automatically and early on in the booking process should also reduce any questions they have later, making your job even easier.

Appropriately Handle No-Shows And Late Cancellations

Unfortunately, it is pretty common to have clients that are always late or just don’t show up to an appointment at all. How do you handle this?

First, be sure that you are sending out appointment reminders to your clients. These are usually sent out about 48 hours in advance and give your clients a way to confirm or cancel. 

If a client shows up late after receiving a reminder, you are well within your rights to refuse them service. You can let them know that you are unable to provide them with quality service in the time they have left. OR an option if you want to provide the service is to simply say, "because you are 15 minutes late, I will only be able to provide you with a 45 minute appointment." You do not have to make your next appointment start late, just cut this one short.

If this keeps happening with the same client, don’t be afraid to let them go. Your time is valuable and should be used on customers that respect it as much as you do. Same goes for people that just don’t show up at all!

Keep To Your Business Hours

We know beauty professionals are super busy, especially if you work for yourself. You are your own accountant, marketing team, receptionist, and boss! You’re busy enough as it is, so resist the temptation to respond to clients outside of normal business hours.

Once you have a set schedule, make sure your clients know that if they try to contact you outside of those hours, you won’t respond until the next business day. This isn’t to be rude — if you are using your energy on work outside of business hours, you simply won’t be able to perform at your best when you’re actually working!

If you start responding to texts or calls at home or during personal hours, clients will take advantage and keep contacting you. It’s usually best to just leave work at work.

Stick To Your Boundaries With Clients

This is the hard part — sticking to it! It’s especially important for new clients, as you need to start the relationship off in a friendly, but still professional, way. 

If your clients don’t respect your business, it’ll just end up costing you money in the long run. So, lead by example and try not to bend boundaries or policies for anyone. Of course, having rapport with your clients is important and you should be friendly with them, but becoming too close can lead to a slippery slope if they begin to take advantage of your friendliness. 

Lash Extension Business Tips From PLA

So to sum things up: create clear rules and policies that are easily accessible by your clients, make sure they respect you and your time by keeping to business hours and policies, and keep up a professional relationship with your customers by sticking to those boundaries. 

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