Building Client Rapport: The Key To Growing Your Beauty Business

As beauty business owners, we can get hyper-focused on client bookings and making our revenue goals. While it’s important to pay attention to the numbers, client connection, and building rapport is necessary for business growth.

We can’t achieve optimal business growth until we’ve built incredible client rapport. We’ve got to find that common ground before we even touch a client.

For most clients, visiting an esthetician is a personal experience. Clients need to feel comfortable before they trust you to perform treatments. We gain this trust by building rapport.

What Does “Building Rapport” Mean For Your Beauty Business?

Building rapport means that you are building a friendly and harmonious relationship that’s often characterized by mutual understanding or empathy. Basically, finding out what you have in common with your clients!

In business, it means that you and your client have a good understanding of each other.  You share common interests or perspectives and communicate beautifully. There’s a feeling of harmony and affinity during your interactions. You feel “love”.

When you have established rapport, your clients will trust your recommendations and you’ll never feel like you’re “selling”. Ever.

Clients are also much more likely to return for more treatments. Returning clients increase your retention rate and lower your client acquisition cost – thereby boosting your profits. Boom.

Returning clients increase your retention rate and lower your client acquisition cost. Click To Tweet

How To Build Rapport With Your Clients

Did you know that only 7% of our communication is verbal and roughly 93% is nonverbal?

How you say something is more important than what you say. We build rapport mostly through body language, as well as mirroring the other person’s communication style and nonverbal behaviors.

It’s best to communicate honestly, be genuinely curious, and look for common interests. Most of all, be yourself.

Here’s how to build rapport during different stages of a client’s lifecycle:

Initial Rapport: The Client Consultation

The first appointment is the most critical interaction you have with a client. This is your opportunity for you and your new client to get to know each other. Make sure to block out enough time to strengthen this first impression.

The best way to build the initial rapport is to ask questions, listen attentively, and find common ground on which to build your relationship.

Ask open-ended questions to gain insights into how a client thinks and feels. Pace the interaction and observe the client’s body language to gauge how much they are willing to share.

Keep in mind that different cultures, background, and personalities could take longer to “warm up”.  Observe and be in the moment. There is no rush.

You can also share some information about yourself, which allows communication to become more personal. This gets people to open up about themselves too.

Ask open-ended questions to gain insights into how a client thinks and feels. Click To Tweet

Once you have established common ground, the rest of the consultation will be a breeze. When you have gained the client’s trust, it’ll become much easier to ask in-depth skin analysis questions and get the information you need to deliver the best treatment.

Strengthening Rapport: Client Relationship

Increase client relationships by continuing to build trust and improve the rapport you have established with each client with each appointment. It’s easy to become complacent with an established client, but we want to always be aware and continue reinforcing our relationships.

For example, take good notes during each appointment to help you follow through with what you say you’re going to do for a client. I remember promising a client that I would order a specialty product but I forgot. Two weeks went by before I realized that this had fallen through the crack.

I called her, apologized, and didn’t make any excuse. In fact, my honesty might have earned me respect and she was understanding about it. I then ordered something else I knew she wanted and surprised her with an “apology” gift.

Also, maintain consistent communications and invest in the efforts to surprise and delight your clients. For example, sending a small, personalized gift on special occasions, such as a client’s birthday, can go a long way in strengthening the rapport.

Conclusion: Trust and Relationship Is Key To Success

You can’t run a successful beauty business without loyal clients who keep coming back for more treatments.

The key to cultivating loyalty is to improve the trust and relationships you have with your clients by constantly building and strengthening rapport.

Running a successful spa business requires outstanding business, marketing, and interpersonal skills. Connect with us in the Esthetician Inner Circle, to help you build, grow, and scale your business.

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