by John P. Ribner

It’s bound to happen at least once – a client becomes unhappy with your services and threatens never to return to your salon. Can you really afford to let them go?

Wouldn’t it be nice if every tanner were just as pleased as punch with your salon’s staff and services? As many tanning pros know, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes mistakes happen, and even salon veterans encounter customers who become upset for one reason or another. Whether it’s a loyal client who had a bad day or someone new who’s not used to your way of doing things, it’s more than worth your while to bring back these customers who become disgruntled. Whether you’ve had a good year, bad year or business is so-so, every dollar counts, and no one in this industry, or any other, can afford to lose customers.

“I’m Sorry”
The first thing a salon pro should do when a client complains about the salon’s services is say, “I’m sorry.” These two simple words can go a long way in smoothing over a bad situation with a disgruntled customer, says Wayne Smeal, CEO of Executive Tans. That’s why his company uses printed cards to apologize to disgruntled customers. Salon managers send the customer a card which reads, “Sorry you were inconvenienced,” in those rare cases when Executive Tans clients are unsatisfied with the salon chain’s services.

They also offer discounts on tanning sessions, memberships, free upgrades or whatever the situation calls for. “The cost of giving away a few free sessions is minimal compared to the money we’ll make by keeping these people as customers,” said Wayne. “Salon owners need to remember that bad news travels fast, and if they let a disgruntled customer go away without trying to get them back, that person will soon tell everyone they know about the bad experience they had at your business.”

“Thank You”
Believe it or not, salon owner Ralph Venuto, Jr. actually thanks his clients whenever they come to him with a problem. That’s because Ralph, President of Hollywood Tanning Systems, Inc., looks at talking with disgruntled customers as a chance to improve his business. “In any business, there will always be problems that develop with a small percentage of your clientele,” Ralph commented. “When clients contact corporate headquarters to report something, it actually provides you with a great opportunity to identify things that might need to be corrected by calling them to your attention.”

After thanking the client for contacting him, Ralph then patiently listens to his client’s complaint, apologizes for any inconvenience it might have caused and offers to compensate them. “In most cases, these clients are very happy that someone from the corporate office was concerned enough to speak to them personally, and they’re especially grateful that we’re willing to make it right.”

Do It NOW!
Should you have a disgruntled customer, it’s best to handle the matter as soon as possible, says Julie Howell, owner of the Club Sun salon chain based in Dothan, AL. “When a customer is upset or feels that they have been wronged, it only adds to their frustration if they have to wait for you to address the problem,” she commented. “In the few instances when we’ve had these situations, I or my staff attempted to resolve them right away.”

For example, Julie recently had a customer e-mail a complaint to Club Sun headquarters regarding a time when a salon staff caused her tanning session to be delayed. “After reading her mail, I contacted her immediately and she was very impressed by that,” Julie recalled. “I told her I would discuss the matter with my staff and get back with her as soon as possible.” Julie did exactly that, and discovered that the mistake, although small, was made by Club Sun employees. Julie responded by offering the woman and her friend a few free upgrade sessions, which the client appreciated. “It was well worth the effort,” she added.
One way to speed up the process of winning back a disgruntled customer is to allow your staff to handle some of these situations. Chris Klapheke, owner of SunTime Tanning in Louisville, KY, has had great success with delegating such authority to his salon managers. “In most cases, these problems can be handled by offering the customer some complimentary tanning sessions or even extending their membership for a week or so,” he said. “Usually, this is enough to make the client happy and want to stay with our salons. If it isn’t, then we’ll handle the matter at the corporate level, where we try to do whatever we can to keep them happy, within reason.”

The reason Klapheke is so willing to appease his disgruntled customers is simple – if he doesn’t keep them, his competition will get them. “With the number of new salons opening up in different market areas, there’s always the chance someone will leave your salon for another,” he added. “Once this happens, it’s very difficult to get them back.”

It’s Worth It
Bruce Wood, owner of No Tanlines in Streamwood, IL, does almost everything he can to bring disgruntled clients back to his salon. Why? “Last year, it cost me between $25 to $150 per person in advertising to find new clients,” Bruce commented. “We spent about $50,000 in advertising and ended up bringing in about 1,000 new clients. While some of those new tanners were people who drove by the salon or were referred, about 500 of them came in because of the advertising. This means we spent about $100 per person for every new client we brought in the door.” Bruce said it cost his salon much less than that to bring a loyal customer back, and the return on his investment was much greater.

For example, a tanner became upset that one of No Tanlines’ 20-minute sunbeds had become a 15-minute unit, due to Bruce’s change in sunlamps. “She threatened to take her business elsewhere, so I offered her a 20 percent discount on her next package and told her that she had 30 days to evaluate the bed,” Bruce recalled. “She tried it and saw that her results were better than before, and she’s still with us to this day.”

Bring ’Em Back!
Sure, it’s easy to get frustrated with a complaining customer. It might even be tempting to tell them, “Don’t let the door hit you on your way out” when they threaten to leave you for the salon down the street. But while this approach might make you feel better in the short run, it won’t do much in the way of making you money, which is why you opened a tanning salon in the first place. So, the next time one of your clients threatens to leave, do what it takes to bring ‘em back. It could be one of the best business moves you’ll ever make.