We know the first few weeks are going to be packed with people but remember to use this busy period to fill up the weeks and months following. Do not let the momentum stop. Invest a little bit of time now to make sure the columns are filled up for May, June, July. How can we do this? Let’s look at a few ways…
Rebook
Encourage clients to rebook before they leave their appointment so you can plan your columns. Mention that you are so busy at the moment you wouldn’t want them to miss getting another appointment when they need it. Try to ask in a way that encourages them to do this “Let’s get you booked in for your next appointment, does this day and time work well for you? We are getting booked up and we don’t want you to miss out”.
Scarcity
When clients think a commodity is scarce they don’t want to miss out on it. “Let me check the diary, we are getting booked up quite quickly so I really think we should get you booked back in now”.
Priority Booking
Offer priority booking for your regular clients. “We’ve got lots of new clients but I want to make sure you’re booked in first, shall we schedule your next appointment in?”. Make people feel important whilst making sure they know how in demand your services are too. If you’re too readily available clients will think it’s okay to leave it to the last minute and in fact letting them ring to book in this way they are likely to have appointments less regularly then if you book them in before they leave.
Managing your diary
Managing your columns by filling them up well in advance gives you the opportunity to see where you might have a quiet period where you could run an offer to fill up or you can see which days are quieter to try and fill with clients you know are more flexible with the days they can come. Keeping track in your diary in this way will help you to manage your business more effectively.
