It’s Time to Celebrate Your Clients

By ASCP Staff

Doesn’t it feel wonderful when someone remembers and acknowledges a special day in our lives? We appreciate their thoughtfulness, and it leaves us with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Our clients feel the same way. The special day may be their birthday, graduating from college, a 25th wedding anniversary, or retiring after many years in the workforce. When was the last time you celebrated a client’s special occasion with them? I’m not talking about the time they had an appointment that day, you were there, and you gave them a facial. Maybe you even gave them a special little discount on the service to “celebrate.” That’s not what I mean by celebrating your clients’ special days.

Everyone likes to feel they have value and people are inherently drawn to others who leave them feeling like they’re valued. If you make a big deal of your clients’ big deals, that is the kind of customer service that generates clients for life. It takes minimal effort and produces maximum benefit. As estheticians, we have a unique opportunity to make our clients feel valued and appreciated, and it only takes three simple steps. 

To celebrate a client’s big day, you have to know it’s happening.

Your client database includes all the facts—their client consultation, skin analysis data, what services you’ve performed, when they came in last, the products they’ve purchased—but make sure you have some personal information as well. I think most estheticians track their clients’ birthdays, but tracking wedding anniversaries, graduation dates, a job promotion, and other personal milestones is going to set you apart from other businesses that send out an automated 10-percent-off happy birthday email.

Some of your clients may mention upcoming important events in their lives during their service with you. You should also get in the habit of asking what’s happening in their lives. Make sure to note any bits of information you glean in the client’s file so you don’t forget before their next appointment. When you prepare for each appointment, check their notes so you can prepare for a potential celebration. If you keep records of your clients’ social media handles (which you should), take a quick peek at their life through their social media presence and scan for celebration opportunities.

Prepare for celebrations.

You can make this easy on yourself by designating a cabinet or closet in your space to be “party central.” Keep it stocked with an assortment of cards, such as birthday, anniversary, graduation, engagement, retirement, and new baby. You should also have a stock of decorative, blank cards for unique occasions, such as starting a new job or becoming an aunt. Keep a basket of gift-wrapped presents that your client can pick from to take home. Include small boxes of chocolates, hand lotion, sunscreen, scented candles . . . everyone loves to get presents! Even if your client mentions during the service that she celebrated her 10th anniversary last night with her husband, you’ll be prepared to give her a card and let her choose a gift. Celebrating with clients is easy and fun when you have everything on hand and ready to rock. 

When your client arrives, make sure they are greeted with the same enthusiasm as a six-year-old birthday girl opening the door to her gift-bearing friends. Take their coat. Call them by name. Get them a refreshment. Make sure your client isn’t treated like it’s just another day. This is the time to reflect on life’s gifts, focus on the half-full glasses, and rejoice in the occasion. It IS a celebration, after all!  

As the service comes to an end and your client must return to the real world, make sure they know how much you’ve enjoyed the time together to celebrate their special day. Be sure to take a picture so you can both share the special occasion with the world. We’re all aware that when it comes to special occasions, it’s Instagram or Facebook, or it just didn’t happen!  

Don't leave anyone out.

If you work in a spa setting, the last thing you want are other clients feeling left out. If some estheticians at the spa are going over the top to celebrate their clients, but other estheticians aren’t giving their clients the same attention on their special days, it can cause hard feelings. Make sure there’s an established, communicated policy for all staff for special occasion celebrations. The policy should include who cleans up after the celebration and who keeps the celebration supplies well-stocked. Set the ground rules, such as what occasions constitute celebrating, whether service discounts are offered or you’ll acknowledge the client in another way, exactly what should be done for a celebration, who’s responsible for what—be as detailed as possible. The more you put in black and white, the less room for confusion and disgruntled employees or clients. Celebrating with your clients should be a happy occasion, not a headache.

One of the best parts of being an esthetician is the relationships we build with our clients.  What better way to honor your clients than celebrating special occasions with them? Your clients will leave with a contagious good vibe, and they’ll tell their friends and family, “I love my esthetician; they really care enough about me to celebrate the special days in my life!”