You may be in a flight or fright mode that you will take anyone who walks through the door and pays for a service, but I invite you to take a moment to create your own destiny; if you had a paintbrush and you could paint your future, who would be in it... Also, be realistic. Having back-to-back billionaires all day that tip you $500 for a service may be great, but let's talk about an attainable goal that makes sense for your skills, your location, and what phase you are in gaining clients.

You can't run before you can walk. I once had a six-month waiting list, but before that, I would come in at 8 a.m. and stay until 9 p.m. lashing and waxing people for anyone who called, messaged, or walked through the door for under the typical rate for my area. I needed that experience to help me get to the next level, where you can be a little pickier about your hours, the clients you take, and the prices you charge.

That starts with defining your ideal client. What hours are they available to get services done? What days? What is their budget? Are they in a hurry, or do they have time to spare? Are they consistent, or are they a one-time visit? Do they prefer having a discount, or do they like to pay full price with add-ons (they are out there!)?

How do you get this info?

We want to embrace that dream lash client profile and attract them. This may mean they are a completely different target than your current client. That’s okay, and you can think about your schedule as an ‘X’—you are going to have some cross-over. You may even lose some clients as you learn the skill of attracting the ones you want.

Pro Tip: Coal must endure a lot of pressure before it becomes a diamond. This may not be an easy journey, but that does not mean it’s not worth doing.

It's so simple. If you want something better, you must prepare and make room to receive it. I’m the first one to say - I have been there!!! I worked all days and hours to switch from a schedule that drained me to one that invigorated me. This does not happen overnight; I need you to understand that it takes time. This may take you weeks, months, or years.

I love to say, ‘The time will pass anyway.’ What I mean by that is, if you don’t start making the changes now to set yourself up for a better future, time will pass anyway. If it will take you 18 months to attract the clients you want and the schedule you wish for. So be it.... If you don’t start now, in 18 months, you could still be working the hours/days you don’t love, servicing the clients you don’t enjoy, with the pay you don’t love.

Both outcomes are hard. Choose your hard.

Have you ever seen a business with a sign that says, '10-minute oil change, freshly baked bread, ice cold beers, haircuts $25,’ and you're left thinking, huh!?

Reading that someone specializes in a certain skill will usually ensure confidence in the customer. If you specialize in a specific lash style or technique, proudly display that. If you offer multiple eyelash services, choose the one that you either love doing the most, or brings you more clients through the door.

When a customer comes looking to get a certain service done, it is much easier to impress them with that service and then open the door to the other services you offer than trying to list everything you do and overwhelming the client before they even book the appointment. If you want your current clients to try your new brow services, you may want to put together a special for certain holidays or packages.

Free brow shading when you purchase a package of 3 lash fills. You could try: June is our one year anniversary. I am giving 15% off all other services aside from (main service).

Be cautious not to run too many specials so they do not become confusing for the client. One at a time. I also recommend not running the same special too often. The goal is to have the customer book in for a new service, not to receive that service at a discount time and
time again.

You want to honor your prices by asking for the menu price. However, you can use specials as a tool when necessary to encourage clients to try new services, add onsite, or to encourage business during a slow month.

Branding plays a crucial part in building customer trust. If things look different when they are in person than how your website looks, and your socials don’t match, it can cause confusion and hinder the customer from booking.

Branding is so much more than colors and fonts. It’s what makes you unique. You are your brand. Your story, how you got to where you are, what made you want to start doing what you're doing, what you love about what you do. These are all important elements of your
brand. Some cities and areas are very saturated, and the more you can get your brand out there and tell your story, the more you can earn your future clients' trust. Let your
personality shine through. The more you can brand yourself and your business, the better you will attract clients.

If you love bright neons and off- the-wall decor in a think-out-loud style, you can create a brand around that. If you love neutrals and natural elements, that can be a part of your brand. Your brand should be a piece of you and also tell a bit of the story of the services and style you offer. You want to stand out and match your brand authentically. Your brand will attract people to your business. There is room for everyone's brand to shine. Think of a shopping mall—a collection of stores selling clothing next to each other. The brand is what sets them apart.

If we liked the same thing - we would all shop at the same store. Yet each brand sells clothing next to each other in a slightly different way; their branding is the difference. The energy, the feel, the color pallet, the fits, and the styles make them different. As a shopper, you walk by and think to yourself, ' I love this! I want to go in and see what they have. That's the feeling you want to create for your future customers.

Your social media accounts should represent your business and the services you offer. Don't be afraid to put yourself on your page so the client knows who to book the service with. Use your social media platform to build your brand, showcase the services you offer, show before-and-after results, and post client testimonials and reviews. Also, explain how they can book with you.

Be sure the customer can easily access your website, knows how to book with you, your location is listed, the services you offer, and the name of your business.

I highly recommend separate accounts for personal and business. They can intertwine, but they both serve their own purpose and target audience. Most people are less likely to follow and book with you if they feel the page isn't a business page. Your personal page's audience may not be your target audience.

You don't want to invest so much time into posting and having it go to your high school friends and family members; you want your content to reach the person who is looking to learn more about your business and the services you offer and book an appointment.

Getting reviews on your Google listing of your business may help others find you when they are looking for a 'service' near you. Having reviews on Yelp can be beneficial if someone is an avid Yelp user and trusts that platform over others. You can receive reviews on your Facebook business page, even on the Next Door app, reviews can go very far to attracting clients to your business.

You can take a review on any of these platforms and share a screenshot to your IG story thanking the client for leaving a nice review, or you can make a Carousel post on Instagram with up to 10 reviews. Add them to your newsletters and email blasts.

You can print a sign in your bathroom or waiting area that says, 'Thank you for supporting my small business. My goal is to give you the best service. If I am doing that, please let others know by leaving a review (scan this QR code).

I believe in having several ways for a customer to leave a review for your business. It's important to build them across all platforms and all in a single location. For example, if you can take reviews on your website, that is a great way for future customers to see them
and want to book in to have a similar experience, but that takes the customer being on your website to see that.

Local Events:

Going back to your social profiles and customer avatar. Where are your potential customers? Where do they hang out?

Are they busy moms wanting to simplify their morning routine with lashes? Those moms will probably attend school functions, fundraisers, events, and team sporting games.

Maybe your target clients like to have great skin and go make-up free because they are swimmers, love doing yoga, and don't want to mess with makeup.

Getting to know your local community may be a great place for you to network, meet new people, and possibly attract new clients for your services.

The Chamber of Commerce regularly holds events for business owners. These are great ways to meet other local business owners.

Hold an Open House at Your Location:

• Invite your current customers to bring some friends.
• Team up with other local businesses that could offer a card as a giveaway in exchange for recognition at your event.
• Ask the local yoga studio if they would be interested in donating classes as a prize at your event in exchange for a shoutout to the local customers who will be attending.

Attend Tradeshows and Conferences:

It's great to know people in the industry. Sometimes, you may be unable to fit your clients in for a service they need to get done on a tight timeline. You can refer your clients to show them that you care about their well-being and that the service provider will usually return the favor. You can also team up to refer clients to each other.

Collaborations:

Partner with Influencers to reach a wider audience.

You have to take this one with a grain of salt. It absolutely is not for everyone. Influencers CAN be great, and they can send you business. In my experience, they are usually just wanting a free service that rarely does much for your bottom line.

You may find it more valuable to offer a free service to someone who is in front of your target audience, such as working at a local school or a yoga instructor from your local studio.

At least you know that the interactions they have are mostly with local people who are closer to your target audience rather than the wide-open web with a post that may not even be shown to any local person in your area.

Local Businesses:

Partner with complementary local businesses for cross- promotions.

This can work extremely well for people in the beauty industry. If you do nails, and your client is a hairstylist, they are able to refer their clients to you. This could work with local dentists, real estate agents, or other industry people.

Be cautious of giving away too many free services or trades with people, as sometimes you can sign up to do free services and not get much in return. If you have a way to measure the success, it works best. 'For every customer you refer to me, I will give you half price off your next appointment.' This sets a boundary for the person, who is always expected to pay the full price unless they refer people in. I find that this method works better than giving away free services. If it's important for that person to have reduced-priced services, they will go out and tell everyone about you.

If you have a window that people walk by, set up a QR code to scan. They are inexpensive to make, and securing one appointment will pay for itself.

I recommend a QR code linking to a Link Tree. This allows you to give the customer an entire menu from a single scan of the code, such as purchasing gift cards, scheduling appointments, following you on Instagram, and signing up for your newsletter.

Examples: CosmoGlo Linktree

Attracting clients to your business requires a combination of strategic marketing, excellent service, and community engagement. Understand your audience, build a strong brand, and leverage social media to establish a thriving business.