Getting my nails done is a newfound obsession of mine.
It feels like a girly, guilty pleasure, and is something I enjoy doing to spend time with my daughters. This weekend, it was the last place I thought I would find inspiration for running my own business. But, small business owners can teach us all a lot about how to interact with the key driver of our business success, our customers.
Here’s what happened. It was our first time at this particular nail spa, and we walked in not knowing what to expect. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted with, “You must be Andrea!” The way it was said, made me feel as if they were waiting for me to arrive. The tone was like the owner had been told about me by one of their friends and was waiting to meet me. Every single person who entered was greeted with their first name and a smile. As each person ended their appointment, they were told how much they looked forward to seeing them again.
We should all treat our customers with warmth and personal attention.
The nail salon phone rang often, and the woman answering the phone was always friendly and pleasant. Each time the phone rang, the prospective customer wanted to get an appointment for that day. Instead of telling them simply that there were no openings, the response instead was, “I’m sorry, we are full today. Can I take your name and phone number to call you if there is a cancellation?” If the person said yes, the immediate follow-up was, “Would you like me to schedule an appointment for you later in case no one cancels?” This approach almost always succeeded.
I loved how she took having to tell the customer no and prolonged the conversation. Instead of losing the business, she immediately tried to secure contact information, and even better, schedule the customer for an appointment. By doing this, she took the business away from the next nail salon on the customer’s list. She also moved a customer looking for a busy weekend spot, to a mid-week appointment where they likely did not have as many bookings.
How can you turn a no into an opportunity?
I admired her hustle, and I thought of the times that I was not able to help a potential customer. What a great lesson on how to take an obstacle and turn it into an opportunity to secure more business.
