Welcome to Day 5 of Monaco Nail Academy’s Client Magnet!

You’ll find Day 4 here.

Today is all about keeping your clients engaged all year round – because a thriving salon isn’t just busy during peak season. We’ll dive into strategies for staying top of mind and maintaining a steady flow of clients during quieter periods, as always, without resorting to discounts.

I’ll also tell you about the 8-Week Salon Success Accelerator – a super exciting course designed to take everything you’ve learned this week and turn it up to 11!

Just because your 5 videos are signed, sealed and delivered doesn’t mean the collaboration has to stop. Head over to the Magnet Group Chat to share your thoughts, ideas, and plans for client retention. Let’s discuss how to keep the momentum going, even during the off-season.

PLUS I’ve summed the WHOLE Magnet up for you, ya lucky duck! Check it out here – The Client Magnet PDF Summary

Enrol in the 8-Week Salon Success Accelerator!

I also worked through The Client Magnet with Tammy from @Nail.Envy.NZ prior to a live lesson.

I’ve included the completely unedited recording below (with Tammy’s permission!) in case it helps any of you!

More Resources –

I’ve summed the WHOLE Magnet up for you! Check it out here – The Client Magnet PDF Summary

We’ve got almost 100 ideas for One Ups here – One Ups Template

You’ll find a template for your 12-month Marketing Plan here – 12 Month Marketing Plan Template

The Podcast Episode ‘How to Transform Your Entire Business With a Glass of Water’ is referenced in today’s video.
Find it on YouTube here and on Spotify here.

The PDF ‘Recession-Proof Your Salon’ is referenced in today’s video.
Find it here.

Already have Salon Success? This lesson is all about the origins of The One Up.

PS Find ALL of our Podcast, YouTube and Blog content here!

Enrol in the 8-Week Salon Success Accelerator!

Task for Today

One Up Tasks –

1. Brainstorm 26 One Ups – a year’s supply. I’ve even made it extra easy and given you a downloadable PDF of ideas.
2. Add them to your schedule and save the free ones for the quieter months to relieve pressure
3. Set a fortnightly reminder on your phone
4. Bump the scheduled One Ups if something cooler happens, like a new product launch
5. Add One Up promotion to your marketing plan
6. MAKE IT HAPPEN

Overall Tasks –

1. First, work out your average annual income and your overflow buffer. I’m happy to help with this in the Group Chat but don’t feel pressured to share your personal information. If you’re new to self employment, instead of this, set a reminder on your phone to check your monthly income on the first of each month, reconfigure your average and work out an overflow amount for the coming month, an amount where if you make more than that figure, the rest will be saved for a quieter month.
2. Second, complete the 12-month Marketing Calendar template I’ve provided. Forecast the busy and the quiet months. Decide on a focus for each month, be it one of the ideas above, something themed around a holiday or event, or just something fun. Then add in your One Ups, considering which work best for each focus.

And of course, enrol in the 8-Week Salon Success Accelerator!

Audio Transcript

Hey guys, and welcome to the last day of The Client Magnet! Stick around until the end because I have a super exciting opportunity for you!

In announcing this program, the first few people to join raised a very good point – once you HAVE a client, how do you keep em?! 

Erin said “I work Part-time contracted out to another salon and Part-time mentoring. My 3 days in salon used to be mostly full however this winter has dropped clients so much and I would love to learn some new relevant stuff to improve things again 🙂 and find the motivation to implement them. Time to get magnetic!!”

Trudi added “I feel you on the clients dropping off this winter. It’s been hard 😣”

To which Erin came back and said “Yeah its across the board. The lash girls in the salon I’m at have had the same thing too. Bloody recession”

A few days later, Michal added her goal – “Being able to find and keep long term clients, not just the client that wants an occasional mani”

And so, by the magic of procrastination, today’s lesson was rejiggled a little bit to address exactly this – how to navigate slow periods and keep your clients coming back, even when things get tough.

First off, let’s acknowledge that every business experiences fluctuations. In the beauty industry, winter is always quieter – the power bills have increased, the social events and motivation to leave the house has decreased, and here in New Zealand, winter is in the middle of the calendar year, so there’s no Christmas rush for nice nails to see us through. There’s also frequently a dip after New years when everyone reassess how much they spent over the silly season. And of course we’re all well aware that the economy can be a right tart at the best of times.

Keeping your existing clients happy and coming back is just as important if not MORE important than attracting new ones. You will always face periods when business slows down, and it’s almost never due to something you’ve done. But it is ALWAYS easier to keep a client than to find a new one. 

So, how do we survive the parts that are out of our control? The first step is to plan ahead.

You KNOW winter and New Years are coming. They’ve been the same your whole life. So work out your average income per month (even if you have to start by monitoring it month-to-month in your first year) and put enough money aside in the busy months, that you can top up the quieter ones. If your average monthly income is $5000, put anything OVER $5000 into a separate account. When you hit a month that goes UNDER $5000, take a top up from your overflow. This way, at the very least, you know you’re living within your means, and your marketing and other budgets can continue as normal no matter what.

In addition, it’s really important to market all year round. Create a 12-month marketing plan where you mark out peak times and slower periods, and plan your marketing efforts accordingly.

When things are busy, it’s easy to let marketing slide. You’re run off your feet and you don’t need more clients, right? But this is actually the best time to ramp up your efforts. Why? 

Honestly, several reasons – 

• First, because it’s pretty rare for someone to book the first time they come across your salon. Statistically, it takes 7 interactions with your brand before someone commits. Now WE’RE trying to beat the system by having high value interactions, but the general rule of 7 could encompass social media posts, ads, events, word of mouth and so on. If we keep marketing during the peak seasons, those newbies will be on interaction #7 as we go into the quiet season. What we DON’T want, is to hit the slump, decide to START marketing, and get the newbies hitting interaction #7 and being ready to book just as we get busy again anyway. Prime your avatar and her friends during the busy times so they are ready to fill the gaps when it gets quiet.
• Second, busy salons attract more clients. People want to book with someone who’s in demand. If you walk into a restaurant at 7.30pm and no one is inside, and the restaurant next door is fully booked, which are you going to assume has the better food? You’ll eat at the quiet one because you have no choice, and you’ll probably say to your friend ‘Ooh we should call ahead and book next door for Mel’s birthday coming up’. If you can advertise that you were fully booked today, guess what’s going to happen? A sense of urgency will spread amongst your followers and anyone who was thinking about booking but putting it off, will scramble for a spot they think they’re about to miss out on.
• Number three – ok, so you’re already busy and you continue marketing. What’s the worst that can happen?! A waiting list. This is going to make people think twice about cancelling and losing their spot, allow you to fill the spots that DO get cancelled, and makes you sound super boujie and exclusive.
• Lastly, tying in to 2 and 3 – all of these efforts make your CURRENT clients desperate to keep their spots. They will see how in demand you are and won’t dare risk losing the exclusivity of being part of a club no one else can join – your client list.

Ok so speaking of current clients, how do we keep them impressed and loyal? 

One Ups. Again, Monaco Grads may be familiar with this concept but it’s REALLY important. A One Up is a strategy designed to keep your clients loyal and invested by consistently exceeding their expectations through small, manageable improvements. The concept is simple: move your business one step up at a time. This approach not only helps you grow your business but also keeps your clients engaged and excited about each visit – what’s going to be new and improved this time?!

The way One Ups work, is that once a fortnight, you make one small improvement to your salon or services. We say fortnight, because it’s just under the average return rate for nail clients, so EVERY time they come back, something has changed. If you’re in a different zone of the beauty industry though, you might be able to tweak that.

These changes don’t need to be drastic – I’ll link to one of our podcast episodes entitled ‘How to transform your entire business with a glass of water’ because it is full of awesome One Up ideas. But they can be big – new services, new desks or chairs, new locations even – or they can be small – a new colour polish, a new plant, a new piece of art – and they can also be free – offering chilled water from your fridge, offering kid friendly hours one morning a week, or rearranging your furniture. 

Be strategic with the changes you make too – if you get a new collection of 6 colours, put two out each month, alternating with none-colour One Ups to spread the excitement. 

The goal is to keep your clients feeling valued and pleasantly surprised, ensuring they see the effort you put into making their experience better each time. By consistently implementing these small changes, you create a sense of anticipation and loyalty, keeping clients excited to return and see what’s new.

Now if you were already aware of the concept of a one up and you’re listening to this on double speed and nodding along but not actually DOING it, don’t tell me in 6 months time that the Client Magnet didn’t work.

Here’s what you’re going to do – 

• Brainstorm 26 One Ups – a year’s supply. I’ve even made it extra easy and given you a downloadable PDF of ideas.
• Add them to your schedule and save the free ones for the quieter months to relieve pressure
• Set a fortnightly reminder on your phone
• Bump the scheduled One Ups if something cooler happens, like a new product launch
• Add One Up promotion to your marketing plan
• MAKE IT HAPPEN

Alrighty so, we have an overflow budget, a year-round marketing plan and 12 months of One Ups – we are prepared and our clients are suitable impressed.

What we haven’t yet addressed are our CLIENT’S finances which of course also ebb and flow..

Ideally we want to offer options that can help clients manage their budgets while still getting the services they love and not having to quit altogether. 

There are a few ideas of our downloadable PDF ‘Recession-Proof Your Salon’ but here are some more – 

• Offer bulk buys, for example, pay for 6 Manicures and 2 Pedicures and get a half price service in July (or whichever is your quietest month). Create a stamp card that shows all 6 Manis, both Pedis AND the 50% voucher or whatever you want to call it. Add an expiry of 6 months so that the client is coming regularly, and promote the crap out of this before Christmas, Mothers Day and Valentines Day. 
• Offer Afterpay or other third-party finance options to help with paying for your bulk buy options. With most of these services, you get paid in full, upfront, and the third party company takes responsibility for chasing the payments of the client. You get paid, they get a bonus, and they still get to spread their payments out.
• Encourage clients to re-space their appointments in Winter. Nails and hair grow slower in colder months, and we’re not in the sun and sea as much, so this should be possible. Yes, bigger spaces between appointments mean less overall income for you, but it also means long term strategy for the client’s budget and their ability to stick around.
• Offer an Express version of your most popular service as a ‘Winter Special’. For example, maybe you don’t shorten the nails more than 2mm, don’t reshape, you do an express version of your cuticle work, and there’s no massage but a self-serve lotion and oil station. You charge less but also book out less time so you’re not losing on your hourly rate. The client saves money but they’re opting for a ‘deal’ so they don’t feel embarrassed by their budget. And the deal is only for 3 months, so when winter ends and the sun comes out, the price goes right back to where it was before.
• Offer a SHARED bulk buy in quiet months – Pay for 10 Manicures and get a bonus, and the Manicures can be shared by up to 3 people. This eases the financial pressure on the client, still gets you a cash injection, and guarantees three recurring clients. The concession card expires after a certain time and the deal ends on a specific date. 

The other big client drop-off is after New Years when everyone tally’s up how much they spent over the silly season. This is where promoting gift vouchers for Christmas is perfect – hubby buys a voucher, the voucher tides the client over through January, and come February the budget is back on track. Just make sure you save all voucher revenue in a separate account and pay it to yourself in January or as each voucher is redeemed. 

It’s all about a sustainable business. Slumps are always going to happen, but you KNOW when. So then you’re using strategy and planning to prepare and protect yourself while also caring for and KEEPING your clients. It’s SO much harder to get a new client or get someone back than it is to just keep someone going even if it means cheaper or more spaced out appointments to get there.

Today’s task has a few steps, but it’s Friday so you’ve got the weekend to do it.

1. First, work out your average annual income and your overflow buffer. I’m happy to help with this in the Group Chat but don’t feel pressured to share your personal information. If you’re new to self employment, instead of this, set a reminder on your phone to check your monthly income on the first of each month, reconfigure your average and work out an overflow amount for the coming month, an amount where if you make more than that figure, the rest will be saved for a quieter month.
2. Second, complete the 12-month Marketing Calendar template I’ve provided. Oh my gosh, SO many goodies today. Forecast the busy and the quiet months. Decide on a focus for each month, be it one of the ideas above, something themed around a holiday or event, or just something fun. Then add in your One Ups, considering which work best for each focus.

Remember – save the free ones for the quieter months to relieve pressure, set a fortnightly reminder on your phone and bump the scheduled One Ups if something cooler happens. 

The goal is to create a business model that not only survives but thrives through all seasons. By staying proactive, engaging with your clients, and maintaining consistent marketing efforts, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.

Jump into the group chat right now and tell us the first One Up you’re going to implement. Then, share your marketing plans as you work through them. We WANT to help you thrive, and collaborating is the best way to do this.

Before we wrap up, I want to share something SUPER exciting with you – the 8 Week Salon Success Accelerator!

We have offered our Salon Success business and marketing course for years now, but it’s all pretty self guided and to be honest, there’s so MUCH content that we do understand it can be overwhelming.

So let’s take Salon Success and accelerate it, with 8 weeks of guided coaching that gives you clear direction, heaps of support and immediate results. It’s tailored to work for you and your business whether you’re brand new, 20 years in, and a nail tech, hairdresser, beauty therapist, or any corner of client-based services. 

Here’s what you’re going to get – 

• The Complete Salon Success Course: Of course, obviously, we’re still going to give you Salon Success. Instant access to our extensive course, packed with over 40 hours of content, including 295 video lessons, worksheets, templates, and more. It covers every aspect of running a successful salon, from business planning to advanced marketing strategies. And if you’re a past Salon Success student, we have taken that into account in the pricing section so don’t worry about that.
• Access to our Salon Success Group Chat: Share ideas, tap into the brains of our Mentors, and get real time feedback as you work through the course.
• AND THEN – 8 Weeks of Guided Coaching through 7 different topics, following a plan that gets you big results in only a few months.

Every week you’ll get – 

• A PDF guide to that week’s topic with guidance, tasks, goals and links to supporting lessons, resources and podcast episodes.
• 3-4 Additional Hours of Exclusive Video Content – Gain extra insights with recorded live class content from our first launch, to complement that weeks topic.
• One-on-One Coaching – Receive personalised guidance with  s, ensuring you stay on track and get tailored advice for your unique business needs.

The Accelerator program starts on the 1st of every month, allowing you to begin your journey toward salon success at your convenience.

So what do we cover?

• Week 1 is all about Business Plans. We’ll take what we already know from The Client Magnet and develop a strategic plan for your salon’s growth.
• In Week 2 we’re working through pricing. We’ll be reviewing your expenses and aligning your pricing with your goals to make sure you’re getting paid a real wage.
• In Week 3 we will be taking the goals from week 1 and the pricing from week 2 and reverse engineering our marketing. What the heck does that mean? It means I’ll be giving you a fail safe plan for actually achieving your goals and showing you the exact path to get there.
• In Week 4 we will be reviewing your existing social media feeds so we know what we need to work on and where we’re starting from. We’ve got the goals, pricing, and the path to success, but there’s no point pushing forward if we don’t stop and tweak what we already have in place.
• In Week 5 we are working on photography. Unless you’re a bazillionaire who can afford an on-call professional, then taking great photos of your own work is a super important part of your marketing. If those photos suck, your avatar is going to keep scrolling, so let’s get a bank of awesome looking images ready to go.
• In Week 6 we’re creating an editorial calendar. This is drilling down into your marketing plan from today, taking your goal and your reverse engineered path to success, with your pretty photos and your improved social media and planning a strategy to go with it so we’re no longer posting blindly and crossing our fingers. We’re on a mission!
• Week 7 is going to be SO fun. We’ve got avatars, ideal client timetables, relationships with the places your ideal client spends his or her time, offers that draw them in… we’ve got one ups and a marketing plan, an overall strategy, great prices, awesome photos and engaging social media feeds, now we’re going big and creating a campaign. You’re INSIDE a campaign RIGHT NOW. I have goals, I created a strategy, planned my marketing and I’m up to ‘Create the Client Magnet’. I knew who my avatar was, found where you would be, and showed you what I do. Mate, do you feel magnetic? Cause if you ever doubted what I’m teaching you, I need you to know that You, right now, watching this, are in a magnet, following a campaign. 
• So in Week 7, we’re creating campaigns for you and YOUR business. 
• Finally in Week 8, we will continue working on your campaigns as well as tidying up any loose ends from previous weeks.

So, how much?

• If you are NEW to Monaco, the Salon Success Accelerator is $899 NZD OR a deposit of $249 followed by 8 weekly payments of $89. All in NZD. 
• If you have already enrolled in Salon Success previously, the Salon Success Accelerator is  $399 or a deposit of $149 followed by 8 weekly payments of $39/week.

Plus, you can choose to add on 2 hours of one on one coaching every month for $1999 or 12 payments of $199.

This course is designed to provide you with actionable strategies, real-time support, and a clear roadmap to success, ensuring that you can make significant strides in your salon.

Enrolments close 9pm the Friday after you receive this email, so one week from today when I’m sending this. 9pm. STRICTLY.

This is your chance to refine your marketing strategy with experienced guidance and make your salon stand out. 

Jump into our exclusive Client Magnet group chat on Facebook Messenger. It belongs to you! Load it up with questions, thoughts and musings and you’ll get personalised responses. We’re all here to support each other!

So, what are you waiting for? Click here to enrol. In a years time, you won’t believe how far you’ve come. Let’s make your goals a reality, I’ll see you inside Accelerator!