Here is a basic rundown of what I do on work days. It’s not anything out of the ordinary, just a day in the life. I am trying to give you some examples of things to think about when you open your business to the public.
As I enter the suite of offices, I put the proper lighting on—dim to create a relaxing environment vs. super bright light. I open my office door, put down my appointment book, take out my iPad and phone and tuck my keys away. I immediately start to get my place ready for the client. I like to be 100% prepared in case she is early. Quite often I have had a client who walked in 20 minutes before her allotted appointment time. Some may be only a few minutes early (or late), but always being prepared is a good habit to get into.
As I enter the suite of offices, I put the proper lighting on—dim to create a relaxing environment vs. super bright light. I open my office door, put down my appointment book, take out my iPad and phone and tuck my keys away. I immediately start to get my place ready for the client. I like to be 100% prepared in case she is early. Quite often I have had a client who walked in 20 minutes before her allotted appointment time. Some may be only a few minutes early (or late), but always being prepared is a good habit to get into.
Next, I get the hot water started in my facial room and pour concentrated toner and my super sponge bowl elixir into their prospective bowls while the water heats up. I turn the electric blanket on to heat the bed so it will be nice and warmed up for my client’s arrival.
Then I go into the bathroom and make sure everything needed is in good supply. See Preparing for your client when you don’t work alone (link below) for information about this crucial and perhaps overlooked step.
Now I pull the charts for the day and read my first client’s last facial information. This is another very important step to get you prepared to greet your client. If she is a new client today, I’ll write what I know—name, phone number, and usually how she found me under the referral part of my client chart. See Client Information Charts—Part I and Part II for detailed information about this essential piece of paper.
During our initial phone call I made sure to get the correct spelling of her name, so I’ll write that down as well as her phone number. If she was referred by someone I will know that too (from the phone call) and I’ll write that information on her chart. If applicable, I’ll get out a referral appreciation postcard, pull the referring client’s chart, address the postcard and write on her chart the date that I sent the thank you discount (today) as well as the new client who she referred in. As you can read in Referral Appreciation Discount Takeaway & Postcard, I usually send the postcard when I leave the office that day.
Once my water is fully heated and everything in my room is in order, I’ll usually go out to the suite lobby and wait for my client to arrive. I always have my phone with me in case she calls or texts me about being late, or perhaps she is new and can’t find my office building. I’ll work on my iPad until I see her come through the front door. Now we are ready to get started.
These steps may all seem obvious (and many of them probably don’t or won’t correlate to how you start your day) but I include them here in case there are any tidbits of information that can help you as you start and manage your business and clientele.
When I was in Dallas and Chicago, I had my own, private office space. My routine was still very similar to what you just read. Making sure I am 100% ready for my client—in the facial room, the bathroom, and even the lobby area—is very important to me. A bad first impression is hard to change.
For more information, see:
During our initial phone call I made sure to get the correct spelling of her name, so I’ll write that down as well as her phone number. If she was referred by someone I will know that too (from the phone call) and I’ll write that information on her chart. If applicable, I’ll get out a referral appreciation postcard, pull the referring client’s chart, address the postcard and write on her chart the date that I sent the thank you discount (today) as well as the new client who she referred in. As you can read in Referral Appreciation Discount Takeaway & Postcard, I usually send the postcard when I leave the office that day.
Once my water is fully heated and everything in my room is in order, I’ll usually go out to the suite lobby and wait for my client to arrive. I always have my phone with me in case she calls or texts me about being late, or perhaps she is new and can’t find my office building. I’ll work on my iPad until I see her come through the front door. Now we are ready to get started.
These steps may all seem obvious (and many of them probably don’t or won’t correlate to how you start your day) but I include them here in case there are any tidbits of information that can help you as you start and manage your business and clientele.
When I was in Dallas and Chicago, I had my own, private office space. My routine was still very similar to what you just read. Making sure I am 100% ready for my client—in the facial room, the bathroom, and even the lobby area—is very important to me. A bad first impression is hard to change.
For more information, see:
- Preparing for your client when you don’t work alone
- Client Information Charts—Part I
- Client Information Charts—Part II
- Referral Appreciation Discount Takeaway & Postcard
