MENU
SEARCHEufora's Joanne Magana calculates the cost of appointment stretching and arms owners, stylists and front desk personnel with scripts to aid in the prebooking process. A great lesson for your next staff meeting.
It’s common knowledge that prebooking keeps the salon schedule full months in advance and helps stylists and owners project income.
Yet owners often still struggle with consistency. Stylists are reluctant to bring up prebooking, and the front desk staff occasionally forgets to enforce the conversation.
At a recent Eufora Salon Owner Network meeting, owners were shown exactly how powerful retention is and why prebooking is vital to the bottom line:
The average technician works 50 weeks a year. If you service 100 guests at an average of $50 per service ticket, you get $5,000. If your clients come in:
Every five weeks, that’s 10 visits per year x $5,000 = $50,000
Every six weeks, that’s eight visits per year x $5,000 = $40,000
Every seven weeks, that’s seven visits per year x $5,000 = $35,000
Every eight weeks, that’s six visits per year x $5,000 = $30,000 (a $20,000 loss of income compared to visiting every five weeks)
Retail is also affected by how often the client visits. If a guest purchases one unit of retail at $25 each visit, that’s another $10,000 loss of income when the clients return every eight weeks instead of five weeks.
Breaking down these numbers and regularly sharing them with stylists gives a vivid picture of the importance of prebooking.
These statistics are why Joanne Magana, Eufora Salon Owner Network lead, advises stylists and owners to “build the customer, not the sale.”
She says, “We need to focus on LOYAL guests with systems in place. People have a choice where to spend their money, and we need to spend more time on building relationships and having a feed forward system.”
Magana suggests providing stylists with a script so the conversation is always about the guest:
“Our goal today was to create your personal style, so we should see each other in X weeks to ensure your hair stays looking its best. I want to make sure that you get taken care of and we reserve your special time just for you. I know that you prefer Saturdays so I will reserve your desired time at 11 a.m. unless you would like a different time.”
The initial conversation isn’t always the problem, though. Stylists back down when a client replies with, “I don’t know my schedule right now; I will have to call.”
Magana says the response should be:
“I know how busy you are and I want to make sure that you get taken care of and your hair stays beautiful, so I will go ahead and reserve a time for you. That way we have something down and if you find a conflict in your schedule, call and we will make another reservation for you.”
Magana also recommends addressing prebooking in the consultation.
“Look at each client as a journey and get them excited about something to come for in the next visit,” she says. “Plant the seed during the consultation and use very specific dialogue.”
She also has recommendations for the front desk to continue the prebooking conversation.
“They should first compliment the client,” Magana says. “And they should never say the stylist gets really busy as a reason to prebook. The dialogue should be, ‘I know how busy YOUR schedule is, let’s pick a time that works for you.’ Make it all about the guest.”
Owners should use 70 percent as a good rule of thumb for prebooking, Magana says.
“I would post those numbers for everyone to see,” she says. “Talk about them in team huddles and meetings, and don’t assume people are comfortable. Role play in a trusted, safe environment.”
Incentives and goal setting for both stylists and the front desk can also help boost prebooking numbers.
“Stylists have control of their income right there in their book,” Magana says. “If they’re busy, it creates a demand and they can raise their prices.”
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest
Owner Michaella Blissett-Williams credits her General Manager Gloria Hortua with [salon] 718's year-over-year, double-digit growth and says she's been able to scale the company to eight locations because she can rely on Hortua to manage daily operations.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Despite a slight and predictable decline in client traffic for Q1, resilient pricing power is driving year-over-year revenue growth in salons. The KIM Report's Alain Audet reviews the data and what it's telling us about the state of professional beauty.
Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Hair restoration is entering a new era driven by regenerative science. This paper explores how Exosome technology is transforming treatment outcomes by targeting hair loss at a cellular level. Discover why EXOGROW is leading this shift.
Sponsored by Dermapenworld
A salon brand is much more than a logo. In this thought-provoking blog, Leon Alexander, Ph.D., walks you through the difference. SALON TODAY suggests sharing this article with your team and leading a discussion at your next huddle, asking the team to define your business's brand.
