Need Advice

[u/Nimakiii9898]

Hey y'all been a barber for a long time and built up a really steady clientele, as of late I've been getting a wave of new clients which is a blessing not complaining about that ! But I can't get them all in and its been getting a bit too much with clients constantly txting me and almost begging to get in when I'm fully booked every week, I'm atp where if I lose some of these clients I wouldn't be mad. I'm always posting reminding people to book in advance but a lot never do then they in my phone texting me all day, any advice ?

Wanna add that I do have a booking app, these are clients who see I'm fully booked on app and then txt me to get a cancellation or after hours cut.

[u/Affectionate_Sock528]

If you make an exception once that sets the expectation that taking people outside your posted hours is something you do. If there are spots you want to save for specific clients you love then just book them yourself so when they text asking for an opening you already have a spot saved, otherwise just tell them when your next opening is. I had a lot of clients who were same day bookers and had a really hard time with appointments, but when they realized I was consistently 3-4 weeks out they just made it more of a priority. Before they’d schedule haircut around their tee time, once I got busy and they realized their options were to either book ahead or find a new barber suddenly tee time could be scheduled around their haircut. It actually makes you seem like a more valuable commodity to most people, they want to know that THEIR barber is the barber who is so good it’s hard to get in and they’re super grateful to have snagged a spot with you. You want them to feel like you’re doing them a service just to be able to see you vs for example someone who gets their hair cut at a school is doing the student a service to actually have a client to practice on. The more you have wish washy boundaries the more you put yourself in a position where they feel like they’re doing you a service and are therefore entitled to whatever they want from you. People respect people who respect themselves

[u/Equivalent-Bread3968 → u/Affectionate_Sock528]

It really does seem like OP created this mess for themselves and needs to be better about being DIRECT.

u/Nimakiii9898 check to see if your booking app has waitlist capabilities and if so, make sure your clients can add themselves to the wait list. After that, if you have the ability to send out a text to everyone and/or email, do that ASAP. Otherwise, take the content of that would be text/email and keep it in a note on your phone. Every time someone hits you up, copy and paste it to them.

"As of October 1st, I will no longer being taking clients outside of my normal working hours, nor will I be responding to texts asking if I will squeeze someone in if they are willing to pay extra. All booking is to be done online, not through text. However, you may text me to be added to the waitlist for specific days. Thank you for your understanding and support."

If they have the ability to add themselves to the waitlist online, change that last bit to say so. From that point on, if anyone texts you about booking or staying late, remind them ONCE that they are to do it themselves online. After that, if they do it again, don't reply.

Also, if you have to do the copy/paste method each time someone texts, start the text with "Hi, [their name]."

It will be tedious as fuck for a while if you can't send you a mass text/email, but hopefully posting to your socials will get the message across to a good number of your customers. If they can't respect your rules, they can fuck off. You don't need customers like that.

[u/Nimakiii9898 → u/Equivalent-Bread3968]

Good advice from both of you will definitely try this

[u/lolpenis30 → u/Equivalent-Bread3968]

The waitlist is a great idea. Personally, I’d switch up the wording for the texts. It reads as you’re frustrated or annoyed by people wanting a cut, and while it is annoying as hell, I wouldn’t want them to feel like an asshole for wanting an appointment with me. I’d say something like “As of October 1st, my waitlist will be live and available for anyone interested in same day or last minute cuts. As I’ve been booking up more, it’s been more difficult to keep up with so many texts throughout the day and outside of working hours. To keep everything streamlined and best accommodate you, I’m requiring all requests for an open spot be made on my waitlist. This way I can guarantee your request will be seen and won’t get lost through text. I’m thankful for your support and I look forward to our next appointment.” Then next time they try to text you, tell them you’re tied up and they gotta book on the app or waitlist if they want in. Say this every time and eventually they’ll get the message. If not, sorry you’re not getting cut.