How to Use Reviews to Build Your Salon's Clientele

Look, after 30 years in this business, I'm going to tell you something most salon owners don't want to hear: you're doing marketing backwards.

You're spending hours crafting perfect Instagram posts and obsessing over your logo while ignoring the most powerful growth tool sitting right in front of you. Reviews. Real reviews from real clients.

Here's the thing - nearly 95% of people read reviews before booking a service. And 82% of them trust those reviews as much as a personal recommendation from their best friend. So while you're busy posting another before-and-after photo, potential clients are scrolling through your Google reviews deciding if you're worth their time and money.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I was building my first location. I thought great work would speak for itself. Wrong. Great work needs to be documented and shared by the people who experienced it.

Stop Discounting. Start Collecting Real Social Proof

I'm going to be straight with you here because I see this mistake constantly: running discounts to attract new clients is a losing game.

Every time you discount your services, you're training clients to see your work as less valuable. You attract bargain hunters who will jump ship the moment someone offers them a cheaper deal. It's a race to the bottom and you'll never win.

Instead, let your current clients do the selling for you through honest, detailed reviews. This fits perfectly with the E-Myth principle - you want to work ON your business, not IN it. Build systems around collecting reviews so they become a marketing asset working 24/7, even when you're home having dinner with your family.

When you get this right, reviews boost your credibility and let you charge premium prices confidently. They're social proof that your salon delivers real results. And here's what I like about this approach - it works better than posting on social media every day because it actually converts browsers into bookers.

The Three-Part System for Collecting Powerful Reviews

Here's a system I teach inside the Level Up Academy that every salon owner should implement:

1. Ask at the peak of excitement. Don't wait days or send some generic email. Ask your client right after their service while they're still looking in the mirror and loving what they see. This timing gets the best, most enthusiastic reviews.

2. Guide clients to tell a story. Instead of asking "How was your experience?" ask specific questions like "What was your hair like before?" "How did Sarah make you feel during the appointment?" and "What have people said about your new look?" This creates detailed, vivid reviews that speak directly to potential clients with similar problems.

3. Place different types of proof strategically. Use Google reviews for SEO impact, Facebook reviews for social proof, and video testimonials for emotional connection. Each platform plays a role in your marketing mix. And speaking of SEO, proper salon SEO makes sure those Google reviews actually show up when people search for salons in your area.

How This Fits Into Your Bigger Salon Growth Strategy

Using reviews well ties into the EOS framework I teach my coaching clients. Collecting and tracking reviews should be a "rock" - one of your quarterly priorities. Your leadership team should review your online reputation regularly in your Level 10 meetings. This keeps accountability high and ensures the system actually runs.

And here's where the Buy Back Your Time framework comes in. You shouldn't be the one chasing down reviews. Delegate this to your front desk or a team member. Create scripts and SOPs so it runs without you having to think about it. This frees you up to focus on higher-level tasks that actually grow the business.

The key is making review collection part of your salon's culture, not just another task someone remembers to do when they feel like it. It needs to be systematic, consistent, and tied to your team's compensation structure.

Why Most Salon Owners Fail at This

You know what kills me? I see salon owners with amazing talent and happy clients who have like 12 Google reviews total. Meanwhile, the mediocre salon down the street has 200+ reviews and stays booked solid.

Here's what happens: you get busy, you forget to ask, or you feel awkward about it. So you convince yourself that good work speaks for itself. But in today's digital world, if your work isn't documented online, it might as well not exist.

The other mistake I see is asking for reviews the wrong way. Sending an email three days later saying "Please leave us a review" gets maybe a 5% response rate. But asking in person while they're still excited? That's completely different.

It's like the difference between a doctor prescribing medication and hoping you take it versus watching you take the first dose in their office. One works, one doesn't.

The Bottom Line

Reviews aren't just nice to have anymore. They're the secret weapon for building a thriving salon clientele without discounting your services or chasing the latest marketing trends.

Stop putting all your energy into tactics that don't convert and start building a review system that works like a sales team for you around the clock. I've coached salon owners who doubled their client base in six months just by dialing in their review collection process.

If you want to learn exactly how to build this system and discover more strategies that grow your salon with less stress, apply to work with me inside the Level Up Academy. We'll show you the step-by-step process that's helped hundreds of salon owners transform their businesses.

And if you're not ready for coaching yet, start with our 30-day free challenge. It'll give you a taste of what's possible when you start working ON your business instead of just IN it.

Keep Reading

• Why Do People Find Your Salon Online But Never Actually Book?
• What Does a Real Salon Turnaround Actually Look Like? (4 Case Studies From Inside Level Up)
• Is Your Salon Website Costing You Money Instead of Making It?

Want to Go Deeper?

I recorded a video that goes deeper on this topic. Watch it here: How Salons Are Winning Clients with Google & Instagram (2025 Strategy)

If you want the complete system for running your salon like a real business, check out The Mastery Bundle. It's four masterclasses with ready-to-use templates that cover everything from financials to team building to marketing.

Keep Reading: 7 Patterns That Separate Successful Salon Owners