Free playbook for salons and barbershops
The Salon and Barbershop Rebooking Playbook
8 plays to keep every chair booked and every regular coming back on time.
Your best marketing is the client already in your chair. These plays keep regulars on schedule, cut no-shows, and fill the gaps without discounting your work.
Want it as a PDF? 6 pages, to print or keep. Enter your email and it downloads.
How to use this playbook
- One play at a time. Start with play 1. Each one is a small change to how you already work, not a new system.
- Swap in your words. Words in braces, like {first} and {time}, are yours to fill in: the customer's first name, your open times, your link.
- Track one number. Every play ends with the one number to watch. Check it before you start and again a month later.
- Text people who said yes. Only text customers who agreed to get texts from you, and give them an easy way to stop. Email is fine for the rest.
What's inside
Play 1
Rebook at checkout, every time
The easiest booking you'll ever get is the client standing at your desk.
Do this
- Ask every client, not just regulars.
- Suggest a specific date based on their usual timing.
- Book it before they pay.
What to say
Same time in {weeks} weeks? I have {day} at {time}.
Track: Out of every 10 clients, how many rebook before leaving.
Play 2
Reminders plus a fair no-show policy
No-shows cost you the whole slot. Reminders and a card on file cut them, and a waitlist fills the rest.
Do this
- Remind the day before and 2 hours before.
- Take a card on file, with a clear late-cancel policy.
- Text your waitlist when a slot opens.
Text to send
Hi {first}, see you tomorrow at {time} with {stylist}! Need to move it? Reply R and we'll find a new time.
Track: No-shows per month, before and after.
Play 3
The "you're due" text
Clients don't forget you. They forget the date. A text when they're due brings them back on their normal schedule.
Do this
- Use each client's usual gap between visits.
- Text a few days before they're due.
- Include 2 open times.
Text to send
Hi {first}, you're about due for your {service}! {stylist} has {day} at {time} or {day2} at {time2}. Want one?
Track: Bookings from due texts each month.
Play 4
Fill slow days for regulars first
Discounts train people to wait. Priority access rewards your regulars and fills the gap.
Do this
- When a day is light, text your regulars first.
- Offer the time, not a discount.
- Open it to the waitlist after.
Text to send
{stylist} just had a few spots open up tomorrow. Want first pick before we post them?
Track: Slow-day slots filled from regulars.
Play 5
Ask for the review after every visit
Reviews are how new clients choose between you and the shop down the street.
Do this
- Send the ask a few hours after the visit.
- Link straight to Google.
- Ask everyone. Never pay for reviews.
Text to send
Thanks for coming in, {first}! Would you leave a quick review? It helps other people find us: {review link}
Track: New Google reviews per month.
Play 6
Win back clients who drifted
A client 8 weeks past due might be trying someone new. A personal note brings many back.
Do this
- Pull clients well past their usual timing.
- Send a short personal note from their stylist.
- Offer a time, not a discount.
Text to send
Hi {first}, it's {stylist}! It's been a while and I'd love to see you. I have {day} at {time} if that works.
Track: Drifted clients who book within 30 days.
Play 7
Show real work, with permission
Real before-and-afters from your chair sell better than any stock photo.
Do this
- Ask permission before taking photos.
- Post 2 or 3 a week to Instagram and Google.
- Tag the stylist and the service.
Track: Profile visits and booking-link taps from posts.
Play 8
Make the first visit easy to book
New clients book where it's easiest. Every extra step loses some of them.
Do this
- Put Book on your Google profile and Instagram bio.
- Show prices or starting prices.
- Let new clients book online without calling.
Track: New client bookings per month.
Your first week
Four things to do this week.
- Ask every client to rebook at checkout.
- Turn on 2 reminders.
- Pull your due-this-week list.
- Ask 10 clients for a review.
Want it as a PDF? 6 pages, to print or keep. Enter your email and it downloads.
Free to use and share. The plays are advice on what to do and what to track, not a promise of results, and the templates aren't legal advice. Example names and times in the texts are fill-ins.
