{"id":152594,"date":"2025-03-09T09:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-09T09:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/?p=152594"},"modified":"2025-06-23T17:56:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T17:56:02","slug":"kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/blog\/kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the Client Lifecycle: Kati Whitledge\u2019s Framework for Winning &#038; Keeping Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:42%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Mastering the Client Lifecycle: Kati Whitledge\u2019s Framework for Winning &amp; Keeping Clients\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/2m3ZXZYlJW1PhYyRK0RMX5?si=ba52c13a24794778&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column pl-10 is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:58%\">\n<p><strong>At the intersection of love and people is the human need for connection. Between people and marketing, the human longing to feel recognised and engaged in ways that matter. And where marketing and love meet, we find authentic expression and real stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07193258\/mya_venndiagram-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-152571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07193258\/mya_venndiagram-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07193258\/mya_venndiagram-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07193258\/mya_venndiagram-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07193258\/mya_venndiagram-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07193258\/mya_venndiagram.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s something really quite special at the intersection of a \u201clove for love\u201d, people and marketing. If you recognise yourself in that, like Kati Whitledge, you likely have an innate (or developed), profound understanding of the art of matchmaking. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joinmya.com\/\">Marketing guru, podcaster, and the founder of mya<\/a>, Kati\u2019s core message at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salonownersummit.com\/\">Salon Owners Summit 2025<\/a> was clear: marketing is the key to business success\u2014and it works just like dating and marriage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following insights stem from her refreshing talk, emphasizing the emotional connection behind consumer decisions and how salons can leverage this understanding to build lasting relationships with clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marketing Is Like Falling in Love<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Opening with a bold statement about how marketing can solve 99% of business problems, Kati quickly established the metaphor that would guide and carry her keynote from beginning to end:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>\u201cMarketing is like falling in love. It&#8217;s like marriage. [&#8230;] Like marriage, marketing is driven by emotions. It&#8217;s fun most of the time, and it gets better when you work at it.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She explained that marketing isn\u2019t just about promotions and advertisements. While marketing exists to reach people, the best marketing <em>deeply<\/em> <em>understands<\/em> people\u2014their needs, struggles, and aspirations. Much like personal relationships, we seek relationships with brands that make us feel seen, valued, and understood. Thus, marketing driven by love isn\u2019t about tactics. It\u2019s about creating messages that resonate, sharing stories that matter, and experiences that truly enrich people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Love Cycle of Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For Kati, understanding the journey of finding and keeping a romantic partner is to understand a customer\u2019s buying behavior and decision-making process. Like moving up the relationship escalator, moving through the stages to attain a client\u2019s lasting commitment might appear straightforward. It is, however, layered with subtle complexities. Marketing like a matchmaker takes into consideration those nuances, creating a cycle that ultimately leads to a committed, repeat client base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"573\" src=\"https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07183408\/mya_LoveCycle-1024x573.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-152562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07183408\/mya_LoveCycle-1024x573.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07183408\/mya_LoveCycle-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07183408\/mya_LoveCycle-768x430.jpg 768w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07183408\/mya_LoveCycle-1536x860.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07183408\/mya_LoveCycle.jpg 1782w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><strong>Kati Whitledge\u2019s Framework, <em>The Love Cycle<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s break it down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Desire<\/strong> \u2013 Clients must want what you offer.<\/li><li><strong>Discovery<\/strong> \u2013 Whether intentionally or not, they need to find you through social media, ads, word-of-mouth, a Google search, etc.<\/li><li><strong>Attraction <\/strong>\u2013 Clients reach the \u201cI\u2019m curious\u201d stage where they\u2019re happy to give you their digits and engage in conversation.<\/li><li><strong>The First Date<\/strong> \u2013 This is where they assess whether you are aligned with their hopes and expectations.<\/li><li><strong>We\u2019re Exclusive<\/strong> \u2013 They interact with your brand.<\/li><li><strong>Marriage<\/strong> \u2013 They become loyal, repeat clients.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exploring the Nuances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Desire is built through continuous exposure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Big brands like L\u2019Or\u00e9al, Disney, and Amazon spend billions ensuring their products remain top-of-mind: <em>\u201cThey do this because it creates desire, and we tend to prefer and desire what feels familiar. If you see something over and over again, it becomes familiar to you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While salons don\u2019t have billion-dollar budgets, they don\u2019t need them either. The principle \u2014repeated exposure creates desire\u2014 remains the same, and because we are socialised and encouraged to look and feel our best (we can discuss beauty standards another day), Kati continues: <em>\u201cThis piece of the marketing puzzle, this priming and conditioning process, we don&#8217;t have to do. It&#8217;s being done for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. To find a date worth keeping is a numbers game<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Salons lose 30% of their clients each year to natural attrition. Without continuous lead generation, those clients don\u2019t get replaced, and growth stagnates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe desire is already planted for us, but are they finding you?\u201d<\/em> Kati challenged the audience. Arguing that waiting for clients to find you is no longer enough, she shared personal dating experiences to bring her point to life: <em>\u201cWhen I put myself out there, I got a lot more in return than when I sat back.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hair and beauty businesses are often great at communicating and ensuring customers know their worth. However, making their desirability known to people who are not yet customers is often a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To actively attract new clients, she recommended using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/features\/ads-manager\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Phorest\u2019s Ads Manager feature<\/a> \u2014<em>which helps salons generate leads<\/em>\u2014 in tandem with mya \u2014<em>which converts them into actual bookings<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. You\u2019ve got their digits; what next?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A potential client is curious and submits their name, email, and phone number through one of your forms or starts a conversation with you on social media: great! You\u2019ve been invited to a speed dating round. One that holds you to a 5-minute response time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say you meet that expectation. What next? Like dating, you keep asking questions, showing interest, and learning about them. Kati explains: <em>\u201cExposure is at an all-time high, but trust is, for customers, at an all-time low. So it takes the average customer five to seven touch points between themselves and a brand before buying from them for the first time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key is <strong>consistent follow-up and engagement<\/strong>\u2014without it, leads will go cold. <em>\u201cNot all leads become buyers,\u201d<\/em> Kati noted, <em>\u201cbut it\u2019s a numbers game.\u201d<\/em> For example, with 200 leads and a 10% conversion rate, a salon can expect 20 new clients. While industry conversion rates hover around 10-15%, mya users see conversion rates between 35-55%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. You don\u2019t get a second chance at making a first impression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you play your cards right during the attraction stage of <em>The Love Cycle<\/em>, then you\u2019ll find yourself getting ready for a first date. <em>\u201cThink back, how many first dates have you been on? How many resulted in more than a first date?\u201c <\/em>asked Kati, a question she followed up with industry statistics showing that 65% of new clients do not return after their first visit. The main reason? Misaligned expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clients expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Personalised attention<\/strong> \u2013 Make the experience easy from check-in to check-out and zero in on connection.<\/li><li><strong>Cleanliness<\/strong> \u2013 Appearance affects perception, so make sure what you project online is also true once a client is in your business.<\/li><li><strong>Expert guidance<\/strong> \u2013 Be the guide to help clients be the heroes in their own life stories. Give them a vision, not just for today&#8217;s visit, but for their future ones too.<\/li><li><strong>Results<\/strong> \u2013 Deliver consistency in your results with your standard operating procedures (SOPs).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. What speed do they move at?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sharing the example of the difference between her and her husband, Kati then outlined two primary client types and the importance of knowing which category your clients fall into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Spenders<\/strong> \u2013 Impulsive, convenience and gratification-driven with a fear of missing out and\/or being seen as cheap or uninformed.<\/li><li><strong>Savers<\/strong> \u2013 Cautious and risk-averse with a fear of being manipulated, wasting money and\/or losing financial control.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective marketing speaks to both groups\u2014making spenders feel special and savers feel smart: <em>\u201cAll your marketing communications should have these two things in mind. Think about what&#8217;s in it for them. Why should they care? That&#8217;s how you build that relationship with them and communicate with them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Marriage takes work; so does a long-term client relationship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearing the end of her talk, Kati stresses the importance of nurturing relationships \u2014 both in the dating world and with clients: <em>\u201cWhat great lovers and great marriages have is a focus on communication, listening, and they don&#8217;t let the chivalry die.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing that clients leave when they feel ignored or unappreciated, she suggested:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Staying in touch<\/strong> \u2013 Send 3-4 emails per week to remain top-of-mind.<\/li><li><strong>Listening to clients<\/strong> \u2013 Use surveys and reviews to gather feedback.<\/li><li><strong>Showing curiosity and appreciation<\/strong> \u2013 Make clients feel valued and special, the same way you would on a \u201cfirst date.\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>She emphasised, \u201c<em>Don\u2019t let the spark die with your customers. If you do these things, they\u2019ll stay with you for life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Whoever Wants It the Most Wins a Client\u2019s Business for Life<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Winning and keeping clients requires a strategy\u2014not just luck. With the right approach to marketing and client engagement, salon owners can build a thriving business where clients don\u2019t just come once\u2014they return for life. If you\u2019re looking for additional depth and context to Kati\u2019s keynote and her <em>why<\/em>,<em> <\/em>then you\u2019ll love this PhorestFM episode, which serves as a reflection on innovation and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Kati Whitledge on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Solving the New Client Retention Problem\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/4cgajSfquMoFoi1vmt5c0z?si=b46b4dd9811945ff&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to its North American presence, <strong>mya is now officially available in the UK and Ireland<\/strong>, empowering salons to navigate the full scope of the client journey and ensuring sustainable growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feeling the Salon Owners Summit FOMO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to make sure you\u2019re in the room to hear insightful talks like this next year? Get your tickets for the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salonownersummit.com\/\">Salon Owners Summit<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep Learning from the Experts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/blog\/salon-owners-summit-2025-recap\/\">2025 Salon Owners Summit Recaps<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the intersection of love and people is the human need for connection. Between people and marketing, the human longing to feel recognised and engaged in ways that matter. And where marketing and love meet, we find authentic expression and real stories. But there\u2019s something really quite special at the intersection of a \u201clove for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/blog\/kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":152584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5926,5602,5511,5440],"tags":[13796,8488,5444,13797,6015,5445,13771],"class_list":["post-152594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-service-sales-marketing","category-loyalty-sales-marketing","category-sales-marketing","category-salon-owners-summit-news-events","tag-buying-behaviour-au","tag-kati-whitledge-au","tag-marketing-2-au","tag-mya-au","tag-retention-marketing-2-au","tag-salon-owners-summit-au","tag-salon-owners-summit-2025-au"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mastering the Client Lifecycle: Kati Whitledge\u2019s Framework for Winning &amp; Keeping Clients | Phorest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marketing expert Kati Whitledge shared how to master the client lifecycle \u2013 drawing parallels between romantic relationships and client retention to help salons win and keep loyal clients.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/blog\/kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mastering the Client Lifecycle: Kati Whitledge\u2019s Framework for Winning &amp; Keeping Clients | Phorest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Marketing expert Kati Whitledge shared how to master the client lifecycle \u2013 drawing parallels between romantic relationships and client retention to help salons win and keep loyal clients.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/blog\/kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Phorest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/phorestsalonsoftware\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-09T09:11:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-23T17:56:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07201951\/KatiWhitledge_1IMAGE-0275-2-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alex B\u00e9lisle-Springer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2dfxqxblmblx4.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07201951\/KatiWhitledge_1IMAGE-0275-2-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thephorestword\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thephorestword\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alex B\u00e9lisle-Springer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/blog\/kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/blog\/kati-whitledge-salon-owners-summit\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alex B\u00e9lisle-Springer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.phorest.com\/au\/#\/schema\/person\/ffd80693198c2f00b7eb7a39d1894c55\"},\"headline\":\"Mastering the Client Lifecycle: Kati Whitledge\u2019s Framework for Winning &#038; 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