Getting your first clients: 10 ways to fill your calendar

1. Start with people you know

Your first ten clients almost always come from your own circles: friends, former colleagues, family and their acquaintances. Do not tell them in a general post, tell them personally. Write to them that you have started, what you do, where and for how much, and send them your booking link. Ask them to pass it on to anyone who needs it right now.

If you used to work as an employee in a salon, check what you agreed to in your employment contract before you contact your former clients.

2. Google Business Profile with a booking link

When someone looks for a hairdresser, a nail technician or a massage therapist nearby, Google shows business profiles on the map and at the top of the results. According to Google’s help pages, you can create a Business Profile for free. Fill it in properly: the exact category, your address or service area, opening hours, services with prices, and a few of your own photos of your work and your place.

You can also add a booking link to the profile. When you edit the profile, enter the address of your own booking page under the “Book an appointment” or “Book” link type. That way clients go straight from Google to your free time slots, and they do not have to call.

3. Ask every client for a review

In your Business Profile you can create a short link and a QR code that take the client straight to the review window. According to the help page, the QR code can currently only be created in a desktop browser, not on a phone. Send the link after the visit, and put the QR code on the front desk or next to the mirror. Clients need a Google account to leave a review.

Two things to avoid. Do not give a discount, a free service or a gift in return, because Google’s policies forbid incentives for reviews. And do not ask only the clients you know are happy, because selectively asking for positive reviews is forbidden too. Ask everyone, and reply to negative reviews calmly and to the point.

Why it pays off: BrightLocal’s survey, published in February 2026, asked 1002 US adults. 97% of them read reviews of local businesses, and 41% always do when they look for a business, up from 29% in 2025. We found no Hungarian measurement of this; the sample is American.

4. Instagram and Facebook: show your work

Clients want to see your work before they trust you with their hair, their nails or their dog. Post your own photos and short videos regularly: before-and-after pictures with the client’s permission, details of your work, your place. Regular posting and your own pictures matter more than perfect graphics.

Put your booking link in the Website field of your profile, and say in one sentence in your bio what you do and where. If someone asks for an appointment in a message, send them the link, so you do not have to go back and forth.

5. Put your booking link everywhere

• in your Google Business Profile
• in your Instagram and Facebook profiles
• in your email signature and your replies
• on your business card and flyers, with a QR code
• on the front desk, the mirror or the door, with a QR code, so clients can book on their way out

Every extra step a client has to take loses you a few prospects. Someone who gets round to looking for an appointment late in the evening will not call, but they will click a link.

6. Referrals: clients bring clients

The best new client is one sent by a happy client. Ask openly: “If you liked it, feel free to recommend me to your friends.” If you like, give both of them a discount: the referrer on their next visit, the new client on their first. Keep it simple and time-limited, and note who referred whom.

If you send the offer by email or SMS, mind the rule. Under section 6 of the Hungarian Act on commercial advertising, you can only send advertising this way to a private individual who has given prior, clear and explicit consent, and they can withdraw that consent at any time, free of charge.

7. Local partners

Look for local businesses that offer a different service to the same clients, and recommend each other. A few pairings that work:

• hairdresser, beautician, nail technician and make-up artist, and a photographer in wedding season
• dog groomer, vet, pet shop, dog training school and dog boarding
• massage therapist, personal trainer, physiotherapist and yoga studio
• personal trainer, dietitian and sports shop

It is enough to display each other’s business cards or QR codes and mention each other to your clients. If both of your clients are happy, the partnership works by itself.

8. Local Facebook groups

In district, town and residential Facebook groups, people regularly ask for recommendations: “Does anyone know a good nail technician nearby?” Answering these works better and feels less pushy than an ad post. Read the group rules first, because in many groups you can only advertise on a set day, or not at all. If the group allows it, introduce yourself once, with a photo and your booking link.

9. An introductory offer with a deadline

When you start, an introductory discount lowers the barrier for people who do not know you yet. Give it a clear deadline, for example the end of the month, and tie it to one specific service. Do not price low for good, because clients who came only for the price will leave with it.

At the end of the first visit, offer the next appointment. The discount is there to get people to try you; whether they come back depends on your work.

10. Keep the clients you have won

Winning a new client takes a lot of work; you do not have to win a returning one again. The simplest habit is to book the next appointment at the end of the service, while they are still in the chair. For hairdressers, nail technicians and dog groomers, the time until the next visit is predictable and can be given in weeks.

Send a confirmation and a reminder so the booked appointment is not lost, and note on the client record what you did and what they asked for. Next time you will know where to pick up. We have collected the steps against missed appointments in this article, and we also give a copyable template for your cancellation policy.

Track where your clients come from

On the first visit, ask: “How did you hear about me?” Write the answer on the client record. After a few months you will see which channel brings clients, and you can spend more time on it.

In FoglalGo

FoglalGo’s Start plan costs HUF 0: 1 team member, 3 services, 30 online bookings a month, your own booking link, a QR code, a widget for your website and a confirmation email with a cancellation link. You can paste the link into your Google Business Profile and your Instagram profile, and print the QR code for your front desk.

FoglalGo has no client marketplace: clients book on your own booking page, so getting clients depends on the channels above. In return, you pay no commission on new clients either.