4 minute read
The 6 Most Expensive Words In Business By Faye Murray
“WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY”
As we say goodbye to the first 6 months of the year and understand what a “different” world we are living in and operating our salon businesses in, it is a good time to review what you currently offer to clients and your team and plan what action you need to take to make necessary and positive changes. Many changes we were forced to make during COVID have proven to be good changes and are here to stay.
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To embrace and implement change you need to have the time to review and plan. A good question to ask yourself is, “How much time do I devote to business development?” This is not the time used paying the wages or doing stock orders, it is creative and forwardthinking time to look at what is working well and what needs a shakeup. The amount of time you need for this will depend on the size of your business. Two hours a week for a small salon and up to a full day for a larger salon is what I suggest and I guarantee if you use this time wisely it will be a great investment and you will see a positive return.
Ask yourself what is new and different in your salon.
What have you changed in the last month? What have you changed in the last year? Your team will become bored and complacent if every day is “same old”. Your clients love change and expect to see new and different. You want your clients to see you as a progressive happening salon.
Great place to start is the way your salon looks. What changes can you make in reception, what changes can you make to the inside of your salon? They don’t have to be big changes. You will be surprised what clients will notice. Pretend you are a client and sit in your salon and look around for opportunities for change Your consultations, in particular your colour services. Can you change and improve the way you do these? When was the last time you did training on this very important subject?
Is history being well recorded and referred to on return visits. Are you doing 2nd opinions for “big change” colour services? Are you taking before and after photos? How do you quote price to show the value and time that will be invested in the beautiful new colour?
Your points of difference and the special treats your clients get. What can you change? How you present your tea and coffee and teats? Do you offer free WIFI? Do your share your green footprint? Are you offering buy now pay later options such as Afterpay which are becoming more and more popular? On line bookings are no longer an option, this service is expected. Do you have a good system to support on line bookings with a booking fee to minimise no shows and late cancellations?
Marketing. Some salon owners do this so well and some invest very little time and the results show this. You most definitely need quality time to review this. When did you update and change your web site? Your content for social media; is it varied and really engaging with new fresh content and of course beautiful hair that matches your brand. Have you cleaned out your Instagram photos recently or is 2019 still showing? Introducing change to your team can sometimes be met with resistance. They are comfortable doing it the same way. Learn to package change so that it is seen as exciting and something that clients will value and appreciate. Share with the team the reasons why you are making a change and how you will support them with the change.
Remember when you do ask your team to do something different or new, as a manager you will need to check it is being done the way you would like it to be done and then continue to follow up to see it is maintained. It takes 21 days to form new habits and as the owner or manager remember repetition, repetition, repetition. of this negativity is that it is contagious. Be a positive manager and look at what you can change to help grow your business and make it more interesting and exciting for everyone.
Don’t be an example of those six expensive words.
