New Year Business Tips
The New Year is here and as you set your business goals for the year ahead, let us help you with some tips to help boost your salon performance this year. January is the perfect month to start afresh, with a look at working wiser and ways to help your business grow. So what better of an opportunity than to give these four new year hair-resolutions a try to set you up for the year ahead.
1.) TIME MANAGEMENT
Whether you use salon software or still prefer pen and paper, check through your diary on a regular basis to manage your time more efficiently.
A top tip is to consider booking time out for yourself to ensure you don’t burn out. This time set aside could be used as your administration time for running your business, this is a great way to prevent taking these tasks home at the end of each day.
It’s worth looking at all your tasks and reviewing opportunities where you can delegate, outsource them or improve how you are currently working. Why not consider training up a team member to help with the stock management, enquiry replies or even extension removals?
Also, take a look at apps or software you can use to save you time or keep on top of important tasks like your accounts that you may put off such as “Quickbooks”.
It is important to check ahead of your bookings to ensure you have the stock and enough time to order any hair in advance to be ready for the appointment.
Why not take some time out of your schedule to cross check with your client list to see who has not made their next appointment yet? Therefore, you then have a great opportunity to send those who haven't a reminder so they know when their maintenance appointment needs to be and book in. And you could even consider a little January incentive to encourage appointments quickly…
2.) RETAIL
Who said a thorough clean is just for Spring? The new year is a great opportunity for a refresh and a check through your stock and retail areas. Even better, if you have an e-commerce platform then you can check all your retail products are available on there and stock levels are correct to start off your year organised.
For those clients on a “new year, new me” vibe, now would be the perfect time to push a healthy hair care regime for them. Maybe look at combining items such as our Aftercare and brushes to offer extra value to the client and bring in some additional sales for the month.
3.) TRAINING
January is a great time to improve your skills by training and learning something new, whether that's a method, marketing strategy, or you can get to grips with your product knowledge. Learning more about the brands and products you offer will really help you when talking to clients and dealing with any queries they may have.
There are so many courses out there from colour, hair up to bridal and more. For hair extension training, we have teamed up with a couple of our Super Stylists to offer training courses. There are different offerings available, so send us an email with what you are looking for and we will be able to provide you with more information.
4.) MARKETING
When it comes to marketing, the first thing you need to do is review what worked well last year, and of course what didn’t do so well. Doing these reviews will help guide you for the year ahead allowing you to take into account your goals for the year. For example, if you want to drive new enquiries, review how you are currently receiving your new business. You may find this is from recommendations and if so this is a great opportunity for you to think of how you can say thank you to those that recommend you. Perhaps a “Recommend A Friend” scheme may be something for you to look at as an opportunity?
Don’t forget to check if you are listed on our Find A Stylist page. As a Trade Account holder we would love to feature you and all we ask for is your permission to share your information. So if you are not listed yet, you just need to simply login to your account, visit the Stockist Page and you should see a pink “Get Listed” button. Then, follow this and add your information. Please note, it will take a few days for us to review and process your request. Following approval, your details will be on the page… a great opportunity for you that’s not to be missed.
It’s also time to refresh your point of sale materials in the salon to attract interest in your hair extension work. You could even get super creative and create a hair wall with the Super Ring for something really eye-catching in your salon.
If you are wanting to nurture your existing clients more, then look at a loyalty scheme or monthly packages so they come back regularly for treatments and hair care to keep on top of their new locks.
Take a look at your online presence, from Google My Business, your website, and social media channels. What do you want to improve? Audit these with the customer in mind and make sure that your customers frequently answered questions are being answered across these platforms. Also, take a moment to check that all your links work correctly so there are no issues the customer is going to run into, e.g the link is working to make an online booking.
Reviews are always extremely helpful so be sure to ask your clients for reviews. Don't forget to share these on your social media throughout the year too.
The key to marketing is planning, so sit with your calendar and plan out your key activities. Look at awards that you would like to enter such as your local business awards. Also, make sure you create yourself a ‘to-do’ list for every month looking at least a month ahead so you are making sure that you are not missing out on any opportunities.
Finally, making sure you keep consistent with your social media posts is essential to driving awareness and attracting new customers. Be sure to take plenty of photos and video content to showcase your work and business.
Make sure to bookmark this blog to come back as reference to keep your year on track.
