Let Me Show You How To Run A Successful Salon
When will you wake up to reality? Sooner or later salon owners realize that owning a salon is more than cutting hair or a few nice nails. You opened your salon doors without any help or business acumen, thinking that you were good at your craft and you would be successful. It soon becomes apparent that it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be……….. Getting burned out, you start cutting corners as you try to pay bills and just survive. Having been down the road of building three salons from scratch, partnering with other salons and researching hundreds of salon data. I have discovered commonalities among successful salon owners. I’ll tell you one thing right off the bat, it sure isn’t common thinking. So, ignore what you have learned in business school, forget what you think you know about marketing and throw out the old style of management. There is a new generation of salon owners and it is time for the new modus operandi. Your salon can no longer afford the luxury of you, a manager without a clue, winging it every week, working from paycheck to paycheck. If you had two bad months in your salon would you survive? A salon owner in today’s world needs to be truthful to themselves, be courageous, soulful and have a plan of action. The salon needs to be built around you and your dreams. Fill your salon with people you want to do life with, share moments of history together. You need what is true and attract the right clients and staff that want to be part of your dream. Have you watered down your dream just to make money to survive?I have seen salon owners; cheapen themselves so they attract all clients, the ones they want and the ones they don’t, even staff. After a conversation I had with a salon owner recently she tells me she is so desperate to get staff that if they have a pulse they get the job. This is old style salon ownership and they will always be looking for help. The new way to a successful salon is to build it around you. What is your passion? What are your core values? This isn’t new, this was the way it was many years ago, salon owners used to train their own, and knew the exact client they wanted, they wouldn’t get into a price war, they had clients, but it came easy to them, they were taught this by their mentors. It has been watered down over the years. But today we are all lazy including me; we all want it now and skip a few steps. Do you need more staff? Do you breed your own or employ fully qualified staff? Do you teach the staff how to build a clientele and teach them how to upsell, with services? Or do you prefer staff to bring in their own clients? And shout at them when their average bill is down? This, my friend, is your journey and it’s your choice. Are you going to take the easy route or the right route?Are you going to be true to yourself and share your core beliefs with your team? Set standards and keep to them. Will you look at learning the business side of your salon? Learn the important numbers and set targets and goals? You will reap what you sow. If you want to look for a different way it will be hard at the start like going to the gym, your muscles will ache but after a while, your muscles grow and it will get easier. I promise you that the more you know about the business side of owning a salon the more money you will make.Is this the year you turn it all around? Your Journey – Your Choice Richard McCabe‘The Lifestyle Salon Coach’www.lifestylesaloncoach.com When you’re ready here are ways I can help you… 1. WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME AND MY TEAM If you own a hair or beauty salon and you’re fed up with having no cash leftover then check out our group coaching programs. If you’re a new salon owner or have less than 2 employees then this just for you CHECK IT OUT HERE h If you’re established and have 3 or more employees this is perfect for you CHECK IT OUT HERE 2. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE COPY OF MY BEST SELLING SALON BUSINESS BOOK? Just send an email to rmccabe3@me.com with the subject line ‘BOOK’ and I’ll make sure someone gets that to you
DEBT FREEZE: a salon owner’s way to freeze all debt and start making a profit.
The one thing that never changes. Your salon needs money to survive and you may be slowly killing your salon with a debt that may need to be gone quicker than you think. DO YOU WANT TO REDUCE YOUR DEBT AND START MAKING A PROFIT? First, you must agree to a spending freeze that will free you from debilitating debt. The goal here is to cut cost, not to compromise the business. You will want to cut out the fat in your business, the stuff that is not generating or supporting income for your salon. We don’t want to cut the muscle, the stuff that you absolutely must have to deliver your service and product to your clients. YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU STAND. The first step is to assess where you are today. Don’t be afraid, fear of the unknown is worse, I assure you, you will feel better once you know how bad it is. You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge, so you need to know exactly what you are dealing with. 1) Print out your business statements for the last twelve months, Bank Credit cardLoan payments Including payroll. 2) With a highlighter, draw a box around any labour costs, salaries, commissions, and bonuses for employees. Exclude owner salaries and payments to freelancers or subcontractors. 3) Now highlight expense’s that were required to generate revenue. For example, if you are a private detective and you bought a USB drive to store evidence on and give that to a client. If you bought a USB stick and did not give it to a client initially, that item would not be highlighted. 4) Next highlight any expenses that are absolutely necessary to keep your salon open. This does not include employees or contractors, or people you have boxed with your highlighter in step 3. If you are a mobile hairdresser and need a car highlight it, if you have a salon and the car is the only way to get you to work and back, don’t highlight it. 5) With a red pen, circle all the expenses that repeat every month, quarter or year and will continue to do so. Note some expense items, like wages, will get highlighted or boxed and circled. 6) Add up all the expenses for the year; include everything you highlighted as well, circled, boxed, or left blank. Exclude tax payments and owners wage. Divide the result by twelve to determine your monthly total. You now have a number that you need to cover each month. 7) Determine the difference between your current monthly operating expenses and the number that you take in takings per month. For example, you currently have $20,000 in average monthly expenses and your takings are $15,000, you need to cut your operating expenses by $5,000. Period. There will be no justifying past spending mistakes, no saying, “but I need everything”. You don’t! You’re healthy and fit we hope, your competitors have figured it out. You need to put your big girl pants on and accept that you spent too much, and today is the day we fix it. 8) Band-Aids come off more easily when you tear them off with determination. Trying to pull the band-aid off slowly just prolongs the agony and it’s the same with the debt. It needs to be done quick and fast to save your salon. Ripping off the band-aid is painful at first but as soon as it’s off the pain quickly goes away. The same is true about debt. The best way is to cut expenses until you are operating at 10% below the number you are taking in the salon. So if we know that you are taking $15,000 to be in profit even mode, it’s good to do that as sometimes you have taken too much away and the business suffers, so you will not have enough time to make more money, so we allow a 10% buffer in case of this happening. So expenses will be cut to $13,500. 9) Your wage bill is usually the most expensive part of operating your salon. This is the first expense you put a highlighted box around on your statements, and you circled it in red also. If your salon is racking up debt, it is all too often because your staff costs are too high. The problem with cutting this huge bill is, our minds quickly defend and justify why the staff need to stay. (I know this first hand and I had to make this decision myself.) You may have to work more hours yourself until the debt is gone, you do have choices here. You can let staff go. You can replace staff with better faster ones, getting rid of dead wood. You can reduce the hours that they work. Ask yourself, “do I need all my current staff and what role do they play in the business?” Remember we are taking a step back, regrouping to start again. 10) Evaluate each employee. Are there any employees that are not A-players? Are some staff costing you money? Getting 5 people to do the work of 6 can easily be achieved. 11) Ignoring the wage bill and how you feel about your staff, determine the following, which staff are a luxury that you can no longer afford. 12) Plan the layoffs. Now I know this is going to be painful and heart wrenching, I know you will try and resist this because I did. But you have made mistakes, you have gotten your bills bigger than your earnings and now it’s time to amend this. You owe it to your family, the rest of the staff, the clients and you yourself. It is necessary to your salons future, trying to keep all employees on; you are putting all of their jobs in jeopardy. And, because you are looking at who is being laid off when you can control it, you get the chance to choose to lay off
7 Reasons You Need a Business Coach
I’m not sure where you are in your salon journey right now, you might be struggling or you might be so busy you are out of control. I’m not even sure you have ever thought of getting outside help to grow or control your salon? My coach says he helps people get there faster, he knows they will eventually get there, but may take them a few years longer. Do you have a business mentor or coach? Do you need one? I’m betting once you stop and think about it, you’ll realize you definitely DO. Unfortunately, our small businesses didn’t come with an Operating Manual. We may have joined a direct sales brand and received a shiny new business kit, or decided to venture into being a solopreneur and truly build a business from scratch. Regardless, being a business of one isn’t easy, and the resources we have available often don’t help. One of the fastest and best ways to reach the desired business outcomes, is to hire a business coach who will guide you to make the right decisions for your business. Business coaches can range from the very casual to very formal, free to paid, group coaching to private sessions, business contact to old friend, meeting only once or meeting frequently, and coach on very broad or extremely specific topics. In fact, you might have different business coaches for different aspects of your business. Maybe you hire a coach for ongoing sessions about social media growth and engagement, but you hire a different coach for one specific session on personal branding. Regardless of the type of business coach you work with, the benefits are largely the same: business outcomes tailored to you. So let’s dig in. A BUSINESS COACH: Sees the Big Picture A business coach is going to help you see the long view of your business. Sometimes we are so personally and emotionally ‘in the weeds’ that it’s hard to see the horizon of where we are or could be going and how to get there. A coach is going to help see that big picture. Helps You Define Goals, Action Plan, and Timeline A coach will help you put your scattered thoughts into goals, actions, timelines, and milestones. If you want to predict your salons turnover for the next year, how many staff you will need to achieve that and when you should employ a new staff member, a coach will guide you to resources to track your plan, timeline, and progress. Provides Experienced Guidance and Support The business coach you choose should be someone with more business experience than you, specifically in the areas you wish to grow. In fact, they should have done the work and achieved the success that you are seeking to learn. Any coach should be able to clearly articulate their successes and how that qualifies them to provide coaching guidance. But if a coach can’t tell you what methodology he/she follows in her sessions, show him/her the door. Asks the Hard Questions A coach rides the line between consultant (paid to tell you the answer) and therapist (paid to draw the answer out of you). A coach will ask the hard questions to help you address obstacles or blocks, and guide you back toward your goal, action plan, and timeline. What is really holding you back – fear? Lack of resources? Lack of training? Past failures? Let’s bust through that wall and figure out what’s on the other side. I’m betting it’s the great unknown of future potential. Remains Objective We are all too emotionally close to our own businesses to be rationally objective. A business coach is detached, and can look at your overall business to see the strengths and development opportunities, and guide the discussion toward those outcomes. A good coach is going to identify your blind spots, and ask the hard questions to address what needs to happen. A good coach will also help pull you out of your own emotional mire to take action. Has High Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is the innate ability to read peoples’ emotional states and non-verbal behaviors, and pick up cues that will provide insight into how a person is thinking. A coach who has high EI can use those cues to guide the discussion to outcomes that will best suit your emotional needs. This is the reason I prefer to do all my coaching in person or via video. I need to look you in the eye, laugh with you, and connect personally. This is how I can get in tune with you. Not in a ‘new-agey psychic medium’ way, but in a ‘I want to understand how you think, how you react, how you respond, and what makes you tick’ kind of way. Holds You Accountable to Outcomes So you met with your coach and outlined a 30, 60, and 90-day action plan. And then you wake up with a brilliant new idea, and you call her. “Brenda, I have this brilliant new idea!” And Brenda says… “Hold on, we just defined your goals and plan last week. Are you really taking a left turn and derailing all your work so far? Or is your idea something we should be reviewing for a future phase?” And you say “You’re right… I was just so excited.” And Brenda says… “Get back to work, you got this.” Interested in learning more? Richard McCabe ‘The Lifestyle Salon Coach’www.lifestylesaloncoach.com When you’re ready here are ways I can help you… 1. WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME AND MY TEAM If you own a hair or beauty salon and you’re fed up with having no cash leftover then check out our group coaching programs. If you’re a new salon owner or have less than 2 employees then this just for you CHECK IT OUT HERE If you’re established and have 3 or more employees this is perfect for you CHECK IT OUT HERE 2. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE COPY OF MY BEST SELLING SALON BUSINESS BOOK? Just send an email to rmccabe3@me.com with the subject line ‘BOOK’ and I’ll make sure someone gets that to you
Biggest mistakes that salon owners make getting new clients.
What every salon owner is hungry for is the continual flow of new clients, an abundance of fresh blood rushing in their door, the flow of prospective customers who, in turn, become new clients, who with your love, you will turn them into raving fans and they will be loyal to your salon until the end. Your dream of having a fully booked pumping salon, all staff booked out, your only problem in this dream world is how are you going to do all these new clients that keep calling your salon? Do you think that life would be so much easier if this was the reality? ” If only I could get them to call, we would win them over” ” If only they would pop in the salon and see how great the fit out is, and how we would really treat them well” ” If only I could get their attention” You need to treat how you look for new clients seriously. You need a plan and a consistent one; you need to always be looking for your ideal client, and always trying to attract them. Needing to advertise to fill a quiet week will only waste your marketing money, and BTW, if you don’t have a marketing budget, I suggest you start planning to get one. ‘Speculate to accumulate’ as they say! Planning to get new clients is a non stop endeavour, when you stop attracting new clients, your salon stops growing, it’s as simple as that, and if you’re not growing you’re dying. A salon that stops attracting new clients is like borrowing fruits from the past. Your rewards from a fruit tree, is what you get when you tend, love, feed and take care of it, it will reward you later when you need the fruit. But if you stop tending to it, and it is no longer cared for, as hardy as it might be, there will come a time when it will stop bearing fruit. If you’re serious about growing your salon, get serious about talking, attracting and keeping new clients.The big mistakes that salon owners tend to make is that they try something once and say, “that didn’t work, I won’t do that again”. In today’s world there are so many channels available to you, some old school, some new and creative. I don’t think I need to name a list here, you all know what is out there. When selecting which channels to use, most salon owners make the mistake of using one of these applications and because everybody else does it this way, and you think their ads work, you copy them. In this approach, you choose what everyone else uses, and copy the same ads, because if they’re doing it, it must be the best way. You just want it handed to you on a silver platter. In this approach, you choose the method that requires the least effort on your part, the advertising person called, the newspaper called, a rep called and you signed up, thinking it will all work out. Or some salon owners prefer the shot in the dark method. In this approach, you try something for a while, if it doesn’t seem to be working, you try something else. You never seem to get results, or know why, you just keep trying something until it works. And some owners love this one, they have always done it this way, and it gives them some results. You just always have a favorite and you stick with it, even though you have no idea if it is working or not. As long as you know that your name is getting out there, you’re happy and besides you’re too busy to look into anything else. This is also known as throwing good money after bad. With so many choices, how do you know which one is for you? If that’s the case for you why not just advertise in the local paper, or Yellow Pages and be done with it. The right choices will make your money go a lot further, more bang for your buck. A little more time spent looking at the type of clients you want to attract, and finding out where these clients hang out. That’s the simplest thing I know. Once you know where they hang out, start a conversation with them. How do you know which channels attract your ideal client? Choose ones that are credible, and appropriate, if they think the source is credible they will think you are too. So not to take new client attraction and marketing seriously could be the difference between your salon growing, getting stale or even dying. So stop being lazy and start thinking about what it takes in 2019 to be successful. YOU must know how to attract new clients period. YOU must know where your clients are coming from. YOU must know how to keep the new clients to grow your salon. Did you see the pattern? It’s YOU. So stand up, draw a line in the sand, your team are waiting for you to do what is called of YOU. Richard McCabe ‘The Lifestyle Salon Coach’www.lifestylesaloncoach.com When you’re ready here are ways I can help you…1. WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME AND MY TEAM If you own a hair or beauty salon and you’re fed up with having no cash leftover then check out our group coaching programs. If you’re a new salon owner or have less than 2 employees then this just for you CHECK IT OUT HERE If you’re established and have 3 or more employees this is perfect for you CHECK IT OUT HERE 2. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE COPY OF MY BEST SELLING SALON BUSINESS BOOK? Just send an email to rmccabe3@me.com with the subject line ‘BOOK’ and I’ll make sure someone gets that to you
The most boring thing about owning a salon! But the most important!
If you are anything like me you opened a salon to do great work and build a team of passionate people ready to serve your lovely clients.I didn’t even think about the business side! Get this wrong and you will always be struggling to stay ahead of the bills and worse case scenario, you’ll have to sell the salon or walk away. Get this right and the stress of running a salon and paying bills will be a thing of the past. If you spend time understanding where your money goes, and control it well the salon with not just thrive, but will be a lifestyle salon and provide you with a lifestyle you would love. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ACCOUNTS After starting three salons from scratch, I’ve learned first hand the headaches that accounting causes for most salon owners. It’s one of those back-office tasks that never crosses your mind when you decide to run your own salon, and yet it sucks up your day and makes running a successful salon that much harder. But there’s hope, and it starts with getting organized. Here are 5 tips that helped me overcome my accounting nightmares. KEEP IT SEPARATE That new pair of shoes is not a business expense but your business credit card was handy so you used it. Sure, you can pay back your business for a personal expenditure, or the other way around, but if you’re going to do it right you actually have to record an accounting transaction. Things get complicated fast, and you don’t need that headache. By keeping separate bank and credit card accounts for business and personal, you’ll save yourself hours of work and make it easy to keep track of deductible expenses in one place. KEEP IT SIMPLE Collect your receipts (these are like cash tokens, that at the end of the year you are going to cash in and get some money), pop them into an envelope at the end of each week, write on the envelope what is inside, the amounts and what it was for. Write the month on the envelope also. At the end of the month add all the entries on the envelope into your accounting system and just hole punch the envelope and pop it into an A4 binder, job done. On that note, the cleaner your records, the fewer billable hours you’ll have to pay your accountant, so make sure you’re organized year-round. PENCIL IT IN Actually, use a pen. Set aside about 15 minutes every week — that’s the equivalent of just one Facebook visit every seven days — to organize your finances, and don’t let other things take priority during this time. You’ll have more insights into your business, be able to make more informed financial decisions and have everything organized when tax time approaches. Something always feels more pressing than your finances. But when you find the time every week, you’ll feel your stress levels — now and at year-end — fall fast. CONSIDER YOUR PEOPLE When you’re looking for insights into your businesses spending, don’t forget to properly track what is likely one of your biggest expenses: staff. Whether you’re paying a full staff or you’re the only one on the payroll, make sure you’re tracking the costs of wages, benefits, overtime and any other costs associated with staffing your salon. By tracking your spending on wages, you may find you have more money to incentivize your employees — or that you’re outspending your budget. Either way, doing the math now can help you make better decisions later. FINALLY, DON’T FORGET TO GET PAID This one seems pretty obvious, but you would be shocked at how many salon owners pay themselves last. You must pay yourself first, because that way you’ll know if you have enough money to employ someone else, have that new reception desk or even close certain hours.Once you have paid yourself well then you can look at employing more staff and growing.You are running a businesss.Do it well and it will serve you well.Richard McCabe ‘The Lifestyle Salon Coach’www.lifestylesaloncoach.com If you’re interested I’m holding a webinar on Monday 15th April at 7:00AM (NSW, Australia). I will explain about what we do at Lifestyle Salon Systems and there will be a Q&A session at the end. Please make some time to join me; you can secure your place here
Seven Ways to be More Profitable in Your Salon
You may never have started your salon to make money, but it soon becomes a reality that you are struggling to keep ahead of the bills and losing money fast. With an estimation of 95% of salon owners never making a good living from owning a salon and 50% of salon owners letting their salons go due to financial difficulties it needs to be a priority.Making money is all about profit, how much you have left after your initial bills. The more you have the more you can share with your team but also the more you get to keep for your efforts. You will notice that your passion is a driver for your salons growth and NOTHING drains your passion more than working for nothing.Everyone wants to be more profitable. After all, profit is how we keep score in business. It’s not about what you make – it is all about what you keep. Sometimes the simplest ideas can help you increase your profits. Let’s jump start your profit today with seven ideas for you to implement in your salon. Go through your client database. They are a gold mine. How many clients are in your database? How many clients are active customers (you’ve done business with them in the past 18 months)? Usually the number of clients in the file is much greater, sometimes exponentially greater, than the number of active clients. Reactivate your inactive clients. Send a postcard or email series with the theme ‘We want you back’. You’ll be surprised at how many call and say, “We were just too busy and never got around to coming back”. These people have visited you and spent money from you at least once. Give them a reason to try you again! Don’t get stupid when you get busy. Discipline in busy times as you discipline in slower times. When it is busy you have a tendency to let infractions ‘slip under the rug’ because you don’t make the time to deal with them. The fear is that you can’t afford to be without that person because it is busy. If an employee does something that annoys you, deal with it, even if it means letting them go. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is. If you don’t let them go, your revenues may start to slip. Other employees will see that ‘someone got away with something’ and they will be less likely to work as hard. Less hard work means less revenue. Less revenues usually means less profits. Ask for referrals. One of the best ways to grow your salon is through referrals from happy clients. Put a statement at the bottom of your emails, news letters, and the back of your business cards. Print ‘We grow our company through referrals from satisfied customers. If we provided excellent products and customer service, please tell your friends and colleagues. If we did something wrong, please tell us and we will fix it. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction’. This statement lets a client know that you are serious about providing outstanding customer service and that you appreciate referrals. Some will call you with referrals. Some will let you fix a problem rather than spreading the fact that they were unhappy to friends, neighbours, and social media. Call 3 days after a new client has been to your salon. The staff member who looked after the new client should call 3 days after the clients visit to make sure that everything is ok. They should also ask for referrals, at this time as well (the client will tell people about their experience with you) and now is a great time (if you think they were really happy with what you did) to just ask, if you know anyone that is looking for a ………………………….would you mind passing my name to them as I am looking for more great clients like you. Save 1% of every dollar that comes in the door. This is your emergency cash account. For each transaction that goes into the till, at the end of the day or week transfer 1% of that deposit amount into a savings account, one that is hard to access (no card issued) . You still have 99% to use. That 1% will be there when you need cash for payroll or taxes. Get timely, accurate financial statements each month. Reviewing these statements takes less than 30 minutes per month. You will spot minor issues and can take care of them before they become major crises. You will also be able to make great business decisions based on the accurate information you get. Knowing where your money is going each month will make you focus on the amounts you spend. I always remember the saying my boss used to say, “look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves”. This is so true. Spending a little extra on wages, stock, treats for the staff soon add up and those small indifferences can make a massive impact on YOUR money and your bank account. Keep your staff happy The process of hiring and training new staff members takes time and money. Avoid that cost by doing what you can to retain your existing staff. Over the long run, having engaged, knowledgeable staff will increase your bottom line. While you should keep pay competitive, small changes like flex-time hours, a discount or a bonus for hitting targets and also treating their families well also will help your staff to feel valued. If they feel valued and rewarded for their work, they are more likely to stick around. I promise you if you put the work into even one of these seven ideas your profit will increase Richard McCabe ‘The Lifestyle Salon Coach’www.lifestylesaloncoach.com When you’re ready here are ways I can help you… 1. WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME AND MY TEAM If you own a hair or beauty salon and you’re fed up with having no cash leftover then check out our group coaching programs. If you’re a new salon owner or have less than 2 employees then this just for you Check it out here If you’re
Why salon culture is so important, it will actually save your salon.
Get the right systems in place and the right people working for you and your salon will thrive. Just concentrating on superstars and how much money they make, you will always end up barely surviving in the end! You cannot buy people who don’t want to be bought!People that can be bought only work for money.So how do you install LOVE into your staff if they are mercenaries?Imagine your team, all money orientated chasing down targets to get their bonuses, selling retail and up selling the clients on almost every visit! SUPERSTARS THIS IS WHAT MOST SALON OWNERS DREAM OF……………. Motivated staff that seem to be getting results and making money.But I see it differently…I see greedy money hungry staff, that try to book as many clients in their column as possible, squeazing and rushing clients. Up selling services with the focus on making more money NOT client focused at all. I see the client walking out with retail products that they don’t really need.How long before these staff get caught out?Not long. Clients will soon see through them and tell you with their feet, they are not coming back.It will be a while before you realise clients are dropping off. New clients will come and think your staff are wonderful, attentive and professional, as they sell more retail and up sell. One day new clients will stop coming the word is out and gaps WILL appear in the appointment book. The bonuses that drove your greedy staff will dry up as they will find it harder and harder to hit target.What do you think the mercenaries will do now? Do you feel they have any LOVE for your salon? Do you think they care about other staff members? Do you think they care about you? If you are looking for your staff to LOVE your salon then they must believe in your salon culture. And that all starts with you.Most staff want to belong to something bigger than money, them and even you. I call it the Kim Kardashian moment.Your staff need to feel what they do is making a difference to your salons success.Their success.Your success. And by you building systems to help them achieve that you are actually building a culture in your salon. Some call it a salon standard Some call it culture Some call it belonging What it really is, is a common goal for all staff to aim for and live up to. They need to feel that their actions on a daily basis ACTUALLY make the salon better. This has NOTHING to do with money and EVERYTHING to do with money.The money is just a milestone that makes things ‘happen.’It’s the ‘happen’ that will build the salon cultureIf you spend your time working on this it pays you back 10 fold Where do you start?Well you need to know your salons goals for the year?Share them with the team, let them know what’s expected of them and help them achieve it. This is so powerful it has the power to grow your salon so strong, it will not need you 🙂 Rich
Why your facebook posts do not work?
Has anyone ever told you that the reason why someone didn’t come to your salon after seeing your Facebook post was because they ‘weren’t your ideal customer’? Well, that’s a lie! Either the person telling you this is confused OR they said it to make you feel better. The reality is that if people are not calling your salon after seeing your posts, that’s on you……and that’s a GOOD THING.It means that there is something that you, the salon owner marketing dude, can actively change in order to increase your salons takings month after month. After helping hundreds of salons reach their goals, I can confidently say that ONE of the things keeping them stuck is Murky Messaging.They are sending out messages to prospective clients that just doesn’t cut it. We call it the 10 commandments and in my private coaching group we’ve been mastering this for the month of January.It’s all about taking the client through a journey to see that what you offer is what they’ve been looking for all their lives. A connection A purpose A place they feel comfortable in It’s simple to produce and is THE MOST POWERFUL form of marketing a salon owner can do.You and I both know that what we offer is very personal. And the clients NEED to know it’s safe in your salon. If your posts and ads have stopped working then you need to move to the next level. Most people will say post about pain, or what the clients want and need. Well, that only works for so long.This is the next step.This is next level stuff. What we are teaching is not the ideal customer but the ideal salon, for the customer.
Have you got foundations laid out ready to build your salon strong?
Every salon has 3 phases that it goes through!Phases required to transform your salon into lifestyle business.Now most salon owners never get to create a lifestyle salon because… They totally skip phase #1 and assume that their staff will be able to perform as good as them (big mistake) They totally don’t get phase #2 and get stuck with inconsistent results. Or, they hardly focus on phase #3 and keep running after quick money instead of building a system that’s reliable, sustainable and scalable (the holy grail of marketing). If you’re curious to find all about these 3 phases, read on PHASE #1 Most salon owners are good at what they do, they can get clients in the salon, fill their column and keep clients coming back. The problem with that is at this stage the salon owners take on staff to help with the clients they are now turning away. It’s easy with one or two staff members, but when you get more than that it becomes very apparent to your staff, to clients and eventually to you that your winging it and not in control at all. PHASE #2 As the salon moves into phase #2 clients start to drop off and your bills are high, staff are getting grumpy with each other, gaps appear, you struggle to pay the bills and now you are getting snappy too. You start asking yourself questions and blaming the staff. Why are the staff not doing their job? Why are they losing clients? Why has their work suddenly gone uncaring? PHASE #3 The gaps are getting bigger and you stopped your marketing months ago. Your focus is on working harder on the floor to make more money, you have no time at all. You even stop marketing to save money or panic and start discounting. At this phase you are desperate and will do anything to get clients in the door. With staff that are costing you money and bills eating all your cash flow you start to cut hours or let some staff go. Contacting your salon at this stage is the right decision to make but also the start of your salons demise. Your passion has gone, the only thing that got you busy in the first place.So how do you stop this happening? You need to plan. You know it’s coming.You need a system to make 10X you, so clients love the salon. It’s your role to turn every staff member into superstar money making machines. You need time to train your team, freedom from working the floor to actually building a business. You need a system that attracts new clients who LOVE you salon even before they have stepped foot in it. When you build a house you need first to do the ground work. Lay The Foundations Without them the house is unstable, vulnerable and in danger of collapse.Have you got foundations laid out ready to build your salon strong? I hope this will be helpful.
How I changed my salon for the better
THE ONE THING THAT CHANGED MY BUSINESS.……… A few years ago, I did something that COMPLETELY changed the direction of my life and salon business…I STOPPED working 6 days a week. I STOPPED: Succumbing to the pressure of having to do all the clients… Being the busiest person in the salon… Feeling like I had to earn all the money to show the team that I was the number 1 earner… I figured out a short cut to a successful salon How would you like a short cut yourself? Are you short on time? I’m hosting a FREE masterclass webinar specifically for salon owners that are ready to STOP working hard for little rewardsIn the salon business world, there are *experts* and *gurus* who make you believe that the ONLY way to make more money is by… Working harder Making your team superstar Give away discounts all the tim Pressure your staff to sell more retail And I couldn’t disagree more! In reality, pressuring your staff to sell more retail is crazy, they’ll resent you for it, and to make them superstars, you will regret it the day they leave to open their own salon down the road. And don’t talk to me about working harder, pfft I have the T-shirt on that, I’m all about working smarter I used to believe I had to be the busiest and best stylist in my salon. But, the harder I worked the more my salon was reliant on me.It actually imprisoned me. If I didn’t work the salon I LOST money! And that meant I couldn’t have……. Holidays Be ill Take time off to train staff Spend time with my family I decided to change things for the better as I couldn’t take it anymore! And do you know what I did next? I STOPPED BEING THE BUSIEST PERSON IN MY SALON. It didn’t kill me, neither did it even hurt my business. In fact, I started making MORE money without putting myself through HELL. And the core of working less on the floor was to train my team to perform like me.That meant building a system that clients would LOVE, staff would LOVE and my bank account would LOVE.And to be honest not one client cared, they just wanted LOVE.That left me with more time to train my team, re-work my systems and find new clients.The salon grew FAST. I wasted years trying to work harder to make the salon grow.Eventually all salons will stagnate unless the owners take time off to reflect and work on the business side of running a salon. I’m unlocking some of my secrets and sharing them with you in my lifestyle webinar. In this webinar, I’ll be sharing a simple framework that helps salon owners build systems to growth all day, every day.Here’s the link if you want to work smarter
The biggest mistake salon owners make with their customer service!
I hear so many salon owners tell me that they offer great customer service when in fact it’s rubbish. They get mixed up with what customer service actually is. What they have is great customer care and that’s totally different. Just because you offer great customer care doesn’t mean that your customer service is any good at all. Most fail!!! Let’s break the two down…………. CUSTOMER CARE Building your salon around a customer care system is one of the most important things you can do as a salon owner. This means you are listening to what your clients needs are and delivering on them. You offer great music to make the ambience just right, you source good coffee and tea, and you even serve it on a nice silver tray. You look after the client as they arrive, carry out a great consultation and send them out of the salon looking fantastic. You care about them and drive your team to learn more skills to deliver better and better results. This customer care you are delivering will do you well and grow your salon so far. Most salon owners do this well, we know what the client wants and you have a natural ability to deliver high standards to your clients. So now you are the same as most salons………. But who wants to be the same? This brings us to the one point that differentiates the boys from the men-the good salons from the mediocre ones Who opened their salon to be mediocre? CUSTOMER SERVICE Good customer service is what can make your salon or break your salon. This is NOT about your services, your music choice or the type of coffee you stock. This is about building a system in your salon to make the experience of clients doing business with you better and better. I call it the client journey and it was the deciding factor that grew my salons FAST. Clients commented how good we were. Staff loved a system that made them more money. It’s what attracted new staff members to us. A customer service is HOW you deliver the customer care. Many salons fail at this because it does require some form of work. Simple when you know how and so powerful when implemented. If you want your business to grow and deliver you a lifestyle wage and life then you need 3 things to be happening in your salon. 1. A great team 2. Freedom 3. Money Team When you start building your customer service system it’s all about EVERY team member delivering remarkable service time and time again. It’s NOT all about you anymore. It’s about your team caring for the client like it’s you, and the clients love it. It’s now all about the salon. Freedom When your systems are in place and clients fall in love with the salon, it frees you up to have time off or to work on other projects in the salon. Being consistent every single day is the key to great customer service Money When your team can perform to a high standard consistently it naturally has a ripple effect on client retention, rebooks, service spend, retail sold, staff retention. These factors alone will fast track your salon and your profits. So now you know the difference between customer care and customer service what are you going to do about lifting your game? I would start with a simple system. Start small by looking at what you are doing now and how you can systemise it so it’s consistent and client focused. Get the team trained well, practice with them and then watch to see what happens next. This is so important in my teaching that I have dedicated two modules to this. The salon owners in my Lifestyle Salon Systems program work through this to get their salons to deliver 30%+ growth. Mastering this first will help your salon grow strong, deliver good profits and get your staff to hit targets week after week. There is no point in attracting new clients to your salon if you lose them because of your staffs inability to look after them at a certain level. You can check out a webinar I did that explains one of the systems required. CLICK HERE TO WATCH When you’ve mastered one system move onto the next. Break them down by department and touch points. Work smarter Rich When you’re ready here are ways I can help you… 1. WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME AND MY TEAM If you own a hair or beauty salon and you’re fed up with having no cash leftover then check out our group coaching programs. If you’re a new salon owner or have less than 2 employees then this just for you CHECK IT OUT HERE If you’re established and have 3 or more employees this is perfect for you CHECK IT OUT HERE 2. JOIN MY FACEBOOK GROUP You’ll find like minded salon owners all eager to learn and grow their businesses. It’s a safe place where you can ask all of your business questions JOIN HERE
ARE YOU USING OLD FASHIONED METHODS TO ATTRACT NEW CLIENTS?
You may be finding that you are getting less and less new clients, or your ads have stopped working, or you are attracting the wrong clients, or clients just don’t return.If that’s you then read on……………….. With the evolution and popularity of social media it’s become easier and easier to connect with like minded people all around the world. We’re so used to connecting with like minded people that when someone goes and chooses a new hair or beauty salon they want to connect with like minded people also. If they cannot find a connection with you, they will keep looking until they find a salon owner that they do have a connection with. So it has never, ever before been more apparent that people buy from people they like. They need to know you, they need to know things about you, they need to trust you and they need to believe in you. More and more people are choosing to buy from people they like.If you’re in business then you’re in the people business because business is people and takings are the numbers. On average 67% of the people in your town are checking you and your salon out right now, to see if you are the sort of person that they want to do business with, that they want to connect with, and if they like you!Because of social media things have changed.And the way you attract clients has changed.What do we know………. People buy from people they like. Business is people. Birds of a feather flock together. So that makes the old USP a little old fashioned. The Old Way: You needed a USP, a unique selling point. The New Way: Your Core Story. Get your core story correct and your prospective clients will believe in you, will feel they belong to your salon and if people believe your core story they will stay more loyal to your salon, to the core, to you, because you cannot only fix their problem, but that you built the salon for them, and they will feel content that when they walk in your salon it feels like home. THIS IS VERY POWERFUL This is why when you google restaurants, cafes, salons, garages and holidays and you make a choice based on what you read. Well that’s their core story and you fell for it.That’s how you too can attract people that LOVE you already.Can you see how price isn’t even a factor in this? So many people don’t even think about what clients they want never mind how they are going to find them.This is the core to everything you do.We dedicate a month on this topic in my Lifestyle Salon program. It’s what makes our coaching clients stand out.