Feature article in Latest APAN Journal Winter Edition.
There are 5 steps to making your salon irresistible. Salon owners around the world are united in experiencing similar issues. These issues include; unreliable and unproductive staff, rising expenses, difficult landlords, big gaps in appointment books, losing loyal clients for reasons unexplained, and just feeling tired and frustrated for having to carry the whole success of the salon on their shoulders, every day, every week. Being in this space can shatter confidence levels, moral, self-esteem; destroy personal and family life and most importantly, goals and dreams. Some salon owners even ask whether it’s worth staying in business at all.
But, imagine for a second that everything was working perfectly. Staff were happy, retail was disappearing off your shelf as quickly as you could stock them, and your appointment book was under strain from new and existing clients rebooking. Imagine paying your bills each month a pleasure, and by having money in the bank meant that you could make choices as to whether you invested in training, equipment, new products or possibly take that holiday you had always wanted. How good would that be?
How do you create the type of clinic that is so irresistible that people find it too hard to refuse your offers, and just have to come in every month in order to maintain their secrets to youth and looking fabulous, and at the same time creates a healthy income for you? It’s all to do with your Image.
What first and lasting impressions do you create in the minds of your clients? Are you irresistible?
In Australia, beauty is a $4billion industry. It has roughly 21,000 businesses, and employs around 80,000 people. The industry is forecast to grow at 1.3% per annum. So what does that have to do with being irresistible?
I have been told and have first hand experience in knowing that a business is only as good as the people it employs, therefore, are the staff you have on board competent and confident to create those all important first and lasting impressions on the clients you have walking through your doors, consistently, every day?
If you want to be a dominant part of this growing industry, just having a salon isn’t enough. You need to be absolutely certain on how customers perceive your business, and also know who these people are. Have you stopped to think about how highly your clients would rate you and how they perceive your salon? Do they have an opinion? Would they be willing to stick with your brand, or would they be tempted to try your competitor down the road this month?
It’s an interesting and very telling question to ask yourself, and because you are so close to the action most of the time, you don’t stop to view the salon through the eyes of your clients. What do they see, feel, hear, and sense when they visit you? Does your salon, and the experience they have with your business satisfy them, cause them to return? Are you listening to what your clients say about you?
I believe salon success is delicately balanced, between real needs and perceived wants. It is also critically affected by how much discretionary income people have in times of economic uncertainty; hence getting this right is critical.
I remember having my salon during the GFC, and how much that affected sales and bookings. The only good thing was that women would come in to spend their stimulus package money on product they might not normally buy. But the number of clients dropped off due to tough times, and getting them back was really hard, in fact some I never saw again.
The experience clients have is the key to your success or otherwise, and this all starts with how your staff perform. Can they communicate effectively, verbally and non verbally, build rapport and trust quickly and tap into what the client is really wanting?
Are they presenting professionally, confidently, as a client might expect them to? Little things that are not consistent with what a client expects can be serious turn offs and can cause a client to not return.
With the growth of the beauty industry, statistics are also proving that the areas of anti ageing, male skincare, natural skincare and cosmeceutical procedures are where the opportunities lie as baby boomers and younger clients seek to defy the ageing process and look younger for longer.
Considering that the ages of these clients will range from early 20’s to 60, how are you going to tap into the needs and wants of all of these different people? How are you positioning your salon to communicate your message to magnify the scope of clients you can reach? Make no mistake; this is what your competition will be thinking about too! To become irresistible you have to excel at the customer service you provide and the exceptional experience your client walks away with.
It is imperative that you know what your client sees, feels, and senses when they come to your salon. Is it enough, good enough, to keep you in business and prevent your clients from trying out your competition? Do you have an eye for detail? Using this consistently and correcting little imperfections can mean the difference between mediocrity and excellence in the minds of your clients.
Think about some of the most successful customer service driven businesses in the world, I like to refer to Zappos and Starbucks… these companies invest enormously in their people, to train them in delivering exceptional customer service. This is what delivers results, and high profits for them.
So what delivers great customer experience and customer service in your salon? You and your staff do.
What IS the experience you want your clients to have with your salon?
Can your staff articulate back to you the customer experience you want your clients to have? If not, then there is a big problem.
Did you know that?
- A dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people
- 13% of those tell more than 20 people
- 86% of consumers stop doing business because of bad customer experience
- For every customer complaint there are 26 others who remain silent
Nobody wants to hear these, in fact I know a lot of salon owners that would rather sweep this under the carpet and just complain and blame every other person, or situation for their downfall. The truth sometimes hurts but it can be a wakeup call.
What are you doing to create and enhance the feeling of comfort a client has with you to prevent them becoming one of these statistics?
This is the essence of being irresistible and making your salon so attractive and tempting that your clients will never leave or even think about trying your competition.
There are 5 steps to making your salon irresistible.
These steps are so simple; anyone can follow them and implement them with amazing results. They include your:
1. Image:
Your image is dependent on knowing what your reputation looks like and what others think about you. Perfecting your presentation, and polish, and how well you project your message and how persuasively you communicate your message are all things you need to know.
2. Impression:
Do you appear credible in the client’s eye, trustworthy and confident? Can you create feelings of comfort for the client that encourages her to return? How appealing is your salon and does it align with the message you want clients to embrace?
3. Impact:
Does the impression you make on your clients leave them with no doubt as to your position and depth of knowledge and skill? Are the conversations you have with your clients believable, causing her to purchase? Can you relate with all the different types of personality types you have as clients and convert them quickly and effortlessly into loyal clients?
4. Integrity:
Are you a person of integrity? Do you always follow through on your promises and respect the promises your brand delivers? Can your clients identify your uniqueness and promise of value? Is your reputation in tact?
5. Identity:
What about you? How well can you identify your vision and goals and are you working to achieve them, to feel valued and recognised for your efforts?
These 5 elements are the essence of your own brand, your iBrand and when all working in harmony, and in conjunction with each other, deliver the perfect equation to becoming an irresistible business.
At the cornerstone of many of these are your soft skills, identified as being your
- Interpersonal skills
- Attitude
- Presentation
- Leadership
- Etiquette
- Values
- Body language
Mastering these are what will take you from mediocrity to excellence, and being irresistible. Your clients demand exceptional customer service, and they are who keep you in business!
If you would like more insight into how your business can become irresistible to meet the changing needs and wants of this growing industry, call me now on 0433 114 841.
Alternatively, apply for a complimentary 30 minute discovery session where we uncover the gaps in your business that are preventing you from achieving your potential.
Julie Hyne
Founder: Business4Beauty.
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