Super Stylist

5 steps to improve Client Retention

25 May 2021

The secret to long term success is client retention! That might sound obvious to you but as an industry we are always looking for new clients.

If we worked as hard at keeping the clients we have, as we do at attracting new clients then perhaps we wouldn’t need as many new clients?

You see, clients have a choice, they don’t have to come back to you! But you and I both know that long term success is dependent on client retention. Keeping them really is the secret to long-term salon and individual success!

So here’s my top 5 steps to ensure you keep them as long as possible!

The first step is never forget that a great haircut colour is an expectation every time! To me it’s an assumption, it’s an expectation, that when a client comes in they expect a great haircut and colour every time.

If you can’t deliver that, it’s game over before you have even started! If you are lucky they might forgive you once or twice but no matter how ‘nice you are’ they are not going to put up with it long term.

So when it comes to your technical and creative ability bring your ‘A’ Game every time.

And remember keeping abreast of changing techniques and trends is your responsibility and if you don’t do that then you won’t keep your clients! Eventually they will go elsewhere to get the change they want.

The second step to client retention is, ‘Don’t confuse friendliness with service’
There is a tendency to think of your clients as your friends, and whilst you will be friendly to them and they will be friendly to you, ultimately when they come into the salon it’s a professional relationship. They are a client first and foremost and if you forget that and start treating them too casually you’ll lose them for sure.

The third step is to ‘Give them an amazing experience every time’
Your job is not just to give them a great haircut and colour, your job is to give them a great experience every time!

We live in an experience economy and often clients value the experience, ‘how you make them feel’ as much as the haircut and colour!

The fourth step is remember to express gratitude!

Remember, your clients have a choice, ‘They could go elsewhere’, never forget that, and often it’s just a simple expression of gratitude, saying something like, “It’s great to see you again! Thanks for coming in, I really appreciate it”.

A small gesture like that can be all it takes to keep that client appreciated and coming back to you.

And finally, the fifth step is all about the culture that exists in your salon.

You want to have a salon culture that exemplifies ‘Constant and never-ending improvement’.

Another way of saying that is that “What was exceptional service a decade ago, is the norm now.”

To keep clients you have to have an edge and always be looking to improve! That’s what I mean by a culture of constant and never-ending improvement!

So what are you doing for you and your team to create a culture of constant and never-ending improvement?

As you may already know, I have an online course called ‘Super Stylist’. It will give you and your team the edge.

The Super Stylist course has helped many people all over the world become more successful in the hair and beauty industry and it can help you too.

We launch it 3 times a year and if you want to get on the wait list for the next launch, or are just curious about it and want to find out more visit growmysalonbusiness.com and register your interest to be notified when it’s next open for enrolment. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

And if you don’t already follow us, then don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @growmysalonbusiness

Thanks for watching! Have a great week!

Give them a reason to prebook

18 May 2021

You don’t get to be a fully booked and well-rewarded hairdresser just by doing great work.

You get to be a busy well rewarded hairdresser by doing the most work, and for that to happen one of the key things you need to be doing is pre-booking people for their next appointment before they walk out the door.

Pre-booking your clients is an easy thing to do when you know how.

The key to successfully pre-booking clients is in the words you use. So, for example if you say, “Would you like to prebook?” the answer will usually be, No!

Face it, most people don’t want to have to plan what they will be doing in 6 weeks time, they would rather go online or call up the salon or pop in whenever they want and be able to get an appointment for whatever service they desire, with the stylist of their choosing, at a time of their choosing.

But life is not like that. And as a salon owner or stylist, you simply can't afford to be sitting around hoping on the off chance that the phone will ring or that someone will just walk in.

Instead what you want to know is that you will be consistently busy everyday, but in a predictable, organised and manageable way so that you don’t get burnt out, and so that clients have a seamless and stress free experience.

The key to being successful at pre-booking is that you need to give clients a reason to pre-book!

For example, if you said to every client this week; “I’ve really enjoyed seeing you today. Your next haircut or colour will be due in 6 weeks, and we I am almost fully booked already! So, I would suggest you make your next appointment now that way you will get the day and time most convenient to you.”

With a script like that instead of, ‘Do you want to prebook?’ You will get dramatically different results.

I have an online course called Super Stylist it has helped many people all over the world become busy well rewarded hairdressers and it can help you too.

We launch it 3 times a year and if you want to get on the wait list for the next launch, or are just curious about it and want to find out more visit growmysalonbusiness.com and register your interest to be notified when it’s next open for enrolment. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

And if you don’t already follow us, then don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @growmysalonbusiness

Thanks for watching! Have a great week!

What’s your average bill?

11 May 2021

I have got two questions for you. The first one is “What’s your average bill” and the second one is “Why is it even important?”

Well, let's talk about that. But the first thing to clarify is that the term ‘Average Bill’ goes by many names.

Average Bill is sometimes called, ‘Average Ticket, Average Docket or Average Transaction Value’ and they are all the same thing, just with slightly different names.

But regardless of the name you give it, the ‘Average Bill’ is an important number to know and understand because the higher your ‘Average Bill’ is, means the less clients you have to see to generate the same amount in revenue.

Let’s dig in a little deeper, and start by understanding how to work out what your ‘Average Bill’ is.

So, to work out what your average bill is all you need is two numbers and once you know those numbers it’s a simple equation to work out what your ‘Average Bill’ is.

The first number you need is the amount of money, or sales, or revenue, [they all mean the same thing] that you generated.

And the second number you need is, the amount of clients that you had to do in order to generate that amount of revenue.

Then the equation is simply, ‘The amount of money generated, divided by the amount of clients you did to generate that amount of money’.

Stick with me here…

Let me say that again,

It’s ‘The amount of money generated, divided by the amount of clients you did to generate that amount of money’ and it includes everything from children's haircuts, blow-drys, mens haircuts, colours, treatments, retail everything…

So, let’s look at a real example; Say you generated $1,500 in total sales and did 23 clients. To work out the average bill its $1,500 divided by 23, equals an average bill of $65.

But, now let’s look at another example.

Say you generate the same amount $1,500 but this time you only did 18 clients.

To work out the average bill its $1,500 divided by 18 equals an average bill of $83.

So why is that better?

Well you produced $1,500 in revenue both times, but in the first example you needed 23 clients to do it and the second example you did it with 18 clients! Or 5 less clients to achieve the same result.

Thats a great example of how a higher ‘average bill’ means that you are ‘working smarter not harder’. In other words, you did less clients to generate the same amount of money!

The number that represents your average bill is an indicator of how good your consultations are!

It’s an indicator of how good your product knowledge is!

It’s an indicator of whether or not you recommend take home haircare!

It’s an indicator of the percentage of your clients that have colour services, treatments or other add on services!

And its an indicator of how good you are at building relationships and trust and inspiring your clients to want more!

Having a high ‘Average Bill’ is a reflection of how successful you are as a ‘well rounded hairdresser’.

So let me leave you with a question; “Do you know what your ‘Average Bill’ is? And more importantly, “Do you know how to make it better?”

If you want to work smarter and not harder I have an online course called Super Stylist it has helped many people all over the world become more successful in the hair and beauty industry and it can help you too.

We launch it 3 times a year and if you want to get on the wait list for the next launch, or are just curious about it and want to find out more visit growmysalonbusiness.com and register your interest to be notified when it’s next open for enrolment. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

And if you don’t already follow us, then don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @growmysalonbusiness

Thanks for watching! Have a great week!

What are the little things that will set you apart?

4 May 2021

Business can be a lot like sport…

Typically, when the game is over the experts do a post-mortem on the results and with great clarity they arrive at the conclusion as to why the winning team won.

But, regardless of the sport in question, essentially both teams, or opponents, are playing the same game, they have the same number of players. They play by the same rules and are essentially doing the same thing.

But it usually boils down to one team wins because ‘they are doing lots of little things better’ than the other team. And it’s the same in business…

Whether you are talking about one salon in the high street or Mall being more successful than the other.

Or one stylist being more successful than the other, it all comes down to ‘the winner is doing lots of little things differently.’

So, as a business or as a stylist, what are the little things that will make you a winner?

What are the little things that would set you apart, and that you could do better?

Is it the way you answer the phone?
Is it your consultations?
Is it your technical ability?
Is it your personal appearance?
Is it the finish on your work?
Is it your listening skills?
Is it your timekeeping?
Is it your social media skills?
Is it your communication skills?
Is it working as a team?
Is it your service levels?
Is it the experience that you give people?
Is it the relationships you build?

I’m sure you get the idea…

Whether it’s about the stylist thats winning in your salon or the salon that’s winning in your town or city, they are essentially doing the same thing as everyone else, they're just doing it better.

But just like in sport, you can't keep winning forever. You’ll have good seasons and bad seasons.

You’ll have times when your team members leave you or have just passed their peak.

And just like in sport there will be times when the passion and energy just isn’t their anymore, and your mojo has gone and you need to reinvent.

if you want to make some more distinctions and learn how to do it better we have an online course called Super Stylist it has helped many people all over the world become more successful in the hair and beauty industry and it can help you too.

We launch it 3 times a year and if you want to get on the wait list for the next launch, or are just curious about it and want to find out more visit growmysalonbusiness.com and register your interest to be notified when it’s next open for enrolment. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

And if you don’t already follow us, then don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @growmysalonbusiness

Thanks for watching! Have a great week!

One client at a time

21 April 2021

Starbucks have a quote about building their brand “One cup of coffee at a time”

I have always thought that that expression is so applicable to hairdressing in that “You build your business, or your column one client at a time”

I think that “One client at a time” is a mantra that every one of us should have as our personal mission statement as a constant reminder to always be at our best.

We are in the people business! And the very lifeblood of our business is fuelled by not just attracting new people, but by keeping them as long as possible, and having them return to us as frequently as possible.

You may build your column ‘one client at a time', but ‘one’ turns into two, and two into three and three into four …

But that only happens if you have earned their trust and keep on earning it every time they come back.

In other industries you might win a contract, and get many new clients as a result.

But hairdressing isn’t like that, there is not contractual obligation and most of our new clients are referred to us from our existing clients, one client at a time.

And unlike other industries we don’t have one big financial interaction and then move on to find the next client.

And, in general our clients aren’t paying a large amount of money for every visit, and they aren’t obliged to keep coming back to us.

So your success is very much dependent on being able to deliver a service, create an experience and build a relationship that will keep them coming back again and again…

For many salons giving clients a great experience may be a rare occurrence, but it is a way of life for the salons that get it right by constantly exceeding expectations.

In the hairdressing industry these are the salons that solve problems before clients even know there is a problem, they anticipate and fill clients needs before they even know they have a need.

They offer value and they deliver on their commitment. They understand that the client is not always right, but it is not about having to be right, it’s about building a business, and that means making the client happy ‘one client at a time’.

If you are committed to building your column or your business one client at a time I have an online course called Super Stylist it has helped many people all over the world become more successful in the hair and beauty industry and it can help you too.

We launch it 3 times a year and if you want to get on the wait list for the next launch, or are just curious about it and want to find out more visit growmysalonbusiness.com and register your interest to be notified when it’s next open for enrolment. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

And if you don’t already follow us, then don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @growmysalonbusiness

Thanks for watching! Have a great week!

To do or not to do?

5 November 2019

Every day we have 24 hours in which to ‘DO’ stuff.

The challenge that most of us have is that we talk about ‘Doing’ as opposed to actually ‘DO’ what we need to.

There are typically all sorts of reasons why we talk about ‘Doing’ but actually never ‘Do’. We blame time, we blame resources, we blame the weather, we blame each other, we blame budgets.

‘Doing’ and not getting it right, or even messing it up completely is still arguably better than talking to everyone about what you are thinking about doing. Because at the very least ‘Doing’ is gaining experience.

So ‘DO’ the thing that you have been putting off, whatever it is. Because the worst-case scenario is that you will at least have created momentum and have gained some experience, and that is definitely better than doing nothing.

Thanks for watching

Have a great week!

Who can you collaborate with?

15 October 2019

You can’t succeed on your own! To succeed you need other people.

Sometimes that means other people inside your team, other times it means ‘Collaborations’ with external people or organisations that have a vested interest in working together to achieve a common goal.

I am a small business, there is me and my wife Melinda, and 5 part-time external people we work with when we need them as part of our team. But I also have a collaboration with John Paul Mitchell Systems and it’s a true ‘collaboration’ where we both are working together to achieve a common goal. 

Collaborations are a business model that we will see more of as they fit with the technology available and more importantly with the ever-changing working model and the values of people today.

The most important thing is that when you collaborate with others that they understand your vision and most importantly that you share common values and goals. When that happens it brings a synergy and momentum that benefits everyone.

So from a salon perspective who could you collaborate with?

Well from a recruitment point of view you could collaborate with your local high school careers department. Whereby you might provide opportunities for your team to talk to students at careers days about the opportunities in hairdressing, and perhaps offer work experience opportunities for students.

Or you could collaborate with your local beauty school or hairdressing college whereby you offer your services to present a regular class and in return, you are creating opportunities for your team who perhaps aspire to work in the education area of the industry. This could also mean that you get the opportunity to get the first pick of graduates. 

From a marketing point of view, you could collaborate with other stores in your community whereby you cross-promote to each other's client base whether it’s via newsletter or email or social media.

From an HR point of view maybe you could collaborate with businesses in your geographical location who employee people that are a fit with your target market and offer a promotion directly to their employees through their internal communication channels.

I’m sure you get the idea. The point is, don’t try and do everything on your own, find people and organisations to work with whereby both of you benefit from the collaboration.

I hope today has been of value to you…

If you haven’t read my Book GROW 4 Marketing I recommend you do as there is more in there about collaborations.

Thanks for watching…

Have a great week!   

Are you achieving goals?

1 October 2019

Are you achieving your goals? If you are like most people the answer will be, “some of them, yes!” And some of them “No”

I always have goals. And they are usually about achieving a certain ‘result or outcome’ And with goals like that you either achieve the goal or you don’t. Which can be uplifting and rewarding if you do! And fairly brutal if you don’t.

But there is a middle ground, and that is where the focus should be. The middle ground is more about momentum and progress. Let me explain. 

Essentially, there are 2 types of goals.

First you have ‘Outcome’ goals. The ‘outcome goal’ is the end result goal. So for example, in a hairdressing context that might be something like, ‘achieving a certain amount in ‘Take Home’ retail sales’.

And, the second type of goal you have is, ‘Process’ goals. And ‘process goals’ are how the ‘Outcome’ or end result goal will be achieved. 

So let’s look at some practical examples…

‘To lose 5Lb in the next 6 weeks’. Is an outcome goal. Whereas, ‘To Run 3 miles, 3 times per week for the next 6 weeks’. Is a process goal. Or another example…

And in a hairdressing context…

‘10 units of ‘Take home’ sales a week’. Is an outcome goal. Whereas, ‘Educate every client about the products I use on their hair’. Is a process goal. And…

‘Weekly pre-bookings of 75%’. Is an outcome goal. And, ‘Give every client a reason to pre-book’. Is a process goal. I’m sure you get the idea.

Achieving your ‘Outcome or Results goals’ is dependant on achieving your ‘Process goals!’ You can’t get to the ‘result’ without the ‘process’.

The ‘Outcome Goal or Result’ is the culmination of the processes that get you to the result you wanted.

Achieving the ‘Outcome goal is an event, it’s the ‘Yahoo moment’ when you have achieved something.

But it’s the hard work, the ‘process’ that makes the event happen… or not!

You are 100% in control of the process, you either do them or you don’t. And whether or not you achieve the ‘Outcome Goal’ is the result.

When you start to look at goals this way, you realise that setting up a system for doing the process is more important than choosing a goal.   

Everyone wants to make progress. And there is only one way to do it and that is to do the work! If we use the analogy of getting fitter and stronger it’s to do the repetitions.

Whether you are talking about getting fit or increasing your pre-bookings or growing your color percentage. Do the hard yards consistently and you will move towards the result you want.

So focus on the process, and you'll get results. If you ignore the goals and build the habits instead, the outcomes will be there anyway.

Often when people don’t achieve the outcome they wanted it's because they are not focusing on the steps needed to make the ‘Outcome’ a reality.

So, “Focus on the process and the results will take care of themselves”

So, this is what I want you to do. Choose a RESULTS goal, any RESULTS goal. Write it down. And then write down 5 things, meaning 5 PROCESS goals that you need to do to achieve that result and focus on them. Not the goal!

What will matter the most?

10 September 2019

What will matter the most?

Think about it…when you look back at the end of your career what will have really mattered?

Sure, money is important. Success is important, having fun is important, health and vitality are important. Having made a difference is important, security is important, and giving back is important…

But, what really matters?

Five words… ‘The quality of your relationships.’

The most important thing, the thing that really matters, real wealth, real success, is to be found in the quality of your relationships.

The majority of life's satisfaction comes from meaningful relationships.

Not just with your life partners and family, but with everyone in your life including those that we work with, share our dreams and ambitions with and build our career and business with.    

So the question is. “If the relationships in your life are the most important thing, what are you doing to make them all they can be?”

Although personal and professional relationships are different, they have more in common than what sets them apart. But for this example, let’s focus on the professional relationships within your team rather than your personal relationships.

Real commitment is needed for great relationships…

Every relationship has challenges and on any team, there will be many, but, as the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

When a relationship isn’t working it’s often the level of commitment that you have to it that will be one of the determining factors as to if it will survive and get stronger or breaks down. That level of commitment isn’t easy, sometimes we pretend and think it will get better in time, it usually gets worse.

Sometimes it will be challenging…

Sometimes It will be emotional, confronting, awkward even ugly, but as one person in the relationship, it’s only by confronting the issues that you move forward.

We all have had instances with parents, children, partners, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, etc where because we really value the relationship you ‘start again’ and it starts again with a real conversation.

It’s the same with your team. It’s not always easy, but the seeds of new growth in a relationship are planted by real conversations.

Real conversations are the ultimate commitment to a relationship.

Real conversations are the building blocks of relationships.

Real conversations are often the ones that you are most afraid to have.

‘The real conversations that are required to sustain a relationship are easily recognised, they are the ones that keep getting put off for another day.’

Has your fire been lit?

9 July 2019

I heard a great quote the other day;

“Education is not a pail to be filled, but a fire to be lit.”

It made me think about the education that sometimes exists in our industry.

Because sometimes the education is just a curriculum that has to be covered, and boxes that have to be ticked to get a license.

In other words “It’s the pail being filled”.

And other times, in our industry the educator, and the content being explored and the mindset or attitude of those attending is “The fire to be lit”.

Education like that, ignites the passion, and creativity and ambition of those on the receiving end of it.

I know you need both types. But I often hear a line or phrase like that and it reminds me what it is we are really trying to do.

So, if you are an educator, whether it’s about creative education or technical or business education. Ask yourself, “How can you make your message ignite the passion in your audience, in order so that when they leave, that they are not just more informed, but more inspired to take it the next level?”

And when you are on the receiving end of education, ask yourself; “What is the attitude you need to show up with in life, so that you are most open and receptive to growing from the experience?”

With the right message, and the right attitude it gives an idea the chance to flourish. 

Thank you for watching…

Have a great week! 

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