5 Hairdresser Business Strategies for Success



Posted: Monday, May 11, 2009

by Bill Slater
Stylin 2 Succeed



In all of our lives and certainly when our business has such a huge consequence on our lives, (eating 3 squares a day, so on and so forth) we need to begin again to look at the fundamentals that makes up a blossoming hairdresser business.

I can recall reading an article about Jack Nicklaus, who for you that don't know is a golfing legend, anyway he told the story that every year at the beginning of the year. He went to his teaching pro and told him, "show me how to hold the club, address the ball, etc. What's he doing? He's going over the rudimentary parts of his trade and accomplishments, and we need to learn the same lesson.

Learning is an outstanding tool that will replace some of the misrepresentations of how to run a successful hairdresser business that we run into from our contemporaries in the industry that haven't ever grown their sales. If we listen to the experts in the station next to us we become callous and indifferent and our customers will catch the vibes and start to look around at other salons for the services we provide. But the real achievement is to keep learning continually and never embrace the premise that you or I have arrived.

So let's just touch base on some of the many aspects of operating a successful hairdresser business:

1. Your customers are #1: This is as basic as it gets and yet all of us are to eager to bow up and let our clientle know totally what we see ... like, 'don't they know just how good I really am? I'm just having an awful day today so they need to stop complaining to me all the time.'

Do we really have bad days? I mean does the sun come up everyday? Yes absolutely, but we have got to show our respect of our customers and treat them just like we want them to treat us. Actually, would you like to take a stab and perform a little test with your people? Exceed their expectations with your service and see how they react to it; are you game?

2. There's gold in your list: I sure hope you have one because this needs to be preached over and over again that you must have or develop your own list of customers that you can communicate with on some kind of a regular basis. So let's see ... would you like to have your customers be loyal to you?

Just how incredible would it be if you were confident about your client base that continues to visit and refer new people to you? How do you develop this and continue to give them more and more value as a client of yours? By creating and managing a list of every client that you serve and then keep in touch with all of them regularly.

3. Lifetime customer value: This is a term that business people don't embrace or use in their businesses. And it's almost a crime. You can't actually know how good you can serve you clients until you know exactly what they are worth to you in your hairdresser business in the long run. Or as it's called ... their lifetime customer value. You will have to know a simple equation that allows you to crunch the numbers cost per visit, products bought, visits per year, times 5 years.

4. New Faces: First time visitors should be your special guests every time you get one in front of you. Have you ever been to a mechanic for the first time and wondered how you were going to get screwed? I mean treated? Have you ever taken advantage of your first time customers? I'm sure that you haven't, but we've all been through that nasty experience ourselves, haven't we?

5. Being fresh: And I don't mean insulting your customers, but by introducing some kind of new thing into your salon or station to change the look of what you started with XXX years ago. And I bet you already know exactly what I'm referring to don't you? Come on spruce it up a little. Do some themes every once in a while to bring something fresh to your space and have some fun with your clients. Make them laugh, see if they would like some tea of coffee or a bottled water. How about fresh popcorn? Don't offer them the stale mints that are so old the cellophane is stuck to them. Give them a break!

Obviously some things to think about and then ... make it happen. Come on, give yourself to your clients and see if they don't acknowledge your thoughtfulness.

How awesome would it be to become one of the prominent hairdresser businesses in your town? You can and you should because you are the worth your best effort. We have a lot more to talk about so come spend some time with us.

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