You Don't Own a Salon. You Own A Business.
In his latest blog, Leon Alexander Ph.D., challenges industry conventional thinking to help owners add more to their bottom lines.
Fill Your Chairs
Those of us who thought the technology revolution would make life easier have certainly been disappointed. Technology, especially as it applies to communications has made life in the fast lane almost unbearable. Thanks to smart phones, Facebook, emails, and the internet, we are wired 24/7. Me time and my time are now OUR TIME. The collective hive rules and we serve the modern guest who is real-time, I want it now, and I want it my way.
July 11, 2011
Bart Foreman, president of Group 3 Marketing
3 min to read
Those of us who thought the technology revolution would make life easier have certainly been disappointed. Technology, especially as it applies to communications has made life in the fast lane almost unbearable. Thanks to smart phones, Facebook, emails, and the internet, we are wired 24/7. Me time and my time are now OUR TIME. The collective hive rules and we serve the modern guest who is real-time, I want it now, and I want it my way.
Salons are trying many ways to stay connected with their guests. Every salon has a website filled with nice-to-know information. Many use email to stay connected. Facebook has become very popular even though none of us really know how it impacts and influences the next sale, but it’s cheap so we do it. At the same time, software providers have created on-line booking systems to make it easier to schedule appointments.
The challenge for every salon is to capture incremental business coming from the fast lane because it is seldom that every station is filled all the time.
Let’s face it, an empty chair or treatment room is lost revenue and profits but you still have to pay the rent and utilities. Your team member is losing a sale and you are losing profits. At the same time, guests or potential new guests are in need of a service. When I tell my wife that I forgot to mention that we are having dinner with our biggest client tonight, her first thought is, “OMG, my hair and nails are a mess.” This is her moment of truth and your moment to shine.
Some salons send daily emails listing open appointments. Most guests don’t like them because they clutter their already full in-boxes. It’s life in the fast lane. Be there when a guest needs you but don’t waste their time deleting another email every day until there is a crisis and your guest needs an appointment now. Many guests are juggling their daily schedules, sometimes on the fly.
That’s why we created FILLMYCHAIRS.COM. It replaces the intrusive daily emails and Facebook postings. It complements on-line booking systems and best of all it makes it easier for your guests to do business with you. It's simple to use, inexpensive and guests love it. Here's how it works:
It's a link on your website, so guests have to go to your website, which is what you want.
It displays all the open appointments for the day that you have entered.
It lets the front desk edit it real-time. A guest sees an appointment time/service she wants, calls the salon and books the appointment and is sold a cross-sell service. The front desk opens the site and writes "taken" next to the service and answers the next call. If there is a cancellation, the open time can be entered in immediately.
Every night, the front desk looks at the next day's openings and enters them into the system. We know that guests actually look at the open appointments link in the middle of the night, so it's important to be current for the following day. It's that simple and that powerful.
Time is money. You and your team lose hundreds of dollars every week—sometimes daily because a chair or a table is not filled. And once the time passes, it's money that can never be recovered.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
Are Your Stylists Doing Free Hair on Your Time? Introducing the 'Win-Win' Staff Services Playbook
In her latest blog, Amy Pal helps you develop your own clear guidelines around complimentary free employee services.
Caring for Your Caregivers at the Front Desk
From managing air traffic on busy days to handling frustrated guests' complaints, your front desk team often serves as the salon's emotional shock absorber. From a customer service lesson from the DMV to a list of strategies for caring for your front line, our experts offer ideas for alleviating stress, celebrating wins, and setting goals.
by Stacey Soble
What's Really Happening with Salon Retail and How to Reclaim Your Revenue
According to the KIM Report, top-line salon revenue appears steady or slightly up, but that growth is driven primarily by service price increases. Beneath the surface, retail performance and client visit frequency (appointment drift) are under real pressure. In his latest blog, Alain Audet offers strategies for keeping your salon's retail sales strong.
Trimming Your Tax Bill by Putting Family on the Payroll
Putting your family to work in the salon offers some real tax benefits, but you have you have to play by the rules of the tax code to claim them. Azarvand Tax Law's Leticia Skrabut, Esq., shows you how.
The Art of the WOW Experience
Discover how to create a true “WOW experience” for every client by first building a culture where your team feels engaged, empowered, and inspired. Drawing on Calvin Stovall’s Iconic Framework, this blog explores how salon, spa, and clinic leaders can strengthen culture, elevate customer experience, and build a business that stands out for the long term.
Sponsored by Phorest Salon Software
Why Wellness Belongs on Your Salon's Growth Plan
The wellness industry is growing fast, and salons and barbershops already are an important part of it. In her first blog, Tracy Rado shares where the wellness dollars are heading, and how salons can grow with this movement.
Why Your Revenue Looks Good But Your Business Feels Stressed and What to Do About It
While salon sales are increasing, owners often feel they're working harder for the same or less profit. Leverage Q2 data from The KIM Report, Alain Audet reveals some of the structural changes that are dampening your growth and why your region and your salon size matters.
Why Your Holiday Season is Won in September
Weaknesses in your business are amplified during the Holiday Season. Spark Pro Global's Lucy Randall shows you five things to do now to have the strongest holiday season yet.
Appearance Standards are the New Dress Code
In Kati Whitledge's latest blog, she shares how salons have moved away from dress codes and embraced appearance standards. But by removing strict dress codes, some businesses may have unintentionally lowered their appearance standards. Whitledge helps you explain to your team why an appearance standard is important and how to smoothly implement a new appearance policy.
Working Through the Gray Areas of the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit is a non-refundable tax credit for for-profit businesses that provides a financial incentive for eligible employers who offer health insurance coverage to their employees. Leticia Skrabut, Esq., walks you through how to claim that credit.
5 Things Every New Stylist Should Learn Early
Developing strong work habits early in one's career supports long-term success in the salon industry. Jesse Linares offers new stylists his top five tips.
The Four Numbers Every Salon Owner Should Know
Most salon owners have no idea what these numbers are. You can hit record sales and still have a profit problem. The difference comes down to four numbers almost nobody was taught to track.
Sponsored by Strata Salon Systems™
Your Salon Can't Survive Without You. That's the Problem.
A five-area audit every owner-dependent salon needs to run. You built something that looks successful. Now find out if it can survive without you.
Sponsored by Strata Salon Systems™
Waiting for the Right Time Is a Decision. Here's What It's Costing You.
Every month you put off fixing the problem, it gets bigger, more expensive, and harder to solve.
Sponsored by Strata Salon Systems™
A Partner in Business and in Life
At Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty, Director of Operations Natasha McMillen helps bring her wife Janet St. Paul's vision to life, elevating every system from education to operations.
by Stacey Soble
Back to Business with the Pinstripe Trend
Expand your color service menu with the Pinstripe technique. Brooks and Brooks' Marlon Hawkins walks you through the technique.
by Stacey Soble