Bringing in Clients With Goodwill Promotions

You never have enough clients—clients are loyal, but are in a constant flux. Some move away, others decide to limit salon spending, and some just want to try someone new, something I personally recommend after years of salon visits. Bottom line, the search is always on for new clients.

Opinions on effective methods of attracting today’s clientele are all over the place. Without a doubt, putting out great work is always at the top of the list, but the salon as a facilitator for community charities and events clients hold dear is very effective.

The success of a good will promotion relies more on concept and effort than money—a small ad in the Weekly you bought online brings low returns, but rolling up your sleeves at a community fundraiser is a no-brainer with better results.

A fresh perspective on client attraction is positioning your salon as a facilitator and valuable player in the cultural and economic development of your community, spotlighting the importance of beauty services as an art form that drives economic development for all. Simply put, have your hair done, and make our city better.

Salon Salon, located in the historic Amtrak train depot in downtown Tucson, Arizona, brought together the city’s movers and shakers, art leaders, real estate developers and salon clients on a Sunday afternoon for a ninety-minute discussion on the influence of the arts in the economic development of a neighborhood. The event format was a round table discussion narrated by a panel of experts and followed by a question and answer discussion from the public.

Here is what made this promotion a legitimate success: there was no overt effort to book clients for salon services. Attendees roamed the salon, visited with staff and enjoyed their wine and munchies.

Did the phone ring off the hook next day? Nobody really kept count, because that was not the point. Good will promotions work like homeopathic medicine—a bit slower, but permanently. Just the kind of loyal clients you want.

Carlos Valenzuela has forty-plus years in the professional beauty industry as a consultant, stylist, trainer, author and entrepreneur and is author of The Skinny on Salon Jobs.

Email Valenzuela at theskinny@getcarlos.com.