For many salon owners, quite a bit of thought goes into planning for the holidays. And why not? With 20 to 40 per cent of annual sales coming in the six weeks leading up to the festive season, savvy salons know to be prepared. So, while you start writing your wishlist for Santa and thinking about how you are going to decorate the salon, start also plotting how you are going to get on everyone else’s gift list. You know what I mean:

Wife – complete top-to-toe makeover package, with goody bag. Check.

Grandma – luxury manicure. Check.

Mother – relaxing massage sans children. Check.

Father – three hot shaves in three months. Check.

Need I go on? You’ve a whole range of packages you can offer for anyone on the list – single services, bundles of services, retail bundles, gift cards and more – that you can promote and make your client’s lives easier with a quick and easy shopping process. When planning, consider the following:

Plan Your Offerings: We’ve got a few no-brainers on the list, like gift cards and retail bundles, but think strategically about other items you can offer that your clients may want now or in the New Year. Ask your clients what they think their loved ones might want – a blow dry party with friends, a New Year makeover or pampering session, etc.

Also, think about your own goals as a business. If you want more referrals to build your slower stylists, perhaps you offer to send a $20 promotional gift card to a friend of a client who spends $100 or in December. You get a referral. Your client looks generous with a $20 gift card. Your client’s friend gets a free gift card. Everyone is a winner.

Present Your Brand: Above all, make what you have to sell look pretty. People would much rather give their loved one a nicely packaged basket of goodies, with a candle or similar from your local supplier beautifully wrapped. And no one wants to do it themselves.

Same goes for gift cards. Consider having them professionally printed and present them in gift card holders. Contact your software supplier to see if they do branded gift cards that link directly with your point of sale. Shortcuts certainly does.

Give It Your All: Once you’ve decided what your specials for the season will be, start planning how you will promote them across as many platforms as you can: email, SMS, social networking, direct mail, in-salon signage, local websites and blogs, and even by leaving cards at other local businesses like your favorite cafe.

Go Viral: Start working on a series of posts that you can schedule across your Facebook and Twitter accounts that offer a mix of ideas for the season – fun memes, offers and calls to action to get people visiting your salon. The more varied your posts, the more chance you have of catching the attention of a wider audience and being seen on your clients’ friends’ pages.

Window and In-salon Dressing: Mix up the festive feeling by using your retail gifts as decorations. Place them in key positions around the salon and in your windows so people can browse at their leisure, not just in the rush to pay and leave before they get a parking ticket.

VIP Evenings: Make your clients feel special with invitation-only events where you can showcase your talented team and the services you offer alongside one-off deals available for that evening only. Target smaller groups that you can identify via your software, such as your older, high spending clients or the young, funky ones who love colour. Link up with your neighboring businesses to co-market and encourage your clients to shop local.

Keep Looking to the Future: Okay, you are going to be frantically busy leading up to Thanksgiving and beyond, preparing promotions and then delivering services, but don’t lose your long-term focus. Keep an eye on what you are going to do after the holidays. Over those six weeks you will see practically every client you have, so why don’t you give them a thank you on the way out – a card offering a special deal in January or February? And a bonus if they pre-book in December! It might be an added value service or, if you know it will work for you, a discount on color or cut. Whatever it is, make sure it is enough so you avoid that dreaded business slowdown after all the parties are over.

Paul Tate is CEO of Shortcuts Smarter Business Technology, which provides intuitive online and offline support to salons and spas across the world, offering solutions in nine languages to more than 13,000 clients in 46 countries. For more information, visit www.shortcuts.net.

Encouraging Good Reviews

Encouraging Good Reviews

Paul Tate is CEO of Shortcuts Smarter Business Technology, which provides intuitive online and offline support to salons and spas across the world, offering  solutions in nine languages to more than 13,000 clients in 46 countries. For more information, visit www.shortcuts.net. - See more at: http://www.salontoday.com/blogs/guest/Encouraging-Good-Reviews-211419171.html#sthash.y840WqNS.dpuf

Paul Tate is CEO of Shortcuts Smarter Business Technology, which provides intuitive online and offline support to salons and spas across the world, offering solutions in nine languages to more than 13,000 clients in 46 countries. For more information, visit www.shortcuts.net. - See more at: http://www.salontoday.com/blogs/guest/Encouraging-Good-Reviews-211419171.html#sthash.y840WqNS.dpuf

Paul Tate is CEO of Shortcuts Smarter Business Technology, which provides intuitive online and offline support to salons and spas across the world, offering  solutions in nine languages to more than 13,000 clients in 46 countries. For more information, visit www.shortcuts.net. - See more at: http://www.salontoday.com/blogs/guest/Encouraging-Good-Reviews-211419171.html#sthash.y840WqNS.dpuf