The Constant
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
by Stacey Soble
Referral Programs Bring in New Guests and Team Members
An Aveda Lifestyle Salon finds success with both a modern digital idea and an old-school networking concept.
January 4, 2022
4 min to read
When you hand out referral cards to your guests, you don’t really know what happens next. Maybe those cards reach potential clients, or maybe they never leave your guests’ possession.
When Aveda previewed an idea for a digital referral program, one Aveda Lifestyle Salon didn’t want to wait. Avantgarde Salon, with locations in Destin and Niceville, FL, went ahead and launched a new Guest Referral Program.
“We created our own version that we thought would work,” explains Manager Sharon Thigpen. “Instead of passing out referral cards as we’d been doing for years and years, we had our social media company create a QR code that links to a coupon our guests can text to five of their friends.”
How It Works
The QR code is displayed as a mirror cling, and the linked coupon offers a $20 discount on a first service of $40 or more. Clicking on the coupon takes the person directly to the salon’s online booking page.
After texting the coupon to five friends, the guest shows the stylist the text record in order to receive a reward of $25 off retail. With the previous referral card system, the current guest received a reward for every referred client who walked in the door. Now the $25 is awarded immediately—for the intent rather than the outcome—but only one time.
Measurable Success
Avantgarde’s stylists have been enthusiastic about the change. Anything new and digital is more exciting for the team to present to their clients, so they don’t have to be reminded—plus the cling is highly visible, right on the mirror.
Whereas tracking referral cards was, at best, cumbersome, digital referrals are easily tracked, and the new program is generating a 10% referral rate. Thigpen says owners Joseph Rogers and Deke Rogers are pleased with this rate and the way it shifts some booking to the online app.
“Online booking still is not our primary source of booking,” Thigpen says, “but the increase we’ve had is tremendous.”
Recruiting Stylists through Referral
If referrals work for attracting new, loyal clients, why not apply the same idea to hiring new staff? Friends are a trusted source for recommending a place of business whether it’s for someone to become a customer or to join as an employee. All Avantgarde did was sweeten the pot.
“Stylists know stylists,” Thigpen says. “So we introduced our Employee Referral Program, which pays team members for referring people. That got them thinking about someone they know or maybe a friend of a friend, and now they reach out. It’s always better when the person hears about us from a stylist who loves working here.”
For every referral that Avantgarde hires, the stylist who made the referral receives $250 cash on the new hire’s first day of employment and another $250 after the new employee has worked for the salon for six months. This has helped Avantgarde to fill most of the spots for the 13 chairs in one location and seven in the other.
“Staffing used to be a challenge, and now we have enough people,” Thigpen says. “And it’s always nice to be able to reward your team.”
Staying Local
The other strategy helping Avantgarde to stay fully staffed with new talent is getting more involved with a local cosmetology school.
Thigpen explains, “Aveda has career fairs and we’ve always recruited from Aveda Institutes, but we don’t have an Aveda Institute near our locations.” The nearest one is three hours away, so with Covid still around the leadership team decided to stay closer to home.
“We brought goodies and introduced ourselves to a local school,” Thigpen continues. “We’re one of the largest salons in the area, and we could talk directly to the students to tell them about our salon. They had a lot of questions; the conversation was really important.”
According to Thigpen, people attending school right in the area are more likely to want to work where they’re already living. It’s also paid off to establish a relationship with the instructor, who has sent in recent graduates she knows are not happy with the salon they initially joined.
“We’re excited!” Thigpen says. “We’ve talked about sending someone to do a demo class for the students. We can just pop in every now and then to engage with the instructor and remind the students that we’re here.”
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
The Most Wonderful Time in Salons and Spas
Planning is in full swing for the most anticipated events and promotions for the 2026 holidays. As owners share their favorite ways to celebrate, they prove that a carefully planned event can also build culture, increase client loyalty, boost sales, and set a business up for a successful 2027.
by Stacey Soble
Leading with Empathy, Humility and a Mastery of Systems
When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
Pagoda Brings AI-Powered Operations to Skinovatio Medical Spa Locations
Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
by Staff
How Women are Rewriting the Rules of Grey Hair
At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.
by Stacey Soble
Warm Leadership and Analytical Precision
At Salon Blonde, Director of Operations treats the staff as the salon's most important guests, while her wonderful 'nerdy' side, loves data, systems, and numbers. Find out how she makes Salon Blonde tick.
by Stacey Soble
Trotting the Globe, Forging Connections, Fostering Artistic Creativity
In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Salon Owner Salvatore Minardi reflects on his past 18 months as Intercoiffure America Canada's World Talent Exchange Ambassador and how his experiences will help encourage cultural and artistic exchange and support greater engagement between ICA and the global organization Intercoiffure Mondial.
by Stacey Soble
Client Retention Guidebook
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Success Grown from Within
Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
How Salon Leaders Can Process the Pain and Lead Forward When a Team Members Leaves Unethically
In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.
How AI Is Closing Revenue Gaps for Salons and Spas
The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Premium Talent Magnet: The Modern Salon Playbook for Attracting Six-Figure Stylists
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Five Revenue Leaks Hiding in Your Salon
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
by Stacey Soble
Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce
In a world dominated by e-commerce, salon owners push back with proven strategies to increase retail sales while motivating team members to educate their clientele and delighting clients with retail-themed events and clever merchandising displays.
by Stacey Soble
The Harper Ellis Hair Co. Certification Program Teaches Stylists a Smarter, Safer Way to Install Extensions
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
by Staff
The Micro-Salon Blueprint: How Kat Scott Quadrupled Income by Maximizing Her Suite
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
by Staff