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Director of Brand Content Strategy
Stacey Soble has been involved in the conversation of salon business for more than two decades—as a reporter, a consultant and as the editor in chief of SALON TODAY. She has been responsible for growing the brand's celebrated recognition programs, SALON TODAY 200 and SALONS OF THE YEAR, and has launched two new competitions in recent years--STAMP (SALON TODAY's Annual Marketing Program) and the SALON TODAY Total Makeover Competition. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of salon business at industry events.
As manager of shopper-based design for P&G Salon Professional, Mark Komanecky talks about why in this day and age it's so important for salon owners to understand the concepts of shopper-based design and what advantages a salon has over other retail outlets.
The traditional salon retail areas don’t sell product the way they used to because the beauty shopper has changed, says Mark Komanecky, manager of shopper-based design for P&G Salon Professsional. “Today’s beauty shopper has more choices in where and how to buy beauty. More than 200 beauty brands have launched in the last decade, so shopper are more confused. But they’re also savvier—they’re researching products online, studying magazines and discussing with friends.”
As the Blizzaster of 2011 swept through the country, it left salon closings, client cancellations, staff absenteeism and even broken water pipes in its wake. While salon and spa sales are typically sluggish in January and February anyway, this wintery hiccup is causing a ripple of panic as owners study their monthly sales projections. But we've found many owners won't take it while sitting buried in the snow, and they're actively communicating with clients and extending hours and days to keep guests on schedule, developing special winter promotions and even helping guests dig out their cars. Follow this running blog, as owners share their stories, and owners and salon coaches offer suggestions for recouping lost sales.
As the Blizzaster of 2011 swept through the country, it left salon closings, client cancellations, staff absenteeism and even broken water pipes in its wake. While salon and spa sales are typically sluggish in January and February anyway, this wintery hiccup is causing a ripple of panic as owners study their monthly sales projections. But we've found many owners won't take it while sitting buried in the snow, and they're actively communicating with clients and extending hours and days to keep guests on schedule, developing special winter promotions and even helping guests dig out their cars out. Follow this running blog, as owners share their stories, and owners and salon coaches offer suggestions for recouping lost sales.
Last year’s ABS Business Forum led salon and spa owners into a deep understanding of the beauty client’s mind. The journey continues Sunday, March 13, with “Smart Thinking-Straight Talk, A Salon and Spa Owner Dialog.” Presented by America’s Beauty Show and P&G Salon Professional, and powered by multi-media partner SALON TODAY, the forum includes three separate sessions to share information and ideas on how to get back your clients, grow your business, gain more of clients’ beauty dollars and retain new clients.
According to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, more than half of adults are planning to spend more (14%) or the same (40%) in 2011 than they did last year, with the majority of that spending focused on ...
In the final hours of 2010, Congress approved many tax provisions that are likely to impact beauty professionals and employers throughout the U.S.
The most challenging aspects of putting together each SALON TODAY 200 issue is the careful selection of cover ‘models’ and the design of the composite cover. Essentially, it’s a big jigsaw puzzle, since we’re taking a number of submitted portraits that were never intended to work together and trying to create one seamless image.
At Juut Salonspa Uptown in Minneapolis, Minnesota, walk-ins are welcomed—especially in evenings when the academy’s New Artists take appointments between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. But one recent, unexpected ‘guest’ who drove through the salon’s front window taking two passersby with him, proved to be a real-life customer service exercise for the salon’s staff and students.
It’s that special season again: the season of crowded stores, whiny kids, irritable customers, and stressed-out employees. If you’re a business owner—in any industry but especially in the retail segment—the holidays are a precarious time. When fuses are short and wallets are shrinking, customers expect great service, says author Maribeth Kuzmeski. Fail to provide it, or fail to instantly implement a recovery plan on those occasions when you do drop the ball, and you may find yourself experiencing a not-so-merry 2011.
As salon owner Terry Folawn took account of all the specials retailers in her area were offering for Black Friday this year, she decided to implement her own version at The Spa @ Folawn's in San Antonio, Texas. From 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., clients who purchased a $100 gift card received a second $100 gift card for free. For the rest of the day, the not-so-early risers who purchased a $100 gift card received a $25 gift card.
It's the majesty of the centrally-located, 14-foot Christmas tree that first strikes clients to Salon Roux, in Paso Robles. But on closer examination, it's the tree's 60-plus 'ornaments' nestled among the garlands and lights that leave clients in awe. For each one of the formally-printed, cream-colored ornament cards details a individual donation, from B&B getaways to bundles of beauty products to private tours and tastings at local wineries.
I squeezed in a little holiday shopping one day this week and it didn’t take me long to pick up on a little trend I’ve nicknamed impulse charity. Most likely you know what I’m talking about—it’s that sneaky little add-on during the financial transaction at the cash register.
In the ongoing blog series, "Owners Forum," Karie Bennett, owner of Atelier Salon and Spa and Atelier Studio in San Jose, California, helps a future salon owner decide on the perfect location for her new venture:
At some point in our careers, we all face an obstacle or change that we cannot overcome alone. Though difficult to reach out for help, it is even more difficult to find the right kind of help from the hundreds of salon and spa business consultants hanging shingles on the internet. Sherry Minnard, professional content development manager for Miladay, suggests you narrow your search to a smaller group of professionals who consider themselves coaches, for you and your business.
