​Owning a salon is competitive.  There’s no doubting that.  Look around you the next time you are driving and you will see some type of salon on almost every corner and definitely in every shopping center.  If you want your business to last for many years, not only do you need to keep current customers, you will also need to attract new customers.  Here are some ways to help attract new customers in order to keep your salon competitive and perhaps even dominant in this very competitive environment.  Let's see how to win.

​Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. These are not just platforms to keep in touch with family and friends, or to post your current location or what food you are about to eat.  Use these platforms to attract and retain customers.  Post to your social media accounts daily.  Yes, every day.  Stay in front of your customers consistently so your salon is always on their mind.  As long as you are not directly marketing to your customers via email or text daily, makes these platforms a robust opportunity to consistently get in front of your customers without over burdening them.

​You can practically post anything.  Post employees and talk about their skills and their passions.  Post something about a customer. Perhaps a before and after photo or the customer giving two thumbs up for the service they received.  If both employees and customer’s own pets, consider posting those as well.  Who wouldn’t like a pet friendly business?  Post pictures of your business.  If you’re in a great location, talk about what’s around your business.  Perhaps work with a neighboring business to reciprocate discount offerings by promoting each other’s business. There are simply limitless things you can post without overthinking it and have fun with it.

Encourage your customers to like your salon on Facebook, to follow you on Twitter and Instagram by offering some sort of reward such as loyalty or bonus points which can be used in your salon during a purchase.  You may even want to reward a customer for re-tweeting a certain number of tweets or sharing a certain number of Facebook posts.  Keep rewarding your customers and they will keep coming back.

Offer a “bring a friend” day and reward your customer with a gift (i.e. loyalty or bonus points, gift certificate, etc.) and give the friend a free service.  If the friend signs up for any type of recurring service, reward the customer again with another gift.  It’s a small price to pay when you get a new a customer.  You may even want to consider a “bring your pet” day if possible.  Now, who wouldn’t like to bring their pet with them?

​Have some sort of signage at the front counter that encourages your customers to follow your salon on social media or bring in a friend.  Explain how to do it and what they will get.  Also be sure to have your employees encourage customers to follow and then reward employees with some type of bonus. The more employees earn the more likely they will continue to work hard in promoting your business. 

​For the average salon or spa, merchandise sales could offer a big boost to revenue.

If only they could get them to sell.

Many salons and spas do a decent job marketing their main services.  However, very few are able to move the high quality products they offer out the door.  This is a shame.

You know these products would be great for your customers.  You also know their mark up value offers great revenue potential.

​But how do you get them sold?

The fact is, you probably don’t need to make very many big changes.
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At SalonTouch Studio, we’ve come up with 3 small changes that can make a BIG difference in merchandise sales for your business.

If you aren’t doing these three things, you’re probably missing out on some significant supplemental revenue

​​Seriously.  Can your customers even see your merchandise?

Way too often, salons and spas seem to expect their clients to purchase things they couldn’t even find.  

​Make the presentation of your merchandise intentional.

The first step is to be proud of what you have to offer.  If your customers perceive that you think your products have no value, they will share the same opinion.

It’s not a scavenger hunt.  It’s not happenstance.

It’s sales.

Make your display attention grabbing—if not the center of attention altogether.  They should notice it as soon as they walk in.  And again before they walk out.

But most importantly, make sure they see your products in use.  Display the same labels in the lobby as on the inside and you’ll maximize your chances of converting on their way out the door.

It takes multiple exposures to a product or brand before most people are willing to make a purchase.  That’s just the way it is.

However, less exposures are needed when they are complemented by a recommendation from someone they trust.

​Too few salon and spa owners and managers understand their position:

If you run your business the right way, your customers will consider you an authority on how to look and feel great.

That’s why product names coming out of employee’s mouths can be so powerful.

A simple mention as a particular lotion or conditioner is applied can work wonders.  And as long as your staff does a good job, your clients will make a positive association with those products.

There are few things in the salon and spa world that take such little effort but have potential for such high returns.

Of course, your products need to meet the expectations you establish for them.

But if you select high quality products that actually deserve your stamp of approval, that should be a non-issue.

These verbal exposures have the same cumulative effect as the visual ones.  Alternating both throughout your customers’ experience can be highly effective.  And as long as your service is bringing people back in for multiple visits, that compounds even further.

Eventually, that final mention by your cashier will push them to buy and your business’s recurring revenue stream grows little by little.

​​Simply put:

Get your staff on board.

Perhaps the most powerful strategy of the 3, this one has the potential to carry the load if done right.  Our recommendation is to avoid asking without giving.

Set merchandise sales goals and reward your staff for achieving them.  You can even hold one of these retail sales games.

Toe the line between competition and teamwork by offering individual rewards for sales leaders and team wide rewards for achieving larger sales goals.

Obviously, nothing moves people like money does.  

Don’t be stingy.  Smart entrepreneurs know you have to spend money to make money.  And let’s be honest:  You’re in the business to make money.

Having a staff that is on the same page, working to achieve the goals you put in front of them is the best way to do that.

And when those goals are achieved, make sure to celebrate with those that helped bring about that success and make sure you give credit wherever it is due.

Just be sure that when you put extra money up for grabs that things remain civilized amongst your employees.  

Create foolproof ways to track leaders or stay away from individual rewards altogether.

Your main goal when trying to drive sales of the products you carry should be to mobilize your brand in support of them.  So obviously the more you incorporate these products into your own brand presentation, the more clients will be interested in them.

Customers need to see and hear about your products in order to buy them.

So it’s on you to make sure that happens.

Do you have other ideas to increase merchandise sales?  Comment below and let's continue the conversation.  Also, if you liked post share it on social media with your friends, followers, and connections.

Want to see how our tanning salon and spa software can help your business? Give us a call our fill out our contact form. We can't wait to hear from you!

All business owners need to collect data and run business reports. Doing so is an important step in starting, growing, and maintaining a successful business.

But as a solopreneur or small business owner, you might not see the need to do this. If this is how you feel, you’re not alone. We have come across numerous salon owners who question why running reports on a regular basis is so important.

The truth is, though, these reports are vital no matter the size of your business.
Today, we’ll discuss why data collection is critical for your salon operation, and show you how salon management software can be a helpful tool for analyzing revenue. ​
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Time and time again, we find that salon and spa owners have a tough time getting their products out the door.

And that’s a real shame.
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Your salon or spa surely uses great products.  Your clients could benefit from using those products at home.  Plus, your bottom line will look better month after and month.

The main issue is that you just don’t know how to sell them, nor does your team.  Honestly, there is nothing wrong with that—unless you don’t do anything about it.

​To help you out, we’ve come up with 6 simple yet highly effective tips to help you increase your retail sales.
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​Cancellations – they happen to every business owner at some point. 

But if you don’t take steps to reduce the number of no-shows or last-minute cancellations, they could turn into the bane of your business’ existence. 

Most business owners feel powerless when it comes to the topic of cancellations. After all – just how much control do you have over the life and schedule of your clientele?

Actually, you might have more power over it than you think. 

​Today, we’ll show you how you can reduce the number of cancellations you experience, and we’ll explain how spa appointment software can help. 
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Management issues are one of the most common workplace complaints made by employees.

When people work in an unhappy, stressful environment, no one is happy. This includes you, your employees, and your clients.   

And when the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife, you end up losing business and employees, which can lead to a poor reputation.

Thankfully, all hope is not lost. You can make some changes right now which can turn everything around.

What kinds of changes will you need to make?

​There are a number of management issues which can occur in a salon. We’ll take a look at some of them, what causes them, and how you can repair them. We’ll even show you how salon management software can help with some of your management issues.
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