Here’s what Salon Success FEELS like….
by Greg Milner on 26/11/08 at 10:56 pm
Ever feel like you’re not really cut out for the tough business world? That as a salon or spa owner, you’re really groping in the dark, trying to re-invent the wheel every day?Well, guess what? Don’t feel so bad about your lack of business expertise, ‘cos it’s plain to me that 99% of salon owners have more plain, good old common sense than the so-called geniuses who run some of the world’s biggest, dumbest companies.
Take the heads of the Big Three auto makers GM, Ford and Chrysler, for example. These Masters of the Universe spend years making cars people don’t want to buy, run their companies into the ground, waste billions of dollars of shareholders’ money, then – on the brink of bankruptcy – fly to Washington to beg the taxpayer for billions more to bail them out.
That wouldn’t be so bad in itself. You think you’re no good at marketing? These idiots are so bad, so clueless about how to sell anything - let alone their arguments for taxpayer funds – that they turn up begging for money, in their private company jets!!
If you missed it on the TV news, here’s a reminder of how the Three Musketeers got publicly humiliated:
Here’s the lesson: when you’re feeling down about you’re own business ability, remember these guys – they’re paid gazillions, and they don’t know how to run a profitable company either. But you have a big advantage over these Big Dumb companies and their even dumber CEOs: you can act faster, make big changes overnight, change direction on a whim…and don’t have anybody to blame but yourself when things don’t work out.Which is why I love the attitude of Inner Circle members like the prolific, energetic and enthusiastic Lisa Conway of Marinelli’s Hair in Gisborne, Victoria.
This week Lisa sent in a draft of a brochure she plans to use to get new clients into the salon. (Inner Circle members get to have their marketing material reviewed and critiqued by us BEFORE they make costly mistakes.) Here’s what I sent back to Lisa:
“Hi Lisa, a few points re your flyer:
Testimonials – they need to be more emotional eg “I felt so glamorous after my visit – my friends were envious, and men wolf-whistled me!” Put the testimonials in quotes….and tell us the suburb they’re from, their occupation.
The new client offer – what about values on the individual items?
Lisa – where is your photo???
And your guarantee should go under your photo eg “My guarantee …” etc
Where is your web address? If people don’t call off the brochure, you need to tell them to visit the website and enter their name and address to download a free $20 Gift Voucher….that gives you their contact details, and you can call them and invite them in to use the voucher.
The column with the tea and coffeee….needs a headline like “Four Great Reasons to Visit Marinell Hair…”
The clocks: weak line. Better: If we keep you waiting any more than 5 minutes after your appointment time, it’s FREE
That should give you a few things to do:-)
Regards, Greg”
And here is what Lisa wrote back (with the subject line ‘on fire’):
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| Inner Circle member Lisa Conway – simple direct response marketing has increased her business by over 50% in less than 6 months. |
“Thanks Greg that is perfect just what I need clear and to the point guidance, I love the NO BULL just tell it like it is policy from you guys. We have been doing so well with everything I have used in the kit so far from $5000to$6000 a week to $8000 and $9000 and above and now after a clearing of dud staff I am working with the best bunch of passionate hairdressers 4 of them only18years old. It is proof that you should employ on passion and teach skill. I could talk for ever on how that took kit and World Wide saved my sorry ass.
Yesterday I rang Jill in a coaching call feeling flat the appointment book was looking very quiet so Jill helped me with a TAKE ACTION sms .I walked in to the salon got my shortcuts help desk on the line drafted an SMS to 136 clients from my data base (@20cents a send (math is 136 x.20 cents =$27.20 ) The list were due for a color had not been in to our salon the last four weeks. I sent a half price color and cut deal for the first 7 callers and in minutes the phone rang and rang and rang until I booked 13 colors in for the next 3 quiet days. Salon is booked up now and staff are ready to TELL we don’t sell we tell, we share our knowledge and that leads to sales. It is that easy.
Then today a cancellation of a huge color late in the day for tonight so again I used my data base dialed up 58 men (math is 58 x.20cents =$11.60) who had not had a cut in the last 4 weeks and offered 4 places (NO discount) but a bottle of wine for the first 2 callers to take home to the wife. Not only did they ring for tonight and filled the spots they rang for Friday and Saturday as well.!!!!
So there is energy in our little salon that as they say is PRICELESS. Lisa Conway”
Now, I should say here that not EVERYBODY who joins the Inner Circle program is like Lisa. In fact, some actually resign from the program and send their kits back for a refund, within a few weeks of joining. Many tell us ‘the kit’ doesn’t work. Well, if that were true, we wouldn’t have literally hundreds of salons and spas around the world enrolled in the program, the vast majority of them at least as successful as Lisa, many of them reporting even better results. (Here’s proof)
Here’s the thing: there is overwhelming evidence that systems like the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit™ DO work. It’s not the system that doesn’t work, it’s YOU.
Our Marketing Coach Answers a Common Query
“How do I increase my rebooking rate?”
A Coaching Insight by Annette GomezMarketing & Sales Coach at Worldwide Salon Marketing
 Annette previously owned a medical business, and after a journey of personal growth, her mission (thanks in part to Anthony Robbins) is to teach and share her knowledge with other small business owners.
Inner Circle Members can book a 30 minute coaching call with Annette by calling (+61)8 9381 6621. |
I’m the new coach at Worldwide Salon Marketing and I am absolutely loving it. At the moment it seems that REBOOKINGS are a very big issue for lots of salon owners. Today a salon owner asked me this question:
“All the Worldwide Salon Marketing strategies are working wonderfully, and I’m getting lots of new clients. But why aren’t these clients rebooking?”
In my coaching calls I simply ask a few key questions to figure out what is going on behind the scenes! You see I am the perfect unloyal client and I rarely rebook more than once at a beauty salon and twice at a hair salon, so I can really help you address this. I can be put off by something as little (but important) as a dirty water glass, or having a stylist or therapist talk to me about something I feel is inappropriate.
These are the questions you would need to answer:
1.What are you doing to find out if your clients are happy with you?
2.How do you train and manage staff?
3.What systems do you have in place to ensure that clients are asked to rebook?
4.Why would the client re-book with you, instead of going to the salon down the road?
Depending on your answers I can then direct you to the strategies and templates you need to implement, to make it really easy to achieve your goals. For example the first thing you should do is read the chapter on ‘Rebooking’ in Selling Like Crazy, and implement the ‘Happy Form’ to get client feedback. I’ll also share real-life examples of what’s currently working for other salon owners like you.
Why do salon owners find coaching useful?
- We help you plan the steps you need to take to reach your goals
- We give you great motivation for your ‘down’ times, as I know these really can be the most important times that a coach can get you back on track
- We share marketing and sales strategies, and guide you to ready-to-use templates in the Marketing Made Easy manual and Selling Like Crazy manual.
- We critique your marketing, so you aren’t wasting money
- We analyse your results and help you increase profits
- We help you to ‘step back’ and take a better look at your business
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A post by Greg Milner The odd idea, a bit of prodding, a nudge here and there, a little fun, and the occasional dose of brutal reality. Greg is co-founder and CEO of Worldwide Salon Marketing, a writer, direct response marketing consultant, specialist marketing systems adviser and coach. He (sometimes) accepts private consulting clients. |
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