Author: Team Play Academy

As a Salon Business owner, you know just how important it is to develop a solid client base. But it’s not always easy, especially if you are just starting out. To make the most out of your business and be fully booked, you need to assess your salon business and see where you can improve.

Here are a few common mistakes that might prevent you from becoming a highly successful salon business:

Not getting repeat business

It’s no secret that any esthetician needs repeat business in order to be successful and increase your profits. Be sure to collect your clients’ contact information like name, email, and phone number. Follow up with them, reminding them to stock up on their products and even send out specials that you might have. Always stay connected with your clients.

Avoiding new techniques

Everything constantly changes and improves, especially in this industry. This is why you should be open to new techniques, methods, and products. You need to not only keep up with latest advancements, but also stay on top of your clients’ ever-changing needs. Always being a leader when it comes to new techniques will help you to become a booked solid esthetician.

Not creating a demand

In any business, you need to create a demand for your products or services. Focus on one specific service that you excel at, attracting loyal clients and providing great value for your customers. As you will be providing a solution for a specific problem, you will help to grow a loyal customer base for your business and quickly fill up your appointments.

Not marketing yourself enough

Know what sets you apart as a successful esthetician and continually work to market yourself and your business. Although you have printed brochures or flyers, this might not bring in new clients soon enough. So get creative and create your own opportunities.

Overlooking your competitors

This industry is very competitive and you can use all the help you can get. Keeping an eye on your competition is essential. Find out what other successful estheticians are doing and how they are approaching their business and their marketing techniques.

If you’ve been dreaming of starting your own salon business, don’t forget to use these tips! You could also join Play Academy for professional training and get your new career rolling!

With today’s growing salon industry, owning a successful salon business has helped many salon professionals achieve financial independence. But the road to salon success has considerably changed. Yesterday’s salon owner strived to make a good living and today’s salon owner aims to build real value. To achieve the kind of success that is available in today’s thriving and ever-changing salon industry, salon owners have to master these new set of rules.

Carry exclusive products

Let’s face it. There are atleast 10 salon within few miles of your salon that offer beauty products. The only way to stand out is to offer a truly salon-exclusive line of products that are only available to licensed professionals.

Make Marketing a central part of your plan

To many salon owners, marketing means advertising. Avoid this mistake. Promote your salon with creative ideas to attract new clients. For Example: Host a “Bring a Friend” night, have a referral program in your salon, provide employee discount programs for large local employers, or appear as a guest speaker on a local radio talk show.

Identify your niche

To successfully advertise your salon business, you must develop USP’s (Unique Selling Propositions). In other words, you must have something different to offer. Otherwise, your salon is going to look like all of the others no matter how attractive your ad is. Most experts say that unless you have a highly specialized or differentiated offering, you are better off not advertising at all. By targeting your advertising budget specifically to your niche audience, you will spend less money and get many more clients from your advertising budget!

Develop long-term relationships with your clients

Today’s consumers want to feel a connection with the products and services they use. Rather than providing your client with a short service that enhances their beauty until their next visit, develop a program of care. Begin with the service first and then have them maintain and enhance it by the use of products, followed up by return visits to your chair. This is exactly the sort of expert advice and consultation that the modern salon client is yearning for. Providing them with invaluable service will help you develop a meaningful relationship with them.

Focus on cultivating an ethos

The most efficient way to build affinity with clients is to develop a strong ethos (a set of salon values, goals, culture, and mission) which your target audience is likely to share. Take some time and assess your target clientele values and build your salon’s culture around those to ensure client affinity and long-lasting loyalty.

To have a successful salon business, you need to have loyal clients who receive real value from your services and feel an affinity to your brand and ethos.

There is nothing more satisfying than being your own boss, choosing your own hours and place of work. You can work around other commitments such as childcare and you can choose exactly which treatments you wish to offer and which products you want to use. So, what do you need to do to be successful in starting your own beauty business? Follow our simple guide and reap the benefits of setting up your own business!

Research

First you need to research thoroughly to ensure your business plan is sound. You need to decide which treatments you would like to offer, research on the competition around you, decide if you would like to rent or own a place to run your beauty business. You will also have to research on local authority requirements in your chosen area like a license to practice.

Planning

First, you will need to come up with a company name for your beauty business. This is your chance to stand out, separate you from the competition and will become your branding over time. Secondly, you will need to decide who you are aiming your business at – are you going to offer treatments to just women or to both genders? Are your services suited to a particular type of clientele such as massage treatments or brides to be as with a make up artist? Thirdly, you will need to prepare a realistic budget allowing for the cost of setting up your business.

Marketing

Beyond having a solid business plan and budget, you will also need to consider the costs of advertising and marketing your business which will most likely be at their highest cost at launch. You will need to plan the launch of your business and produce suitable marketing materials or create an online presence to promote your services. A good website and an informative Facebook Page are essential for your business. You can place your price list, latest offers, examples of your work, contact details and also use this to help build a local customer base. Social media also allows you to gather customer reviews and let clients share your page with their friends giving your free advertising and publicity.

Running your own beauty business is hard work and requires constant dedication, however it can have many benefits including the pride of seeing your business grow and the uncapped earnings potential!

Getting ready for your first salon clients has everything to do with preparing yourself and making your clients feel cared for, happy, and confident in you. When you are not fully prepared to work on a client, there is a very real risk that you will lose any future business from them.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to handle your first salon clients

Don’t keep your clients waiting

Five minutes here or there usually will not hurt you, but making your client wait 15 minutes or more will. Your time is not more precious than your client’s.

Show full interest in your clients

Your clients are rarely just coming in for the service or beauty treatment you provide–they want to leave feeling special. When you do not talk to them, when you don’t ask questions, they feel like you don’t care about them, and they don’t feel special.

Please don’t smell

If you have bad breath, haven’t bathed, or wear too much perfume, your clients may not come back. The number one smell complaint: smoke. Smokers, you don’t need us to tell you that it is best if you quit, but if you choose to smoke, figure out how to avoid smelling like you do.

Clean up your station and treatment rooms

Unclean and unsanitary go hand in hand. Listen, how you keep your home is up to you, but in the beauty industry, your workspace needs to be spotless and pristine. This is so important, especially when in beauty school where everyone is watching.

Don’t eat in front of your clients

No one wants to see you eat where you work. It leans toward the previous two points—smells and sanitation.

Don’t gossip or talk politics and religion

Just don’t do it! If your client brings up any of these, avoid engaging in the conversation—they’re really just saying it to hear themselves speak anyway. Nod your head, shrug your shoulders, but do not go there because it will usually come back to bite you. If you start a conversation with any of these topics, just know that you may be alienating or offending your client without even knowing it. These topics are potential landmines, so stay away.

Mind your language

Okay, you may talk like a drunken sailor among your friends, but just don’t do it at school or work, and especially not in front of your clients. This is a really dumb thing to lose clients over. This includes politically incorrect comments, racist comments, and so on.

Do not argue or be hostile

Not with your boss (instructor), not with your co-workers (classmates), and certainly not with your clients. Watching you fight or argue with others will cause your clients to wonder about the type of person you are. We promise they will take their business elsewhere.

No talking on your phone/texting

If you are on your phone, you are not focused on your client. They want you to be focused on them.

And finally…

Be professional

Do not show up for work or school under the influence of anything. Not only is this a legal liability issue, but if your client senses it, you’re done. Period. If you have an addiction, get some help. Nothing will derail your professional career quite like addiction issues.