Kick start your salon business
Alan Austin-Smith is founder of the Fantastic Hairdresser Academy in West London and his aim is to make all salons fantastic places to be.
He wants 2010 to be the year all hairdressers take action to and deliver the ultimate service.
Be fantastic - deliver more!
With consumer confidence set to return, 2010 is sure to be a critical year. But remember that even if clients are ready to visit the salon more frequently, their expectations will be very different so you'll need to deliver more for their money. Consumers have realised how much things are costing them and decided it's not how much they pay for something that counts, but what they get in return. What was once special will have become the norm, so delivering the expected or even going a little further will no longer cut it.
Be in touch
In order to be ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that 2010 may bring, it's essential to be in touch with your clients. Do you know what they really want? Use feedback forms and old-fashioned conversation to find out what they like about what you offer and what would encourage them to stay and make them spend more money with you.
One of the reasons the economy crumbled is because people lost touch with reality, so get your finger back on the pulse, network within your community, be creative with your marketing, learn how to excite your clients and you'll set your salon on the path to success.
Be an investor - train your team
Meeting higher client expectations means having a fully-trained team ready to take on new challenges. Take time to assess what training they need to make them consistently fantastic. If you want your manager to delegate more, train them how to delegate. If you yearn for your team to deliver better customer service, book them onto a customer service seminar. Although investing time and money on education may seem challenging, it's essential in order to emerge from the recession stronger than ever.
Be obsessed with excellence
Whether 2010 marks the start of a slow recovery, or signals a sudden boom in consumer confidence, how you lead your team will be critical. It is the nature of any organisation that the passion reduces throughout the hierarchy of the team. If you are obsessed with delighting your clients and making sure the experience they receive wows them every time, your senior team will understand that it's critical and the rest of the team will know it's important.
So to help your business thrive this year and make an impact, be obsessive about delivering a fantastic experience and your message will remain more potent at every level.
Be happy
With bad news dominating the TV, radio and national newspapers in 2009, it was incredibly easy to get drawn down by it all. So if you want to give your business a head start this year, try to stay positive. If you allow yourself to get sucked into the doom and gloom, this negativity will affect the mood of your team and your clients. However, if you stay positive by focusing on what you can change and have an impact on and accept the factors that are different, you'll have a stronger chance of your business being in good shape in 2010 and beyond.
More salon management advice from Alan Austin-Smith
- How to be a great boss
- Join the hairdressing revolution
- Marrying the business and creative side of the salon
Visit the Fantastic Hairdresser website for more information about upcoming courses, talks and seminars at the new Fantastic Hairdresser Academy.