Creating the right environment for colour clients
Creating an environment your clients actually want to spend time in is a crucial part of running a successful hair colour business.
Uncomfortable chairs, no air-conditioning, bad coffee and dead plants in the window hardly make for a calm, luxurious environment.
Amanda Dicker from award-winning group The Chapel, which has salons in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and Islington, London, agrees that this is crucial. "These days we don't just offer colour, our guests want more. You either choose to compete on price or on quality of service and experience.
"Be different from your competitors and you will stand out from the crowd.
"If you give the right experience your customers will pay more and you won't have to discount. Creating the right environment and atmosphere is crucial," she says.
Amanda Dicker gives her top tips on creating a salon environment clients will happily spend time in....
- Change the environment seasonally - even if it's just the colour of the cushions - to create a new experience each time clients come in.
- Talk about the next season and take clients on a journey to the next appointment.
- Make the whole team aware of what is coming up each day and focus on giving new clients the best possible experience.
- Create a special area for colour processing where clients can sit back and relax.
- Surround your customer with new and up-to-date images, products and mood boards your team has created.
- Offer refreshments that are different depending on the time of day and change the menus to keep it fresh.
- Sit down and listen to your clients.
- Use tools and language your clients understand. Don't baffle them with technical terms.
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