Management advice for 2011 from sean hanna
Published
07th Jan 2011
by rachael
Management expert Sean Hanna provides expert advice to make sure 2011 is your most profitable year yet. Sean is founder of the seanhanna group and regularly speaks at business seminars as a marketing expert.
Think in quarters
The New Year is a great time to deliver your yearly marketing plan. Divide the year up into four quarters, then decide where your marketing focus will be in each quarter. For example, in Q1, you may decide that your focus will be on retail, while in Q2 the focus shifts to colour.
Each quarter should have a clear message; keep it simple.
Once you have decided on your four messages, divide your marketing into four key sections: internal, external, online and display.
Involve others where necessary
It's important to have a clear strategy for the year ahead. Choose the areas that need team involvement. Discuss any special offers you might want to do with the team members and get their feedback. The more people involved in the decision-making process, the more likely it is that they will support your strategies.
Think about any involvement you might need from your manufacturers/suppliers. Adverts and PR need to be planned well in advance to maximise impact and to ensure that schedules are met.
Link marketing with education
Remember to always tie in your marketing to your salon education. So, leading up to your Colour Quarter, increase colour training, maybe launching a new technique exclusive to your salon. Also educate your team on how to discuss your promotions - it sounds obvious, but it's amazing how often we forget to link all this together.
Set a quarterly budget
If you are in control of your salon finances, set a proper budget for each quarter. This will help you plan out how and where you will spend your money.
This year will not be a walk in the park for most businesses. We will all need to be proactive in all elements of running our businesses and, trust me, the great 'marketeers' will rule this year. It's not always about spending lots of money; it's more about finding new creative and effective ways to communicate with our clients. Value will be a key word. Seducing clients with offers only really pays dividends if the client increases his/her average spend, or the volume of clients increases sufficiently to give you a net profit.