Offering beauty services in the hair salon

In these difficult financial times, every savvy hair salon owner is looking for ways to maximise client spend and encourage clients to linger longer and return sooner.

A perfect add on to your repertoire are beauty services that offer cash-rich, time-poor clients the opportunity to incorporate a manicure during the colour development process, or take a make-up masterclass after a re-style or seasonal colour change.

And it's become big business. Today more than 40% of UK salons provide beauty treatments and the hair, beauty, nails and spa industries are collectively worth more than £4.8bn a year.

So what can you do to get in on the act? Experts in the field give their advice on adding services from make-up to botox...

Make make-up work - Linda Evans, cosmetics director for TIGI

• Linking advice on make-up with new haircuts and colours makes retailing a very easy and realistic proposition and gives clients information on improving their image and creating a total look.



• Another good way to sell make-up is to get your staff wearing it. If every woman is wearing a different colour eye pencil, clients will immediately notice the effect and it's a surefire way to increase sales.



• From touch-ups to complete wedding packages, to 'girls' nights out,' make-up makes an ideal promotional tool that can increase your business.



• Selling make-up should be viewed as a direct and indirect way to increase profits. Obviously direct sales will give you profit, but indirectly, selling and advising on make-up increases your professionalism and customer service and this can have a positive knock-on effect on your business as a whole.

Gain a profit injection from injectables - Phillip Davies, Director of Collagenics East London and Essex Ltd

• These types of treatments are primarily anti-ageing so target the correct audience, the 35-55 year age group.



• Source a recognised company that has experience in this specific area and whose medical practitioners understand the specific needs of these clients, which enables all communication to be undertaken by them and you, the salon.



• Ensure you work with a reputable company that has all the necessary training and insurances in place.



• Only take on the treatments if you fully believe in them and feel confident in recommending them to your clients.



• Consider hosting a client event to introduce the new treatments - everyone loves to watch the 'before' and 'after' results on the television shows, so a live salon event is even better.

Unlock the secret of soaring skincare sales - Angela Joseph, sales training manager for Dermalogica

• Avoid using an exclusive product - the reason it's exclusive is because not many people know or recognise the brand. Instead go for a well-known professional skincare brand that is on everyone's lips because consumers will be visiting your business asking for the product and you will not only sell to them, but possibly turn them into a skin treatment client. 



• Ensure the skincare brand you choose has the same image and philosophy as your business. If it's a holistic or organic brand then be prepared to target a small percentage of your market. Is that what you really want?



• How much priority is given to education? Are there classes in skin treatments, body treatments and business? Are these classes free or is there a cost involved? Can you send your skin therapist on as many classes as necessary or do you just get basic training? Do they offer training for other members of staff on retailing for example front desk/ nail technicians? Are their training centres local to your area?



• Check how much business support is offered. You should ideally receive a visit from a business consultant, whose job solely is to help you grow your business, every eight weeks. Does the company have an online booking system for classes, and an online ordering system to help you order products 24/7?



• Use your existing client database - you already have the perfect target audience. Ensure every hair client receives a complimentary skin analysis and samples to try. File these details so when the client returns you can find out whether they like the product - if they do, you have a sale.