by Greg Milner | Sep 12, 2013 | The Right Mindset, The Smell of Success
A salon owner wrote to me a few weeks ago, bemoaning the fact that “I’ve run out of salon marketing ideas. Everybody’s doing package deals now, value-added offers and so on. It’s frustrating, if we all do it, there’s nothing to help the customers differentiate between us any more….”
That kind of thinking betrays a dangerously narrow view of what marketing is, and what makes a business successful.
Yep, everybody’s doing special deals. The daily deal sites, bless their black and bleeding hearts, have made an entire industry out of it. And it’s bitten a lot of businesses on the backside.
But to concentrate all your marketing focus on the next package deal, the next offer, and ignore everything else in your message is akin to expecting a perfectly baked cake when the only ingredient you’ve used is sugar.
Apple’s new iPhone – will it maintain the company’s cult status?
Let’s be clear; your offer is only the tip of your marketing iceberg. All the other ‘below the surface’ stuff is what holds it up in clear view, above the waterline. Imagine if all Apple did was build mobile phones and offered a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal. Sure, they’d sell a bunch of cheap mobile phones. Until somebody else came along with a better offer, a cheaper deal. It’s shallow, creating little more impact that a stone skipping across the surface of a lake. The ripples fan out, and just as quickly die off.
No, what Apple has done for decades is build a cult, it’s nurtured a culture, created a massive below-the-surface support structure that turns mere customers into raving, evangelical fans. The most fanatical, tub-thumping born-again Christian ought fear for his life if he gets between a gospel-preaching Apple fan and a new MacBook Air. It’s Apple’s culture, its below-the-surface iceberg, that’s allowed it to enjoy the fattest profit margins in the business. Apple charges more than any other company producing similar products. It never discounts.
(But even Apple isn’t infallible – the launch of the latest iPhone has hardly set the world on fire. Evidence that without the theatrical inspiration of it’s spiritual leader, any company can slide down to ordinary.)
So, let’s roll up our sleeves and examine for a moment what your iceberg might look like below the waterline. And there has to be a LOT of it, otherwise the tip of the ‘berg will sink.
First, what stories do you tell your clients, customers and prospects about you, about your salon, about your beliefs, successes, failures, achievements? People want to do business with real, flesh-and-blood people, not faceless entities. In your client newsletters, in your website and social media posts, do you tell stories about yourself, your family, your kids, your dog? Do you present a human face, or do you retreat self-consciously behind the front window of a pretty, stylish website and a salon facade that holds customers back behind a wall of ‘professionalism’?
Do you invite your customers into your life, or do you hold them at arm’s length?
Second, what is it about you and what you do/say/deliver that is unique, that cannot be found at a competing salon, that cannot be ignored, that is compelling, magnetic, attractive…or are you just another ‘me-too’ business, doing/saying/delivering pretty much the same as everybody else? What’s your Unique Selling Proposition (or propositions plural)?
Third, what kind of customers do you want, and what do you do to attract them? Are you trying to be all things to all people (and therefore nothing special to anybody in particular) or do you deliberately and carefully filter out the kind of people you don’t want, and only let in the kind of people you do want?
On my local TV news last night, a perfect example – a gym that deliberately makes it difficult to join. They have a long waiting list. If you don’t jump through all of their hoops, you don’t get in.
[cf]Gym[/cf]
Fourth, what interests do most of your customers have in common? Are they from a recognizable niche? Smart business owners will forensically examine their list of clients, collecting as much useful data about them as is possible to do. And then identify key factors which might give them a clue as to why certain types of people are attracted to the business – vital information that gives the business owner the ammunition to go after more of those types of people.
It’s niche marketing at its most basic.
Fifth, what intellectual capital do you have that you aren’t using? Qualifications, awards, photos of you with ‘celebrities’ (or, people who are well-known within perhaps a very narrow circle of people/professions/groups).
Trying to build a viable, profitable, in-demand business based only on the ‘tip of the iceberg’ special offers and package deals is going to give you a shallow result at best, a grass castle easily blown away by the lightest puff of breeze from a rival salon.
Spend time and energy on the basic foundations. When you do that, you won’t need special offers. People will queue up. And pay top dollar.
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[cf]cheatsheet[/cf]
by Greg Milner | May 23, 2013 | Blog, New Zealand, Salon Events
The ‘You Beauty Salon Tour’ is underway and the first date at Gloss Beauty Boutique in Matamata was a HUGE success!
The VIP night saw customers of Gloss Beauty be entertained with live music (from me), makeup demos from Rachael D’Aguiar and they had the opportunity to purchase one-night only special offers.
Click here to check out a video of the night
Gloss Beauty took in over $3500 sales for the night, and we raised around $500 for Look Good Feel Better women’s cancer charity. A great result all round!
And to add to that the event got some great FREE media coverage for Gloss Beauty in the regional paper the Waikato Times and also a more local paper called the Matamata Chronicle….Priceless!
Click this link to the Waikato Times article
And if that wasn’t enough, at least half a dozen customers of Gloss Beauty gave a glowing video testimonial, all raving about how amazing the salon is!!! Check out some of them below…
Gloss Beauty Testimonial 1
Gloss Beauty Testimonial 2
Gloss Beauty Testimonial 3
The You Beauty Salon Tour is about to get rolling again with dates this week in Auckland and Tauranga so be sure to check back later in the week for an update.
Or follow the Tour on Facebook or Twitter (links below)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/chrissandersmusic/
https://twitter.com/@salonapps
And if you want to be involved and help raise some money for Look Good Feel Better then simply download my debut EP from iTunes with all proceeds going to Look Good Feel Better throughout May.
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/home-away-from-home-ep/id274794920
Auckland and Tauranga here we come!
by Greg Milner | Apr 26, 2013 | Australia, New Zealand
Stadiums, town halls, pubs. They’re your traditional music venues. But salons?
Well, for NZ singer-songwriter Chris Sanders, he is about to embark on what could be called the world’s most unique music tour ever. A tour of salons, and it’s all in the name of a good cause, women’s cancer support network ‘Look Good, Feel Better’.
The Six date ‘You Beauty Salon Tour’ starting on May 17, will see Chris perform songs from his debut EP ‘Home Away From Home’ and material from his new album to be released later in 2013.
A veteran of over 1600 gigs, Chris (35) who has supported artists like Tim Finn, Dave Dobbyn and Anika Moa, will be donating ALL sales from his EP through iTunes to ‘Look Good, Feel Better’ throughout May.
Download this music and help it rank in the digital music charts and really raise awareness for these women who are living with cancer.
You can click here now to download songs from the EP ‘Home Away From Home’ with all money going to Look Good, Feel Better or click on the image below
All Sales of Chris’ EP ‘Home Away From Home’ will be donated to Look Good Feel Better, from now until May 31st 2013
With his other hat on, he is known within the salon business community as a ‘salon saviour’, having helped hundreds of salons from going out of business. Think Tabatha, minus the swearing…
“It made sense for me to combine my musical gift and connection with the salon industry, to help an organisation that supports women with cancer restore and enhance their appearance before and after treatment” says Chris. “And as a former salon owner, I saw first hand how a good doll up can help the self esteem and confidence of our clients who were battling cancer.”
In addition to Chris donating all his iTunes sales, each salon on the tour is running an Exclusive Customer VIP night with fund raising activities, hair and beauty demos, special one night only offers and giveaways.
And Salon Finder iPhone & iPad app will also be donating 10c from every download of its FREE app throughout May as well.
Since 1992 Look Good Feel Better has run beauty workshops for New Zealand women to help them cope with the physical side effects of cancer treatment, such as drying flaking skin, hair loss and pigmentation changes, and will help more than 3000 women in 2013.
“We are incredibly excited to be a part of this very unique salon music tour and we really encourage people to download Chris’ music and attend one of the ‘You Beauty Tour’ events to help build awareness of our cause” says Look Good, Feel Better General Manager Yvonne Brownlie. “It means more women will find out about the support that is available to them or a friend who is dealing with cancer”.
Click here to download the EP ‘Home Away From Home’ NOW with ALL sales going to Look Good Feel Better
Or scan the QR code below to download now
TOUR DATES:
May 17 – Gloss Beauty Boutique, Matamata
May 23 – DeFontein (Ladies Night), Mission Bay, Auckland
May 24 – Vital Results Skin & Body, Tauranga
May 25 – Depost (Ladies Night), Mt Eden, Auckland
May 29 – Face & Body, Titirangi, Auckland
May 31 – Body Divine, Kerikeri
Follow the tour on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/chrissandersmusic/
Or on Twitter www.twitter.com/@salonapps
For more information contact Chris Sanders on +64 9 476 1592 or email chris@worldwidesalonmarketing.com
by Greg Milner | Mar 20, 2013 | Featured, The Smell of Success
New Survey Reveals the Shocking Cost of ‘No-Shows’
Hair & Beauty salons are losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year because of no-shows, and the lack of deposit-taking policies for fear of upsetting clients.
In a new survey conducted by Worldwide Salon Marketing, the vast majority of 130 salon owners questioned revealed they had no policy of taking deposits to secure appointments, and even it they did have a cancellation policy in place, it lacked ‘teeth’.
Telling figures that show most salons are letting clients get away with murder
According to WSM founder & CEO Greg Milner, the results are a wake-up call to the industry. “If salons want to be taken seriously by their clients and stop hemorrhaging money, they have to take the lead from industries like travel, hospitality and entertainment, which simply refuse to take bookings without payment,” he says. “Customers accept those policies completely. Try booking a concert ticket and telling them you’ll pay when you get there. It just doesn’t happen.”
The survey of 125 salons reveals
- 88% do not take deposits.
- The average annual loss through no-shows is a whopping $10,000 per salon, with one salon reporting a staggering $52,000 – even though fully 80% of salons claimed they sent appointment reminders by text message.
- Extrapolated across Australia’s approx. 25,000 hair & beauty businesses, the losses represent $250 million annually.
- Of the 12% of salons who insist on deposits for appointments, the average annual losses dropped to less than $2,000
- Asked ‘How many times must a client ‘no-show’ before you no longer take bookings from them?’, 31.5% said three times, while another 32% said “I always let them book another appointment because I’m too scared to lose the potential business.”
It appears the industry is beset by fear. According to one respondent,
“We do have a cancellation policy, but rarely enforce payment, as so few other beauty clinics do so. Clients will not come back.”
And this from a salon in Melbourne:
“I would like to put a cancellation thing in place but I don’t have credit card facility nor any way of safely storing peoples numbers. And yip I am scared of scaring people away.”
But that fear appears largely unfounded. Said another salon owner,
“We started taking credit cards or a cash deposit on February 1st this year, for the first time. It works a charm, no more no shows, the clients now know we’re serious.”
The survey shows that among those salons which insist on deposits or pre-payments, the rate of no-shows drops dramatically across the board. “It also positions the salon as a business to be respected,” says Mr Milner. “It’s just plain rude to book a one or two-hour appointment and simply not turn up. You wouldn’t dare do that to your doctor or dentist because you respect them too much. It’s about time hair & beauty professionals swallowed a small teaspoon of cement, and hardened up,” he said.
Those who have ‘hardened up’ and imposed a strict cancellation policy backed up with deposits report dramatically-improved results.
“We’ve had a 100% Cancellation Policy in place for almost 6 years. It has virtually eliminated no-shows and forces clients to respect our business. EVERYONE in this industry should do the same – it will educate clients that they are visiting professionals whose time is valuable,”
says a Sydney salon owner. And a West Australian salon owner agrees, with impeccable logic:
“It should become common practice in all salons to take deposits, like the hotel and holiday industry, people will just accept it as common practice. Nothing is gained from those who are scared, and just end up hurting the industry with their fear. Even Spreets and other common daily deal sites do it, so why not the salon itself?”
Here’s how veteran WSM member Marnie Kallmeyer describes her deposit-taking and cancellation policy:
[cf]Marnie[/cf]
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Join the Lite program FREE for the first 14 days – and you’ll get to download this letter as a Bonus Gift worth $297 – but priceless when you consider how much no-shows are already costing your business every year!
by Greg Milner | Mar 11, 2013 | Blog, New Zealand
Would you like to hold a hugely successful VIP night in your Salon?
Would you like to be part of one of the most unique Salon Events ever?
How would you like free media and publicity that you simply couldn’t pay for, let alone afford?
How would you like a salon FULL of happy customers and a till bursting with sales?
And how would you like ALL the marketing of this event designed and done-for-you?
It seems some salons are struggling to excite and attract new customers. In a world where most of your clients spend time on social media how do you ‘sell’ to them if all they want to do is be social? After long thought and brainstorming we realized that the trick is to get other people talking about you. LOTS of them! In this day and age PR (Public Relations) has just as much place in a small business as does traditional marketing.
So I came up with an idea…
The month of May just happens to be ‘NZ Music Month’ the time when we celebrate everything kiwi about music. So here’s my idea to get some good publicity for your salon.
You may or may not know that in my ‘other life’ outside of being director of Worldwide Salon Marketing I am a professional musician. I have played in excess of 1600 performances throughout NZ and have supported some NZ greats like Tim Finn (Crowded House), Dave Dobbyn, Anika Moa, Evermore and even had a single released on a NZ on Air Hit Disc with the likes of Neil Finn and the Top Twins!
But you don’t have to take my word for it, here’s what long time WSM member Lisa Van Dyk of Gloss Beauty Boutique in Matamata had to say… “What a great and fun idea to help salons get some positive publicity. Chris is a truly great performer, has an amazing voice and very talented on the guitar – in fact I got him to play at one of my events in the past, the crowd just loved him. When he told me about the salon tour I immediately said, book me in!!!”
So, in May I will embark on what some may call the MOST unique music tour ever!
And I’d like your salon to be part of that. A venue, no less!
The uniqueness of such an event – a ‘Salon Tour’ with a musician turned mentor and actress turned staff coach (yes, Rachael has another life too…) would in itself draw media attention. And the local/national media are screaming out for stories like this!
The event will be run as a VIP night (or day) in your salon and here’s what you will get:
- 45 min – 1hr acoustic set from Chris Sanders. The music will be a mixture or NZ classic songs and some of my own originals (non invasive easy listening music).
- Your choice of 45 minute makeup demo, 30 minute hair-up demo or 30 minute ‘Advances in Anti-aging’ presentation from re-knowned industry guru Rachael D’Aguiar (If you stock a makeup range then Rachael can use this range and help you make sales).
- We will also assist to MC the night.
To book or find out more details simply call us NOW on 0800 029 668 or email chris@worldwidesalonmarketing.com
You’ll get designed and written for you VIP night invites, tickets, mailer campaigns, posters, email campaigns, PR and media releases to local and national media and potentially (we hope) radio/TV interviews. What’s more we will create a video diary/documentary to be released after the tour and give your salon even more coverage!
And we will help you develop packages that you can sell on the night to make lots of money too!!!
If you are interested in being involved with the most unique tour ever then there are 2 package options available:
Package 1:
Includes performance from Chris Sanders, your choice of demo from Rachael D’Aguiar and assistance with MC at the event.
Investment: Base fee of $450 + gst
Ticket Fee: $30 per person ($15 to Us, $15 to your salon).
Package 2:
Includes performance from Chris Sanders and assistance with MC at the event.
Investment: Base fee of $300 + gst
Ticket Fee: $30 per person ($15 to Us, $15 to your salon).
To book or find out more details simply call us NOW on 0800 029 668 or email chris@worldwidesalonmarketing.com
This is a fantastic opportunity for you to not only get some publicity for your salon, but also to make some money through sales of packages and products at the VIP event, get some help from industry experts AND let your hair down a bit too!
AND AS A SPECIAL BONUS you will get a 1 hour one-on-one training session the next day from either myself or Rachael (marketing or staff coaching, your choice) to help you maximise the success from your event.
If you are interested then get back to us quickly to discuss dates. We have already booked in some dates with salons so would hate for you to miss out – we are only offering maximum 15 dates throughout May.
Here is a Calendar of when we will be in your area and what is still available.
May 1: Auckland (Opening Night Venue TBC)
May 2: Gloss Beauty Boutique, Matamata (BOOKED)
May 3-4: Tauranga & Bay of Plenty (Still available)
May 8-11: Central North Island, Hawkes Bay & Taranaki (Still available)
May 15-18: Wellington & Nelson (Still available)
May 22-25: Christchurch, Dunedin and Otago (Still available)
May 28-29: Auckland (Still available)
May 30: Xpertise Hairdressers, Kaikohe (BOOKED)
May 31: Body Divine, Kerikeri (Closing Night BOOKED!)
To book or find out more details simply call us NOW on 0800 029 668 or email chris@worldwidesalonmarketing.com
Looking forward to holding a a hugely successful VIP night in your salon soon!
Regards
Chris Sanders
09 476 1592
0800 029 668
