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In Part 1 of this article, we talked about WHY you should upgrade your skills. Now let’s look at HOW. First we’ll offer tips for salon owners, then for independent stylists. Finally, we’ll toss out some thoughts on learning style and recommend resources. We hope there’s something here to inspire you. If you’re a […] The post How to upgrade your skills as a hairstylist or salon owner appeared first on The Parlour by...
In Part 1 of this article, we talked about WHY you should upgrade your skills. Now let’s look at HOW.
First we’ll offer tips for salon owners, then for independent stylists. Finally, we’ll toss out some thoughts on learning style and recommend resources.
We hope there’s something here to inspire you.
In a nutshell: Continuing education will increase the relevance of your salon.
If you’re commision-based and you pay for continuing education, you’ll find it easier to attract quality staff. How about requiring stylists to attend a certain number of upgrading classes each year? For example, you could offer four classes a year and require each stylist to attend at least three.
If you’re renting chairs, you’ll find it easier to promote your salon when your staff is up to date with current techniques and products.
Whatever your profit model, if you make education easy and enjoyable, you’ll increase staff skill, enthusiasm, and participation.
Plan for success by asking your staff what — and when — they want to learn.
If they’re interested in a technique or skill, they’ll learn a lot more.
And if you work within their scheduling needs, they’ll be more likely to show up. (For example, twenty-something hipsters will have different availability than, say, parents of small children.)
Both commision-based and chair-renting stylists will find great opportunities for education outside the salon too. As a bonus, this can be a fun bonding experience.
Why not put together a team trip to a hair show? Stay in a hotel, go to the show, and leave time for hanging out together in a new city.
Make a point of attending more trade shows. Most shows offer a wide range of educational forums and seminars for both commission and chair-renting stylists.
Find out what’s happening in your city. Other salons might be hosting and organizing courses with local or visiting educators — a great way to build skills and meet other local professionals.
If you’re not sure what’s out there, get in touch with your local beauty association and ask for information about courses in your area.
Attending product education workshops is just as important as growing your skills. After all, how can you sell a retail line to clients if you don’t know how the products work?
Contact your product wholesalers and reps to find a local class or arrange one for your salon. Most product manufacturers have excellent educators who can come in and teach your team about how to best use and present their products. Some will even teach salon business skills. They may also have online tools and education apps you can use on your own.
Think about any services that make you nervous, like bridal up-do’s or colour corrections. Try taking classes to improve these very skills, so you can replace cringing and avoidance with confidence.
If your salon doesn’t host classes, talk to the owner or manager and offer to help organize the kinds of training you’d like to attend.
What’s your learning style? Knowing how you like to learn can make the difference between avoiding education and using it as rocket fuel to grow your skills and income.
Are you more introverted? Do you hate being put on the spot? You might prefer the privacy of learning from an online video or finding a more experienced stylist who will mentor you.
Or maybe you need the energy and motivation of group learning, where you can have a laugh together and support each other as you experiment with new skills.
Set yourself up for success by knowing your learning style and finding where you thrive.
Where can stylists go to learn the latest skills for little or no cost? Yup, YouTube.
Many pro stylists, brand reps, and educators share terrific content that’s free to watch at your leisure. (Though, do beware of those few less-than-skilled practitioners you should steer clear of.)
Here are some Youtube channels we love to watch:
What if an experienced professional could help you identify your salon’s specific education needs? That’s exactly what a good salon coach or consultant can do for you. Though expensive, this can be a smart business investment.
You can hire a consultant to do a complete review of your salon or to help with a specific area, like increasing retail sales, average per-client sale value, customer retention, or whatever you need.
Check out our previous article 28 Salon Business Gurus Share their Top 3 Salon Books!
Here are some of our favourites (in no particular order):
GROW, GROW 2 Management and GROW 3, Team – Anthony Whitaker
The E Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber
No Compromise Leadership: A Higher Standard of Leadership Thinking & Behavior – Neil Ducoff
Secret Service – John Dijulius
Spin Selling – Neil Rackham
The Fantastic Hairdresser – Alan Austin-Smith
Hairdresser’s Guide to Success – Jon Gonzales
Developing Your Skills – Jon Gonzales
Grinding It Out – Ray Kroc
Kick Start Your Business: 100 Days to a Leaner, Fitter Organization – Robert Craven
The NO COMPLAINING Rule – Jon Gordon
3 ½ Secrets to Salon Success – Pam Stellema
33 Proven Strategies to Make More Money in Your Salon…Right Now– Pam Stellema
The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
The Go Giver – Bob Burg and John David Mann
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect – John C Maxwell
Now Discover Your Strengths – Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 – Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
Making the Cut: The 2015 Marketing Calendar for Independent Beauty Pros, Salons and Spas – Elizabeth Kraus
A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
Cutting Hair the Vidal Sassoon Way, Revised Edition – Vidal Sassoon
Whale Done – Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D
Be Our Guest – Tom Peters & Bob Waterman
The New Psy-cosmetologist – Donald W. Scoleri & Dr Lewis E. Losoncy
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R.Covey
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Good To Great – Jim Collins
SalonOvations: The Multicultural Client: Cuts, Styles and Chemical Services (Milady Salon Orations) – Victoria Wurdinger
Vidal: The Autobiography – Vidal Sassoon
A Little Off The Top – Michael Cole
Minding Your Own Business – Judiffier P. Pearson
Six Keys To Six Figure Hairstyling – Kate Hall and Chris Hall
The Great Game of Business – Jack Stack
Leadership and Self-Deception – Arbinger Institute
Start with Why – Simon Sinek
The Art of Hair Colouring – David Adams and Jacki Wadeson
Hairdressing: The Foundations – Leo Paladino and Martin Green
The Salon & the ‘S’ Word: Success – Michael Vallance
37 Questions Everyone in Business Needs To Answer – Duncan Bannatyne
Why We Buy – Paco Underhill
1001 Ways To Reward Employees – Bob Nelson
The Fantastic Hairdresser – Alan Austin-Smith
Over The Top – Michael and Mary Cole
Business Essentials – Salon Resource Group
How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
BUYOLOGY: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy – Martin Lindstrom
Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Earlier Than You Ever Thought – Brian Tracey
The Disney Way, Revised Edition: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company – Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
Graceful – Seth Godin
30 Days to Beauty Business Success – Liz McKeon
Finding Your Own North Star– Martha Beck
The Naked Salon: A Guide to Time, Team and Money – Lisa Conway
Purple Cow – Seth Godin
Tribes – Seth Godin
Good To Great – Jim Collins
Now, Discover Your Strengths – Markus Buckingham
Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play – Mahan Khalsa
The post How to upgrade your skills as a hairstylist or salon owner appeared first on The Parlour by salonMonster.
You’ve completed your training and/or apprenticeship and set yourself up as a working hairstylist. Why bother with continuing education? Why not just hit cruise control and rely on the skills you already have? Well, we’re here to tell you about 3 big payoffs to upgrading your skills — payoffs that go way beyond learning new […] The post 3 big reasons WHY you should upgrade your knowledge and skills appeared first on The Parlour by...
You’ve completed your training and/or apprenticeship and set yourself up as a working hairstylist.
Why bother with continuing education?
Why not just hit cruise control and rely on the skills you already have?
Well, we’re here to tell you about 3 big payoffs to upgrading your skills — payoffs that go way beyond learning new techniques.
When you expand your skills through education:
Let’s look at how each of these works, and how they reinforce each other.
One stylist we know told us she found doing Balayage to be nerve-racking and not very satisfying. “It’s just not my thing,” she said. “I’ll leave it to the other stylists in my salon.” And leave them with the higher earnings that come with this advanced process.
But then a Balayage class was offered in her salon and she took it. And guess what happened? The next time a client requested this technique, she experienced a triple win: not only was she less stressed so she could enjoy the process, her client was thrilled with the results, and she made more money doing a high-end chemical service.
It’s hard to be fully present with a client when you’re stressing over using an advanced technique or a new colour line. And it’s easy to decide you don’t like it when you feel unsure of what you’re doing.
But here’s the thing: nobody knows what they’re doing when they first try something new.
When you get solid instruction in a new skill, either in person or online, your mental state changes. You’re now less distracted by that inner critic whispering that you don’t really know what you’re doing, other stylists are doing it better, and so on.
Upgrading your skills helps you build your confidence and set you up for success by:
The more you learn, the more your competence grows. By spending time with experts in person or online, you hone your chops, and that makes you feel more confident about what you’re offering clients.
Now you can put your new knowledge into action without worrying about whether you’re doing it right. You’re more relaxed so you can focus on your clients instead of your anxiety.
Clients sense your greater confidence. This has a snowball effect. They recommend you more, and more new clients come your way.
And here’s the icing on the cake: the more confidence you gain, the more you relax and have fun doing what you do every day!
You’re working in an industry that’s constantly moving. Fashions change quickly. Don’t get left behind.
By staying up to date on new styles, products, equipment, and techniques, you can expand your range of clients.
Not only can you attract clients looking for the latest trends, you’ll also boost your value with more conservative clients. They’ll sense your greater expertise and relevance, and might trust you with giving their classic look a more contemporary vibe.
When you keep your technical skills current, your clients learn to rely on you for new ideas and inspiration. Your status as style expert grows. You can truly serve your clients, connecting them with what’s happening today and how current trends might be relevant to them.
There are the two broad areas where continuing education helps you increase your income: product sales and valuing your services.
Product sales — The more you know about the products you sell, the easier it is to sell them. In fact, you can reframe the very concept of selling by thinking of it as education. (link to our other article)
Your clients want reliable information about hair care. Learning more about your product lines means you can pass that information along. By taking advantage of product education, you become their go-to hair-care expert.
Clients are grateful that you’ve simplified their grooming routine and you’re earning more money in sales. Win-win.
Increasing your value — When you expand your skills through education, your services become more valuable. This gives you more confidence in what you offer and makes it easier for you to rationalize price increases.
And the more you increase your prices, the more valuable your services appear! Win-win, and win.
The post 3 big reasons WHY you should upgrade your knowledge and skills appeared first on The Parlour by salonMonster.
“You may not always have a lot of control over how busy you will be today, but you have total control over how busy you will be in the future!” —Antony Whitaker, Grow It’s not magic, it’s not even hard. The most effective way to increase your income (besides being an amazing stylist) is to […] The post Prebook to make $15,000 more a year — with the clients you already have! appeared first on The Parlour by...
“You may not always have a lot of control over how busy you will be today, but you have total control over how busy you will be in the future!”
—Antony Whitaker, Grow
Seriously, it’s that easy.
And prebooking is a win-win because, at the same time that it ups your earnings, it’s also making your clients’ lives easier.
By booking clients in for their next service at the end of their appointment, you’re helping them maintain the look they love — the look you created — so they can have great hair every day.
And they’ll never again have to put “make a hair appointment” on their to-do list.
Done, dusted, and blowdried to perfection.
We know, prebooking doesn’t sound sexy. But it’s the fastest way to increase your earnings with no extra work.
Your dentist probably prebooks your next check-up before you leave their office.
And most successful stylists prebook their clients, pretty much guaranteeing that their books will be filled six weeks or more in advance. Super stylists rebook around 80% of their clients. Aim for your salon to rebook at least 60% of your clients at a minimum.
Let’s review: prebooking not only increases your income, it makes both hair care and scheduling easier for your clients.
Kind of a no-brainer, right? Yet, many stylists, especially beginners, aren’t doing it.
If you’re not prebooking, what are you giving up?
Clients want what they want when they want it.
To look their best, clients generally need a haircut every 6 weeks. But many clients will let that 6 weeks slip by and then suddenly realize, oh no, I need to get my hair done!
But then most clients get distracted and wait another week before booking.
Now we’re at week 7 and they discover that you’re booked at their preferred times, bringing us up to 8 weeks.
So, what happens next? Well, usually one (or a combination) of these three things:
The numbers don’t lie: prebooking makes you more money without having to find a single new client. Here’s how it works.
Let’s say a client named Angela likes to come in every 6 weeks for her cut and colour. This adds up to about 8½ services each year.
If Angela ends up coming in every every 8 weeks because you don’t prebook her, she will only come in for 6½ services a year.
Uh-oh, that’s 2 lost appointments.
If she is paying you $100 per service, you just left $200 on the table because you didn’t prebook.
If you do prebook Angela to make sure she comes in every 6 weeks, that extra $200 is yours.
Now, let’s say you have a client list of 75 clients. Multiply that $200 by 75, and you get an extra $15,000 per year — like magic!
Oh, except it’s not magic, it’s just the numbers. You’ve increased your income by a whopping 33% without adding a single new client to your roster!
If you avoid prebooking because it feels too pushy or “salesy,” you’re not alone.
Many stylists, especially newbies, hesitate when it comes time to ask a client to prebook.
Others simply don’t know how to open the conversation. What works best depends on personalities — yours and your client’s. Here are some suggestions. Experiment to find what feels right for you.
Take a holiday — Veteran stylists confirm that one of the easiest ways to get your clients on the prebooking bandwagon is to book your own vacation.
But before you head for the beach, give your clients an insider tip: “I’m going on vacation, and I’m booking up quickly. Would you like to book now to make sure you get the time you want before/after my trip?”
Celebrate the season — Festive seasons are another good rallying point: “I get really busy in December, so how about we book you in now, so you’ve got first pick for the time you want.”
Make it about them — Don’t ask clients “would you like to pre-book your next appointment?” because they’re more likely to say “No, I’ll call,” or “I’m not sure what my schedule will be.”
Instead, give them a reason to prebook, and make it about their needs. For example:
“I know you prefer to come in on Friday mornings. I’m getting booked quite far in advance so I’d recommend we book you in today so we can get you the most convenient time.”
“You’ve got your daughter’s wedding coming up in June. Should we book you in now, while I’ve still got room?”
Educate your clients — Don’t assume they know how often their hair needs to be cut or coloured. Share your expertise, they’re counting on you for it.
Let them know how long their precision cut will keep its edges. “If you want to keep your cut looking sharp, let’s book you for about 6 weeks.”
Explain to them that chemical services require more maintenance and lend themselves well to prebooking: “Since you don’t like your roots to show, how about we book you in for a root touch-up in 4 weeks?”
When in doubt, ask — You can always start by asking, “how often do you like to come in?” and listen for clues about what to say next. They might ask what you recommend.
Or, maybe they’ll tell you they don’t want to prebook because they don’t know their schedule in advance, but they would like to be reminded.
“Your hair will need to be cut again in 6 weeks. Shall I give you a call in about 4 weeks and see what time works for you?”
If prebooking is good, then recurring appointments are the bee’s knees. All good salon apps (salonMonster most definitely included) allow you to set up recurring or standing appointments for your clients so everything is done for you.
Once a client is prebooked, it’s essential that you remind them of their appointment. Clients can easily forget an appointment they made weeks ago. Any good online booking software (like salonMonster) will do this for you automatically, just set it and forget it.
Reminders are great for your client because they make scheduling effortless. And they’re great for you because they insure that your client will show up.
Don’t expect to get all your clients prebooking from day 1.
It might take you some time to find your best approach and get your clients used to the idea. Keep offering and you will eventually reach a tipping point where most of your clients are booking before they leave the salon.
To help you get into the prebooking habit, salonMonster has a built-in reminder that asks you to prebook each client before checking out their current service.
If you’re not a salonMonster client, get creative and find another way to make prebooking a habit at the end of every appointment.
P.S. Looking to read some more about prebooking? Check out these resources:
Grow 1: Super Stylist by Antony Whitaker
A Little More Off the Top by Michael Cole and Mary Cole
The Naked Salon by Lisa Conway
The post Prebook to make $15,000 more a year — with the clients you already have! appeared first on The Parlour by salonMonster.
I was happily procrastinating the other morning digging through Dezeen hunting for some exciting salon design. What I saw was a lot of the same – neutral white on white colour schemes (or the bold beige on beige!) and I was getting a bit bored until I came across this eye catching salon. Located in […] The post Bold Colour in Salon Design appeared first on The Parlour by...
I was happily procrastinating the other morning digging through Dezeen hunting for some exciting salon design. What I saw was a lot of the same – neutral white on white colour schemes (or the bold beige on beige!) and I was getting a bit bored until I came across this eye catching salon.
Located in the Richmond suburb of Melbourne, The Hues Hair Salon is a breath of fresh air in salon design. The bold pink and green colour story works wonderfully breaking up the spaces into interesting nooks and crannies. Architect Adriana Hanna wanted to get away from the standard row of cutting stations that face the wall so instead she created lovely private geometric areas that feel cool and confident.
The hair wash stations have been tucked away in their own area and the cutting stations are situated to best provide privacy so you can comfortably chat with your clients. My favourite part is the waiting area which is so mellow and stylish I wouldn’t mind if my stylist was running late!
In a neighbourhood with a lot of salon competition, I appreciate the efforts The Hues made to stand out and be bold, it really works and it makes me smile!
The post Bold Colour in Salon Design appeared first on The Parlour by salonMonster.
I look towards April with mixed emotions. On one hand, spring is starting to show the first signs of life and the garden is beginning to sprout. On the other, it’s year-end accounting time, and I’m stuck inside doing my bookkeeping, yikes! Here’s the big lesson, and I’ve learned it the hard way: a little […] The post Stop the madness! Bringing peace to your year-end accounting appeared first on The Parlour by...
Here’s the big lesson, and I’ve learned it the hard way: a little bit of work throughout the year can greatly reduce my pain come April.
I’ll admit, I used to be an accountant’s nightmare. All year, I’d pile up my accounting records in the corner of my office. Then, come April, I’d start on a mad, week-long bender of entering it all into our accounting program. Good times!
This had the not-so-unexpected result of making me very grumpy as well as preventing me from giving proper attention to our business and clients. It also irritated our accountants.
Another problem with this once-a-year approach? It’s impossible to truly know how your business is doing month to month. Being in the dark like this is never a good idea!
I’ve developed a system for making April so much more enjoyable. It’s simple, really. Once a month I collect all the paperwork and reconcile that month’s accounts. This allows us to look back at our profits and expenses and resolve any issues as they arise.
What’s even better? Using software that tracks your daily sales.
For example, by using salonMonster’s Point of Sales system, all your daily sales are recorded, along with taxes, tips and payments. You do a daily register closure to balance your till and then enter those numbers into your accounting software. Now you’ve got pretty reports to send your accountant that have all your tax payment details, payment type breakdowns, tips and more.
How do you handle YOUR year end? We’d love to hear from you.
If you don’t have a system that’s working for you, take a few minutes now and sketch out a plan. Does your software track your sales data as you make the sales? Do you need to set aside an hour each month to review the last month?
A little bit of work each month will reward you with a lot less pain at the end of the year!
The post Stop the madness! Bringing peace to your year-end accounting appeared first on The Parlour by salonMonster.
You’ve made the leap to using online booking software. Makes life easier, doesn’t it? Your clients can now book appointments online anytime. Reminders get sent automatically and you spend less time on the phone. Awesome. But beware of the dark side! Some online booking software operates as an online directory, advertising all the competing salons […] The post Does your online booking software tempt your clients to cheat on you? appeared first on The Parlour by...
But beware of the dark side! Some online booking software operates as an online directory, advertising all the competing salons in your area to your very own clients!
That’s right, popular online salon booking apps like Vagaro, MindBody and StyleSeat focus on helping clients discover salons near them. If you’re just starting out in business, this can sometimes help bring you new clients.
But if you’re already established, with a solid client base, this is not good for your business. These salon directories show your clients your competitors’ online booking pages, daily deals and reviews. You’ve worked too hard building relationships to have your salon software sell clients out from under you.
Check out the homepage of your online booking software and make sure they don’t run a salon directory that might be stealing your clients.
P.S. At salonMonster, we don’t operate a salon directory. We believe your clients should stay with you.
The post Does your online booking software tempt your clients to cheat on you? appeared first on The Parlour by salonMonster.
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