Modern Salon - January 2009 - (Page 52)

MODERN BUSINESS Best Practices: Talk to the Face When talking makeovers, too many stylists do it through the looking glass. Getting face-to-face yields far better results because standing in front of the client lets you make direct eye contact, as well as a head-to-toe assessment, says Eric Fisher, owner of two namesake salons in Wichita, Kansas, who teaches a course in best practices. “Pull back all the client’s hair, and gauge everything from the hairline and part to facial shape and brows, makeup and hair color, height and frame,” advises Fisher. “There’s no other way to do it right.” Once you’ve got a total picture, sell your image ideas by Stop talking to your clients discussing likes and dislikes. Then give the client your from the aft position, says scissors and ask her to show you where she’d start cutting Eric Fisher. her own hair. Where she goes first reveals her hair’s Achilles heel. Listen to your client but show service leadership, too, adds Fisher, noting that stylists shouldn’t get pushed around. “Use your expertise to support your reasoning. And always include a browshaping—it’s a makeover in itself.” Salons rely on long-term relationships, making customer-churn a profit poacher. That’s why Teresa McGaha got strategic, focusing on retaining every client who ever crossed her threshold. Her mini-investment/supersized payoff plan: Name of Salon: Mouton’s Salon Location: Grapevine, Texas Bright Idea: Generate a computerized list Steal This! Retail Revue: Cubism is Cool Are you meeting the demand for customization? Try Keune’s Blend line. Stylists wheel out the Blend Bar before they get styling— personalized conversations naturally ensue. Hottest Product Now: Blend DeFrizz, in a color-coded cube. Why It’s Flying off Shelves: The antifrizz polisher meets the real need to fight frizz, while creating flexible hold with a “Factor 4” and a “Shine Factor” of 12. How to Retail to Clients: Just wheel out the eye-catching Blend Bar and get down to talking about her hair, her needs. How to Boost the Ticket: The whole concept behind Blend is for stylists and clients to jointly choose individual Blend formulas, which encourages the purchase of two or more Blend cubes. DeFrizz combines beautifully with Shine to tame frizz, enhance curl and polish hair to a high gloss. of every client who hasn’t returned in the past seven weeks. Send each an “appreciation” letter, offering 20-percent off any service—for a limited time. As these clients come back, focus on pre-booking their next visit. Then, personally call every client who hasn’t rebooked in the last five weeks. Why it works: Clients don’t really want to salon-hop unless they’re uber-unhappy, and they need a reminder to get booking. McGaha’s approach lures loyalists with an offer that helps them save on services, encourages pre-booking habits and adds a personal contact. The more contacts you have with clients, the more anchored they are to your business. Bottom line: 100-percent of clients contacted during the five-week calls rebooked. Business is up 12 percent over the same period last year. Biz Builder: The Producers Best of times or worst of times, the easiest way to boost profits is to cut costs. Why? You keep more on every dollar. To do it, says Neil Ducoff, founder of Strategies and author of No-Compromise Leadership, “First and foremost, stop running personal expenses through the business.” Then, renegotiate everything with your vendors, from the landlord to the cleaning crew. Got costs in line? Evaluate productivity rates. If you’re not running at least 75 percent or better in terms of productivity (hours available versus hours sold), take a serious look at staff scheduling and make certain it dovetails with client demand. “If that doesn’t get productivity rates up, then you have to reduce the hours,” says Ducoff. “Take a team approach and use employees with unproductive hours to assist team members who are busy.” Keune’s trolley car bar simplifies customized retail recommendations. Slash (expenses), then save, says Neil Ducoff. 52 JANUARY 2009 www.modernsalon.com http://www.modernsalon.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Modern Salon - January 2009

Modern Salon - January 2009 Contents Behind the Cover Notebook Contributors Modersalon.com New-Now-Next Modern Portfolio Modern Reports Choose Beauty Modern Business Process Crowing Glory New Year. New Looks Urban Gypsy Crowning Glory New Year. New Looks Modern Hair Modern Education The Goods Personal Style

Modern Salon - January 2009

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