Modern Salon - February 2008 - (Page 72)

YOUR BUSINESS continued from 70 What Is Hair Worth To Your Client? HLCC is recognized worldwide as a leader in hair loss treatment lasers and products. Begin with an electronic list of all current clients who have had a service in the last year. Use a city map to chart them out so you can actually see where they are coming from. 2. Hold quarterly in-house referral contests. Procure prizes from local businesses, “ Laser Hair Therapy featured on It’s Easy! $299 Starter Kits Turnkey opportunities also available! “This is the best thing I did for my salon in 20 years” Hair Institute Inc. - Eric Johnson such as a limo ride, flowers, dinner for two or gift certificates—small things that add up to a $500 value or more. For the next 90 days, enter clients’ names in a drawing for the whole shebang, every time they refer a new client. 3. Create a VIP card. In addition to 10percent savings on services and retail, the card rewards with attendance at four VIP nights a year, plus swag. During VIP nights, have venders provide education, include hors d‘oeuvres, drinks and goodie bags, and let guests bring friends. Base the cost of the card on your average ticket and number of visits a year. If it’s $100 every eight weeks, the more the client spends or visits above the average, the more she saves on a $100 VIP card, plus she gets all the other perks. “It’s a no-brainer,” says Durocher. “Programs like this are why people stay with one airline or buy more at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Additionally, you collect the cash upfront and can use it to grow your business.” everyone know you’re different from the rest, photographing your work is a must. Barter with photographers and models; seek them out among clients. Use local retailers for fashions, but stick primarily with head shots. The photos can be used in almost any channel, and there’s even a radio tie-in. Explains Phillips, “Don’t use stock photos or a manufacturer’s; your own work is a gold mine that can be used on a website, in a press kit or in the salon. Once, I held a radio station contest to win a makeover. I made over 16 entrants in two days, and the photos became my slide show, which I took to local groups. When you go to the public and do a class, focus on a topic they want, such as 10 ways to change your hair from day to night. “Women’s groups, churches, high schools, colleges—they’re all interested. When you do these and demonstrate your work, the investment is time, not money. There is so much competition, you can’t just say, ‘come here.’ You have to show consumers why.” ” Out and About Community efforts usually take the form of donated hair cuts or gift baskets and participation in fashion shows. But you can’t measure their return. Instead, get involved by hooking up with a networking group. Two Durocher recommends are LeTip International, which teaches you how to network and ask for business (www.letip. com), and Business Network International (www.bni.com), which holds breakfasts in many cities throughout every state. “I know of a Dallas stylist who joined BNI and in six months, had 50 referrals for new clients,” he says. “You have to be willing to get up once a week for a 7 a.m. breakfast, but nothing comes on a silver platter.” To make an emotional connection and let 72 FEBRUARY 2008 Flipping Channels New media and consumer-to-consumer marketing are the darlings everyone’s chatting up, but can they really work for you? Aren’t they expensive? To afford new media, go back to supporting those who support you. Chances are you have a client who can build you a low-cost website with online booking. Use contests to get clients to opt-in to e-mails—just don’t over-do it. “Clients don’t want an e-mail from you every day,” says Bart Foreman, president of Group 3 Marketing in Wayzata, Minnesota. Realizing that every day, salon pros have open appointments, Foreman created a simple web-based program that links into a salon’s website, allowing it to post open bookings continued on 74 HQ: 866-452-2669 www.hlcconline.com 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS, 71 CLINICS IN 16 COUNTRIES Dr. S. Michael Fuhrman Physician-directed treatment programssince 1987 www.modernsalon.com http://www.hlcconline.com http://www.hlcconline.com http://www.modernsalon.com

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Modern Salon - February 2008 Contents Behind the Cover Notebook Beauty Matters Contributors @ModernSalon.com New-Now-Next Modern Portfolio Modern Reports As the Experts Choose Beauty Build It, Then What...? Toolbox: Shopping Sharp Star Power Runway Reality Haute Chocolate Modern Update The Goods Personal Style

Modern Salon - February 2008

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