Who doesn’t like to taste the business growth? I do! Do you? When you are a Salon business owner, growing is essential! Reason-if you will not, then, your competitors will. Would you like to experience it? Not, right? Then, work on strategies to climb the ladder to success. Always remember- customers are important. So, establish a strong customer base first. Once you have it and skilled staff for services, then, implement the ways of expanding your business growth. I recommend you start by integrating a Salon solution, like Salonist Software. This will assist with several features that display your current market position. Hence, you can work on strategies that can assure more growth. In addition to this, some tips need to be implemented in your Salon business. This guide will reveal those! Check out!
Effective Ways to Grow Salon Business
#1. Ask customers for feedback
Surveys are important when it comes about growing the Salon Business. It lets you know the needs and wants of your customers, what they think about your Salon and the services you are providing. Let’s say; you want to hire a hairstylist but do not have an idea if it will be beneficial for your business or not. Salon management software here automates the process of asking for feedback. It lets you send an email or SMS only after the customers get served. When you have feedback in your hand, appreciate the customers and start acting on it. The feedback works in the following ways:
- You get to know the necessities of your customers
- The customers will feel recognized and valued
#2. Offer gift certificates or gift cards
For your Salon’s growth, selling or offering gift certificates is a win-win deal. The results it proffers are jaw-dropping. You need to increase the gift card sales in the salon. For this, you need to allow your current customers to buy gift certificates for their friends or family. Accordingly, you will not only capture new customers, however, also improve ROI. But first thing first, how you will encourage your customers to purchase gift cards from you or make them aware of what you are offering? Start advertising on your Salon windows or counter, by sending emails or on the business website. Allow your staff members for promotion and give them incentives if they crack the deal. However, do not make the purchase process complicated. Leverage e-gifting and let your customers buy from the website only. Give discounts to customers who are buying (like @100 for a $120 gift card) Take advantage of social media and post about your offers. Inform customers and let them buy it for their loved ones on Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
#3. Try the Salon Booking System
Manual ways of handling appointments are gone a long time ago. Now is the time of automation, and so is Salon software. Of course, noting the details of every customer who booked with you is a chaotic task. It not only consumes a lot of time but is an error-prone task. Customers prefer to use software for booking appointments online and Salonist software is giving them this benefit. It allows them to book, re-book, or cancel their appointments at their convenience even after business hours. Believingly, when you integrate the software into your Salon business, the benefits are endless. From accepting payments online to inventory management, POS, marketing automation, appointment booking, employee and customer management, etc., it has all! Collectively, it simplifies every process that you might be considering as cumbersome. Each of the features it has assuredly will give you a path to succeed in the competitive beauty industry.
#4. Sell more products and expand the range of your services
The other trick on my bucket list is selling products and services that are more expensive than the general ones. Following this, there will be a boost to your average services and product prices. I understand that not all customers like paying for the costlier services, but there are some. However, if the customer is not choosing services with higher prices, then, having them on the list is also valuable. Also, research the market trends in the Salon business. Know what beauty products and services your Salon does not have. Accordingly, you can target other customers (children or men). Usually, I have seen Salon business owners feel hesitant to increase the prices of their services. If you are thinking that your potential customers will be annoyed with this, they will not! They can also believe that there is some add-on in the services; hence, the prices are increased.
#5. Implement Referral program
If the referral programs are executed correctly, then, winning opportunities are assured. When your existing customers refer your Salon to a friend or family member. They both will receive discounts, get a free consultation or product, and Boom- you have a new customer. This is how it works! So, if I will say that referral programs instill new customers to your Salon door, then, it is not wrong. It fosters customer loyalty. However, with this, you can convert your struggling Salon into a thriving one. It is said that there are 18% chance of the referred customers staying with your Salon for more time. There is one thing where you need to be strategic.
When you are giving a referral reward, look after the cost and time of the services. Indeed, you do not want to give a service that is more expensive and consumes more time. Also, make sure that the rewards are worthy and executed properly. If you are thinking that when the customers refer 8 people and then, you only will reward them, believe me- you are on the wrong path. Whereas giving rewards on the exchange of three is enough to gain a positive outcome.
Moreover, consider incorporating social media contests and giveaways to drive salon engagement, further enhancing the effectiveness of your referral programs.
#6. Prioritize your Salon Staff
The customers are visiting your Salon because of the high-end services the Salon staff is providing. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to give priority to your staff members. Give value to them and follow the acts to enhance their morale. They are vital for you to Grow your Salon Business and are working hard in selling salon products and keeping customers satisfied. All this gave rise to salon growth. Give timely rewards for their services and nurture them. Also, if they are lacking somewhere, give training. Provide good pay, and be responsible for their needs. Also, organize some get-togethers either quarterly or monthly, socialize, and give promotions.
#7. Reduce The Salon Expenditure
The biggest change comes from the one who owns the salon. So it starts with the same person. Reduce the cost of salon expenditure and try investing more in the client’s soothing experience. With this, in return, the salon has a great turnover rate and Salon Profit in terms of clients. Pay attention to things that help in influencing an increased number of clients. Try learning from the mistakes, and pay attention to the bad and good reviews. Also, spend more time interacting with the customers at the salon.
How does Salon Analytics help to Grow Your Business?
#1. Pinpoints to the area of improvement
The best part of analytical reports is that they clearly underline where you are rocking and where you are lagging behind. Never miss a chance to know how you can improve day by day. Be it analytical reports or customer reviews, never miss the opportunity to learn how you can make your beauty salon better every day. Customer opinions are also a great source to know areas of improvement because it’s they who experience your services. So they can better guide you. So, always ask customers to leave feedback by asking a few questions like how we can improve ourselves more, etc. Frame such questions in the feedback form.
#2. Performance report
As a salon owner, you are overburdened with multiple tasks and tight schedules. You are the actual caretaker and keep taking stress every single hour in finding ways to make your business stand out. So you are hardly left with time to keenly evaluate each and every aspect of your salon. If we talk about salon employees’ performance. It is difficult to constantly keep a check on their work. Most importantly, owners do not have much time to keep a check on every individual. With this report, you can encourage salon staff & drive results. But with the help of salon analytics, they don’t have to take the pain. Reports automatically record their day-to-day performance and let the owner know which employee needs to be rewarded for exceptionally good work. Based on these reports, you can set incentives, gifts, and promotions for your employees. If any employee needs training the same can be provided as well.
#3. Inventory stock reports
Reports based on inventory briefs you, on which product is the most purchased. Gives you crystal-clear insights into all your transactions. Therefore, there is no chance of fraud and forgery. You can get an idea, of which stock is lying as dead stock and then stop wasting money on its purchase. Inventory reports are important to monitor the most expensive asset of your business. These reports simply summarise the retail products in stock for sale, the most selling products, profits gain, all transactions, etc.
#4. Give you insights into Cash Flow
It’s important to keep accountability for your monetary value. Every business has so many expenses to manage. So, how much revenue and profits you are making through your salon business, needs to be evaluated. It briefs you regarding your salon expenditure. If Salon expenses are above high, you can check what is costing you much and can compensate expenses accordingly.
#5. Let’s you know about the profitable products
Having an idea of what products are most liked by customers and whatnot, is important to know. This way, you can save a huge sum, you will invest only in those products which are purchased more by customers. Accordingly, you will bar yourself from buying those products that are only lying on your shelf space like dead stock.
How to Grow Your Salon or Spa With Fewer Staff Members?
#1. Leverage Online Booking
Online booking is the best and the latest trend that many salons and spas are including in their business. Be it, staff or customers, it works magically for both. In the case of customers, it enhances their appointment procedure. They don’t have to go through a chaotic messy process, they don’t need to experience annoying waitings. It is of major help as with the automation process your salons and spas do not require more staff which someway saves huge monetary funds. You can save huge bucks with this automation process. Moreover, automated salon tools give more productivity than staff, and that too without minimal errors.
#2. Employ Email Marketing
If you have Fewer Staff Members let us tell you it is not something to worry about. Various ways can compensate for this issue. With a smaller or minimum staff also one can manage plenty of tasks in their salon and spa. Email marketing is the best way that take charge. Especially when you may be short of front desk staff, or they are engaged with additional daily tasks, use salon solutions to generate some business for you. With inbuilt marketing features in your management software, you can send various exciting offers, gifts, and discounts to your loyal customers. Customer loyalty is the best practice to retain customers. Other than this, salon software itself implements various practices to make your business visible to your targeted audience. You don’t need separate marketing staff to get this done as this tool is more than enough and effective as well. Therefore, allow your staff to focus on their primary tasks by introducing salon software and bar them from performing other subsidiary tasks.
#3. Leverage the power of AI
AI is also the best way one can practice if your salon or spa is struggling with a shortage of employees. If you have fewer employees, honestly, AI is the perfect solution to help you out. With less staff, there are major chances of missing a call. Implementing an AI assistant means never missing any call. AI proves to be of great advantage when your front desk staff is highly engrossed in other crucial tasks. This efficient tool skillfully performs multiple tasks which include scheduling appointments, answering frequently asked questions, and even taking follow-up after appointments to encourage rebooking! By introducing salon software it doesn’t matter whether you have much staff or not. You don’t need to increase the number of your staff members with efficient tools as they are sufficient to replace your staff. With an in-built automation system, all your tasks get completed with a professional touch. There is no necessity of crowding your store with many staff members. In many cases just to fill the vacant roles, many owners recruit the wrong applicants. This ultimately declines the productivity and growth of your business. Here is good news for you, if you have a salon spa management tool you don’t need much staff. This incredible tool is more than enough as it performs various tasks with an automation setup. It also manages and preserves your monetary funds with less staff. Salons can preserve massive funds as with automation tools they don’t need to pay remuneration to staff. Simply, an efficient tool takes care of the overall performance of your business without bothering you.
#4. Point of Sale
You know, you can grow your business well without less staff as well. An efficient salon solution is the perfect key for this. With this tool, you don’t even need a special team for your front desk to manage your sales and payments. An inbuilt POS system takes charge of your staff and seamlessly manages all your customer’s payments. It preserves the whole record of your customer’s data. From the number of purchases to their most preferred services and products, it tracks everything. A sound POS system also provides various payment gateways to customers, thus, making their transactions quick, easy, and flexible. We simply need to say it does not matter how many staff members you own, with fewer staff also you can run your salon gracefully.
#5. Deliver great customer service
Well, you might find it difficult to deliver the best customer service with less staff but no it’s not. A salon solution is a perfect answer for this, when a salon tool can seamlessly perform every task of your business then you only need a few staff members to deliver services. Moreover, services can be offered at the best level because now the staff has to perform a few tasks only. They are free from multiple tasks as the management software does not bother the staff team with workload rather it reduces their work pressure. Offering great customer service is what customers always wish for & by implementing this you can generate happy-faced customers. Having less or more staff doesn’t decide how good or bad your customer service is. It depends upon what smart and advanced strategies you adopt in your business.
Conclusion
In addition to all the above-mentioned ways, you need to follow other aspects as well to assure to Grow Salon Business:
- The salon interior should be soothing and calming.
- Follow the modern yet contemporary look.
- Include greenery to make the Salon appealing.
- Employ a receptionist to greet the customers.
- Integrate a Salon booking software.
While looking for Salon software, give it a try to Salonist. It gives a 14- day free trial. Know its worth!
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