Happiness... A Choice not a Circumstance

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Today, I am quietly reminded of another inmortant thing to have on my schedule.  Grab a moment today and just be happy.

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Your Business Coach

As I write this I try to keep in mind the subscribers for Schedule'em.  You are small company like I have been.  You are a Booth Renter or working independently like I am now.  We are always trying to improve, grow and sustain our success.

If your reading this, you have desire to succeed and grow. You think about your little business all the time, looking for opportunities and trying new things.  Although my 21 years behind the chair has left me with much experience and perspective to share I recognize that your challenges are both the same as mine and yet totally different.  I write about my day to day behind the chair challenges to relate to yours, and hope that advice I give is relevant and helps you grow your clientele.

Schedule'em Online Appointment Book will help you grow your clientele.

One of my most eye opening experiences was when I ran a small full service salon.  Here, I was responsible for EVERY ONE'S paycheck and I felt the responsibility every moment.  I hired a business consultant.  One that specialized in the salon industry.  I learned.  I shifted my priorities.  I spent money differently.  I looked at our free time differently. 

It was inspirational.  And what I learned then still applies today.  Years later I am still applying those principles I learned.  I write here about those tools that were laid in my hands and drove me from mediocre owner to a leader.

I challenge each of you reading this to spring some of that hard earned money on a salon business consultant.  Surprise yourself. 

If you are already amazing, inspire someone in the chair next to you.  Be more amazing and mentor a younger staff member.

What is your next business challenge?
Who can you trust to assess your business and help you grow?
How will you plan for your growth?
Do you have a mentor?

Learn. Grow. Succeed.

Business by the Numbers

70% of all salons operating out there are not profitable. What that says to me is that we aren't making choices about our money that keep our business self sustainable.  A business coach will tell you to always run your business by the numbers and not your emotions. "Numbers don't lie, we do."

Use your Schedule'em Reports page and run a monthly report.  Now look at your monthly view of the calender.  Its important to take in all of the months viewpoint and recognize how the bottom line fits on the appointment book. By including a visual of what days are busy and what you were doing will give you some perspective on what is really bringing in money.  Now all you have to do is figure out where it is going.

Ask yourself: What percent of the income you spend is dedicated to replacing your supplies?

I do mostly color from day to day.    My business coach suggested that my product cost should equal no more than 10% of the total of my service.  That means if I do a $100 color, my product cost including the sundries like foil and my special after color conditioner should equal ten dollars or less. 

Surprised?  I was.  Here is how I made my numbers work out for me without compromising my preferred products, or raising my price:

Always measure and record the amount of color used.  You can keep your notes about this specific client in your notes section of the Edit Appointment page of Schedule'em to reference next time.  The goal is to use as much of the color you mixed up without washing excess literally down the drain.  To prove a point to one of my apprentice's, I made her collect all her extra color in one bowl for the day.  The amount of color in that bowl and the one next to it at the end of the day spoke for itself and we both made adjustments of how much color to mix.

Schedule'em Online Appointment Book has a notes section to record how
much and what you are using on each client to reference next time.

A color scale will fine tune the amount of color you use.

Another thing is to make sure you are charging appropriately for color.  Determine the average amount of color needed to complete a service.  If your client has thick hair, it won't surprise her to have an additional charge for the extra color needed.

Consider charging additional amounts for each color if you are using more than one shade.  Even if the total amount of color is equal to one application, charge for each shade.  Why?  Inventory is valuable.  If they had to pick these shades and bring them to you they would still be paying for each of the different boxes.

If you aren't charging appropriately make adjustments to your price list and address it with each client before you begin the service to avoid any surprised customers at the check out point.

Do you know what your bottom line is?
Are you willing to commit to do what it takes for a healthier bottom line?
Do you need to raise your prices?
How can being a better business person help you be a better at serving your customer?

Should I raise my prices?

Today is  April 15.

If your like me you kind af avoid your bottom line report, because the more I worry about the bottom line, the less bottom line there is.  Once a day or week is all I like to check in.  I'm afraid.  Need to be in a happy spot.  Always.   I do this job for fun, not income......... right?

So I go to my Schedule'em reports.  And I stare at the bottom line.  And I see it there in black and white.  And it causes me to think about how this last year went.

I think:
Are you kidding me.

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..............
So now that we are coming to terms with that end of year number our next assessment is whether or not to accept it for the year to come.  Its a good time to consider everything that we are doing right. And what we are no longer going to accept.

Its a good time to consider changing our prices.

This should make us all a bit nervous.  In this industry we are often advised that you should only raise your prices if you want to lose clients.  Ouch.  But that reality means we keep clients that value our experience.  Those clients love the way we work and will send us more clients if we ask them to.  Just don't forget to ask!!!  Put that Send your friends! sign right next to our new price list that is going into effect on April 16!

And we will continue to impress our valuable clientele and let the mediocre ones step it up or slip away at their own choice making room for more amazing choice clientele. 

Have a little faith. 

Next:  Charge according to your price list.  Don't dismiss that last $5 worth of product you used on her today.  Every time you dip into that inventory is another time you need to adjust what you are charging.  If you decide you are going to gift it to that client, say so.  "My treat today" is so great to hear!  Then they won't worry if the charge is different next time.

Then: Up Sell.  Don't walk away from and opportunity to earn extra money while she is sitting there with a purse and free time.  Do something new to upgrade her ticket.  Deep condition. An extra shade of color.  Paint nails.  Eyebrow waxing. 

Are you ready to change your prices?
What factors lead you to this choice?
How will you inform your customers?
What can you do to retain everyone, even though your prices just changed?

You can do this.

Awkward or fashion?

I guess it simply boils down to how you sell it.  What Hollywood pens as the ever fashionable "The Lob"  Has always been "the awkward stage" in my chair. 

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Still, its good to know that there is a name for those of us too chicken to go Anne Hathaway short still have a fashion niche.

To be or not to be....

I just had lunch with two former employees.  They both are still in the industry, so I asked them the standard "How is life in the salon?"

One lit up and shared a funny experience with a client I remembered seeing in her chair three years ago.  The other shrugged and admitted that she was thinking of changing jobs.



 

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As I  left there that day I thought to myself about their talent and why each had come to this place in their careers.  The difference between these two professionals is that one developed deep experience through trial and error, success and celebration, and the other simply repeated their 1st year over and over again.

Always be willing to learn, try something new, ask questions and improve.  Keep the skills and people that are working well for you and give everything else the boot.  Resist mediocrity.

Youtube.  Sales consultants.  Product education. Hair shows.  Observe the chair next to you.  Use your free time in your schedule to hone a skill that will continue to make your chisr the best place your clients have been yet.

What do you do to keep your skills fresh and up to date?


 

 

Keep the passion for your job alive by learning something new today.

The simplest trick to grow your business and save time

Pre book.
It is such a simple but overlooked process for making your books bulge with happy clients!
Look at every mentor you have.  Their loyal clients always know when the next time they are scheduled.  Busy stylists generate that success by making sure that each and every client that sits in their chair knows they will be back.  Here is how some talented people build their practice.

Here is a great note about the importance of re-booking from the Massage Toolbox:  http://www.massagetoolbox.com/2011/04/05/ideas-for-re-booking-clients/
Re-booking clients at the time of service allows you to:

• Be efficient with your time.
  • The more people who re-book when leaving, the less time you have to spend booking them later in the week or month.
  • This frees up your business day to attend to new clients who will be booking via phone, text or e-mail (depending on your scheduling allowances).
• Encourage the client to establish a habit of regular appointments.
• Fill your day with people who are genuinely interested in the work you provide.
• Decrease no-shows.
  • Which, subsequently, allows for you to see more clients who may be in need of your services in a given week.

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If you aren’t used to re-booking clients, you may have to get comfortable with this.  Here are some skills that I find work for me.
1. Talk about their next visit today.  "I won't have so many questions next time I see you..."
2. Talk about their LAST visit today.  "Last time you were here we tried ____ .  How did that work for you?" 
3.  Use the NOTES in your client file to write down some things that will help you next visit like the formula, what you did for the cut, and anything you learned.  This will build trust that you are consistent, and can meet their needs next visit too.
4.  Write notes about what you talked about, things that interest them.  A relationship with you as their hairstylist makes them more loyal.
5.  ALWAYS OFFER to re book their next appointment before they go.  They may turn you down, but may be that they have never tried regular appointments before. 
6.  Genuinely coax then into making time for themselves. "You like having your hair done every six weeks.  Lets make that appointment now.  If you can't make this appointment, all you need to do is let me know if you need a change.  I'll be here."
7.  Deliver the invitation to rebook as if it is standard operating procedure.   (Because starting today, it is!  Right?) Invoke the confidence of knowing that you will be here when they need you.

So lets get started right now.  Today you need to ask every person that you work for to make a follow up appointment.  Make yourself a sign that you see as you take their money at the end of the service.  Put up a visible sign asking your valued clients to make their next appointment before they go.  Consider making it a promotion that they will receive a savings of $X for making and KEEPING the appointment to help them make a habit with you.

What have you successfully done to build business?

Before long, your client won't let YOU forget.  They need you!