The Number 1 Salon Marketing Strategy

The #1 Salon Marketing Strategy

There are a lot of ways to market your salon, and if you are like me, you are constantly inundated with the next great new idea for generating business and getting new clients. Unfortunately, rarely do they deliver what you expect. This one salon marketing strategy is by far the best and it is guaranteed to succeed. Get this right and you will not need to do any other form of marketing, get it wrong and any other form of marketing will not work. You want more clients visiting your salons, more often and spending more. So what is the secret to unlimited success? It is not rocket science.

Deliver Great Customer Service and ask for referrals

Sounds easy, maybe you think you already do it, but if your salon is not heaving with customers you don’t. So lets look at what great customer service is and where it all starts.

• First Impressions – The client booking the appointment, how quickly the phone was answered, how knowledgeable the team member was on the phone, did they use the clients name, where they friendly, helpful, did they make the client feel important and welcome. Is the salon clean, does it smell nice and is the music good.
• Walking through the salon door – As the client walked into the salon, were they acknowledged, were they greeted with a smile, was eye contact made, were they made welcome, was their coat taken, were they seated and refreshments offered.
• Meeting the Team Member – Were they kept waiting, did they introduce themselves, did they use the clients name, did they shake hands, did they make eye contact. Did they look the part.
• The Consultation – There will be a separate article on consultations as this is your salon’s secret weapon and this is where the scene is set, the consultation will help determine if the client will rebook and when, if the client will purchase retail, upgrade and end up being 100% happy with their service. Having a great salon software system like Salon-iQ will help here. GREAT CONSULTATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL.
• The Service – regardless of what the client is having done you must be consistent in elements of your service, each shampoo, head massage, must be the same (or better) each visit. It is taken as read, that your team are technically competent.
• Communication and client involvement – Professional communication, genuine interest in clients and involving the client in the service, builds rapport, will make that client loyal, will insure you get your rebooking and that the client takes home the necessary home care products.
• The GREAT Goodbye – Don’t mess it up at the last hurdle, recommend, rebook and ask for referrals. Open the door as the client leaves. Simple Phrases to use at reception to get results.Rebooking “Your hair will need cutting again in 5 weeks. Let me book that for you now.”Homecare and Retail “These are the products I’ve used today, which ones would you like to take with you.”

Client referrals are still the salon industry’s most cost effective way of attracting new clients, and if you build it into your salon system, it will out perform all other marketing. Yet most salons are poor at asking for referrals and often have no system at all. Master the basics! Master client referrals and you will never be short of clients again. GREAT service is easy, consistency is hard. “We deliver great service MOST of the time” is a phrase I hear often. But without consistency you cannot have great customer service. Consistency is a key element to a salons success. Clients like to know what to expect, and will notice immediately if there was a change in it. A simple thing like not offering a refreshment one time can destroy what a client thinks of you. I have visited thousands of salons over the years, few have got it right, and it takes years to master it, the ones that have, realise this is the only way to build a successful salon business. Next time you are looking at a salon marketing strategy, make sure you have the basics covered first, or as quick as you will gain new clients you will loose them.  

Final Note: Don’t get judged by your toilets

The fact is get the things above right, may not be good enough if your toilets let you down. Studies show consumers judge salons on the cleanliness and quality of their toilets, so make sure you have this basic one covered, it is worth it, there is no point in doing all the great customer service bits just to loose out because your toilet is not nice. POOR TOILET = POOR SALON

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