Lucky you, every week we are reviewing, recommending and reminding of vital tools you must have in your salon business to maintain

the edge of client attraction and retention. 

Here are 3 of them: 

1. Mobile Marketing 

Not long since apple iphone, blackberry, and tablets became more than your five a day, savvy business owners fast understood the power of those little devises to help leverage their business in from of those who matter the most – consumers. SO next time you pick up your gadget, think more than a phone, think texting, and think marketing. For only 3p a text you could be marketing your salon guaranteed to reach your customers. 

We recommend these companies www.mediaburst.co.uk www.messagemedia.co.uk so go ahead and check them out, and if you live outside UK, consult to your trusted friend Google.com see what she can recommend.

2. Website Marketing

I know most salon owners are busy to even think about having a website, but those who have one, are taking bookings even when they sleep. What most businesses fail to realise is that salon website is like running another salon shop, except you don't have to pay huge rent and mortgage, you can have it work for you, 24hours/7days a week at no extra cost, selling your services, products and taking bookings. Every month over 5million serious hair salon shoppers search for salons in their town, can they find your salon if they search in Google?   

Good news to busy salon owners, you don't even have to be an expert in computer language, just find someone who knows how to do the job you really should not be doing yourself. Salon Punk has been helping small businesses and salon owners like you take their shop online and drive clients into the shop, so if you have questions, don't delay and ask.   

3. Newsletter Marketing

Savvy salon owners don't shy away from collecting valuable customer data of names, emails and addresses, they then use the data to continuously market the salon, and that's where modern email newsletters are so good. Forget about techno phobia, follow fellow savvy salon owners. Newsletter providers have really done a brilliant job making their systems easy and fun to use, in fact if you can send a regular email, you can do! So simply add the data to newsletter program, then compose a nice promotional email, or serious of emails and with a click of a button broadcast salon promotions to your customers.

Here are couple of newsletter companies we find very useful for salons. 

www.constantcontact.com, www.icontact.com, and www.mailchip.com  are useful as they allow you to add all contacts at once and recipients, as long as they genuinely gave you their data in salon when you asked them, do not need to opt-in again, compared to other newsletter marketing management softwares. These email newsletter softwares also include easy features that will help you easily create custom templates and forms, integrate social media, broadcast to all recipients or particular group, and track the response rate of your marketing.  

Easy, so go ahead and do your homework and never have a quiet salon day again. 

Have questions? want to share your thoughts, use the form below and let us know

Have a great day

Salon Punk

This week at Salon Punk Tamara forwarded an email over to me.

I can't and won't leave the salon owners name but I wanted to share it with you as it's fairly typical of the email we get here from salon owners just like you. 

'dear alan, how can i get more information to build my salon from you with no money to invest? Our salon is failing, makes no money and i feel like we are about to go under…'

Now on the BBC Business news today they revealed that around 70 businesses are going bust daily, I wondered how many of those are salons just like yours?

I can tell you right now where we are based here near Manchester at least 3 salons have vanished in my small local town. One had been there for over 30 years. Another had clearly invested a fortune in top-end furniture but within a year they had gone. Its a sad story yet familiar one I hear time and time again.

I got another email from another salon owner. He opened his salon in – 1979 – and  just closed the doors.

Why?

Well here is what I do know – there are salons out there that are packed to the hilt. Here's another thing I know, when I opened my big salon in 1991 it was in the thick of Great Britians worst recession.

We were packed out

We went to number one in a town of 35 salons

We had a line of clients constantly waiting for a service

We had a long list of top stylists phoning us daily for a job.

NONE of that happened by chance.

All of it happened using the following things.

1. Planned marketing

2. Planned strategies

3. Planned tactics

4. Planned targets

5. Planned meetings

6. Daily marketing

7. Sticking to the plans

And you know what else … I invested every single day, every single month, every single year on knowing, understanding and creating marketing. God only knows how much I spent – I'm sure it was a small fortune. I bought books, I bought computers, I paid for advice and I tried almost everything and anything to get myself busy.

DESPITE doing this in the thick of a recession.

So when salon owners email me in tears asking for FREE advice on how to get busy the answer  want to know is…'list me everything you have done TODAY to market your salon?

I can share with you from experience … it's usually zero!

And sadly most salon owners (like most businesses) seem to be in the delusion that having a Facebook account will save their business!

So let me ask you this.

I know you'll have spent good money on your salon but when did you last you asked for or invested cash into your salon marketing strategies?

You know I created Salon Marketing School for one reason only, shall I tell you what that reason was?

For the past decade I have been charging around £500 PER HOUR just for consulting. 

Despite the results from my outside hair and beauty clients being outstanding I still find most salon owners don't understand the power of that investment.

I mean one salon owner put me on a plane to Switzerland to look over his salon business. Was it worth it for him? He believed so.

One client this week flew from Finland to work with me for a day. Another clients flew me to Australia to work with them for a week. 

YET …

You don't have to do that. You don't have to invest huge amounts to work with me, thats EXACTLY why I created Salon Marketing School so you could invest in my advice at an outrageous investment.

It has my 27 years and 20 years in hairdressing wrapped up into as series of calls.

Everything in those calls, if you cat on what you hear CAN not only recession proof your salon but show you how to grow your salon business – IN JUST 3 DAYS or else.

So I want to work with you, I have made it very affordable for you. If you feel you have one final throw of the dice I strongly advise you check the school out and if it's not for you, simply refund and good on your for trying.

So 70 businesses vanished today … Will you be nest? I hope not, it really do nest need to happen.

All the very best.

Head punk, Alan Forrest smith

Salon Marketing School

Fact: 95 percent of businesses fail within first 5 years. Greater
reason lies within poorly executed marketing, or rather not able to determine which marketing weapon
helps you sell your business in your niche. And only a few understands the power of testing. Testing is
simple, inexpensive and one of the most powerful tools anyone can use regardless of budget! 

Testing simply means understanding which salon marketing combination works for your target audience and which
does not, saving you time, money, and energy, easy! 

So, below I summarized 10 astonishing, and overlooked benefits of testing: 

1. Testing This marketing strategy over That marketing strategy will help you
estimate expenditure, sales forecast, profits, and budgeting. 

2. by understanding and knowing what works, i.e. sells, testing will help you achieve maximum profits in salon.

3. Testing will help you predict what your customers want to hear from you, which
will help them spend money in your shop.

4. Testing will show you if consumers prefer your competitors service. 

5. During Testing you will determine which beauty product and service consumers want to buy.

6. Testing will show you which kind of packaging, promotion headline and colour
combination is favoured by consumers.


7. Testing will show you which service/product package will be selling for
maximum profit, and which one should be avoided.

8. Testing will save you money and time, you will know exactly what works and
what does not in your market, and once you find winning combination you will
know exactly how much it will cost you in marketing to generate x, y, z profits in salon.


9. Testing will help you define your target niche, men only or women only? funky or classic?

10. And the bottom line, testing will show you which advertising sells the most.

So go ahead and test this marketing over that marketing and watch what happens, and
if you don't know how to, ask someone who does. Send us an email, and let's see how we can help you in salon business!

That's me Alan above with new salon punk reporter, writer and solution expert Tamara. Tamara is from Georgia in Europe, English is her third language (Russian  her second) she is brilliant at salon marketing and I hope you agree been delivering some fantastic stuff for you recently. If you agree … let her know.

Anyway…

Maybe it’s me but the conversation I had was frankly ridiculous.

A friend called me from the salon industry to tell me he was selling all three of his salons and taking a job somewhere. He told me the salon business is dead and nothing works. He then went on to tell me this recession will destroy thousands of salons!

‘People have no money and wont spend’ he said!

Each time he spoke I had to fight back a response because frankly for someone that has now been in business for the past 27 years I’ve seen almost everything and this downturn is no different.

If no one is spending money on their hair, how come almost everyone on the streets has great looking hair rather than uncut, uncolored, untamed, matted, dreadlock like hair?

What he really should have said is ‘no one is spending money in MY SALON!’. So why didn’t he say that? Simple, if he said that it would make him look and feel incapable of running his business when speaking it over with me. Yet the reality is his salon does brilliant hairdressing but totally crap marketing.

When I say crap I mean in in the kindest way of course.

There are two ways to market your salon.

1.     The right way

2.     The wrong way

So being a pal of mine that I can say almost anything to I asked him…’tell me how many thing do you do daily to market your salon?’

‘Tons he’ replied.

‘Like what?’ I said.

He told me this.

‘each day I arrive at the salon (he slaves 7 days a week) I open my facebook account and post offers and any other new stuff in the salon we are doing’

I said…’and?’

He said, ‘and what?’

I said, ‘and what else do you do?’

He told me, ‘ once a quarter we use the local paper when it’s quiet to pull some new people in (huge mistake) and we also use Yellow Page’

Anything else?

‘Not that I can think of’, he replied.

• No wonder he is selling up!
• No wonder his salon empire sold for peanuts!
• No wonder he can’t pay himself whilst his staff gets paid!

And as I travel around time and time again I see salons that are stone cold dead with a capacity of just 25% of clients rather than 90%.

Not only have I been in the salon business since 1989 but I have been a super consultant to some huge businesses for over the past 12 years.

One client I worked with had a salon that was on it’s knees. Not only was the salon on its knees, staff had walked out, the taxman was coming to her home, she was working 7 days a week and frankly she looked like death, in a dark place ready to close.

When she came to me she asked about selling and closing. I asked her where would she get her income from if she did that? Her answer was she had no idea.

Kind of crazy right when you have a house full of young kids and a lot of things to pay?

I asked her would you like build your salon fast, create new business, find lost business and double your business over the next few weeks?

Of course she replied.

Well there is just one rule … DO AS I SAY!

My 27 years in business has shown me this…. There are always more than one way to skin a cat and there are always more than one way to take a salon to market. In fact I can boast nearly 250 ways to take your salon to market .. easily!

So she did as she was told. Within four weeks her income had risen by just under 55%. By the end of the first year she had gained control of her business, gained control of her staff and best of all, gained control of her marketing. In fact she was so impressed not only did she pay me well but she went on to copy and rip off everything I had created for my salon owners and sell them as her own.

That’s fine and another story but worth saying… I’m proud to say my salon marketing solutions are the most ripped off on the web for a reason…. THEY WORK!

So does your salon have to be slow or can it be packed out? ANY salon can be packed to the hilt with paying clients. Any salon can have their phone blown off the hook. Any salon can have enquiry after enquiry, after enquiry. I don’t believe there is a single reason why any salon should be quiet despite a downturn.

The fat is clients still have their hair done in a downturn but do they have it done in your salon? If they don’t the chances are, your marketing isn’t what it should be.

Do this right now (if you can)

Write down 15 things you do each DAY to market your salon. Don’t say you don’t have time, if you don’t have time you are stuck and will end up broke. Make time and do it.

List them … 1 to 15!

I’m willing to take a bet here that if you do anything daily it’ll be the least effective or not the most effective way to market your salon.

So much talk about getting on Facebook and building groups etc. I can tell you right now … Facebook cannot be ignored but if you use Facebook only for your salon business your salon business will be struggling!

There are 7 critical things EVERY salon including yours needs to do right now to survive, thrive and prosper during lean times.

There are 5 things you need to know on how and why you can be a client’s first choice despite cash being tight.

There are always reasons for being quiet, for clients not coming into your salon. Don’t see this as the end of business, see it as a wake up call for you and your salon business.

The brilliant Salon Marketing School is helping salons just like yours to turnaround, breakthrough and grow like crazy despite the times we are living in. It’s no wonder my salon marketing stuff is the most copied on the planet … it works.

The only difference is with the copy is ‘they don’t have me’.

If you need turnaround help it might be easier than you think, all you have to do is ask.

Here’s to a brilliant next 7 months in 2012 … its possible, very, very possible!

Alan Forrest Smith

Your journey to business world was supposed to change how

you thought about being a business owner – until business

nightmares started to blew you off – taxes, rent, staff fees (and complaints)

marketing, overheads and something else you've forgotten already…

OK, running a salon business nightmares might be a cliche, but

it's one still perceived to be true, after all statistics don't lie

95% of business start ups will close their doors within 5years of being in

business.

Here's how to make the business work for you when you are,lets face it, in a highly competitive salon business.

Receptionist: 

"What can you actually get a receptionist doing for you apart from answering the

phone if you decide to hire one?" says Alan Forrest Smith, traditional salons 

consider receptionists role to be purely answering phones, and doing some random

admin. Not in salon business anyways, if you are serious about packing

your salon with clients.

Why? because Reception is where money is made; cash is created, business is built, 

appointments are taken and clients are welcome – lose control of your reception and

you will be missing tons of unrealized profits in salon, can a savvy salon owner

afford that? I doubt so. 

"After working in my salons for over 17 years, I actually discovered the script I

had to tell receptionists when I hired. At first they did not like it, but then they

started to love. Why? Because if they did job properly, and I mean really working to justify dollar

per hour for which they were hired for, they got more bonuses and I was happy

to pay for". Says Alan.

You can find Salon Receptionists manual in Alan's SALON MARKETING SCHOOL 

Myth about advertising and websites:

Savvy salon owners understand that mass advertising no longer work, websites and

direct mail? Get serious – can you really afford shuttered dreams?

BUT savvy salon owner finds the way to Lazar target her/his prospects and

sees through the whole process of the marketing s/he can never experience quiet

salon days. I know one wellness business owner in posh district of London, who uses

Free marketing advertising to attract prospects into his website, his website then

motivates people to visit his shop where he sells his members only exclusive

annual membership for £1000, not to mention other extra wellness products and services. 

Don't count money, count new relationship

Money comes and goes, but if you look after your customers, take time

to build relations, and find the way to create customer loyalty you will

keep customers for life, who will in return happily be spending cash in your shop!

Technophobia is fatal to your profitability

I am still amazed how many salon owners have fear of technology these days.

Savvy salon owner understands, gone are the days when technology was inaccessible

investment only Wella could afford. User friendly technology these days gives

savvy world class salons maximize their cash generation without investing a

fortune in expensive technology. So, if you still suffer with technophobia, make

an appointment to discover how technology will help you take bookings as you

sleep!

Savvy salon owner understands power of repetition

He or her understood that 90% of all purchasing decisions are already been made in

prospects mind, the question is who is savvy enough to make sure the prospect

spends money in his or her salon? The answer is simple – repetition. Those

who understand power of repetition in marketing rule! There is little point in

advertising if you don't follow up and market salon daily, weekly, monthly.

It is not an accident that it takes at least 21 exposure until prospects

notice new service or product. So next time you plan your marketing

think it through how you will be marketing your salon day in and day out.

There are plenty of tips available on out blog, but if you want to take a short

cut and access to all salon marketing materials, including ready made advertising 

templates Salon Marketing School still remains our best selling amongst savvy salon

owners.

Yours in salon 

Salon Punk

Have you ever thought… "if I owned Tony&Guy I'd buy a yacht and marry a superstar."  

Yet little, if any salon owners know that last year, one of T&G franchise salons went bust in Scotland. 

The reason became one of modern day advertising hypes – or rather poorly managed salon promotion strategy. 

Roanna, a client of mine asked the other day, "should I be doing Groupon advertising?"

The short answer is if you don't have a marketing strategy to handle promotions

then don't. but if you know how to convert sales leads into loyal clients than 

in one single promotion you can get as many as 450 NEW CLIENTS, like Grace did in her salon in Birmingham.

So, what went wrong with T&G?

It was simple. T&G gave away so many low priced Groupon hair vouchers that

ended up doing hair virtually for free (although stylists were still paid for the job) 

whilst under carefully planned circumstances free hairdressing is not a problem, the failure came

from inability to convert leads into customers! As a salon owner, would you agree that giving

Free service all the time will eventually make you bust, even if you are under the

protective wings of Tony&Guy!

Bottom line? 

Don't do salon promotions UNLESS you have thought about the whole process of

marketing strategy, AND NEVER take your eyes off your yacht  

Don't worry it is actually very easy to have a clear marketing system in salon.

Alan's done it successfully for over 27 years, and Salon Punk clients done it with the same

proven marketing system, generating over 25 million in sales thanks to proven

marketing Alan gave. 

Have questions?

Email and let me know your questions or if you are

ready to invest in our best selling salon building manuals CLICK HERE and visit the store!

To your salon success

Salon Punk