Creative HEAD Christmas 2017

FROM INSIDE
THE SALON
KAIN LAWRENCE
Q HAIR AND BEAUTY
January is about
ensuring loyalty
and retention,
rather than pure profit.
We calculate how much a
guest is worth annually, as
well as how much it would
cost to find a new guest to
replace one that we lost –
an exercise that we would
thoroughly recommend
doing, it’s quite scary! The
Groupon culture is now
part of life, everyone has
a new salon open in their
town offering services at
such small cost to attract
business. We don’t want
our guests to be tempted
by a cheap deal when
money is at its tightest.
We begin our new
year planning in August
when our guests are
booking their Christmas
appointments, ensuring
that we are training them
to rebook at the point of
checkout. Then come
November, we offer a £10
reward for guests that rebook
a service for January.
This again is strictly a
marketing and retention
exercise, delivered as a
thank you to our loyal
guests for a great year.
We don’t operate new
guest offers or promotions
so as to not devalue
our services.
THE
BUSINESS
EDIT
HOW CAN YOU BEAT
THE JANUARY BLUES?
AFTER THE CHRISTMAS RUSH, January
can be a tricky time to get bums on seats and
keep columns crammed, with the question of
whether to discount services often a topic of
discussion. How are salons tackling January?
Focusing on treats or offers that apply only
to January is popular. During November and
December, HOB Salons give clients visiting
the salon a £10 gift card to be redeemed in
January and February.
“We trialled this last year for the first time
and found it an effective way of boosting
our revenue in an otherwise quiet January,”
says HOB Salons’ Natasha Grossman. “Our
results from January 2017 showed a year-onyear
increase in weekly blow dry services,
as regular clients squeezed in an additional
visit, as well as a rise in treatments, retail and
Olaplex services; clients felt the £10 discount
allowed them to treat themselves that little
bit more – not a behaviour we were used to
seeing in January. And extending this offer to
visiting clients only as opposed to our whole
database means there’s no detrimental effect
on December’s revenue.”
For Linton & Mac’s first Christmas, the
duo let clients choose a gift tag from a jar
containing a variety of services for them
to redeem on their following appointment.
“This was a great way to introduce clients to
services they might not have tried, such as
the L’Oréal Professionnel Steampod service,
or a particular backwash treatment,” say
salon directors Jennifer Linton and Jaye
MacDonald. “This year we’re offering services
with our graduate stylists at a discounted rate.
This is popular with clients on a budget, and it
helps build the confidence and the clientele of
the graduate.”
Planning is key – but are you planning early
enough? “I work on getting my Christmas
booking started in May, letting clients know
that we are now booking the year out and
did they want to secure their vital Christmas
appointment,” says Paul Watts of Paul Watts
Hairdressing. “October approaches and the
clients are all set for their Christmas and New
Year hair, but what about next year?
“This is the month to be getting clients
booking up to May 2018 – it’s so simple if you
start early. Leave January sales to the clothing
sector, that’s where people will be heading.
Your clients need their hair doing and if you’ve
planned it right, January and February are
already booked.”
If it is quieter, it’s a good opportunity to turn
your focus on staff or the salon itself. “Whether
it’s a course helping them to boost existing
skills, or they’re learning how to perform a
new treatment to add to your roster, this is the
ideal moment for staff to take a breath and
refresh their skills for the year to come,” says
Sally Salon Services’ Warren Scarr.
It also makes sense to renovate in a period
of low footfall rather than risk losing money
by closing for refurbishment during peak
season. “It doesn’t have to break the bank,
as simple and cost-effective changes can have
a huge impact,” explains Warren. “Even a
lick of paint, a new feature wall, or some
more storage solutions can give your salon
a new lease of life.”
32
CREATIVE HEAD