Creative HEAD IrelandSeptember2018

THE SECRET TO…
A SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTORY OFFER
THE BUSINESS EDIT
CAN ALTRUISM
HELP YOUR SALON
FLOURISH?
It’s back to school this month,
which means clients are in the
mood to change up their routines
and start afresh, creating a great
opportunity for hair salons to attract
new customers, be it with fresh
highlights or a clean cut.
To cater to this group, you’ll want
to be prepared with an attractive,
easy-to-implement introductory
off er – so make sure your off er has
the following features:
A DISCOUNTED, MULTI-APPOINTMENT
PACKAGE: Bring clients in at a
discounted price with the intent
of creating an optimal experience
that will help them see the value of
returning at full price. Off er more
than one appointment and include
a frequency recommendation. Clear
expiration dates also drive a sense
of urgency to book.
THE RIGHT PRICE: Remove the
pricing barrier that may have kept
potential clients from visiting your
salon. However, the goal is to retain
new clients, so you need to ensure
the entry price isn’t too low. Don’t
price so cheaply that it undervalues
what you off er.
EASY IMPLEMENTATION: Keep it
simple for you and your staff to
manage and sell, as well as easy for
clients to purchase. Make sure salon
software can facilitate new offers and
track the ones that are working.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
For more salon-savvy secrets by MINDBODY,
visit uk.mindbodyonline.com
FOR ONE DAY every year, Lloyds Hair in
Waterford opens up from 11am until 4pm,
and the staff work for free – instead of filling
the tills, they donate their fees to a local
breast cancer charity.
It doesn’t sound like a great decision
in terms of your cash takings, but owner
Danielle Kennedy believes that this yearly
event is actually a powerful tool for her
business profile.
“Our biggest charitable event every year
is our Annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser,”
explains Danielle, whose team at Lloyds
Hair won the Supreme Team title at both the
2017 and 2018 Most Wanted Awards. “We do
free blow-drying and up-styling in return for
donations. The lead up to, and the day itself,
is full of excitement and it creates a huge
positive energy around the salon. To date
we’ve raised nearly €15,000 for a local breast
cancer charity and it’s something we, as a
team, are proud of.”
Lloyds Hair also runs collections for
homeless charities throughout the year, and
has recently run a collection for a salon built
by Munster Chernobyl Aid.
“From a team perspective, giving back
to the community around us improves
morale and increases job satisfaction,” says
Danielle. “We have quite a large budget
for donations of spot prizes (about €5,000 a
year) but still received requests we couldn’t
honour, so in 2016 we changed our protocol
and now we only sponsor prizes for events
our clients are involved with.
“Clients are never refused a donation and
this helps us to strengthen our relationship
– giving back to our clients is a powerful
marketing tool.
She continues: “I think anyone in the
hair industry is naturally altruistic, as it’s
ingrained in us to want to make people
feel fantastic and to make people happy.
Hold a team meeting and pick a charity or
charitable activity together – if it’s part of
your salon’s culture then everyone should
have a part in it.”
It’s this same philosophy that made
Siobhan Laffan, a stylist at Peter Mark Naas,
make contact with the UK-based charity –
and 2018 Most Wanted Award of Innovation
winner – Haircuts4Homeless and help set
up a project in Capuchin Day Centre in
Dublin. “We’re basically a group of skilled
hairstylists and barbers who give up
our time once a month to cut homeless
people’s hair free of charge,” she explains.
“We’ve now set up a second project in
Limerick and our plan is to branch out all
across the country.”
While it might seem to be a small thing
to offer a haircut to homeless person for
free, the charity Haircuts4Homeless has
found that spending time with someone on
the street and giving them the chance to
smarten up their appearance works wonders
for their mental wellbeing.
And by giving a boost to those in need,
your team will also feel invigorated. “It’s
great to get everyone in the salon involved,
whether it’s bringing them along to cut hair
or help with fundraising – it creates a good
buzz in the salon,” adds Siobhan.
Aidan Fitzgerald, owner of Aidan
Fitzgerald in Blackrock, Dublin, also
understands the positive links between
altruism and business. “We specialise in
wigs for cancer patients, as fashion wigs are
not always suitable,” he explains. “When
you lose a key part of your appearance, you
lose part of your identity – you might be
in and out of hospital dealing with doctors
and nurses, but nobody deals with your
hair. We realised this and saw that helping
these patients could add another side to our
business and open up another avenue.”
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CREATIVE HEAD IRELAND