Creative HEAD January 2020

CHALLENGE: BOOKINGS
LOCKED IN
SIMON WILLETTS,
COMBERS INSIDE OUT, TAUNTON
THE COMBERS PHILOSOPHY OF MAKING CLIENTS
FEEL BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT HAS LED TO
SIMON’S SALON BECOMING ONE OF THE PREMIER
DESTINATIONS IN THE WEST COUNTRY
JENNIFER LINTON, LINTON & MAC, ABERDEEN
AS WINNER OF THE IT LIST ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
FOR 2019, JENNIFER KNOWS MORE THAN MOST
ABOUT SECURING BOOKINGS AND GETTING GUESTS
THROUGH THE DOORS
It has always been at the heart of our business to
create a multi-faceted experience. We are constantly
reassessing and redirecting ourselves, there is no room
for complacency here! We have a comprehensive online
booking system that integrates with our front of house
system. Our online bookings doubled in just two years
to make up a quarter of all of our bookings. We also put
our daily availability up on our Instagram Stories to
highlight any last-minute availability. We regularly create
services to answer the needs of our city, keeping regulars
interested and attracting new guests to the salon.
“We created our Breakfast Menu when a huge shopping
and office complex opened near the salon, so we started
opening at 7am and offering express services in hair and
make-up, all served with a coffee and a healthy breakfast
offering. We actually tied in with one of our regular
client’s small business to offer the organic yoghurts she
produces as part of the breakfast. Express services like
this and our popular Style Bar mean we are creating more
visits per client and filling in our stylists’ schedules…
which means more bums on seats!”
It doesn’t surprise me to learn that many salon
owners spend so much time in their business that
they don’t have the time to look at their software stats
and improve – I was that person. Introducing promotions
without fully understanding the cost or monitoring
the results is madness, but something I did in my first
years of business. Any marketing when you have a bad
business model will just put you out of business quicker,
so continuous stylist education on skill and service, with a
strong and consistent lead and direction from the owner/
manager, was the first step we introduced.
“Promotions and sales, I have tried them all. While they
improve immediate cashflow, they harm future business
and set a precedent for the clients it attracted and
existing clients. So, we rarely do it except for value-added
promotions involving treatments or retail.
“It is difficult for a business to be all things to all clients
and still be authentic. We set our sights on the discerning
client looking for quality. We allocate time to allow stylists
to deliver face-to-face consultations on every visit. By
gaining feedback on previous visits and reviewing the
client’s hair plan, we’re able to encourage loyalty.”
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CREATIVE HEAD