1. Get rid of the ammonia based hair color in my salon.
It’s 2011 in the 21st century! Isn’t it about time the industry lets go of the notion that ammonia is a necessary evil that is required to achieve professional results with hair color? Because when you think about it a necessary evil is still evil! Ammonia still irritates the scalp, stings the eyes and can cause serious health problems to those who work with it day in and day out. There are a handful of non ammonia alternatives but there is only one that has been around for 20 years with a proven record in the industry worldwide and that is Organic Color Color Systems. Make this the year that you step up into the only color line that has certified organic ingredients, is certified cruelty-free and vegan by P.E.T.A. and is 100% ammonia free!
2. Do away with the toxic keratin services that I may offer.
2010 was the year of controversy for the popular and profitable keratin smoothing service. It really presented a moral dilemma to those salons who wanted to be eco-friendly and still offer this amazing protein treatment. Between all the safety testing and bans in Canada this market segment became confused with many not knowing who to believe. After all we aspire to be image makers not scientists. Thankfully, KeraGreen Keratin and Protein system arrived to put the industry at ease. This new system was formulated without formaldehyde or any of its nasty derivatives. It contains a plant based natural keratin complex which does not produce toxic steam during the process. It was developed by someone who had a near fatal reaction to a formaldehyde based keratin straightener. So loose the toxic keratin and keep all the profits by switching to KeraGreen this year!
3. Offer healthier Retail products to my clients.
Give your clients a reason to buy their retail care and styling products from you, rather than the local big box or grocery store. Offer them products that are natural and organic. Organic Care Systems products are free from parabens, silicones and animal products. They are made with certified organic ingredients and are never tested on animals! They are effective in preventing color fading and there is a line that has been formulated for each unique type of hair. The KeraGreen after care line is rich in protein and contains the same keratin complex that is found in the treatment. These products ensure your clients service will look great and last longer. Plus, don’t forget the styling! Organic Control Systems is 100% plastic free styling. It is also made from certified organic ingredients and contains no animal products. Say goodbye to the brittle crunch of plastic based styling and hello to a firm, yet natural feel and look!
4. Educate myself and my employees about Organic salon products & services.
There is no truth in the cliche of “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Continuing education and learning not only vastly expands your own professional knowledge base, but also makes you feel good about yourself in the process! It importantly lets your clients know that you care about them and your profession. As we mentioned early it is a new age for professional salon products. Because these more natural products have eliminated the harsh chemicals that made their hazardous counterparts work, there might be a personal prejudice to shed, a slight learning curve to overcome and different way of doing things. In other words stepping out of your comfort zone! But that kind of personal self motivation almost always yields a fantastic outcome! Organic Salon Systems is here to help you along your path to enlightenment. They offer all kinds of training videos and webinars available on their popular YouTube channel. They also bring you advanced classes both at their headquarters and even in regional salons. Plus, they also provide the social forums for pro stylists to talk amongst each other and share ideas and knowledge.
5. Educate my clients on the benefits of natural services and products.
Once you are brought up to speed on these natural offerings it becomes easy to talk to your clients about them. You instill a confidence in your customers helping them to be loyal to your salon! Organic Salon Systems brings you a multitude of tools to aid you in letting your clients know about the fabulous products you offer. From pamphlets to posters, there is even a prescription pad that allows your stylists to break the ice with their customer that opens the dialogue about the products and lets the stylists make recommendations right from their chair! Organic Salon Systems Client Services and Technical Support is always ready to help you better talk to your clients about these organic services and products. Products and services that can often command a higher price or be up-sold!
6. Reward my clients for their repeated business.
In these trying economic times you should do everything in your power to keep your customers happy and loyal. Think of incentives and ways to keep them coming back for more. Sometimes producing great results and offering unique or premium services is not enough. Nor is always deep discounting your products and services. There is a profit driven compromise that can be had in the form of a customer rewards program. “For every 5 visits get one at 20% off!” For every 5 retail purchases get a shampoo, conditioner or styling product FREE!” There are many ways to reward your customers that have value to them, and that will not put a dent in your bottom line. Organic Salon Systems offers attractive punch cards that you can validate for your customers and that allow you to write in your own special reward offer. It can be a fun and easy way to keep business up!
7. Work with my valued clients to help grow my referral business.
Another way to build upon a rewards program is to offer big rewards to your top referring customers! Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. If you produce great results and are doing so in a healthy, natural way people will notice and you will get talked about. Why not give incentives to those customers who are avid promoters of your salon? Have a referral open house. This is where you invite each of your best customers to a cocktail or tea party and have them bring a friend for a free consult. This is a nice way to show off your salon, products and knowledge! And every one who brings a friend can get a special gift in the form of free or discounted services or products. Organic Salon Systems also has an easy referral program that consists of a small by fold business card that your client can take, fill in their info and then pass it on to a friend to come into your salon. When the card comes back into your salon with the referral, you then the referrer a “Thank You” Postcard with their special reward of your choice written on it. This a nice way to create a personal thanks to those that help you grow your business.
8. Stay connected with my clients through social media and the web.
Nearly everyone uses Facebook these days. It is an easy way to stay in touch with friends and associates both old and new! But you may not want to be “friends” with all your clients. Well, Facebook makes it easy to to separate your true friends from your clients in the way of a “Fan Page”. You can easily make such a page for your salon and even set up a couple different people to manage it for you. It is a great tool to use to educate your clients on new products, services, specials and even events. It also allows your customers to talk with each other and share their experiences. This medium can also work as a base for referrals and can be used to showcase the work your stylists are doing with individual photo galleries and the like. You can also link it to your salon’s website which would act as more of a brochure about your salon location and service menu.
9. Advertise my salon more to help my business grow.
There are many avenues available to the local salon to pursue in advertising. Too many, in fact, to go into much detail here. But they range from the yellow pages to regional interests magazines to everything in between. Many Organic Salons find that advertising in localized Natural Health magazines or working with local whole foods stores have helped to grow their business. Then there are the coupon mailers like Val-Pak and the very popular web based coupon sites like Groupon or Living Social. The key is to stay within your budget and your brand’s target audience. Organic Salon Systems is committed to helping you get the most bang for your buck. Their Marketing team is available to guide you through the process and advise you on what best suits your salon. On January 10th, 2011 there will be a special webinar on Marketing your Organic Salon so stay tuned for more details.
10. Step up the efforts to get my salon more publicity.
Publicity is one of the cheapest ways to advertise your salon. All it requires is a little know how and hard work. Local news and morning shows are always looking for a feel good story to promote and what better story than getting hazardous chemicals out of your salon. So take the time to get to know your local media outlets and programs through their respective websites. Then write a short press release about what makes your salon and services unique! How you are helping your clients look gorgeous but not at the expense of their health. Feature the products you use and why you think it’s important. Find the news channel or morning show editors on the “Contact Us” section of their website and email them your story idea. After a couple days follow up with a phone call and try to move it along. Another good way to get publicity, that does involve a little expense, is to team up with or sponsor a local charity event. These can include things like 5k runs for cancer awareness or even ASPCA type events. Be creative and align the charity to your mission of creating a safer and healthier salon. It is always a win-win!
These few New Years Resolutions can go a long way into 2011 and can really help grow your organic salon business. As with most resolutions pick the ones that you know will be successful and get great results. Some of you are farther along than others on your Organic Salon journey and you may have all ready done many of the things on this list! So, try a few of the others and be amazed by the outcome. Here is to a profitable 2011! Cheers!
