Some help needed geeks

[Joannesnails]

Hi Ive been in the beauty industry mostly working from home & some mobile for about a year now and i feel that i want to better my business a little bit. I was wondering do you offer drinks for your clients when they arrive?

I also have a terrible memory and when clients ring me up to book in i always at least forget something like their number or where they found me, does anyone know a way or what helps you remember all the things you have to ask?

Me & my sister work together she is a spray tan technician and im a nail technician. With the spray tanning what kind of ideas do you have for tan or beauty parties do you give them a free gift? if so what?

Also any general ideas in how i can better myself in the bussines side of things as im not always too good with it, especialy marketing

thanks x

 

[beautyseeker]

What I have done is put all those questions on the consultation sheet I get them to fill in when I meet them for the first time.

Trish :hug:

 

[loubylou]

If you buy your client record cards from creative nails that has the questions of where they have heard of you and even has a section where they can write their drink preferences hth

 

[Tracey Park]

consultation sheets and also a good diary that goes with me everywhere.

i also have my clients numbers on my phone as well (the regulars anyway). I always txt the day before to confirm.

works for me

 

[blossom]

I make a note on their record card of drink preferences, along with all the usual info, I also note down things like hubby's name, kids names, if they are going away I write a faint note in pencil against their appt after the holiday to ask if they had a good time . . . clients love it when you remember personal things about them and hell, we're only human, we need a bit of a helping hand sometimes!

 

[samlamb]

I also have a terrible memory and when clients ring me up to book in i always at least forget something like their number or where they found me, does anyone know a way or what helps you remember all the things you have to ask?

thanks x[/quote]

A tip I learnt when I trained in universal body wrap was to have a laminated card,kept next to the phone with a 'speil'.Ie all those things you need to ask/tell but easily forget.

 

[stoney]

I am unable to offer drinks to my clients, as my salon is only small and I do not have a seperate area to prepare/store drinks. Health & Safety wise, I prefer my clients not to eat or drink anything at the nail station anyway. I explain that to my clients and everyone is fine (so far anyway!). I do, however, have bottled water just in case!

Having something written down by the phone, generally does the trick for me, when taking bookings.

Marketing wise, I have just distributed a (quarterly) newsletter to all my existing clients and some local business women, and had a great response. I did it myself, so the cost was minimal.

Generally, I find my clients are most impressed by my knowledge, whether it be of the nails/hand or my products. Talk to your clients alot!! Tell them what your using, why your using it, and what it will achieve. My clients love it.

 

[skymark]

Hi there

Happy to hear you are doing well, but it sounds like you'd like to get more people through the door. I am kind of odd. Those are the challenges I like. lol.

I find the easiest way to create a strategy is to sit home and brainstorm. Try and split things into categories...I generally use..

- Marketing for existing customers
- Marketing to gain new customers
- Seasonal marketing

Try think of things that you can do for each of these, and if you have any more category ideas, include those.

Just remember a couple of things. Firstly, try to remember that whatever marketing you do always keep the look and feel of what you're doing professional and remember that your work is speaking for itself all the time. Word of mouth is free after all!!

It can be very tempting, to just slash prices in a discount sale to get people through the door, but although it works for a week or so, it rarely gets lasting customers and there are other ways to get customers in the door without losing any money or damaging your businesses image.

Plus, when you have a list of ideas, just implement one or two and keep the list for other times so you have these ongoing waves of marketing.

Here are a few that spring to mind, they are just a couple of ideas and won't work in every type of salon as each has it's own client base:

Existing customers
- Refer to your database and maybe send them a leaflet about a new service you are offering along with a price list. Maybe give them an incentive of a couple of pounds off a new treatment you are doing.
- Retailing is the easiest way to get the customer spend up, so as it was already mentioned in the thread, if you're talking to your customers about the products in the treatment, retailing can come more easily after that.
- Introduce a refer a friend scheme offering a small incentive for the referrers who bring you new business.
- Let your clients know about any special occasion services you do, make them think of you when they have that wedding or christening coming up, we know they all must have at least one coming up in the next year.

New customers
-First think where are the clients that you want to attract and what kind of spend bracket do they come into.
-Some ideas of places to advertise for new clients can be, depending on your area and your prices, commercial offices buildings with a high female work base; school newsletters sometimes let you buy a small advert or sponsor an event for a mention; Libraries usually have notice boards where you can advertise, some community centres have the same; Ask a cafe or bar where your target customers frequent to have leaflets for you (you can do the same for them).

Seasonal
Remember the dates coming up and be ready in advance with ideas ie.
Mothers day
Easter holiday time (lots of people go abroad)
Holidays (remember also that Feb / Mar is a big holiday time for people who are visiting the caribbean / mexico area due to the temp there)
June wedding season - Maybe get a table at a local wedding fair
Summer holidays


Brainstorming ideas on a piece of paper can be fun with a friend. Sit and put ideas down and then scrap the ones that are not profitable or seem silly after looking at them a few times. You'll be suprised how creative you can be.


Some of the other girls will probably have suggestions about companies they order leaflets / marketing material from. Some places do it for very reasonable prices.

Hope any of this is help, sorry it's long.

 

[Joannesnails]

Hi there

Happy to hear you are doing well, but it sounds like you'd like to get more people through the door. I am kind of odd. Those are the challenges I like. lol.

I find the easiest way to create a strategy is to sit home and brainstorm. Try and split things into categories...I generally use..

- Marketing for existing customers
- Marketing to gain new customers
- Seasonal marketing

Try think of things that you can do for each of these, and if you have any more category ideas, include those.

Just remember a couple of things. Firstly, try to remember that whatever marketing you do always keep the look and feel of what you're doing professional and remember that your work is speaking for itself all the time. Word of mouth is free after all!!

It can be very tempting, to just slash prices in a discount sale to get people through the door, but although it works for a week or so, it rarely gets lasting customers and there are other ways to get customers in the door without losing any money or damaging your businesses image.

Plus, when you have a list of ideas, just implement one or two and keep the list for other times so you have these ongoing waves of marketing.

Here are a few that spring to mind, they are just a couple of ideas and won't work in every type of salon as each has it's own client base:

Existing customers
- Refer to your database and maybe send them a leaflet about a new service you are offering along with a price list. Maybe give them an incentive of a couple of pounds off a new treatment you are doing.
- Retailing is the easiest way to get the customer spend up, so as it was already mentioned in the thread, if you're talking to your customers about the products in the treatment, retailing can come more easily after that.
- Introduce a refer a friend scheme offering a small incentive for the referrers who bring you new business.
- Let your clients know about any special occasion services you do, make them think of you when they have that wedding or christening coming up, we know they all must have at least one coming up in the next year.

New customers
-First think where are the clients that you want to attract and what kind of spend bracket do they come into.
-Some ideas of places to advertise for new clients can be, depending on your area and your prices, commercial offices buildings with a high female work base; school newsletters sometimes let you buy a small advert or sponsor an event for a mention; Libraries usually have notice boards where you can advertise, some community centres have the same; Ask a cafe or bar where your target customers frequent to have leaflets for you (you can do the same for them).

Seasonal
Remember the dates coming up and be ready in advance with ideas ie.
Mothers day
Easter holiday time (lots of people go abroad)
Holidays (remember also that Feb / Mar is a big holiday time for people who are visiting the caribbean / mexico area due to the temp there)
June wedding season - Maybe get a table at a local wedding fair
Summer holidays


Brainstorming ideas on a piece of paper can be fun with a friend. Sit and put ideas down and then scrap the ones that are not profitable or seem silly after looking at them a few times. You'll be suprised how creative you can be.


Some of the other girls will probably have suggestions about companies they order leaflets / marketing material from. Some places do it for very reasonable prices.

Hope any of this is help, sorry it's long.

Thank you very much!! that advice is great..And much appreciated i will be using your ideas thank you. How do you know so much about these kind of things?xx

 

[deehair]

i use consultation cards and pt there birthdays on and send a card on birthdays xmas.s it works a treat :hug: i keep all important details on it.
they look surprised if i bring a sbject up from previous appointments

 

[Bagpuss]

It might be a good idea for you to enrol on a small business course.

Being in business is so much more to just being able to preform the treatment, you do have to have a business head or at least learn how to run a business and run it well.

 

[Lavender-blue]

Hi Joanne

I am a little confused. You say you are a nail tehnician, but in your first thread you said you are looking into doing manicures and pedicures and maybe nail extensions.

You are now saying that you have been a nail tech for a year??

So are you a nail technician or still thinking about doing a course?

Elaine x