With the most exciting time of the year for retail looming, are you making the most of your retail opportunities and if not, why not?

People are always asking me how to make more money and where they can make the next quick buck? Money doesn’t grow on trees, it doesn’t come easily, and it takes a lot of hard work and effort to achieve a substantial bank balance.

So what’s the magic cure? Well, here’s the deal… there isn’t one! You work hard, you employ a decent staff, you have a nice salon with a book full of customers, you are busy most of the time, and you have a display of different products- what’s next?

Today I want to talk to you about retail products; we may have touched on this in the past, but with Christmas around the corner, I think that retailing is where your salon can make a big difference to your profit margins. There are many elements to this part of your business, but with anything, take it a chunk at a time and investigate each point thoroughly to maximize the impact a few retail products can make.

What Products to Choose
You have to be happy with the products that you use every day at the salon, not just because the company sales girl was nice and gave you a great deal- what are you going to do with a heap of different products that might look cute but you know nothing about?

If you and your staff don’t believe in the products that you use everyday, how can these possibly be used in treatments with confidence and discussed/sold to customers?

Product Training
Your staff should be trained and fully conversant in the features, advantages and benefits of each of the different products with in the ranges they use everyday. The product supplier should insist on this training for your staff, otherwise they are just dumping product on you don’t have any interest in building the brand or any business with you in the future. I say again, you and your staff need to love the products, they need to love everything about it, how it looks, how it feels, how it smells, what it does, etc,etc.. All of these things will make the collection easier to sell: Nothing sells a product more than passion and genuine interest from the person selling it. Think about it, someone calls you up from a sales center, trying to sell you a new, let’s say bed, for the sake of argument. You’re just a number, they don’t care about the bed, they don’t care about you, they just want the sale and it comes across, you are just next on the list. In a salon environment the compassion and care is already there, having been built over the last few months/years between you and your clients. Add to that the genuine enthusiasm for the fantastic new products you have just taken on, that actually do what they say they do and the sale is easy as pie.

Discuss the Products
Instead of idle gossip (yes ladies, I mean you) at the salon during nail treatments, why not take the time to explain to the customer what exactly it is you are doing and why? Explain how the product you’re using is benefiting them, this then nicely leads into home care products and why home maintenance is important. This in turn will increase the trust between client and staff and ultimately make selling retail products much easier.

Best Placed
The brand you carry/use in your salon needs to be seen- to be sold. There is no point having a cupboard full of retail products that you overwhelm your client with at the treatment. Products on display will sell themselves most of the time. Think about window space, an area by the cash register or in the treatment room- a nice brightly lit, clean, airy space is retail heaven, but on the flip side a beautiful display can actually turn people off! Keep to the basics, make sure you have plenty of stock, neatly displayed, already priced with samples to try- this will take the pressure away from customers, most of which will approach the display by themselves and ultimately feel more comfortable making their purchase.

Staff Incentives
Yes, I know a contentious issue sometimes, but you know small staff incentives go a long way. Imagine selling something you love and getting paid extra to for it! How incredible is that? Even if its wrong with a little competition, it might even make some of the slackers sit up and pay attention.

Promotions
Always ask your product supplier what their current promotions are. Nine out of 10, they will offer you something, even if it doesn’t have any structured promotions running at the time. Make the most of these opportunities, invest a little extra time and money in taking these from your suppliers and reap the rewards in the future. Your clients will thank you for passing on the benefits of the promotions and in turn it will make selling easier, as the clients are effectively getting more for their money.

Today, I want to talk to you about change and the positive effect it can have on your life- not only from a business perspective, but personally and financially.

Change is one of the most powerful forces in the world-we can either fight change or we can embrace it, its not something to be scared of. Think about how the world has evolved for the better in many ways and without these changes we would still be wearing fur pants and dragging our better halves around by their hair!

I have, throughout my life, always been the kind of person who has sought to embrace change. I have always tried to look at the positive benefits that it can bring. As I’ve traveled around the world over the years I’ve seen so many changes that it’s truly been astonishing and a real eye opener in many cases.

I have traveled all over the Eastern Bloc, which until just a few years ago was still a communist country and incredibly backward in so many ways. Over the past 20 years I have privy to stories of people in food queues with a lack of basic human necessities- just imagine that! Now, when I visit my global distributors and meet their children who have grown into their teens I see they have the latest iPhones and all manner of gadgets- they are completely in tune with the Internet and have no recollection of the harsh lives that their parents endured in the recent past. These families are a good example of how easy it is to embrace a changing world and also how rapid that rate of change can be.

I embrace change in my daily life and always try to see if there are quicker and better ways of doing things. I like to believe that change is constant in my life and particularly in business where I feel, if you don’t change and adapt, you can soon find yourself for a better choice of words, extinct! There are many stories of how businesses that were successful for many years suddenly found themselves out of business and the explanation that is often given is merely that they didn’t change with the times and got left behind.

I, as a product company CEO, am constantly looking, with my team to see how we can change and improve not only our existing and traditional products, but also what we can invent or develop in the new system products department in order to give better results in quicker times. We have in development right now new system products that we feel will revolutionize the nail business in the years to come.

As I said earlier, you need to be thinking about how you can embrace changes in many ways. Think outside of the box, don’t have tunnel vision and just focus on the day to day running of your business- look at all of the aspects; premises, staff, training, products, marketing, services etc. Don’t throw away the leaflets and magazines that come though your door, send off for samples and try other products- you are not under any obligation and if you don’t try new things, you will never know what you are missing out on.

Don’t become overwhelmed by change by trying to do everything at once; take it a section at a time, which also allows you to give “change” the attention and time required to be successful. Changes don’t have to be huge, small things here and there can have maximum impact. Take time to reassess your business and you will soon be reaping the rewards, trust me!

Fabulous ideas to spring clean your business and create an exciting new salon environment to motivate staff and entice customers!

You’ve heard it all before, times are hard and they are not getting any easier in the short term, but look on the bright side: Spring is here, it’s warmer and people are starting to take a bit more care of themselves – Hallelujah!

It’s time to get your head out of the sand and embrace some good old fashion “Out with the old, in with the new “ mentality. This can be applied to all manner of salon/spa concepts; here are just a few to get you thinking and wake up those of you who are still in hibernation mod from your long cold winter.

Opening Times: Stuck with the “9 to 5, closed on Mondays, late night Thursdays” routine? Why not open earlier and close later? You must have some staff who’s shifts overlap. This way you can catch the early birds doing the school run and benefit those hard working souls who work after normal working hours. Utilize your staffing time to benefit you the best. Times like we’re experiencing today are when you find out who you can count on; staff that are dedicated will shine and nothing will be too much trouble, so don’t worry about making a few changes; it’s good for the soul!

New Staff: Radical I know, but just think about it seriously for a moment. Are you carrying anyone’s weight in particular around the salon? Are you getting the value of money from your staff? Do you need all of them? Do they pay for themselves? Food for thought: it may seem a little harsh, but you know what, you pay the wage bill. Clear out the dead wood and save yourself a few dollars! Once this exercise is in place, try some new motivational ideas: give your staff targets; if they bring in brand new customers or target their retail sales, to help increase and at the same time, share in the profits of the salon. This will encourage team building while adding a little healthy competition between the staff at the same time. Why not? You have nothing to loose only more to gain!

New Sources of Income: Perhaps you are a little bleak in your approach to business? Open your mind to new and interesting ideas. Consider local nursing homes and hospitals for instance; they have a captive audience and perhaps they need someone to take on a contract for manicures/pedicures-if you don’t ask, you don’t get! It could be fruitful, try it. How about teaming up with other local businesses in the area, say a clothes shop and a hairdressers? Put on a fashion show together for the local community, lift the spirits, wile gaining potential new leads. Why not get a local hairdressers or gym to stock your price list and you can do the same for them. Or ask the local pub to place advertising on the back of the restroom doors in return for a discount for its staff. The simplest ideas often reap the biggest rewards. Another opportunity I have heard about recently is to support the local PTA/School group. Oh and look out for bridal fairs; this is a great networking event!

Products: At a loose end some days and bored of your current brand? Look around and investigate new retail lines, which will bring extra revenue to your salon. Maybe your current product supplier is not up to the mark in both services and it gives and the products it supplies? Switching brands to save money doesn’t have to be a chore; most product companies will suggest a suitable opening order to ensure that all of your service needs and budgets are met. In fact these days, most will tailor-make an opening order to suit you, rather than stock you up with useless products that you only ever use once? Make sure it backs up its brand with marketing support and point of sale material to pull the customers in.

Training Providers: Shop around for the best training providers; in today’s economic climate there should be a deal to be had. Compare quotes and expectations and ensure you are getting value for money.

Services: Look at the list of services you offer, think outside of the box- how about a men’s evening for example, where you offer men’s-only services? Try combining this with a televised sports event and bring in a TV for them to watch it while they relax and are being pampered. Not forgetting the ladies of course, you can offer girls night out – choose an evening that you can have your staff stay late to host a girls night out. Serve drinks and hor d’oeuvres while giving women a pampering experience. Same with children’s nail art and make up parties-use your imagination; with a broad range of quality products, the possibilities are endless. Do you want your customers to keep coming back to you time after time? Ever thought of a loyalty card schemed-where clients get the card stamped after every visit, like is done at coffee shops?

Decoration: When was the last time you changed the look of the salon, be it a new poster, mirror, window display, plants etc? All of these ideas can freshen up a tired looking workspace. Try changing around the layout, not only will it breathe new life into your staff, but your customers will love it too! If you just can afford it, why not change the color scheme, even on just one wall. A lick of paint can work wonders for a salon!

New Developments: Don’t be afraid to visit seminars and industry events, they are a minefield of valuable information, if you can’t make it, send a member of staff.

Featured in Scratch Magazine