THOUGHT PROCESS
Success doesn’t happen by accident. The more you know what you need to do, how to do it, and get it done, the faster your Salon Suite business can grow.
 
ACTION STEPS
Leave nothing to chance. Master your knowledge of what it takes to be a successful Salon Suite owner and take advantage of the tools and resources provided by MY SALON Suite to take your business from where it is now to where you want it to be.
 
“He that rises late must trot all day” ~ Benjamin Franklin
 
1 – Get What You Need
 
Successful Salon Suite owners – indeed, successful business professionals of all kinds – are likely to be those who understand that caring for themselves with adequate rest, exercise, nutrition, quiet time, family and social time, etc., is equally as important as tasks more directly related to their business.
 
“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.”
 
2 – Be the Man (or Woman) with a Plan
 
The future is tomorrow and all the days after, and what you do today directly impacts them all. At the end of one workday, make your written to-do list for the next one, so that you’re ready to hit the ground running when the workday begins. Making a to-do list at the end of the workday also reduces the chances that you’ll lose sleep because you suddenly remembered a “must do” for the next day as soon as your head hits the pillow.
 
The act of physically writing something down can help you remember it better. Alternately, putting your to-do lists into electronic form on your phone or tablet can help ensure you don’t lose it and makes it easier for you to keep tasks that need to repeat on the list daily, weekly or monthly without having to write them down over and over again.
 
“Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.” -Franz Kafka
 
3 – Get Input and Inspiration
 
Some portion of each day should be devoted to “intelligence gathering.” This can be time spent in classes, technique-sharing with colleagues, studying trends and fashion, reading, videos, podcasts and other inputs that help you hone your skills, abilities, business knowledge, etc.
 
“Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.” -Peter Drucker
 
4 – Focus Where It Counts Most
 
Certain parts of the workday require your full attention. Limit distractions and interruptions that could negatively affect the client experience, that could hurt client outcomes, or hinder your ability to complete business-critical tasks.
 
“It is not enough to be busy… The question is: what are we busy about?” -Henry David Thoreau
 
5 – Prioritize, Then Do
 
Being busy working on and in your salon business is easy. But being busy doesn’t always equate to success. This is about self-discipline.
 
Successful Salon Suite owners know what must get done in the day, and they get those things done first. If your to-do list for the day is not realistic to accomplish in a given workday, be sure that you move the most critical tasks to the top of the list and put off things that you might enjoy doing more – but which are less necessary – to a later time or a different day.
 
“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.” -Bruce Lee
 
6 – Make It Your Own
 
Successful Salon Suite owners are highly accountable to themselves and others. They take advantage of business-building resources (like those provided in the member-only app to MY SALON Suite owners) and they adapt these tools and resources and make them their own.
 
And they OWN them, and the results. They personalize their business, finance and marketing plans, tailoring them to specific goals and then they work them, and measure their progress, day in and day out.
 
“You’ve got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It’s called perseverance” -Lee Iacocca
 
7 – Lather, Rinse, Repeat
 
“Overnight success” generally only happens after days-months-years of preparation. That means showing up rested, refreshed and inspired every day, to meet (and hopefully exceed) client expectations, operate the business (marketing, accounting, supplies, retail, cleaning, etc.), plan, measure progress and be ready to do it all again the next day.
 
Routines and checklists can help you find your groove as a business owner, and help to ensure you accomplish those things most likely to contribute to the success of your Salon Suite. 

What about you? Is there something you do pretty much every workday that contributes to your success as a beauty professional? Leave your tips as a comment below!

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THOUGHT PROCESS
November and December, typically thought of as the “holiday season” present unique opportunities for Salon Suite owners to increase revenues by catering to party-bound clients.
 
ACTION STEPS
Carve out appointment blocks and attractive offers for people who want to look their best when attending parties during the holiday season.
 

 
1 – Block It Out
 
Holiday party-prep appointments are unique. You may find that touch-up or makeup services can be completed fairly quickly, while elaborate preparations may take longer. Depending on the type of clients you have, you may want to block out specific time slots for holiday appointments, and then offer them to clients on a first-come, first-served basis “while they last!”
 
2 – Beef It Up
 
If you have a lot of clients asking about party-prep appointments, great! If not, you may need to go the extra mile with marketing and special offers to get the attention of clients, social followers and other prospects. Sponsored social media ads could be a great way to get offers for party-preparation appointments and retail products in front of the right people. If you’re already a MY SALON Suite member, you can access a step-by-step guide for using Facebook ads and sponsored posts on the blog in our member-only app.
 
3 – Target the Right Audience
 
A story in the Chicago Tribune notes that higher-income shoppers plan to increase holiday expenditures by 6 percent in 2017. From targeted mailers to specific neighborhoods to sponsoring social media posts, you have the ability to maximize your Salon Suite’s holiday marketing impact by reaching out to likely buyers.
 
4 – Add Social Proof
 
The Chicago Tribune further elaborates on its survey findings: "Consumers told us they would be far more likely to buy a product if an influencer they follow on social media links to a discount, shares a positive review or wears or uses a product.”
 
This means your special offers may be more impactful when paired with a positive client review, shared by someone influential on social media, and accompanied by imagery, such as party-ready looks or before-and-after party looks.
 
5 – Support Holiday Party-Goers with Seasonal Retail
 
Whether you set aside blocks of time for party-preparation appointments or not, you can still capitalize by appealing to holiday party-bound clients with retail products such as fragrances, lip gloss, nail lacquers, glitter sprays and powders, and so on. The great news is that many manufacturers have holiday-themed point-of-sale displays with these types of products available at a low-cost this time of year, giving you the opportunity to test the holiday retail product market without making a huge investment.
 
6 – Show Specific Holiday Hair, Makeup or Nail Looks 
 
As a beauty professional, you may be highly conceptual and creative; but remember, your clients may not be able to imagine the difference your services could make. Use celebrity and fashion photos to show off specific holiday looks to recreate at appointments, and as they relate to the holiday retail products you have for sale.
 
7 – Get People Personally Involved
 
Turn your audience from passive observers to active participants. Set up an album on your Facebook page with pictures showing holiday looks and invite social followers and clients to go into the album and “vote” for their favorite looks with likes, shares and comments. Hold a gift card drawing for all who participate and reward the winner with a free holiday party-prep appointment.
 
Invite clients to choose their favorite look from the album and book a holiday party-preparation appointment at a special price, or with a free party-related product add-on (such as a mini fragrance, lip gloss or glittery spray).
 
8 – Make Party Prep a Party In and Of Itself
 
In addition to offering services for holiday party prep, you can also offer your expertise. Hold an event where clients can learn how to style their hair or apply makeup to achieve holiday looks from home, and sell them the products they need to recreate the looks. Make your event a bring-a-friend affair and incentivize attendance with a door prize to be awarded at the event (must be present to win!) Take loads of photos and create short 1-2 minute technique videos to share on social media.
 
About 80 percent of companies will hold holiday parties this year. Add to that number even more parties held among families, friends, neighbors, schools and more, and it translates to an immense opportunity in terms of salon services needed to make holiday looks truly stunning. Reaching out to holiday party-bound clients with great services and products this year could help you attract new clients and boost seasonal revenues.
 
What about you? Does your salon offer holiday party-related services; if so, which are the most-requested? Leave your answer as a comment below. 
 

​THOUGHT PROCESS
Social media platforms give Salon Suite owners a free salon marketing tool which – used effectively – can increase brand awareness and support client acquisition and retention goals.
 
ACTION STEPS
Adopt a social media salon marketing strategy that “gives the people what they want” on social media in the form of engaging, share-worthy, buzz-building content. 

​​1 – Stories
 
Your entrepreneurial story. Your artistic story. Industry stories. Client stories.
 
Stories arouse interest, feed the imagination and create connections. Telling a story instantly transforms your marketing from “selling” to entertaining, educating and intriguing. Any time you can create a hunger for “what happens next?” and hook a reader, you’ve communicated something that will stick with them far longer than an ad or offer ever will.
 
2 – Advice
 
Any time you share advice with a client in the chair, remind yourself that the problem they are experiencing is not unique. Make a note to share that same piece of advice with your social followers in an upcoming post and increase your value as an expert beauty resource.
 
3 – Influence
 
How many times has a client asked you whether you know a good handyman, plumber, car repair, realtor, restaurant or some other type of business or professional? You can share these recommendations as part of a social media strategy expands your role as an expert resource.
 
By sharing these types of recommendations publicly, you also make it more likely that other professionals will reach out to you, perhaps even becoming clients. After all, they know that you know a lot of people in the community and you’re vocal in giving recognition and referrals.
 
4 – Demonstrations
 
Step-by-step photo and video content is HUGE! Video is the most-shared and most-consumed content on social media. Chances are that you could be creating short video demos just about every day showing techniques people may want to use at home or which share your expertise with other beauty professionals, enhancing your image as an industry expert. These video projects could even help you if you’re interested in becoming a professional educator, both by creating a library of work as well as giving you the ability to hone your presentation skills.
 
5 – Affirmations
 
People sometimes feel surrounded by negativity. They see it on the news, they hear it at work – and sometimes even at home – and certainly it pervades social media. You can be someone’s SUNSHINE by sharing affirmational quotes, thoughts and imagery and by giving a shout out to clients, colleagues or community members who deserve recognition.
 
6 – Ideas
 
Creativity and imagination begets more creativity. Sharing ideas and inspiration can help social followers imagine themselves being transformed under your skilled care.
 
7 – Leadership
 
Are you involved in local networking groups or community associations? Share updates about what these groups are doing on your social networks. It tells social followers that you aren’t just an expert in your field, you’re connected and influential within the community. These updates can also help you attract new clients from within the very same networking groups and community associations.
 
8 – The Add to Value
 
Every time you create a promotion for your Salon Suite, it should be about the value-add, not the discount. Focusing on the value of an offer lets people know that you’re generous; you’re willing to give them more for their money. Focusing on discounts attracts discount shoppers and may diminish the perceived value social followers attribute to your Salon Suite’s products or services.
 
Your Salon Suite’s add-to-value in the greater community also makes for great social media content. This could include fundraising, charity events, give-backs where you donate services or products, and more. By sharing your participation, you’re bringing even more attention to the causes you support and encouraging people (social followers, colleagues, clients, etc.) to follow your example.
 
9 – Transformations
 
Before-and-after transformations are a great way to inspire without giving all the secrets away in step-by-step photo or video content. You can show before-and-after transformations in either photo or video formats, taking shots at the beginning and conclusion of an appointment.
 
10 – Studies and Statistics
 
There are studies and statistics on beauty topics published every year that could be interesting to your social followers and help start product and service discussions. Likewise, YOU can conduct informal polls using social media on different topics to attract social media user interest and start conversations.
 
11 – Invitations
 
No more than 1 in 5 of your social posts should be overtly promotional, but you do need to invite people to take action! At the end of content offering advice, sharing ideas, demonstrating step-by-steps or showing before-and-after transformations you can invite social followers to book an appointment or find out more. The content itself is not overly-promotional, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invite people to take the next step.
 
What about you? Have you ever had a salon social media update that went viral or got a lot of likes and shares? What was it, and how did you build on the success?  Leave your comment below.