September 7, 2016

SUITE SUCCESS STORY #41

Picture

 Are You Making These 8 Deadly Marketing Mistakes?

THOUGHT PROCESS:
 
If you’re not earning the revenues you want – If you see too few clients in a week –
If your average sale hasn’t increased in a while – If you’re not generating enough referrals…
It’s probably because you’re making one or more of these “8 Deadly Marketing Mistakes”:
 

  1. Not having a clear mission statement
  2. Not knowing your USP
  3. Having anything less than a 100% client perspective
  4. Not understanding the lifetime value of a client
  5. Not focusing your marketing on a target audience
  6. Not testing different approaches
  7. Failing to offer additional services and products
  8. Not developing any business alliances

 
Think a minute. Every future client of yours has someone else doing their hair right now. A marketing crusade is an all-out effort to convert your preferred prospects to choose you. You can launch a marketing crusade that changes everything – more referrals, more sales, more clients, and more revenues!
 
Let’s flip these 8 Deadly Mistakes around and give you a brief explanation of WHAT TO DO, with live links to a fuller explanation, in our fresh-off-the-press –

“Salon Owner’s Guide To 8 Little-Known Marketing Secrets That Work”

1. Have a clear mission statement for your salon. 
As a salon owner or independent stylist, you must know the WHY for your business – are you in the business of creating that smart professional look? Of repairing damaged hair? Of empowering clients to take control of the beauty of their own hair?
 
What will clients ACHIEVE by coming to you? With the right mission statement, you can constantly, daily, moment-by-moment measure all of your activities according to the mission of your salon – your reason for being.
 
If you haven’t written down your clear mission statement, stop now and craft one for your business. What are you REALLY GOOD at? Start by listing the actual benefits your clients receive. Compare these benefits to your mission – they should be the same.
 
2. Know your USP 
Your Unique Selling Promise is that one distinctly appealing difference that sets you apart from every other salon professional. What positive qualities distinguish you from all others?
 
Once you know your unique difference – you must use it. Communicate it in all of your printed materials, on your blog and Facebook page, and with each and every contact with your clients.
 
If you need extra help finding what sets you apart from all the rest, check out how to craft your own powerful Unique Selling Promise.
 
3. Have a 100% client perspective 
Instead of focusing on personal needs or making money, continually think of  what you can do for your clients. What benefits and advantages can you pile onto your service to make it irresistible?
 
In a service business, you’ll spend less time taking on more and more new clients if you simply treat existing ones as if they mean everything, because THEY DO! Treat them all as VIPs and they’ll build your business for you.
 
Take out a piece of paper and write down the words, “I can offer my clients more of…”
“I can offer my clients less of…” “I can offer my clients better…” “I can offer my clients greater…”
Make a list of anything you can think of to offer your clients.
 
Your clients only come in your door one at a time. Each thinks of him or herself as a special individual, and you should too.
 
4. Know the lifetime value of your clients
One of the worst mistakes you could make is letting clients come and go without thought as to how valuable they really are to the future security of your business. The answer to that question is called the “lifetime value” of your client.
 
You need to know that number!
 
How many times does your typical client come in a month? In a year? How long do they stay with you? How much do they typically spend when they come in? How often do they refer you? If you don’t figure out these numbers, you really aren’t in business because you won’t know how to value your assets. Your business might have cash flow, but it could be fleeting and short term.
 
Also, you won’t know how much you can spend in time and money to acquire a new client or to build a loyal client base. Not all of your resources need to be spent on acquiring customers – What can you do to build relationships and show appreciation to your current clients?
 
That way, they’ll keep coming back!
 
5. Focus your marketing on specific audiences 
Who are your best clients, and where you can find more of them? Put your marketing resources there. In other words, you must have a clear understanding of who you want to attract, and go after them.
 
It may be specific neighborhoods, businesses, interests, your church or other affiliations. Consider another group of purchasers similar to yours, such as people getting married or with specific health issues that impact their hair.
 
Remember, you can SERVE anyone. You spend your money and time MARKETING to those who are most likely to want, need, and value your services, and have the ability to pay your fees.
 
6. Test different approaches to fine-tune your message 
Let’s say you tried sending out postcards once and it failed. Does that mean postcards don’t work? Of course not. Sending messages by mail work for a lot of salons.
 
Many business owners try something once, and if it doesn’t work, they quit. This is unfortunate. If you only tried to drive a car once, you’d never learn to drive!
Each experience informs the next one. It’s a learning curve, as in any activity or sport.
Test everything you do. Try different headlines, messages, offers and incentives. How about adding a guarantee? Test everything, one change at a time. (Otherwise, you’ll never know for sure WHICH change caused the improvement!)
 
7. Offer additional services and products to your clients 
This is called “up-selling.” You’ve spent your time, money, energy, and passion getting your salon career off the ground. Is that all there is?
 
Ask yourself, what additional client needs can you meet? How will they keep their look just right in between appointments? Do they want a deep moisturizer while sitting in your chair?
 
If you only make one sale per client, you’ll have a tremendously tough road ahead. If you’re always going after the first sale, you’re going to be continually working to overcome the hardest thing in business – gaining a new client.
 
8. Develop business avatars
Want more referrals? The fastest way is to build alliances with local businesses and turn them into your Avatars!
 
An Avatar is someone who knows and influences many others. Trusted experts in their field, their contacts consistently ask them to recommend providers of services they seek.
 
An Avatar isn’t necessarily your client, but someone your prospects respect and trust. These well-connected members of your local community can increase your clientele in a matter of a few conversations. Your business Avatars will change your future, if you develop them.
 
Avatars help you create your “Suite Success”.
 


Back to blog