So here’s the big secret: the best way for a salon owner to survive a walkout is to simply be proactive before a walkout has a chance to take root.
Consider the five “Re’s”, and where necessary, commit to accomplishing each one every week—DO SOMETHING, TODAY!!
● RE-LOAD: Do something specifically designed to drive new business ($) into your salon, today! This can be done through either “internal” or “external” marketing strategies. For example, push out a product or service promotion to your current guests and email it to them, boost select posts that represent your salon best on your company Facebook page, sending it out to friends of your existing Facebook fans (low $ cost), run a special referral promotion with an aggressive offer to get your existing guests working for you, and meet with your lower-level stylists and brainstorm on ways they can build their businesses, etc.
● RE-POSITION: Take an objective look at your Internet presence, and make updates where necessary. This is terribly important to ensure that your Internet presence is relevant and impressive, and not dated. For example, look at your Google Analytics and see which of your website pages gets the most views. Does it need updating? If so, talk to your web-master.
● RE-CRUIT: Part of reloading is likely the task of recruiting. You should always be in recruiting mode, so when ideal candidates come along, you can offer them positions within your salon. This strategy is much more effective than hiring based on necessity. Simply update a job posting, commit to a job expo at a local cosmetology school, arrange to speak to an incoming class at a school (face time), or send out a direct mail recruiting postcard to licensed cosmetologists within fifteen miles of your salon.
● RE-COVER: This is about bringing the guests who left back through the doors of your salon. Offer the departed guests special incentives or an aggressive limited-time offer makes sense. You can easily do this by targeting them through automated means, mailing them a personalized letter, leaving telephone messages, or all three! Delegate these important tasks to people you trust (Front Desk Lead or Floor Manager), because too much exposure to this can get you off-task in a hurry.
● RE-INVENTION: If necessity is the mother of invention, then reinventing yourself and your business may make sense too! Take a long, hard look at your long-term goals, both personal and for your salon. Are you headed in the right direction? Revisit all the systems you have in place, from your new client gift packs to the credit card company you work to evaluate where your money is going.
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- By Summit Salon Business Center – www.SummitSalon.com