If You're Not Managing Your Business.......WHO IS?

Feeling Frustrated?

Working with salon owners can be stimulating, exciting and sometimes downright frustrating.  Why do I say that?  Because these wonderful, hardworking people should be making much greater financial returns from their businesses than they normally are.  They are often the hardest workers in their salons, see the most clients, sell the most product and usually work the longest hours but in too many instances are taking home very little (if anything) in the way of financial recompense.  It's just plain crazy!

The question I have for you is "does this sound like a familiar story in your salon"?  I can almost see you nodding as you read this blog.  Yes, you are the hardest worker and yes you often have to forfeit your paycheck so something or someone else can be paid.  Are you wondering what went wrong?  When did your dream slowly turn into a nightmare that has robbed you of your life and happiness?

You need to know something.  This CAN all change.  It won't be an overnight process but it is doable.  The first thing that you need to think about  is how you are going to go about taking back the management of your business. Stepping off the floor and taking the time to think about ALL the aspects of your business that will make and save you money.

Taking a few hours a week to work on your business and not in your business is the first step to gaining back your control.  Having time to think about quality cost effective marketing that will actually make you a profit instead of simply overpaying for a quick advert in the local paper or magazine that you didn't have time to properly construct.  Looking at your roster to see if you are overstaffed for the amount of work coming through your salon doors.  Spending time with your staff to train them in how to upsell and retail to their clients.  Time to develop staff incentives to boost performance.  The list goes on.

It's time to be happy!

What are you NOT doing in your business that you need to make time for RIGHT NOW.  Don't procrastinate any longer.  Start planning to make your business the success you deserve to have TODAY!




Wishing you prosperity and success
Pam

Sold!

Ever since I got back from Canada, my household electrical items have all decided to go on the fritz.  I am sure it is a conspiracy.  Something concocted between them while I was away as payback for leaving them to the mercy of unknown housesitters.

Well whatever the reason may be, I have had to purchase 2 new kitchen appliances already and dread what the rest of the week may bring.  Being the internet prowler that I am, I have been busily researching which appliances I would buy and how I could get them for the best possible price .  So this afternoon, armed with all my new found info, I decided to hit the shops......again.  I did try it earlier in the week and came home empty handed and very disappointed.  You know how it is when you have decided to spend your money and don't.  I was frustrated.  I had found the perfect applicances but no one seemingly wanted to take my money.

Photo by Arvind Balaraman

I had hit 2 big name electrical appliance stores and in the first store, every microwave that I enquired about was "fantastic", "wonderful" and "incredible".  Naturally I was confused because surely they could not all be so amazing.  Where were the questions about what I needed, where was the guidance toward the best product for me, where was the customer service I wanted?  Obviously on holidays (which is where I was wishing I still was).

The second big retailer, believe it or not, was even worse.  I wandered through the aisles and aisles of microwaves looking suitably forlorn and in need of help but alas, not one of the many salespeople even bothered to come my way and offer some assistance.  Eventually I tracked down a salesperson who was cleverly hiding behind a big stainless steel refrigerator and asked her about a rangehood I had researched.  She pointed to a far corner of the store and said "They're over that way". Sigh!

Finally this afternoon, I hit gold.  I had not been in this particular store for more than 20 seconds before a fantastic fellow by the name of Mark (we'll call him that because that was his name), put aside a job he was in the middle of doing and came over to help.  Well, needless to say, this story had a happy ending and I left the shop almost $800 poorer but oh so much happier.

When I think back over it now, Mark really didn't do anything extra-ordinary, but what he did do was approach me quickly, ask me some good questions, give me genuine guidance and best of all carried my purchases out to the car for me.

It doesn't take much to stand out above the crowd and make the sale.  Friendly, genuine service was all Mark needed to provide to pursuade me to part with my money.

What do you think it will take to make your customers part with their money so readily in your salon?

Wishing you prosperity and success
Pam

Resurrecting "Dead" Clients

I am having a great day today!

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call asking me if I would like to take up the offer of a FREE massage from a local business that I had visited several times many months back.  Well, I can tell you right now that after traipsing around Canada for 5 weeks I could think of nothing more appealing.  As it turned out, I did have to put up my health care card so that they could receive a rebate, but to me, it still felt free.

Apparently while I had been absent this business had sent me a letter inviting me to "Come in and enjoy a very special offer".  Inadvertantly I had thrown this very important letter into the round filing cabinet under my desk along with a million and a half other pieces of marketing material I had received while I was off communing with the Alaskan bears.

Well this business was not prepared to let my business just slide on by without a bit more action which is why I received their phone call asking me if I would like to take up their special offer.  I was impressed!  Not only did they make me an offer that I simply couldn't refuse but when they didn't hear back from me, they followed it up with a phone call.  Now as a business coach, I was already admiring their business savvy.  They obviously know the benefit of retaining a client.

The funny thing was that they hadn't done anything to lose my business but I had become so caught up in other things going on in my life, I just didn't get back to them.


Anyway, the happy ending was that they had reactivated me as a client and I have rebooked for another full price massage next week.  This is a fantastic example of not giving up on a lost client so easily and stands as a shining example to other businesses out there who are struggling to retain or reactivate clients.

Wishing you prosperity and peace of mind
Pam

WOW Customer Service

I have just returned from 5 FABULOUS weeks touring Canada.

Even the Bears are FRIENDLY in Canada!

My husband and I toured through both the West and East coasts and it was quite an experience.  What really stood out for me though as a business coach was the AMAZING customer service I received as a tourist.

Moi with my Favourite "Mountie"

Now as a resident of the Gold Coast here in Australia, I think the standard of customer service we provide to our tourists is pretty abysmal.  Squeeze them in, rush them through, overcharge them and then push them out.  Yup - that is what has happened to me each time I dined in a tourist zone here in Australia.  What I found so totally refreshing over in Canada was the way I was treated as a tourist.  I was never squeezed, rushed or pushed.  Nothing was too much trouble and everything was delivered with a GENUINE smile. I was even engaged in conversation about my holiday by service providers and they were genuinely interested in my experiences.  WOW!

Boy, have we aussies got something to learn from our Canadian cousins when it comes to WOWing our customers.  Obviously the Canadians know that as tourists we are not coming back in the near future and it just doesn't affect their warm and welcoming service.  Maybe we could take a lesson out of their book and start treating our customers the way they seem to treat their tourists.

Wishing you prosperity and peace of mind
Pam

Getting the Balance Just Right

This is my cat Evie.  As you can see, he (yes there was a slight gender mix up in the early days) knows how to relax without the slightest bit of guilt!  We could all learn a lesson from Evie.  That is that it is OK to take the "time out" required to take a nap, go for a walk, see a movie or simply spend some quality time with the people who love and support us.  These days is seems that we are so busy trying to "make a living" that we sometimes forget to "have a life". 
So, take a leaf out of Evie's book and kick back, relax for a while, give the little grey cells a chance to re-energise and live your life.  After all, this may be your only one!

Wishing you prosperity and peace of mind
Pam

Ouch - Just Too Pushy

Photo by Stephano Valle

I have a GREAT chiropractor. He is gentle, professional and best of all he gets results. The other thing that makes him great is that he explains what the "process" is going to deliver at the very beginning of the treatment. All in all, I think he is terrific but today, I seriously considered never going back again. Why? Because today his receptionist damaged the "relationship" I have with his practice. Now, don't get me wrong here, I am all for rebooking clients. As a matter of fact, I spend lots of my time teaching service providers to do just that, but today my chiro's receptionist went "over the line" and entered the very dangerous land of "just too pushy".


So, when does the rebooking process become too pushy and damage the relationship? Well let me relate my experience to you. When I went to pay for my service, the receptionist (I'll call her Mary to protect the guilty) suggested I book again for the following week. I politely explained to her that I was flying out of the country mid week and would most likely be time poor and that if I wanted an appointment, I would ring her to make one. Her reply to me was,"oh, I'll ring you on Monday then". I again repeated that I did not think I would have time to come back before my trip. To this, Mary replied "well we are very busy next week and the Chiro will be going to a seminar on Monday, so you had better book now". Once again, I said, thanks, but I didn't think I would have time. Having had just about enough, I turned to leave and her parting words to me were "We'll expect to see you on Tuesday then".

TOO MUCH!

Rebooking should always be done with honesty and integrity and with a genuine desire to do the best for the client. To me, this whole episode said "greedy" and "it's all about us - not about you".

I still haven't decided if I am going to go back or be like the majority of us Aussies and complain with my feet. What would you have done in my place?

Wishing you prosperity and peace of mind
Pam

Attracting The "Right" Clients

Are your clients the kind of people who come regularly, spend lots of money and refer all of their friends? If your answer is "yes" then you have my congratulations. You see, not too many business owners can say that this is the case for them. Most often I hear cries of "my clients have deserted me" or "I haven't taken home any money for the last 6 months".
Have you ever wondered why you are not as successful as the salon down the road that seems to be weathering the financial crisis much better than you are? Well perhaps it's because they know how to attract the right clients into their business. For instance, if you are wanting to have "top shelf" clients then you are going to need to become a "top shelf" salon. Take a look around you to see if this description fits your salon. Why not do a "top shelf" audit on all aspects of your salon to see what you can do that would be more attractive to the clients you are wanting to attract? Look at all aspects of your salon, your staff, your services, your marketing and of course yourself and decide where you can make some solid improvements that will take you towards where you really want to be with your business.

Wishing you prosperity and peace of mind
Pam