KEEPING YOUR SALON
GROWING
By Monique Morrison, Marketing Manager, Walker Tape ow might be the time to focus on building your N salon’s business. Such a claim might seem strange considering this last year’s consistent health anthem to limit face touching and time spent indoors in public. For salons facing shutdown mandates, how can you grow as a business with the CLOSED sign dangling on the door? Defying logic, salons have found creative ways to grow – even while offering no in-person services. Since business as usual is off the table, it’s time to brainstorm new cost-savvy services to provide.
Consider these three areas of growth opportunities: Inventory Management The products you use have a certain shelf life, usually between six months and one year. Yet, due to running at lower capacity or booking fewer clients, you aren’t going through as much product like you used to. In what other ways could you move that product off your shelf before they expire? Some businesses are answering that question by expanding their services. They are creating takehome kits for curbside pickup with instructions and scheduled Zoom walkthroughs. With little investment, suddenly these salons have added a new service and touchpoint with their clients, all while managing a halted inventory. Then there are salon owners who are staying informed on local and state health mandates. Staying in the know about upcoming policy changes can help you strategically plan orders. Many informed studios have been able to anticipate changes and accept pre-orders for future appointments to keep a revenue stream. If restrictions are about to loosen, you can estimate the bump in business and order with expiration dates and shipping fees in mind. Instead of thinking in terms of month by month, think quarter by quarter, or even six months down the road. This strategy frees you up to spend less time on inventory needs and more time on growing your clientele. Plus, most product suppliers discount based on order size, so you’ll save money with lower costs per product and fewer shipping fees. Speaking of shipping, bundle anything hazmat all into one big order to last you as long as possible. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 THE LINK MAGAZINE
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