How Automation Can Save You Time and Help You Make More Money

By Kara Lehmann

Recently at the Sydney Beauty Expo I spent two full days consulting with Beauty Business Owners on what their number one struggle is when it comes to running their business. The majority of them said - not having enough time and resources.

Can you relate?

Lack of time is the root cause of so many roadblocks when it comes to growing a successful beauty business.

The second biggest challenge?

They can’t find staff.

And the third?

They don’t have the financial resources to allow them to outsource.

These challenges are exhausting and it’s absolutely unsustainable to stay trapped in these limitations. Firstly, I want you to take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back. You are doing an incredible job - celebrate that! So how do we combat these top 3 challenges that many in our industry are facing?

One of the first things I would look to implement is automation.

Although using automation might sound like it will make your salon less personal, it doesn’t have to be that way! It comes down to the way you automate.

Today I’m going to share how adding in simple strategies and tools within your business can help your salon grow and take some of the weight off your shoulders.

Where to start when it comes to automation? they’re being sold to, but at the same time, you want to be able to get the word out about your salon so you can fill your schedule and stay profitable.

If you aren’t using automation software in your beauty business yet, it might be time to consider it.

The first area of your business you can look at automating to make the most impact is your client journey.

Depending on your software system you may already have automation built into your point of sale system. However, often I find many salon owners aren’t using their software to its fullest potential. This can be due to being overwhelmed by the technology and not knowing how to utilise the system or just not having the time to set it up correctly.

So, here’s some of my top tips when it comes to your point of sale and maximising your client journey.

Create an email and SMS flow that nurtures and supports building relationships with your clients. Can you add in an email or SMS for the following?

● Welcoming new clients to your business - can you provide them with some helpful tips that make them feel less overwhelmed when coming to visit you for the first time?

● Are you sending them a consultation or preappointment questionnaire?

● Following up with clients - are you checking in with them to see how they went after their treatments and are giving them some helpful tips?

● Reminders for when they haven’t rebooked their appointments - do you have a friendly way to reach out to them to encourage them to book their next appointment?

● Birthday messages - are you celebrating them for their birthday?

These are just a few client connection points that you can automate in your business with either SMS or Email. The great thing about this is, you can (depending on your system) set up different messages to personalise to different services and client needs.

One of the biggest areas that beauty business owners neglect is their lapsed client strategies, and this is one of the easiest tasks you can automate to save you time and make you more money. I encourage you to start here. Set up an SMS or email automation in your software system to reach out to those clients who haven’t returned. Test out a few different messages and see which one works best for your business. Once you have the perfect fit, simply set, and forget!

So, what else can you automate in your beauty business?

When it comes to setting up automation in other areas of your business, one of the first things I recommend to my clients is to look at where you are spending your valuable time in your business to see if there is some way you can automate the task. Here’s a few areas that you can look at automating:

● Email Campaign Marketing

● Setting up recurring appointments and scheduling in time to work on your business

● Social Media Scheduling

● Online Booking Systems

● Email Filters

● Automatic Replies and Chat Bots

● Automating your invoices and receipts via email for your bookkeeping

● Online resources with videos for enquiries

There are so many more ways that we can utilise technology to help us automate various tasks that can often end up taking us so much more time than they need to.

If technology is overwhelming for you, it may be a great idea to look at asking someone within your business or network to help you set this up for you. You can also look at outsourcing many of these areas to a Virtual Assistant, Social Media Manager or Marketing Agency. You can also reach out to the support team for your point of sale system and ask them for help in setting up automations.

The best way to get started is to start small. Commit to scheduling the time each week to work on one area of your business that is draining your time and resources and instead, find a way to easily and effectively automate the task.

There are some fantastic tools out there that can help you start to feel so much more in control of your business. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and start feeling so much more productive, less stressed and reap the financial rewards of investing into these simple systems for success.

Kara Lehmann is the The Beauty Boss VA and Mentor We help you gain back more time to do the things you love www.virtualbeautyboss.com Instagram: @kara_thebeautyboss Facebook: The Beauty Boss VA