PROFIT BABY!

By Jay Chapman

Why do some salons become profit-turning gold mines while others struggle along at an average pace? As a salon owner, it’s tempting to attribute your profit levels to circumstances beyond your control: the current economy, your less-than-motivated team, or the new salon that’s opened up adding to your competition, interest rate rising etc etc etc!

Let’s delve into the HOW and WHY you can change your business up from average to a profit machine.

Realise that you have more power than you think!

Who does it all come back to? The answer is simple. Yes, it’s you—the salon owner. I believe your success always comes down to three components: Ownership, accountability, and responsibility.

It sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? However, most salon owners overlook where they are falling short as it can sometimes be easier to point the finger outwards at everything else.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but when you do that’s when the magic happens. Each of your team members relies on the information they receive from you. It all comes back to your leadership, your communication style, consistency, and the time you spend with your team to deliver the information you want them to follow.

Make a commitment to focus on leading your team with an abundant mindset.

Creating clarity through mapping your client journey

What’s the first thing a client experiences when they open your salon door? Do you have a system for greeting a client, the steps to take before and after they’re seated?

And how do you conduct consultations, plan the next visit, and see your client out?

Your client’s experience depends on your team members’ ability, their consultation skills, the customer service they provide, and their ability to ensure every client has a wonderful experience and achieves the desired outcome.

Getting it right leads to client loyalty and fantastic retention rates. Boring I know! But it’s where profit is made!

You need to understand your salon’s journey to ensure it’s an exceptional experience every time, and don’t be too quick to answer! We all pride ourselves on delivering exceptional client experience however, we always have more in the tank that we can offer.

I find that collaborate with your team to create scripts, systems, and maps that reflect the client journey you envision. Involve everyone so they feel connected and valued as part of the solution.

Work on refining your client journey weekly until it’s perfected. BOOM! Magic.

Nail your consultation.

Train your team to address your client’s challenges, and your business will become a profitable gold mine. Teach them how to ask the right questions to determine each client’s real needs.

Anyone can give a client what they ask for. The secret is understanding what they truly need, identifying the problems they want solved, and making suggestions based on a professional consultation. Discuss possibilities and options, not just how to achieve the same outcome as before. Recommend products and services and discuss maintenance and rebooking.

Do this every time, with every client—no exceptions and role-play until it’s right.

It’s awkward at first, but trust me, after the second session when everyone feels supported, it becomes fun. And, in the end, everyone wins.

Home care planning

You have two businesses; one is your service business and the other is your retail business. One of the first things to go when we are conscious of lumpy economic times or how much the client is spending is home-care planning.

To send your client out the door without skills knowledge and a home care plan is just mean! Your job is to educate them and make them feel empowered and comfortable to make their choice based on their budget and needs. Simple!

The salons that we come across that are the most profitable, have a thriving retail business. We need to challenge ourselves in our own mindsets said that we are not protecting our values on to our clients.

Team meetings are not an option

In fact, we will not work with the salon owner if they are not committed to doing team meetings and one one-on-one meetings. That’s because we know that the needle will not move unless communication is abundantly clear.

It’s time to share your vision with your team, get them involved, and invite their suggestions. You don’t have a clear vision? You need to create one!

Your meetings are a time to celebrate together, the big achievements and the small

Committing to one-on-one meetings where you can nurture the growth of each individual will absolutely change the game in your business. This is your platform to stand on as a leader, influencing the growth of your team and showing them how it’s done.

Structuring your time

We have all heard it before, everyone has the same number of hours in the day as you! The difference is some people use their time to work on the development of their business and others use their time to work on admin-related tasks that don’t move the needle.

I often say, “if I was to follow you around all week and watch how you run your business would I be impressed?” And if the answer is no, it might be time to step up how you manage your time instead of the other way around.

Working on client retention, marketing, creating structure, and prepping for your meetings…. There are so many different opportunities that will help you thrive into the future.

Are any of the solutions above that I have mentioned sexy or exciting? Most likely it’s a big fat no! But if it was easy everyone would be doing it right?

I spend my days helping people do the things that they don’t want to do, to get them the results that they want! It all starts with a shift of mindset.

For more information on how Jay can help you in your business, contact him at: jay@zingcoach.com.au

@jaychapman_zing