EDITOR'S LETTER

ROAD LESSONS

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS and keeping it that way is a constant struggle for even the savviest salon owners. Between seasonal changes, trends and product evolution, not to mention maintaining a solid client base, there seems to be no end to the challenges.

This became acutely clear to me a couple of weeks ago when I got the chance to visit 10 salons of various sizes, all in one day. I went on the road with BSG sales consultant Ralph Balestra in Mississauga, Ont. (see story page 40)—and people talked about all these issues.

I’d wanted to get a better understanding of what a distributor’s representative does. What I got was a huge lesson in how they can help make salon owners’ lives easier and their businesses more successful. In the end, everyone wins.

Throughout the course of the day, as we travelled between the different salons, Ralph would explain what lines the next salon was carrying, if he was helping them develop promotions or introduce new lines, or working on educational training for the salon—and the list goes on. He outlined the intricacies of how he would help a salon develop a promotion, for example, to target a certain client group. As he explained why a certain promotion would work for one client and not for another, I began to realize the value in having the right sales consultant, someone who can understand your specific needs and help tailor the right promotion for you. Now, I am not saying that he or she can singlehandedly turn your business around. Ralph is just one example, but from his efforts I could see how sales consultants can be a key driving force in the development of success.

When I prodded some of his clients on why they like working with him, the response was something along the lines of, “He works for us.” Or “He knows what works for us.” Or my favourite for the day: “With him, it’s like a partnership and we both have to work at it.” That says it all!

Stephen Puddister Stephen Puddister Editor

PS. Check out the Contessa 18 entry form in this issue. Deadline for entries is August 15, 2006.

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