Advice needed on salon..

[leonnib]

hi im now on my 8th day of opening its still slow...:cry:

i close on tues instead of mon at the mo as i have weekly baby scans and not confident enough to leave staff on their own yet.
up until our 4th day we had no females in but we had about 5 men for haircuts..
but everyday me and my staff go out flyering.

fri and sat we had quite a few people come and ask for price list and consultations but only one booked.:irked:

yesterday we had a mother and daughter in for a cut and we have another highlight and cut booked for sat 4th nothing yet for during the week. i know its been a few days and is alot better then last week but i cant help wondering if it should be busier.
im doing a charity event on the 11th and have handed leaflets everywhere including even natwest said they will hand them out for me.

am i being really negative considering short time ive been opened.?.

ive also let my self employed nail girl go as she only came three times since we opened and would just sit there and not advertise for herself and i felt she was wasting both our times. quite a few people came in and she was never there. i spoke to her and she said 'she didnt want to advertise as it cost money etc and giving out leaflets wasnt for her'.
sorry its a long post..

 

[lenna]

i would say its definitely going to take a while before you get yourselves known, build up a name and reputation and client base, so dont be too negative over it, are you doing any real eye catching specials to get them in the door? salon that is new and opened near me for their first month there doing
monday - all waxing half price, tuesday all spray tans half price, wednesday man and peds half price, thursday facials half price, and friday eye treatments half price and i know that has really taken off for them as getting something half price is not just a ten percent off or something its a really good saving and people feel like there getting a real bargin, by time the month is over your name and treatments are out there.

 

[angelina221]

I've been open 9 months and it's only the last 3 months or so that i've started being busy.
In the early days i spent many a day cleaning and spending time on salon geek!
It takes a while to build a client base and you've only been trading 8 days so i wouldn't worry too much at the moment.
I probably had one client a day if that to start with and began wondering what i had let myself in for!
I have been lucky though as i took on a beautician with 10 years worth of clients and i've just taken on a hairdresser with clients too.
Try and see if you can get someone already established. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Once you start getting clients in for one thing they will start booking for other stuff.
I know it's hard to start with but you have to stay positive.
I've just done the carnival queen and her party-hair, nails and spray tan which is free advertising.
Drop leaflets at the schools and offer prom packages.
Drop leaflets at gyms, colleges, boots, sallys, marks and spencers etc....
Offer local businesses a 10% discount.
Word of mouth is your best advertising but unfortunately it's the slowest!
You just have to keep doing what you are doing and it will pick up x

 

[leonnib]

hi arent a beauty salon so dont do eye treatments etc.but we have a promo for £10 off for the next month since fri which is when people started coming as is such a big sign you cant miss it. i wouldnt do half price on hair ..

 

[leonnib]

I've been open 9 months and it's only the last 3 months or so that i've started being busy.
In the early days i spent many a day cleaning and spending time on salon geek!
It takes a while to build a client base and you've only been trading 8 days so i wouldn't worry too much at the moment.
I probably had one client a day if that to start with and began wondering what i had let myself in for!
I have been lucky though as i took on a beautician with 10 years worth of clients and i've just taken on a hairdresser with clients too.
Try and see if you can get someone already established. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Once you start getting clients in for one thing they will start booking for other stuff.
I know it's hard to start with but you have to stay positive.
I've just done the carnival queen and her party-hair, nails and spray tan which is free advertising.
Drop leaflets at the schools and offer prom packages.
Drop leaflets at gyms, colleges, boots, sallys, marks and spencers etc....
Offer local businesses a 10% discount.
Word of mouth is your best advertising but unfortunately it's the slowest!
You just have to keep doing what you are doing and it will pick up x

<im sure you know how it is to start i know its early days so trying not to be hard on myself..we had a client yesterday that is really well known locally so hopefully she tells people...ive advertised for a chair renter or profit share but no such luck.one of my hairdressers is a local girl and used to work in a salon nearby before and has told her clients she is at my salon but only had a few customers. il see how it goes for the rest of the week..we dont ave a beautician but willl be doing spray tanning and sunbed from next week wed. so hopefully will get more people in for that as is quite popular in the area. but yes i do agree the if they are coming in for one thing they willl more likely do other things in the same salon.. which is what im hoping.

 

[lenna]

hi arent a beauty salon so dont do eye treatments etc.but we have a promo for £10 off for the next month since fri which is when people started coming as is such a big sign you cant miss it. i wouldnt do half price on hair ..

ah sorry i presumed you were a beauty salon, im sure it will pick up, it just needs time and plenty of patience,

 

[leonnib]

thanks yes i need to be more patient i think.. its hard not to worry though..

 

[persianista]

It takes a long time to get known and busy. Keep pushing and you get there. Maybe worth being a bit sneaky and sound out the busiest hairdressers and therapists nearby into coming into your salon. Bit naughty but hey, alls fair!

 

[oldgaltherapist]

Hi

I am a home based therapist so is slightly different for me and it does take a time, anyhow how about contacting a local newspaper or local parish magazine and maybe offer to do a free haircut on one of their staff? Or ask them to do an interview or something like that too, this could be free publicity.

I was also going to suggest a charity but you have that sorted, I am sure that will do you some fab publicity, is it for local charity? Maybe you could do a month of suggesting that a certain percentage of a certain treatment will go to charity. It can help to ease peoples concience if they feel they are contributing to something. I have been considering doing this for Help For Heroes as my daughter is in the army and it feels close to home.

You sound like you have tried most things -just don't give up trying! You are doing really well. Am sure Vidal Sassoon and the like felt the same once

 

[leonnib]

hi i never thought of the paper i will look into that.. thanks

i do hope the charity event goes well abit nervous about that..

there is a church opposite us so i willl approach them see if they do newsletter etc..
some of the mums with kids cuts took some to their workplace which was nice

 

[leonnib]

the charity is cancer research.. we have said we'l put 3.00 from every haircut until the 1st august. i really support that charity so wasnt a prob for me to do that.. so il see how it goes on sat if people turn up..

yeah im sure toni and guy had to have patience tooo

 

[munnna]

build up a name and reputation and client base, so dont be too negative over it, are you doing any real eye catching specials to get them in the door?