how do YOU feel about competition?

[sodabubble]

a new salon has opened up next door but one. we offer hair & beauty as well as having a fancy sunbed, and we also do a lot of princess parties. the new salon mainly has toning tables, hair extensions and a sunbed (they also sell phone charms which i think is a bit weird?) but today their latest big sign proudly announces that they now do princess parties too! and 4 quid cheaper than us!
its making me want to really strive to be the best that i can be, but i must admit we all feel a little disheartened. any tips on how to feel positive and pick myself up? plus they have really gone to town on advertising, and on our budget theres no way we could afford to take out huge ads in the local press. i feel crummy today

 

[Lucy-Jayne]

I think that rather than attracting new clients straight away, it may be an idea to focus on keeping your existing ones first.

My ideas would be:

Offer existing clients a 10%-15% Saving in December / Jan or to be used by a certain date?
Offer them a saving off their next treatment if they introduce a friend? (killing two birds with one stone)

Introduce a points system - a bit like airlmiles. Advertise this outside?

I wouldn't try and compete with the same offers that they have, could turn nasty.

Then do a huge flyer drop and pay a local flyer company about £30 per 1000 to deliver them. I've just done this.

HTH xx

 

[sodabubble]

just found out she is also doing hairdressing and beauty in a back room..

thanks for the advice xx

 

[pazzy]

Try and forget they are there (easier said I know)

If you see her - just say - I had to give a client your number the other day cos we just couldnt fit them in - has she rang yet? Your staying friendly but you also got her thinking!!!

Sly but she should be the one feeling intimidated - so intimidate her more!!!

 

[sj1973]

your loyal customers will stick with you because ...beleive it or not...when something new comes along...people will hesitate to go cos they dont know what they are like.....so loyal ones will say "well i have been "blar" for x amount of years and i am not changing.....MAYBE do a discount of 10 % specails for xmas...but the other shop and your clients will know why you are doing it and think ...oooooh ...competion!!! .....keep on doing your fab nails and you will still have customers ....hth x

 

[sodabubble]

thank you sooo much for your kind words! i guess it has kicked my butt into shape in the sense me and the girls that own the place (i am employed) really want to be the best we can possibly be! We are opening up our new shop a couple doors down from us in the new year, its going to be a modern gents barbers, so hopefully we can give it a really good launch and promote our existing salon too!

and pazzy - i like it! there are now 3 hair & beauty salons within 50 yards of each other, but I guess all we can do is think " well we were here first, so lets make our place number 1" !

thanks again for the kind words

 

['chelle]

I recently qualified, and after toying with being mobile, I have eventually decided to take up a salon place that I have been offered. The salon is a tanning/beauty place, and I will be joining them to do nails in the new year.
It is on a busy high street where there is at least one other nail salon that I know of, and I have very strong feelings on how I intend to deal with this. I do not see any reason in the world why I should go in there, "copying" special offers, undercutting prices, and generally causing ill feeling with other local businesses. Call me naive if you wish, but I firmly believe that if you are a good, professional tech, that there is enough room in this marketplace for us all without having to resort to snide tactics in an attempt to succeed.

Now, that said, it would be very nice if everyone else though the same way. However.......... word has reached me from the salon owner that the lady who works in (and I presume owns) the nearest nail salon has been over for a nosey, and is already very defensive and has her back up about the fact that I will be starting up across the road from her in the new year. I have never met this lady, perhaps she has had a bad experience in the past, but I am disappointed that she has pre judged before she has even met me. Hopefully I can pour oil on troubled waters or whatever that saying is when I start working there, but I am worried that there will be ill feeling between us. If thats the case I will just get my head down and do the best I can to make my business succeed using legitimate means, but it seems a shame that some techs, whatever the reason behind it, feel that they have to be defensive with other local techs.

 

[pazzy]

I think the reason people get upset is because they have usually worked really hard to get their business established and for customers to find them. If business has been slow for them this year - another salon - means less work again.

I had a hair salon open right next door to me and they werent honest with me and started to do beauty - I would have worked well alongside them too if they had been ok with me - I'll help anyone out - but in business that is suicide.

Businesses NEVER play nice - its a fact. And if you've walked onto their patch - then they will be obviously upset at first.

And I agree totally there is PLENTY of work for good techs - always will be. But it is niave for anyone to think they will be welcomed with open arms.


Chelle I also think your very brave to take on a room being so recently qualified - its a hard business for both of you and the salon on your road - you must be different in your service to them to survive.

Wish you the best.
xx

 

[Exquisite Touch]

Im renting space above a hairdressers and the sunbed shop over road has passed comment on my work in a less than enthusiastic way. They told one of the hairdressers that they had heard bad reports about me!!!:irked:

Which annoyed me I have never slated them and i dont intend too as its not proffesional in my opinion
but in business word of mouth spreads and thats how you get your rep

 

['chelle]

I completely agree, its not at all acceptable to pass comment on another techs work, no matter how bad you might think their work is. That is one thing I will NOT do no matter what happens.
I agree that it is perhaps naive to some extent to expect local business to be all happy and friendly and get along nicely, but I also think its naive in this industry to think that you will not get any local competition. On any high street now, there are at least 2 or 3 beauty/nail salons, and even if you are lucky enough to be the only one in your area, you wont be for long, thats the way this industry is going. so, knowing this, I think the best thing you can do is just disregard your competition completely. If you can get along, great, but if not, then, as I say to my kids, if you cant play nice, leave each other alone!!!!!!!!

p.s - pazzy - yup, I am either very brave or very stupid for taking a salon space so newly qualified, but I've reached that stage where I'm not going to improve any more by practicing at home on friends, and I think that jumping in at the deep end will be frightening but will do me a world of good!! thanks for your good wishes, I hope it goes well too!!!!

 

[pazzy]

Great attitude...keep it up, do your best work, look after your clients, listen to them, be reliable you will go far.

Competing in business is tough - but also an adrenelin rush to succeed.

Im too timid to stay competing lol (Im after an easy life!!!)

 

[michelle g]

a new salon has opened up next door but one. we offer hair & beauty as well as having a fancy sunbed, and we also do a lot of princess parties. the new salon mainly has toning tables, hair extensions and a sunbed (they also sell phone charms which i think is a bit weird?) but today their latest big sign proudly announces that they now do princess parties too! and 4 quid cheaper than us!
its making me want to really strive to be the best that i can be, but i must admit we all feel a little disheartened. any tips on how to feel positive and pick myself up? plus they have really gone to town on advertising, and on our budget theres no way we could afford to take out huge ads in the local press. i feel crummy today

i totally understand how you are feeling. i wouldn't lower your price on the parties, but do a special offer on them. i find it is easier to price high and do offers, than to go cheap and try and increase the price later on.
also don't plaster any prices in the window of your offers, just put princess party offer and ask inside for details, make them come through the door and sell your services, also the salon a couple of doors away will be curious and will have to do some research as to what you are up to. hold your head high, i know it's hard i've been there!

 

[sodabubble]

im really grateful for all of your replies. thanks ever so much! the last thing i want is to cheapen our salon, so i guess its all about maintaining standards, being professional and keeping a mature attitude! thanks again geeks, your words have made me more determined than ever to keep kicking my own ass and striving to be the best

 

[soriminah]

I'm a massage therapist but just recently got my waxing, tinting, spray tan and eyelash extension certificate. One of my footy boys (I massage at a football team) was asking me about waxing his legs and belly. Anywho, one of the other massage ladies said 'oh no, you're better off getting laser on your belly'. Her daughter just opened her own hair and beauty salon and the lady from footy is doing massage and spray tan - not sure about waxing. I know her daughter does waxing though and shes the hairdresser. So she's chasing away my potential clients from a converstaion she overheard. But I am definately going to be advertising through the club and hopefully get some of the boys to become waxing clients. I'll just have to make sure that I don't say anything in front of her.

 

[Peter Pan]

they doing this to get the clients hunny - everyone does it - if you KNOW youre best at what you do - DONT BRING YOUR PRICES DOWN -

there are loads of techs here with prices of £20 - i charge £34 and i wont budge - they come back to me tho - cos they realised the cheaper ones were crap

have faith flower - they will come to you - cos you offer a better service

 

[sodabubble]

thanks sori & PP - really good words of wisdom and inspiration there!

and PP - sorry to hear about your bad news lately - good vibes from lincoln are flying to you

 

[pazzy]

About the princess parties - dont lower the prices - just make it a better service than what the other is doing.

 

[sodabubble]

If I am honest, I hoping our parties are better anyway, we provide the food & drinks, the stylists are qualified, I am qualified, they get lovely goody bags, and the kids seem to have a really good time! but the other salon (i think its a NSS) gives them karaoke! and we dont have a karaoke machine but maybe we could think of something else to make sure the parties are better!