Salon Tracker
Active Member
One of the most important skills to possess as a business owner is the ability to network. (Dont worry, were not about to go all Kevin Bacon/EE on you here.) Its great to keep loyal customers sweet but you need to appeal to new audiences too which is why its so important to keep evolving your business. You arent on your own with this. Think about how competitive Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons are with each other. They all want to be number 1 in the FMCG market and we dont just mean by price matching (although we do appreciate 4 hefty muffins for £1 at our local Sainsburys). Have you noticed that most big businesses use an associate to link themselves with? Weve already mentioned one who weve probably all sighed at in the cinema. This is a common theme throughout the advertisement world because in doing so a brand simply, extends its networks. Assumptive, but by sharing networks, everyone who likes Jamie Oliver will want to shop at Sainsburys, every female to drool over Gerard Butler in P.S I love you will now buy their significant others, Hugo Boss aftershave. It doesnt always work but you get the idea.
What can salon owners take from this?
Every business owner is in the same situation, big or small! Do you wanna be number 1, of course you do! You can use this information to your advantage by networking with businesses that arent your competitors and engaging with each others loyal customer base.
Some might say beauty salons should appeal to florists and feminine things. Here I will strongly disagree. Ladies who get a manicure every 4 weeks at the same salon arent always ladies of leisure. You need to think of the lifestyle of your stereotypical customer, their home life, work life and day to day localities. My point here is that just because a female might get her nails done every four weeks it is far too assumptive to say she wont need use of a local DIY shop or nearby garden centre. My point is, its not all flowers, health clubs and bridal shops so remember to leave stereotypes outside the door when networking. You know your customer's as individuals so this is something to take into account too. Some great ways to provide your new business friends customers with your updates are to share each others Facebook/ Twitter posts, provide the other business with leaflets for potential clients, allow poster advertising in each others base and even ask to promote your salon offer via their e-newsletter.
Oh and remember Every Little Helps
What can salon owners take from this?
Every business owner is in the same situation, big or small! Do you wanna be number 1, of course you do! You can use this information to your advantage by networking with businesses that arent your competitors and engaging with each others loyal customer base.
Some might say beauty salons should appeal to florists and feminine things. Here I will strongly disagree. Ladies who get a manicure every 4 weeks at the same salon arent always ladies of leisure. You need to think of the lifestyle of your stereotypical customer, their home life, work life and day to day localities. My point here is that just because a female might get her nails done every four weeks it is far too assumptive to say she wont need use of a local DIY shop or nearby garden centre. My point is, its not all flowers, health clubs and bridal shops so remember to leave stereotypes outside the door when networking. You know your customer's as individuals so this is something to take into account too. Some great ways to provide your new business friends customers with your updates are to share each others Facebook/ Twitter posts, provide the other business with leaflets for potential clients, allow poster advertising in each others base and even ask to promote your salon offer via their e-newsletter.
Oh and remember Every Little Helps
