"RECESSION" in the beauty industry!

[Glamour Puss7]

Hello Geeks,
How is the recession hitting your business? Or has your business not been affected? The recession has ended "supposedly"! What do you think....?:?:

 

[Lynne Baker]

Anyone who thinks that the recession has ended is either an eternal optimist or just doesn't really have a handle on what's going on.
History has shown that recessions will sort the wheat from the chaff, and those businesses who are really good, in their treatments, their marketing and their attitude will survive.
Beauty treatments are, by and large, an affordable way to boost one's spirit in an otherwise lacklustre life, and you'd be surprised how many people can find the money for such a lift. It's called the lipstick factor!

 

[Blue Rose]

I think that sometimes a lot of people don't spend enough time on the marketing of their business & then are quick to blame it on the recession or whatever other factor when things don't work out to plan.

I was reading an article last week about a salon in South Africa who, despite soooo many things being stacked against her, did remarkably well, all because she spent time working on her business & not in it.

In my town, a high street salon closed down on Christmas Eve & since then I have stepped up my marketing & have done a lot more than I usually do. (and i do a lot anyway!) The results have been very, very worthwhile with lots of new clients booking in for a package at £47 + bookings for waxing & other treatments.

The latter part of last year was tough for me cos a long term member of staff went on maternity leave so a lot of clients stopped coming in. However, the last 2 weeks bookings would suggest that we've finally turned a corner & things are looking a lot better again :green:. I put this down to marketing!

Not everybody is feeling the pinch & a lot of people do have some money to spend & want to spend it. It's up to us to convince clients to spend their dosh with us, rather than buying a new pair of shoes/handbag etc....

Be on the lookout for opportunities for gaining clients. Yesterday, for example, I went to lunch with my daughters & mum. When we were paying the bill I got to talking about what I do in my business (she knew I was in business cos I'd met her previously at a networking event) & the waitress was most interested cos she'd recently been going to the other salon that has since closed & had been looking for somewhere else to go. 1 potential new client + possibly more from her through word of mouth.

 

[persianista]

Yes salons have been hit. There seems to have been a two pronged set of problems.
1. Yes our clients have less to spend, and we are having to work harder to keep them and get their purses open.
2. Our costs have escalated dramaticaly. With shedloads of employment legislation and costs, to rising utility bills and massive increases in taxation.
We are operating in an environment that is extremely hostile to business in general. Hopefully the next lot will be more business friendly.
While I don't think the recession has ended yet, I'm hoping we are over the worst.

 

[BABSann]

Anyone who thinks that the recession has ended is either an eternal optimist or just doesn't really have a handle on what's going on.
History has shown that recessions will sort the wheat from the chaff, and those businesses who are really good, in their treatments, their marketing and their attitude will survive.
Beauty treatments are, by and large, an affordable way to boost one's spirit in an otherwise lacklustre life, and you'd be surprised how many people can find the money for such a lift. It's called the lipstick factor!

I couldn't agree more with this,we have 3 salons near where I work,at Xmas I saw one of the salon owners and she asked me how we were doing,I told her the truth,we were booked to the max(I thought she was going to say the same or I would have been more tactful) she told me they were dead....What can I say!!

All in all I can think of 2 ladies who have said they need to cut back on appointments,one was because she was made redundant.

I think it will be some time before we are out of this awful mess.:cry:

 

[persianista]

I'm in banker belt here, and it has been hit. The commuter trains in the mornings are half as full. Lots of my clients have been made redundant, not just one or two. My Hubby was made redundant last March and only found a job in November. So can we not make out that this recession didn't happen. From where I have been sitting it has been very real. Four of my friends have been declared bankrupt in the last year.All four had previously run very good sound companies.
Bromley high street now looks half derelict with empty shops. Each shop was once somebody's dream.
I have gone from carribean holidays and a new car every year to... paying the bills. I'm told being able to keep on top of your bills now means that you are doing well!

 

[Lynne Baker]

One of my clients is a teacher at a local verrrrrr posh private school and she was telling me that 3 of her little charges won't be back after half term because their hedge fund manager daddies have been let go.
I think those in the financial sector have been jolly hard hit.
Some of my clients have gone from having a facial every month to having one every 6 weeks. I'm working hard to attract new clients to fill the gaps.
Scary stuff, but I'm being very positive!

 

[bombini]

I have only noticed a small difference with my business but thats more to do with me being on maternity leave so I can't really say for sure as I don't work as many hours or take on new clients.

A few of the salons near me don't seem to be doing so well. One of the very long standing salons has gone from doing zero amount of advertising for god knows how many years to countless spreads in the local papers virtually every fortnight and everytime I walk by they seem to be dead.

The spas on the other hand are always at full capacity, certainly doesn't seem to have affected spa days !

I was at center parcs a couple of weeks ago and we really struggled to book two facials over the whole weekend it was heaving in there !

Lynne I was actually thinking about private schools the other day as when I enrolled my baby at nursery I asked which school most of the children go to afterwards and she said the two private schools. I was wondering how the parents plan for things like the recession as if I had enough money to send my little boy to private school I would make sure I had the funds to cover the whole year not from term to term should anything like this happen ! I do find it odd people don't think like that, or do they think they are untouchable

 

[Lynne Baker]

That's exactly it, Juliette. They get sucked into this mad fantasy world of fast cars, high living and living beyond their means that they really don't think it can end.

They all have huge houses, cars on lease, shopping at Net a Porter, holidays in bloody Bora Bora. So I'm told, anyway!

 

[Martin Duffy]

Where I work the day spa is closing in April & one of the other local salons has closed already. Yet even though I am in the same town I am seeing large increases in my month-on-month returns in comparison to previous years. This leads me to conclude that there's more than just the recession to blame for the folding of some salons.

 

[persianista]

The salons that survive are gonna be the super-salons of the future without a doubt.

 

[bombini]

That's exactly it, Juliette. They get sucked into this mad fantasy world of fast cars, high living and living beyond their means that they really don't think it can end.

They all have huge houses, cars on lease, shopping at Net a Porter, holidays in bloody Bora Bora. So I'm told, anyway!

I have a new ambition......to holiday in Bora Bora !!! I will know ive made it then :lol::lol:

 

[prettymiss]

I kind of started during the recession (seems like its been going on forever!) but have managed to get regulars and some not so regulars but have nothing to compare it to from before. All I know is that I feel Im doing well for myself.

As someone said, if you're managing to pay the bills you're doing well these days.

On a more interesting note, I have some clients who have said to me they would happily go without food rather than their regular facial/manicure!

It is a constant uphill struggle though and Im constantly on here looking for new marketing tips and old ones I havent tried yet. Hurrah for Salon Geek!