Should I be worried?

[Marilyn Monroe]

hi all as you probably know i opened my salon on saturday.
its on quite a bus shopping centre where most people in the area go to morrisons.

about 10mins drive away another salon has opened so i thought id check out the competition so to speak lol but reall i wanted somwhere to treat myself.:green:

any how i went in today and it beautiful its alot bigger than mine, the colour scheme is the same choc n lime and she even had the same business cards as me lol.
we had a laugh about it as its so strange we have never me.
turns out she has been open 6 weeks and her book looked pretty full

i was really dishartned as that would be how my perfect salon would look and im worried im not going to get any clients.

 

[lenna]

hi, i would not get disheartened by it, did you have a chance to look at brochure does she offer a wider range off treatments, are prices similar, has she been doing special offers to get people in the door and then rebooking them, is her salon in a busier place, maybe do a few specials to get your name out there, it will take time to build up a client base but once you do and the clients are pleased with you generally they stay loyal and will stay with you so your book too will soon be looking pretty full, its just a matter off patience giving your business time to build up a client base and maybe doing a few inroductary offers

 

[Jaffacake]

I'm sure you'll be fine :hug:

Did you know that the products page on your website is in a foreign language? unless it's my PC up the spout? lol

 

[Marilyn Monroe]

thanks. she does alot more than me, she has more holisitc massages and body treatments which i would love to do but lack of funds to buy the products. im unsure as to what she uses for nail enhancements but for manis she uses jessica i use creative.

i do know my products page is not finished lol neec to sort that.

 

[wowbb]

Don't get dishartened, you have worked so hard to get to the point of opening the salon. In an ideal world it would be fantastic if you could be the only one in your area or street but with the population growing the chances are quite slim.

I am sure there is room for the both of you, especially if you have now met so there is no animosity.

You know how clients are they always wonder and have a look around so I am sure you will get some clients that have a look around and try a few salons before they settle and that might just be with you :O)

Also a lot of people are quite hesitant to walk in salons that look "posh" and prefer smaller salons where they feel they get a more personal service.

Its going to take a bit longer than a few weeks to get everything running (ask the other geeks how long it took them to be established) so if this is what you want to do don't give up before you have even started! :hug:

 

[hippy-chick]

think about what your USP is and work it babe!
You are a small, friendly, approachable salon.
:green:
When you do any publicity, empathasis that and push the fact that you only do beauty treatments.

I would prefer to go to someone that is just beauty for my beauty treatments and just holistic for my holistic treatments. I think there is a small overlap but if the treatment menu was half and half I probably would think twice about it.

 

[THERAPY]

Don't get disheartened honey :hug:. I rent a beauty room in an area that has lots of bigger salons that offer loads more than myself and I am busy. My clients like coming to me as they see it as more personal and most of my clients are like friends now.
If I were you I would "specialise" in one particular treatment, that gets the clients through the door, you work your magic and they book in for other treatments.. Voila!
Chin up and good luck xx

 

[jenny2]

Do not worry hun, i thought this when i was at the shop my competition was huge and i was a little pod. I use jessica and it is a wonderfull product but they are more costly and a file and polish takes a good 20 min to 25 as there is quite a few applications of polish, were as you will not need to charge these prices and your ladies will not have to wait as long for there treatment. Take your time on every lady that walks through the door, make them feel speciel, when you do an eyebrow shape rather than a quick wax on out the door, spend that extra five min. I promise you it will be worth your while. I was at the salon for four weeks and all my ladies are coming to me at home now and they only had one treatment, one women said i was amazing and i had not even touched her, just took the time to show her the euro blonde wax, as she said normally she has scabs after waxing under her under arms.
Hope this helps hun and chin up it is early days. Just think her overheads are gonna be way bigger so u can hang in there you will come out the other end
jennyx

 

[Lynne Baker]

Worry only about the things you can influence. You will always, always have competition, so it is up to you to ensure that your salon and services are lifted from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Find, and emphasise, what that something is (and it can be anything from what you offer your clients to drink to the little bottle of SolarOil you might give away with your spa pedis), and make sure your clients have no reason to go anywhere else.

 

[nailzoo]

interesting .... why didn't you check it out "before" you opened ?

 

[angel fingers]

perhaps you could form an alliance with her and you could refer any clients that you cant accomodate personally to one another.

 

[Marilyn Monroe]

NAilZoo; although she has been open 6weeks she has only just put a sigh outside her shop and as it is above a cafe i never knew she was there.

i have made an alliance with her there will certainl be no hand bags at dawn from me, lol. i will be going for treatments cos i need pampering too!

i think there is plenty of customers for us both i have had 6 today and have 5 booked in tomorrow so im more positive.

also at closer inspection of her price list we are very similar on prices most are the same.