Look outside of your salon for inspiration

Food for thought!

Why do some bars offer happy hour - cheaper food or drinks between the hours of 3 - 5?

Maybe you have seen some restaurants offering 'local's nights' where they offer two for one or a cheaper meal if you're happy to come on a Tuesday?

The reason for this is simple.....

They cannot fill that day no matter what.

Now I'm not talking about cheap meals every day of the week, we know those type of restaurants. I'm talking about good quality restaurants that are usually busy because they are good at what they do.

How can you relate that to your salon?

Well, if you have staff, then your aim is to get them to at least 3x their wage, so they help you make your salon profitable, but that's impossible if you can only fill them on a few days of the week.

I'm not talking about you becoming a cheap salon, not at all. You still need to be an Authority and be good at what you do. What I am talking about is can you think of a way to encourage some clients to come into your salon on a quieter day.

My salon was quite expensive and was definitely an Authority salon, we were known in our town as experts, but I struggled to fill my Wednesdays for a long time.

So I came up with Wicked Wednesdays, where clients were offered half price colours with full price cut and blow-drys, this instantly filled up. In fact, it was so popular that most clients insisted on booking for the entire year. This didn't cheapen my brand, this didn't stop clients paying full price any other day, this didn't stop clients classing us as the best in the area.

Look for ideas when you are out and about next, and help your staff fill their appointment book, so they become more profitable employees and your salon will reap the benefits.