If you have a beauty salon, you should be aware of how difficult it is to run a business sometimes. The competition is fierce, and there are unforeseen circumstances that can put your whole business in jeopardy. Covid is one of the best examples of such a circumstance.
Nevertheless, existing obstacles should not be a good enough reason to prevent beauticians from pursuing success. If anything, some may find more motivation when they are presented with a dilemma, and they manage to overcome it.
Having said all that, a relatively solid beauty business that has enough customers to sustain itself can grow even further and succeed more.
Talent Acquisition
Talent acquisition is one of the most common ways to grow a business. In the beauty industry, poaching a skilled beautician means that they come with their clientele. Moreover, a new beautician also raises a salon's value, particularly if they are skilled in more complicated procedures.
The problem with acquiring talent is that it is difficult to persuade someone to leave their current workplace. Offering a better salary or various training opportunities is not necessarily enough.
Pro tip: More salons should collaborate with beauty schools and offer jobs to the best students right after they graduate.
Flexibility
Flexibility should be one of the priorities for a beauty business. It is often underestimated how much of a difference little things can make if they help not just the customers but beauticians as well.
For instance, beauty salons could use Watalook, an appointment scheduling app that allows beauticians to create personalized pages where they can show their portfolio. By visiting these pages, customers can click on the schedule and select a suitable time for their appointment.
It is important to note that not all people like to make phone calls or go to beauty salons in person to book an appointment. If there is a service that can simplify the booking procedure, they would appreciate it.
Customer Priority
Prioritizing customers is also necessary for a beauty business to be successful. For starters, you should reward loyal customers with freebies, such as beauty products and discounts.
Next, you have clients who might come in a bit later than arranged, and a beautician might be on their way out because the work hours are about to be over. However, if a beautician was to take the extra mile and stay later than usual to accommodate the late customer, the customer would be grateful.
Positive experiences like that incentivize word of mouth. Customers who had a great time at a beauty salon will talk to their friends and family about it, which works wonders for the publicity of a salon.
Industry's Trends
The beauty industry is no different from others in the sense that it experiences trends. Certain gimmicks come and disappear almost immediately, whereas others stay for a long time.
For example, right now, it is quite common to use social media to one's advantage and promote the brand/business. In the beauty industry, you have plenty of artists who share their video tutorials on Facebook and Instagram and mention where interested people could get their services or even learn the trade.
Natural products are another trend that seems to be gaining more and more momentum each day. People are concerned about their looks, but not everyone is willing to use beauty products that are not labeled as natural.
The bottom line is that while trends come and go, it is important to identify and implement them so that the business does not miss out on an opportunity to benefit from a trend.
Rules Inside the Salon
Establishing rules within a salon is a must, particularly now when there is an ongoing pandemic and people are concerned about their safety. However, it is not just hygiene and safety regulations that a salon should have.
Employees should follow proper etiquette when they are interacting with customers. Not to mention the prohibition of things like smoking inside or showing up at work under the influence.
One small misstep is enough to tarnish a salon's reputation, and controlling the damage could prove to be quite difficult. People can share their experiences on social media, and before you know it, pretty much everyone knows about the bad things in a beauty salon, which will discourage them from visiting the establishment again.
Feedback
Regular feedback from both customers and staff should be encouraged. For customers, it is recommended to ask for their input. They might share some valuable ideas and feel more appreciated because they will feel like their opinion is being valued.
Employee feedback should also be a given. Managers cannot cover everything, so they miss out on some things that are happening inside a salon. A word from an employee can lead to solving a potential problem.