Whether you are in the planning stage of opening a new salon or barbershop or have already hung your shingle, it’s important for you to understand the risks associated with starting your business and the necessary steps to take to ensure your success. Here are three tips on building and retaining that necessary client base for your company.
Monitor Your Competition
- Who are they?
- Where are they?
- What are they offering that you are not?
- What are they charging?
- How many operators do they have?
- Where are they advertising?
- Who is their target audience?
You may think this is a dirty pool, but it’s the number one thing any business should be doing before creating your new business. You want people to come to you, and in order for people to do that, you need to offer them something they can’t get somewhere else. If you are already open and haven’t considered these questions, you are already behind.
Some simple ways to do this are to simply do a Google search on your competition. If you cannot find what you are looking for, you could even call to talk to a sales representative. You can have a friend help you with this if you are concerned about getting tongue tied or “caught”, but either way, it is crucial that you do this. Make sure to consider this step at least once a year because your competition definitely is.
Advertise Consistently
Meet with your local advertising representatives. They are not just trying to sell you more ad space when they say you must be consistent when running ads. This is so important, and it is so easy to forget once these ads start paying off. Lack of time and often overconfidence can leave us missing an ad run, and this is no different than maintaining your open business hours. If you drop off the face of the planet, guess who customers are going to remember? Your competition who are still running advertisements. It’s easy to get lost in the clutter of noise that is advertising (especially in today’s world), so if you are not consistent, you will become the noise.
So, don’t be fooled, not advertising on a schedule can cost you a lot more in lost revenue than the ad itself in the end. Let’s not forget how much one customer is worth over time because they will continue needing your services, and if they love you enough, they will tell their friends. Also, constant exposure will help build your brand & name recognition, so you will be at the top of peoples’ minds when they think of your product or service offering. The more people see your ads consistently, the more you will become embedded in their thoughts.
Become Part of Your Community
Your biggest goal should be to make your best client “the community” in which your business resides because these are the people you will be (hopefully) working with for a long time. These are a few ways to participate:
- Sponsor a local kids’ sports team
- Donate service gift certificates to all local charity events
- Get in the school programs (sports, plays, band and chorus concerts, etc.)
There are many ways to become involved in your community, and the benefits go beyond helping your business. You can help people, make new friends, create a new hobby, and have a great time overall! Building long-term relationships with customers is a sure way to continue doing business with them, and it’s a great way to improve your personal life as well.
These ideas will go a long way in building your salon or barbershops baseline while building your personal place in the community. Can you think of other ideas that can help a salon chairs or barbershop have a successful business? Comment below!