“Your salon needs to be able to function fully without you…”

A lot of salon owners have been there. Swamped at work with clients and no spare time between 15 hour days. Buuuut, you do it anyway because you love this job! The passion, the makeovers, the happy faces, the new friends. Whatever your drive is in this industry there comes a time when you must accept that it’s difficult to live life in the fast lane forever. Why? Because now and again, your tank might just run out and the reality is…Your salon needs to be able to function fully WITHOUT you.

Many salons lack the rapid growth they aspire for because of one thing- TIME. A huge thing that salon owners tend to wave goodbye to upon starting a new business. This is purely down to the fact that between paying bills, dealing with staff, finances and clients, the last thing you might want to do is spend the time you do have, researching software programmes so instead you continue to let your salon run rings around you and remain totally outta control.

Business owners can be opposed to software at first because your main aim is to make money not give it away. We get it! However, when you learn the abilities of a salon software, we can assure you this opinion will soon change. An advanced and effective software system can be your helping hand with regards to staff, targets, time and profit and they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

First of all, you probably aren’t aware of all the benefits. Software programmes have the ability to manage and organise many essential business activities from staff performance, accounts and stock management to marketing, online booking and business reports. Your role is deciding the momentum you want your business to move at. What salon software can offer is essentially, a business partner.

So where to go from here?
Brain storm what you need… as a salon owner and as an individual. Is it more free time, more clients, to save money, to know what happens in your salon when you aren’t there? Highlight what it is you want and use the support that we can provide which is absolutely FREE and UNLIMITED! How can we help your business to thrive in success? Contact us today on 0113 350 8230 for a pointer in the right direction :)

The male/ female divide!

We are approaching, (or are even in the midst of) an era where it is, more so, the norm for men to visit a salon, be it for a haircut and style or a nose trim and BS&C. It’s widely suggested that stylists and therapists usually have a great relationship with their female clients but is that effect maintained with male clients too?

Market research shows that men aren’t as susceptible to engage in conversation considering the ‘gossipy’ nature of salons. The reason why there is such a huge divide in salons is because typically, a man is entering a, predominantly female, environment so their comfort zone lies in just smiling, nodding and agreeing. According to certain linguists (salon.com), “men hold back their feelings, while women lay (feelings) out… likely to look for common ground when they are talking with other women”. Women also “tend to like to help each other tell stories (in) a rather animated and lively way, with very pronounced variations in vocal pitch and much more exchange of emotion in speech.”

This conclusion would go on to suggest that women enjoy speech that unites, which is why they use upward convergence to find a level ground. Men on the other hand, well... they are just simply in the salon for a haircut or a treatment, with no desire to make a new friend. Hmph. That being said, we thought we would put together a few professional pointers in case you find yourself veering off the professional chit chat!

Ask questions- it’s a great way to get clients talking. One word answers usually indicate they don’t want to talk, which is fine! However, if they engage back with interest, that is your chance to lead the conversation. GO!

Enjoy the silence- if you’re used to yapping all day, and you wind up with a quiet client- HALLELUJAH! Enjoy the wind down time! It is not always necessary to speak to clients. Follow their lead and wind up where you may...

Know the news- Get educated on what's happening in the local and national news. Not only can we almost guarantee it will come in handy at some point, you will enable you to have intellectual and current conversations with anyone, of any age and really give forth a great opinion!

Treatment talk- If you need a safety scope, always revert back to the treatment. If the atmosphere is unbelievably awkward why not throw in a, 'is this okay?' or 'just let me know if you want another drink!' It keeps things light for both you and your client!

Awkward Remarks- If a client shares an inappropriate remark or says something outlandish, it is up to you to saviour the situation for the sake of the salon reputation and other (uncomfortable) client’s ears. Use whatever you can to bring it back! You are in control here.

Retailing Secrets

'Don’t sell, prescribe. “If you went to the doctor and learned you had bronchitis, you’d want her to tell you what to do to get better. Recommending products is the same thing.” Listen for the issues your client shares about her hair, and prescribe a solution in the form of a treatment or styling aid.' (Dana Nasatir, firstchair.com, 2014) 

The importance of protection in sun exposure!

#TanSafelyWithSalonTracker

84% of Newcastle salons struck down by Trading Standards by exposing customers to 'dangerous levels' of UV Rays... DON'T RISK YOUR BUSINESS OR YOUR CUSTOMER'S HEALTH! 

Happy Customers...

Flavio Refrigeri –Clinica Fiore – Covent Garden, London

“Salon Tracker has benefited the salon greatly and the system is very easy to use. The reporting feature has helped improve the performance of our clinic by 80% making the software well worth the initial investment. The software has also helped with security in the salon and the free customer support I have received since purchasing the software has been 10/10.”

Gavin Holder- SupremeTan – Wigan

“The main benefits of Salon Tracker have been the vast number of reports the system produces, the POS feature, the seamless integration with our TMAX Timers and the stock control. Furthermore the system is very easy to use and user friendly. Salon Tracker  has drastically improved the management of our salon; everything is managed by one system cutting out paperwork and usage cards.”

Johanna Reed- StyleBox – Ceredigion

“The greatest benefit of Salon Tracker is definitely the cashing up features at the end of the day. It’s very simple to use and nice and straight forward. The software also has resolved any security issues because as it is password protected is much better than just having an appointment book open for clients to see. The free customer support to the software is also an additional benefit, we haven’t needed to contact them very often but when we have they have been very helpful.”

No more ‘no shows’...

The cost of no shows to the beauty industry can amount to as much as £12,000 a year for the average salon.

Our research shows that just one client forgetting to turn up for their appointment will cost a salon £30 in lost income as well as impacting on the stylists’ income.

Salon Tracker managing director Lorraine Cave said: “So-called ‘no shows’ are one of the single biggest costs to salon owners and are a huge frustration to the beauty industry and are all too familiar to beauty professionals in all areas.

“Salons are trying to mitigate the loss from no-shows by charging anywhere from half to full fee when a customer chooses not to honour the reserved appointment – but getting the money out of them is very difficult.”

Another key issue for salons suffering from persistent no shows is being able to fill the booking left empty by tardy clients as working schedules are based on the number of employees salons need to serve their customers.

As a result employees who are on-site to work, are paid for their time but don't generate revenue, so the payroll and is out of balance with income.

Mrs Cave said: “It's like calling a restaurant and asking them to have your meal ready a month from now, then not showing up to eat it and pay for it. That’s the reason why Salon Tracker has been set up to alert clients of their bookings via mobile text messaging and email to ensure the salon seats remain full.”

That’s why Salon Tracker can be configured by salon owners to send out reminders to clients 48 hours ahead of their appointment and can help cut no shows by as much as 70 per cent. Moreover, clients who cannot make an appointment can alert the salon giving it ample time to send out a message to other clients offering the vacant spot at a discount. Salon Tracker recommends marketing texts such as: “Due to the cancellation of a treatment today between 2pm and 3pm 20% discount on all treatments, first person to book will receive the discount!”

Salon Tracker user Lynsey Bennett from The Secret Day Spa, Belfast said: “We have found Studio Tracker to be an invaluable part of the day-to-day running of our salon. Our no-shows have decreased by at least 70 per cent and our revenue has increased using the effective marketing features.

“Having moved premises Studio Tracker has been brilliant, we initially did an advertising campaign to let our clients know our new address, however, it wasn’t until we used SMS messaging that we saw a significant increase in client foot fall. In the first week after sending SMS messages at least 60% of those targeted visited our new salon.”

Fully integrated with Facebook and with a dynamic SMS messaging service, Salon Tracker allows users to manage and prioritise appointments, capture customer information and build an interactive database – which can even tell users how clients like their coffee and market special offers to customers direct from the system with mobile text messages.

The system also delivers fast and efficient Point of Sale with simple business sales reports, cash flow and profit and loss accounts management, staff commission and stock management, and remote access from anywhere in the world – even when the salon owner is on holiday.

Salon Tracker is available in three formats – Standard, Professional and Enterprise – and allows users to manage every facet of their beauty business.

Using a PC, tablet or mobile phone users can access their business online 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to ensure it is run efficiently and profitably.

Another Salon Tracker user, Luke James of Ultra Tan based in Hull, said: "We put a text message together on a Friday morning to people. We had 48 people in that afternoon and evening alone in response. That's a 33 per cent response in less than eight hours. In real terms that was an extra £1,000 sales for a cost of under £20. It's great because the cost is low and it’s easy. We are now experimenting with Salon Tracker with other offers and getting good responses."