Last week Great lengths held their second coffee talk session – part of a series of free inspirational business seminars. This months guest was Jennifer Swain, owner of Swain hairdressing, a remarkable salon in Whitehaven, Cumbria. Swain hairdressing is one of Great Lengths top five performing salons. Proof that small town salons can also achieve great success.
Here are some of Jennifer’s top tips to success…
Set yourself goals and track them
Set yourself monthly and yearly goals and targets, and check in on your progress. This helps you grow a successful extensions business – which in turn, helps the rest of your salon services.
Jennifer Swain sets her goals by looking at the current year’s performance figures – current expenditure, how many extensions services are in demand, repeat business, and operating costs.
Be transparent about your pricing
Don’t be afraid to charge accordingly for a good quality service. People choose through reputation, not price, so don’t sell yourself short. As an industry, our pricing needs to be better and we need to be confident about charging our worth. Just because someone down the road is £100 cheaper, that doesn’t mean you need to be. If you’re delivering a quality service with premium hair extensions, you should be proud to set your prices to match.
Promote on social media
Jennifer Swain told us she gets a lot of business through social media. “We’re proud to do different and diverse types of hair, and we showcase that online. We do clients with medical hair loss, people who are looking for extensions after chemo – it’s really rewarding, and it’s helpful to show people you offer these kinds of extensions too. With that said, it’s important to be sensitive. It might be good marketing, but if someone doesn’t want a picture of their hair sharing online, remember that the discretion, care and level of service that you demonstrate will enhance your reputation – and that leads to recommendations and new business too. We do have clients with hair loss who are very keen for us to share their transformations online to encourage other women and let them know what’s available, which is great.”
When it comes to capturing photos of your work, make sure they’re nice and clear with a clean background and a great finish on the hair.
Provide a consistent, premium service
Swain hairdressing has a great reputation in their area so clients will expect a certain standard. This quality and consistency of service and level of work makes clients feel the salon is good value – if you do one client well, they will tell their friends. A great service starts with a great consultation. Take time to ask questions. Clear communication, listening, and having an honest conversation is key.
For more news from Great Lengths, click HERE.
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