Let’s talk about pricing salon services. Delivering outstanding results, using high-performance products, managing administrative costs and clients’ satisfaction, all in an evolving market, could be tricky to balance.
Price increases are a natural part of running a business over time, but it’s always helpful to know how to approach this without upsetting your loyal clients.
Benjamin Shipman, co-director of The Hair Movement in Sidcup, shares his best tips to make price adjustments smooth and stress-free for you and your clients.
Before making any changes, it’s important to take time to assess what your salon truly offers. Your prices should reflect the expertise, experience, and quality of service you provide.
Here are a few questions Benjamin recommends asking:
Are you investing in training for your team? Have you upgraded your products or enhanced the client experience? If the answer is yes, then a price increase is not just justified – it’s necessary.
How to introduce price increasements in your salon?
According to Benjamin, these are the best practices:
- Be transparent and confident in your communication: price increases are expected and a natural part of doing business. If you’re making a small price increase, there’s no need to make a big announcement. However, it’s worth communicating if a stylist has been promoted and their pricing reflects their enhanced experience and expertise. Being proud of your team as experts in their fields costs nothing.
- Give clients plenty of notice: clients rarely appreciate surprises on their bill. Keep them in the loop using your communication channels, via email, social media, or printed assets. This helps to make them feel respected, valued and gives them the opportunity to adjust, which avoids uncomfortable conversations.
- Own your worth and stand by it: don’t feel guilty. If your services are high quality and your team is skilled, price takes a back seat. Never apologise for raising your prices, own your worth and respect it, and clients will mirror that.
At the end of the day, loyal clients value trust, consistency and results. When those remain strong, price often becomes secondary.
