Welcome! Some of the topics we’re going to cover in this 7 step course are:
- The terrible (almost evil) mistakes almost ALL business owners make and how to avoid them
- Drive discounting OUT of your business. In fact raising prices and STILL selling more than the competition
- How to create an offer that will have floods of clients knocking at your door whilst your opposition will think you’ve gone crazy
- The secrets of direct mail that will TRIPLE your takings
- Why you should NEVER do marketing that hasn’t been tested by others
- Why most salon owners waste their money on advertising
- Discovering the REAL VALUE in your salon and how to unlock that revenue tomorrow
FANTASTIC! You’ve just taken your first brave step into a whole new world! Why? Because you’re going to discover that you can make far more money by being a great marketer of what you do, rather than just being a great doer of what you do. And here’s why ….
Imagine you’ve got two brand new salons opening up next door to each other. (Unlikely, I know, but bear with me …) In salon A, the owner has worked really hard, making sure she has just the correct ambience, the right candles, aromatherapy etc. In truth, her salon is just that little bit better than the salon next door. However, next door in salon B, the owner has worked really hard on her marketing. She has great customer offers, she always gets re-booking, her retail sales are the best for miles around, she has an active loyalty and customer referral system. She works really hard on her marketing.
Which salon will be the busiest? Which salon will be packed with clients and which will be left wondering what to do next?
Imagine having a pile of cash ready to invest in either salon. Which would you like to invest in? Which salon would you like to run?
Or let’s put it another way …
How many treatments can you do in an hour? OK, I know, it depends on the treatments. BUT, let’s say one or two. Now, how many treatments can you generate in an hour by doing great marketing? 10, 20, 30… or even more. You see why you’ll make far more money marketing, rather than doing.
And here’s the rub. Over the last 3 years I’ve been working really hard to make sure salons throughout the country have been doing great marketing. My skills, coupled to ‘The Essential Salon Owners Marketing Toolkit’ have enabled salons throughout the UK to grow their business.
“Since buying my toolkit my numbers of clientele has improved beyond recognition, together with each client spending more pro-rata than ever before. I am now in the process of employing more staff and have the confidence to do this knowing that the help I have from Martin is second to none.”
Diane Matthews, Diane Matthews Clinic, Romford.
This simple course will start you moving in the same direction, if you’re ready now to take action!
Sooo many salons and spa’s are what I would call ‘advertising victims’. Wasting money on adverts that JUST DON’T WORK. We’re going to draw a line under that - forever.
But first let me ask you a question: What EXACTLY do you want to happen when you advertise or promote your business? A question I’ve asked literally hundreds of salons. The answers I’ve heard:
“To let people know I’m here”
“To generate awareness”
“So that people can see what a great salon I have”
“To build my brand” (Urgh!)
All very nice concepts, and worthy too, BUT (and doesn’t there always have to be a ‘but’) none of these answers puts money in your till. No! What you want to happen when you advertise or promote your business is:
THE PHONE TO RING, PEOPLE COMING TO SEE YOU - MONEY IN YOUR TILL!!
I’m sorry for shouting, but that’s it. Period. End of. Now can I get down off my soap box? Anyone, and I mean anyone, who says you should run an ad because it’s pretty or will increase your awareness, kick them straight out of your salon and tell them NEVER to darken your door again.
Want convincing? Grab your Yellow Pages. Look up Beauty Salons. OK? Now tell me you’re not looking at ads that look sooo much like each other. There is absolutely nothing to choose between them. Put yourself into your customer’s shoes. Which one would you pick and why? Struggling? I bet you are!
You see none of these ads carries the secret formula for generating a great ad. There is no headline, no offer, no guarantee, no call to action. It’s almost as if each salon doesn’t want to stand out from the rest!
And do you want to know the best bit? (At least if you’re the Yellow Pages advertising Rep) None of these advertisers will be able to measure the response. So next year the YP rep can cheerfully ask for an EVEN BIGGER AD that will work even better. NOT!
No. Not for me! What I’m all about is:
ADVERTISING THAT WORKS. ADVERTISING THAT MAKES MONEY.
This is the only type of advertising you should be interested in. Unless, of course you’ve got sooo much cash like Coca Cola, Microsoft, or Ford. But if you’re reading this I guess you haven’t.
So it is all about advertising that is:
MEMORABLE
ACCOUNTABLE
GUTSY and
GRABS YOUR ATTENTION
Because what is the absolutely best thing that can happen when you advertise or promote your business? You generate a new client! But let’s think for a minute …. How much, on average, is a new client really worth per year? (I’ve asked this question to literally hundreds of salon owners and I can see their eyes glaze over …)
OK let’s break this down - you can put in your own figures:
How many times per month do they come and see you?:
Multiply this by 12 to get the number of visits per year.
Multiplied by how much, on average, they spend each visit
There. You’ve got it. Amazed? You probably are. (Most salon owners are) BUT (that word again) we’re not finished yet … How long would you keep that client? 5 years? 10 years maybe? Well multiply your yearly figure by that again. You’ve now got the true life time value of a client.
WOW! Just think, if I had 10 of these people that I could bring to your salon how much would you pay me for them? 10% of their value? 20%? 30%? Now adjust this sum to how much you spend on advertising or promotions.
You see the point is this: Lets say you spend £500 on an ad. The ad brings in, say, 10 new clients who each book for a £35 facial. Of these 10 new clients 5 re-book. Has the ad been profitable?
Well revenue from the ad was £35×10=£350. But we spent £500 on the ad. So we’ve lost £150! Right? WRONG! 5 rebooked remember! So that’s 5x£35=£175. And they should re-book again & again & again.
So, now, have we made money running the ad? YOU BET! Should we run the ad again? YOU BET! (But actually I’d do a little tweak to the ad to see if we could increase the response rate to 15)
The point here is that you have to look at the re-booking rate. If you stop with your client’s first appointment you’re missing the point.
More on how to make your advertising more memorable in the next step. To take it click the “Next Lesson” link below.
Dedicated to filling your salon with clients
Martin Smith
