The holidays are here and it’s time to boost your sales, fill your seats and earn more than you thought you could!
During a busy holiday season, focus your attention on earning more than you did last year with the help of some tips on staying organized, tracking your salon hours and planning holiday promotions.
We understand that you’re busy so we’ve compiled 5 strategies for managing your salon during a hectic holiday season.
1. Take a look at Last Year
What were your problem areas? Did you run out of retail products, were you fully booked but wishing you had offered some extended holiday hours? Did you maximize upselling opportunities?
Allow Beautster’s various business management tools to help you look back at your revenue during the holiday season so you can learn from mistakes, continue doing what worked well and plan for the coming year.
2. Schedule Holiday Hours
Maximize your productivity and your profits during the holiday season by getting a clear idea of what your schedule will look like.
Pre-plan vacation time well in advance
Pre-book appointments
During check-out, communicate with your clients and let them know that the salon will be busier than usual and encourage them to book their next appointment to avoid being disappointed
Send an email marketing campaign letting your clients know that you are accepting pre-bookings and that spaces are filling up fast.
Filling-up your schedule in advance will give you a better idea of whether or not to extend your hours
If you decide to go ahead with offering special holiday hours, make sure you update your business profile, send an email marketing campaign to all of your clients and post an announcement on your Social Media pages.
Don’t leave your clients in the dark about your extended holiday hours!
80% of Beautster Pros said YES, they plan to extend their hours this holiday season.
3. Plan your Promotions
The rest of the year will fly by quickly, so make sure you’re prepared by making a list of promotions you would like to offer.
Here are a few suggestions:
Clients want to look and feel their very best during the holidays – family photos, holiday parties, and vacations are all top of mind.
Remember, this is a busy time of year and while you probably won’t have to worry about increasing your bookings, your goal SHOULD be to increase the average spent per client.
Avoid making the mistake of offering discounts on your most popular services. Instead, offer discounts on smaller, add-on services.
Example:
If ‘Women’s Haircuts’ is your most booked service at $65
and
If you offer an amazing ‘Deep Conditioning Treatment’ but it’s rarely booked at $45,
Create a Package: ‘Haircut and Deep Conditioning Treatment’ for $110 and run a promotion on it – $15 OFF
Add a call-to-action in your ‘About Me’ section.
Say something like: ‘If you want incredibly silky smooth hair for all your holiday parties and events, book the special below – only available in December!’
It’s a win-win all around – your clients will love the $15 in savings while you enjoy a $30 service increase. Your clients will also be introduced to a new service which they might continue booking in the future.
4. Stock Up
You’re offering extra bookings, so make sure you have plenty of supplies. No one likes arriving for their appointment and finding out that you’ve run out of their favorite tone, gloss or retail product.
Remind clients of your holiday specials by creating an eye-catching holiday display featuring your retail products and a sign-up reminding clients to book their appointments and stock-up on great holiday gifts for friends and family.
5. Reward Loyal Customers
Feeling overwhelmed and looking for tools to help run your business smoothly? Try Beautster’s unique business management tools.
Client retention is just as important as attracting new customers, so show your loyal customers a little holiday love. After an amazing service, offer a small gift like a product they love. Make sure your clients know how valued they are and what you look forward to seeing them again in the New Year ☺
