Posts Tagged ‘salons’
Texture: Salons Set Themselves Apart with Curls
by Michelle Breyer on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
High-profile salons like New York City’s Ouidad, Miss Jessie’s and Devachan have proven that salons can successfully focus on the curly niche. Their chairs are filled with wavy-, curly- and kinky-haired clients who flock to them from around the world for their stylists’ expertise in working with texture.
But this trend isn’t limited to the Big Apple. Salons from Toronto to Tucson also have proven that texture can be a powerful way to set themselves apart at a time when everyone is looking for ways to get the edge in a challenging economy. With a large population of people with wavy, curly and kinky hair — people willing to spend a lot of money to make their hair look its best — this trend is only likely to increase. And with more women embracing their texture than ever before, the salons that know how to work with it are likely to reap the benefits.
“There’s a salon on every street, but if you specialize, you set yourself apart,” Kim Wicks of Frontenac Salon. “Our salon chose to specialize in naturally curly hair. It’s been huge. It’s really helped us through this recession.”
Here’s a look at some standout curly salons—from a one-chair stylist to a salon that recently opened a second location to accommodate the demand form curly clients.
Curltopia, Smyrna, Ga.
Curltopia opened in Smyrna, Ga. in May 2008 as a salon where “it’s all about making peace with your hair.”
“We know how difficult it can be to find a stylist who can work with curly hair,” says Curltopia Flavia Medina who opened the salon with fellow curly Tricia Joyner.
Inititally, they envisioned a small salon with one chair. But demand grew quickly, and today they have seven stylists. All stylists must be licensed and experienced and must assist a senior stylist for six months before working on their own. During this training period, they learn what types of products and cuts work for different textures.
Curltopia sends clients home with a prescription of what products they should use and how they should use them—education that is especially important to curly clients. They like to see their clients two weeks later for a follow up.
“We want to make sure we’re teaching them about product use,” Medina says.
Curltopia, like many curly salons, attracts a diverse clientele, who travel to the salon from as far as North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee.
“There is nothing that walks in that door that we can’t handle,” Medina says. “We’re not a black salon or a white salon. We’re a hair salon.”
The salon’s decor mirrors this philosophy, with its black and white stripes.
Spirals, Tucscon, Ariz.
“It started small,” says Tonja Chagris, who opened the salon six years ago with two other people.
Chagris, who has curly hair herself, worked as a hairdresser for 17 years.
“I wanted to address curly and textured hair,” she says. “It was an immediate success, We had an article in the newspaper, and we were not prepared for the crowds. We couldn’t even let the people in. It was scary.”
Today, the Paul Mitchell salon has seven stylists, all trained in how to work with curly and textured hair. Although the salon does have curly clients, 90 percent of its clientele has textured hair.
Chagris believes the curly niche has helped the salon survive and thrive, despite tough economic times.
“It really has kept us afloat,” she says. “We consistently get new curly hair people, and they are willing to travel. It enables us to draw from a larger area.”
But the curly world does have some challenges, she says. The curly client tends to be gun shy, usually having had many a bad haircut in her past.
“Most people with texture have had bad experiences,” she says. “We focus on slowing down and making sure each time they’re there.”
The Curl Ambassadors, Toronto, Ont.
Curly tops Caroline Muir and Betty Di Salvo were frustrated by the difficulty they had finding stylists who knew how to work with their hair. They heard similar frustrations from other curly friends and family.
“We realized it was time to provide a place that specialized in naturally curly hair,” says Muir.
In October 2006, the duo opened their first location in downtown Toronto. They openend a second salon in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan in November 2009. The Curl Ambassadors’ clientele travel from as far away as Vancouver and Chicago,
“Our clients’ motto seem to be ‘Have curls, will travel,’” Di Salvo says.
For other salons considering focusing on texture as a niche, Muir suggests locating in a cosmopolitan, multicultural area.
“Are there a lot of people with curls?” she says.
One of the most important things, says Muir, is to recruit the right stylists for the salon. It’s not enough to be well-trained.
“We’re looking for those that will want to really care for curly hair with all their heart,” Muir says.
Hello Curls, San Diego, Calif.
Beverly Neeland learned how to do a wet set when she was 3 years old, playing with her stylist grandmother’s tools to create styles. She began cutting hair when she was still in grade school. She intuitively knew how to work with curls, perfecting her technique on her mother’s hair.
“My mother would come home from the hairdresser and her wavy hair, and I would fix her bad cuts,” says Neeland. “I had a knack for hairdressing.”
Although Neeland always wanted to be a hairdresser, her father convinced her to get a college degree. She gravitated toward the world of theater, working as a stylist, costume designer and wigmaker for professional theater companies for 15 years. While working on wigs, she would style them dry, cutting them based on what they need rather than any particular formula.
She never lost her desire to be a professional hairstylist. So when she had the chance, she got her cosmetology license.
At beauty school, she began externing at a salon and naturally gravitated toward curly clients.
Neeland said she initially hated salons because of her own traumatic experiences with stylists who would roll their eyes when she would sit in their chair with her thick curls.
“I started thinking, what if I opened a salon and just worked on curly people,” she says. “Having my own understanding of what it’s like, I thought I could make my clients more comfortable.”
She rented space at salons in Sacramento, specializing in naturally curly hair. Earlier this year, she opened a studio salon in San Diego and has teamed up with another stylist who specializes in curls.
Neeland says focusing on this niche has been a definite selling point for her
“When they find out I only work on curly hair—I don’t even have a round brush in my salon—they relax,” she says. “It’s a deciding factor for them. They feel comfortable before they come in. They know I talk the talk.”
She gets most of her clients through word of mouth, an especially powerful tool in the curly world. She recalled one of her clients who was stopped by a curly woman who wanted to know who did her hair. Suddenly, she found herself with 10 new clients who traveled more than two hours to get their hair cut by her.
But working with curly clients also has a downside, she says. They tend to go longer between cuts—an average of every 12 to 14 weeks rather than every six to eight weeks. Some of her clients only come in once every two to three years, she says.
“I feel like I have to have more clients than the average hairdressers so my book stays full,” she says.
Cashing In on Client Feedback
by Megan Dorcey on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
One key to building your business is taking the good with the bad and knowing how it can help your business. One way to get honest responses is by taking your clients’ feedback (even those pesky negative comments) and making it work for you through comment cards.
Comment cards may seem like an old-school feedback method, but they are still very effective. Some clients may feel uneasy about filling out the cards in the salon, thinking their opinions may not be confidential. A good way to promote honest feedback is by offering a comment card already stamped and addressed and letting the client fill it out at home, where she can be totally comfortable.
Many salons rely on this form of communication to better their practices. The most current trend in customer satisfaction has been the online review. Many websites offer reviews on anything from restaurants, to groomers, to salons. Our sister site, NaturallyCurly.com, is the first and only site that focuses only on the needs of curly clients and their honest opinions of their stylists. The site’s salon/stylist finder helps clients find the right stylist and offers the most honest opinions you can find, from real people.
Teddy Romero, an educator at Avenue Five Institute in Austin, says that he reads reviews out loud so that the students can all hear what the public thinks. This is a great way to keep yourself motivated, knowing that each person who sits in your chair will be reviewing you somewhere. Word of mouth is something that stylists will always heavily rely on.
NaturallyCurly.com also helps curl experts promote their services by offering advertising next to the reviews section. This shows potential clients that you are proud of your reviews and truly care about curly clients (to learn more email Megan Dorcey). Any way you look at it, knowing how your client perceives you is going to pay off big time, either through comment cards or online reviews.
Grow Income With Eyelash-Enhancing Services
by Megan Dorcey on Monday, June 28th, 2010
Kim Kardashian sparks the most envy with me when it comes to beauty. Of course, the starlet has the perfect skin tone and luscious locks, but she also has the most stunning eyelashes! I know that she is genetically blessed with Armenian features that I (pale-skinned, red hair, freckles, etc.) will never have naturally. I like to pride myself on the fact that I have been a take-charge woman who doesn’t take “no” for an answer. So instead of accepting this as my fate, I began seeking out ways to not so naturally enhance some of my features with inspiration from Ms. Kardashian.
Eyelash extensions are becomming such a hot trend among the beauty community, I can no longer ignore it. In fact, I am willing to embrace this trend, and after doing some research I am one step closer. When my esthetician first said to me, “You have gorgeous lashes, but you would look great with some extensions,” I was clueless. She began to tell me about lash extensions, and to be honest; every single one of my girliest dreams started looking more like reality. I am an advertiser’s dream—purchasing every single lash-enhancing mascara and tool I see in the makeup aisles. What if enhancing my lashes a little more permanently would rid me of the constant barrage of goopy wands almost completely?
I finally decided that I was going to do some research on the matter and stumbled upon a few different products. Salons and beauty stores are starting to carry an alternative to the lash extensions such as Lash Food’s natural eyelash and eyebrow conditioning stimulators that would provide longer, darker, and stronger lashes. This line of products is different from prescription-only Latisse, in the sense that it will not cause any kind of side effects. The ingredients are all natural and consumers can purchase it from you, rather than having to get it at a pharmacy.
If you want more of an instant gratification, JB Cosmetics also offers lash extensions and lash-curling services. The curling, or “Simple Perm”, as they have dubbed it, is a short procedure that gives lashes the same effect a lash curler would, only semi-permanently. Another lash extension service by NovaLash offers training to stylists everywhere so that you, too, can be on the cutting edge of the beauty world, as well as build revenue in the process.
Lashes are playing a major role in the beauty and fashion industry. A site called Paperself.com has taken lash art to a whole new level by offering fashion-forward adhesive lashes that are made out of paper. This just goes to show that beauty conscious consumers are ready to bat their lashes at a new wave of beauty products. How can you, as a stylist, cash in on the lash craze? Do your research on topical treatments as well as extensions and see which one would fit in with your clientele.
Kim Kardashian may have been born with beautiful lashes, but it’s comforting to know that I—and your clients—can join the club whenever I want!
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Categories: Business Basics, Products and Tools
Tags: beauty, beauty stores, cash, eyelash extensions, fashion, hot trend, Kim Kardashian, lashes, natural, revenue, salons, stylist,
Link: http://www.curlstylist.com/articles/business-basics/grow-income-with-eyelash-enhancing-services
Re-Book Your Client With Celeb-Worthy Hair Accessories!
by Megan Dorcey on Monday, June 21st, 2010
The mercury is rising and we all know what that means: less is more in the clothing department. Coping with the heat can take a client’s wardrobe choices and cut it in half. So what should you suggest to add some glitz and glam without adding unwanted layers and heavy jewelery? Hair accessories.
The days of stick straight hair are long gone. Everyone from that gorgeous model on the runway, to your favorite celebrity, to the girl next door is sporting something pretty in her wavy ‘do. Sparkly brooch-inspired clips, glitzy headbands, and simple up-do tools are popping up all over the hair scene.
This is a very quick and simple way to offer an option to your client and they will be so happy with her style that she won’t hesitate to re-book her next appointment before walking out the door. Simply suggest she bring her favorite hair accessory along to her cut or color and offer to style it in a fun way that they may not have thought of. This will only take a few extra minutes and ensure a returning client. If your client doesn’t have a favorite accessory, stock up on a few trendy and inexpensive pieces that she can take home. Making your client feel special when she walks out the door will mean the world to her, and don’t worry-she will tell her friends how much fun they had with you!
Is your client hesitant to add an accessory? Try a summer-friend celeb craze such as the messy braid or face-framing braids that are a simple way to transform their look.
Need some hair accessory inspiration? Pictured are a couple of my favorites that work perfect in waves, curls, kinks, and coils.
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Categories: Business Basics, Styling, Tips & Tricks
Tags: barettes, barrettes, business-building, celebrities, celebrity hair, clients, clips, hair accessories, hair sticks, hair styles, money-making, salons, stylists,
Link: http://www.curlstylist.com/articles/styling/re-book-your-client-with-celeb-worthy-hair-accessories
Salon Outlook Positive in Q3
by Michelle Breyer on Thursday, October 29th, 2009
The outlook for the salon/spa industry remained positive in the third quarter, as the Professional Beauty Association’s (PBA) Salon/Spa Performance Index (SSPI) rose for the second consecutive quarter. The SSPI — a quarterly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. salon/spa industry — stood at 101.9 in the third quarter, up 0.1 percent from its second-quarter level. The SSPI is constructed so that the health of the salon/spa industry is measured in relation to a steady state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators.
“For the first time this year, salon/spa owners reported a net increase in service sales. However, they also reported that retail sales continue to be soft,” said Sam Leyvas, PBA’s director of government affairs. “Long term we are seeing growing optimism on the part of salon/spa owners both in terms of service and retail sales in the months ahead.
The SSPI is based on the responses to PBA’s Salon/Spa Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded quarterly among 800 salon/spa owners nationwide on a variety of indicators including service and retail sales, customer traffic, employee/hours and capital expenditures. The Index consists of two components — the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.
The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in five industry indicators (service sales, retail sales, customer traffic, employees/hours and capital expenditures), stood at 99.1 in the third quarter - down 0.6 percent from its second quarter level of 99.7. The Current Situation Index has remained below 100 throughout 2009, which represents contraction in the current situation indicators.
For the first time in 2009, salon/spa owners reported a net increase in service sales, meaning more owners reported higher sales than lower sales. Thirty-eight percent of salon/spa owners reported an increase in same-store service sales between the third quarters of 2008 and 2009, while 36 percent reported a sales decline.
Although salon/spa owners reported an improvement in service sales in the third quarter, they continued to report soft retail sales. Forty-seven percent of salon/spa owners reported lower retail sales in the third quarter while thirty-six percent of salon/spa owners reported higher retail sales between the third quarters of 2008 and 2009.
The Expectations Index, which measures salon/spa owners’ six-month outlook for five industry indicators (service sales, retail sales, employees, capital expenditures and business conditions), rose 0.7 percent in the third quarter to a level of 104.6. The Expectations Index remains well above 100, which indicates that salon/spa owners are optimistic about industry growth in the months ahead.
Third quarter growth in the Expectations Index was driven by growing optimism for both service and retail sales in the months ahead. Fully seven out of 10 salon/spa owners said they expect to have higher service sales in six months (compared to the same period in the previous year). Only 8 percent of salon/spa owners expect their service sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year.
Salon/spa owners are also much more optimistic about stronger retail sales in the months ahead. Sixty-one percent of salon/spa owners said they expect to have higher retail sales in six months (compared to the same period in the previous year. In comparison, just 9 percent expect their retail sales to decline in six months (compared to the same period in the previous year).
“PBA takes pride in providing timely and relevant economic data to the marketplace,” said Sam Leyvas “doing so is critical to our mission as the industry’s leading trade association.”
The full SSPI and second quarter Salon/Spa Tracking Survey Report can be found at www.probeauty.org.
End 2009 in Positive Territory
by Staff on Friday, September 25th, 2009
Nick Arrojo
While the holiday season is usually the busiest time of year in salons, it’s also the best time to build business for the coming year by attracting new clients and prepping your loyal base for 2010. P&G Salon Professional, in its ongoing initiative to help salons conquer the current downturn, offers advice from some of its best-known and most successful salon owner partners.
Gift Certificates: Nick Arrojo at Arrojo Studio in New York City details a program that has been very successful in his salon. “Give the Gift of Great Hair” offers a special makeover for the recipient, including a consultation and haircut, a hair color process, a makeup application and lesson, and four take-home hair products. “Offer something out of the ordinary, like a year’s worth of Sebastian Cellophanes, at a special price—that’s the secret to successful gift cards,” says Arrojo.
Transform Referrals Into Forever Clients: Nick also knows referrals are a critical path to building success. “It’s better to have a lot more clients spending a little less money than to have fewer clients spending the same,” he says. The Arrojo Studio offers a “Rewards for Bringing a Friend” program for current or new clients who bring a friend who has never been to Arrojo Studio before. The deal? Two cuts and/or colors for the price of one!
Andrew Poulos
Andrew Poulos of Diva International in San Francisco gives each new client a gift envelope with special offers for future services. He also advises follow-up calls or e-mails to solidify the salon’s and stylist’s connection with their new client.
“We call each client within 24–48 hours of their first appointment to be sure she feels she’s received the ultimate service,” says Poulos. “This follow-up keeps new clients connected to the salon. With color clients, we also call 5–7 days after the service to see how the new color is working for them.”
Use Social Media to Win: Vidal Sassoon’s Stephen Moody uses social media to keep in touch with clients and encourages them to post reviews on www.yelp.com to build word-of-mouth business. There’s nothing like a posted recommendation from clients who love your salon.
Lock in Loyal Clients - “At Vidal Sassoon, we want to make each client into a ‘perfect’ client, [one] who depends on us for cut, color and retail products,” notes Moody. Build loyalty by using any open periods on your daily schedule, he suggests, to prepare for quality time with each client. Review your appointment book the night before to identify opportunities for incremental service and product sales.
Stephen Moody
Arrojo adds, “Our clients can get free bang trims and neck trims between appointments, free consultations, and free ten-minute makeup applications after a cut or color service.” His “Pre-Booking Discount” keeps clients coming back. If another appointment is pre-booked for within five weeks of the day of the client’s service, she receives a 10% discount when she returns.
Prepare Today for 2010: Capitalize on the busy holiday season to attract new clients and firm up your loyal client base for the year ahead. One reliable way of building revenue is to enhance the quality of the salon appointment.
“Elevate the client experience and create a festive feeling in your salon this season,” counsels Poulos. “We offer espresso and popular wines. We stock only name-brand products for retail sale and we explain how to use each product. Make her feel special and she’ll come back.”
Holiday and everyday retail tips: As a leader in salon retailing, the experts at P&G Salon Professional offer these important pointers for boosting year-end sales.
- Promote gift and impulse purchases by packaging products in go-together sets. Sebastian offers holiday gift-with-purchase pre-packs that can be displayed prominently in the salon.
- Merchandise promotions separately from regular stock, and place in high-traffic areas.
- Position impulse items at the reception desk, such as Nioxin travel-sized products.
- Announce the specifics of your promotion with signage on or near the product display.
- Display every product a minimum of 3-deep on the shelves. Now is not the time to run out!
- Keep your display area neat, clean and clutter free. Have junior stylists straighten and re-stock the retail display every evening.
- Use shelf-talkers and other manufacturer-provided signs within your display to speak directly to the client.
Check www.pgsalonpro.com for more ideas.
Looking for More
Curly Clients?
by Staff on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
We all have experienced the power of customer reviews — we use Consumer Reports for our electronic purchases, Yelp for restaurant recommendations, and Trip Advisor for travel recommendations. So how important are these customer reviews?
Customer reviews are highly valued, research shows.
Very important, it seems. Consumer reviews and rating are popping up on an increasing number of web sites, sites on which users treat brands and services like contestants on American Idol. People are very interested in what their peers have to say, whether negative or positive. Over half the people in the U.S. said they trusted their peers or “a person like me” for information about a company, product, or service — more than they trusted expert sources.
So how else can you help fight the economic downturn, increase your customer reviews on CurlStylist’s sister site NaturallyCurly.com and increase your clientele? According to Marketing Sherpa, 58% of surveyed respondents said they strongly prefer sites that have customer reviews. Not only do the reviews increase sales, they also entices other customers not previously willing to try a product or service to actually try it. This phenomena has led to happier clients and more sales.
What do you need to do next?
#1) Tell your favorite curly clients to write a review today. All they need to do is go to the CurlSalons section.
Reviews will generate more business for you in the long term. In fact, we can send you exclusive Mirror Decals and Curl cards for every client to see. Email us today to receive your Curl Ambassador packet.
#2) Another active approach you can take with CurlSalons on NaturallyCurly.com is to sign on to advertise in the monthly state program. To learn more about promoting your salon on NaturallyCurly.com, contact us.
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