The decorations are up, clients have their orders in and
radio listeners will hear about it nonstop throughout
the last two weeks of November. The blow-out holiday
event that Salon Bliss in Gurnee, Illinois, has slated for the
first weekend in December will no doubt trigger an avalanche
of sales income just as it has for the past seven years.
"Last year we did nearly $88,000
in business during the event-close to
$40,000 in retail alone," reports owner
Lisa Ruley. "For a normal weekend,
we're more in the $15,000 range."(Related story: Holiday Case Studies)
A similar seasonal happening has
been glowing and growing about 30 miles
south in Arlington Heights, where Frank
Panzarino, owner of Adam and Eve Salon
and Spa, is approaching his third Holiday
Customer Appreciation Day. This year
Panzarino hopes to hit $20,000 in sales,
up $5,000 over last year. (Related story: Holiday Case Studies)
Ruley and Panzarino are not in this
alone. Partnering with their BSG distributor
sales consultant (DSC), Alex
Katsoolias, has been key to the careful
preparation necessary to pull off a successful
event. Together, they brainstorm
on ways to pair product promotions
with service sales, discuss the advertising
and marketing strategy for the event,
set a timetable, map out display ideas
and crunch numbers to ensure the salon
maximizes the event's profi tability.
"BSG works with me to support the
event and promotions because I buy so
many of the holiday deals," says Ruley.
"My DSC attends the event from the
very beginning to the very end, helping
us with anything we need."
Katsoolias recommends developing a
"holiday spectacular" gradually, year by
year. "This can start as a three-hour event
or even just a retail center with a collection
of gift ideas," he says. You can expand it
each year by incorporating everything
that worked well while adding new
components. Zano Salon and Day Spas,
one of Katsoolias's larger, multiple location
accounts, has been doing something
special for the holidays for 15 years and
now runs it for a full month. "We still meet
each year to discuss changes, but they're
pretty much on autopilot with it by now,"
Katsoolias reports.
Product companies provide another
direct resource. "An Aquage representative
is always here throughout the event
to answer questions and talk to people
about their hair," says Ruley.
At Makeovers Salon and Spa in
the Boston suburb of Easton, owners
Edward and Norah Blum count on both
DSC Linda Niemiec and their Joico rep
Lisa Elliott to help with everything from
the planning and decorating to day-of-event
management.
"I encourage every salon owner to
partner with their manufacturer," says
Elliott. "At Joico, we love to support our
salons. Norah at Makeovers was so pumped
up just by the display we did that now she
has new ideas for product promotions
throughout the rest of the year. We want
to help in any way we can-from staging a
visually appealing display to customizing
promotions. We enjoy working closely
and personally with our salons."(Related story: Holiday Case Studies)
THE HOLIDAY WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY How this season drives sales year round. Sure, your holiday event will jump-start your end-of-year profits, but that's not the only way it can work for you. Be smart and plan your event with an eye toward the coming year:
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The team approach works well because
each member contributes an important
piece:
- The product company creates packages and promotions, making it easy for the salon to offer clients great value on product combos and save time by providing wrapped items. The rep also can come up with staff incentives that motivate the team to sell.
- The DSC monitors the year's sales figures to identify the salon's top-moving products and determines which packages have the greatest likelihood of success. * The salon owner is welcome to work on a strategy to customize or position promotions to zero in on client needs and the salon culture.
- A retail specialist can be a huge help with these events. "I'm an idea person," says Edward Blum of Makeovers. "But our brilliant in-salon retail specialist Jessica has marketing expertise, knows how to price everything and guides us toward profits. Her whole world is numbers and working the deals."
Overall team commitment is critical
not only on the big day but leading up to
it as well. "You need the right script for
your staff to talk to their clients about
this," Katsoolias says. "They should invite
their clients enthusiastically: âHey,
come on by! We'll have all kinds of giveaways,
raffles and goodie bags!'"
Neglecting to promote consistently
and continuously is one mistake novices
make, Katsoolias says. In addition to
scripting your team, the salon should get
the party started with e-mails to the client
base, notification on the salon website,
signage in the window to encourage
walk-ins, newspaper and radio advertising
and invitations to the town's mayor,
chamber of commerce representatives
and press. Whoops, did someone say
"party"? That's another common error.
Katsoolias says he's seen salon staffs
let the "woo-hoo" get the best of them.
"When Salon Bliss held its first event,
they made it a big bash and 100 people
showed up, but they didn't sell anything,"
he recalls. "The next year we
positioned it as a selling event, and from
there it really took off."
TIME LINE The bigger your event, the farther out you need to plan, but the experts recommend that even small-scale players should start strategizing in July or August. Wait too long at your own peril, they caution. Don't worry, you still have time to make an impact for 2010. But be sure your 2011 holiday promo and event planning is underway by the end of the summer. "By the end of October and into November, our packages frequently have sold out," says Lisa Elliott, Joico territory manager for BSG Northeast. "We distribute our pre-order forms in September, and those are the first orders filled. To take advantage of the promotions, you should let your rep know about three months ahead." This schedule ensures the best outcome:
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ANGELS AND ELVES
Your team's buy-in is key to jingling the holiday bells.
You, your DSC and your product companies
are all working hard to kick your end-of-year
into high gear. As with every profit-building
initiative, though, your team members are the
fuel that revs the engine.
"Engaging your team will make the difference between selling out of your holiday
promotions and having to break them apart in January and turn them into open stock
because they didn't sell," says beauty industry consultant Tom Kuhn, adding
that "engaging" doesn't mean overwhelming.
"Today's new rules of engagement are about winning hearts and minds," Kuhn
continues. Calling the current time "The Age of Too"-as in too much to do, too many
choices and too much information-Kuhn advises, "Think simple, visual and often."
- Keep your message simple. Whittle down your hand-outs to your team so you can fit everything on one page-the event description, details about promotions, product benefits or script to follow.
- Be visual. "Your staff needs to see it to act on it," says Kuhn. Tricks like color-coding idea categories and "talk bubbles" to script conversations will resonate with team members more than verbal direction. Provide product photos and other visuals to help them talk to clients.
- Repeat. The ideal, Kuhn says, is to present an idea four times, four ways. "If you want it to stick," he says, "repetition is key. Outline your promotions on event calendars, discuss them in one-on-one huddles, post them in your break room and go over them in your pre-holiday staff meeting. Use every channel of communication you have."
While service promotions play a role in your holiday event, much of the focus naturally
is on retail. And we know some stylists do not consider retail the most fun part of their
work. Industry coach and Strategies founder Neil Ducoff encourages owners to
point out to the team that holiday events depart from everyday retailing because it's
just that: a sales event. Give the people what they're coming for.
"People are there to watch service and product demos, have some food and
wine and shop for holiday gift items," Ducoff says. "Right now everyone's sensitive
about spending money. If they say they might come to your holiday event, and you
don't give them a preview of the cool gifts you'll have, don't complain that you're
short on cash for your next car payment! This is your opportunity as a service
provider to put your best foot forward. Any time you have a chance to show up
and talk to a client, you should. Think about what happens when you go to a party
and people find out you're a hairdresser: you take over the party! Everyone wants
your attention; they're all asking your opinion about what to do with their hair. At
this event, you have the opportunity to recommend an upservice and book it right
then and there. Prebooking should be a big goal at these events."
Kuhn agrees that the ultimate motivational component is the "what's in it for
me" piece. Make sure staff members understand how robust holiday sales will
benefit them now and later. Says Kuhn, "A fully engaged staff member not only
can have a record-breaking paycheck during the holiday season but also set the
stage for a very successful 2011."
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