George Stockman's success secret came from his father: Always do more than you're paid to do. Applying that advice to his Showoffs Hair Salon in Dunbar, Pennsylvania, he increased business by 30 percent in the last 12 months by raising the value of services.

Example: He colors one area of the head (say, a large crown-area panel) one level lighter than the rest of the hair, which personalizes the color design. "A competitor down the street just can't duplicate it," says Stockman.

George Stockman fills in his client's formula on the head shape.

To super-specialize the treatment, he draws a head shape, indicating where colors and formulas go. Clients think it's cool, but never see enough to share elsewhere. The sketches are scanned into the computer, so any in-house colorist can duplicate the work of another. The topper: Clients get 10 percent off for advance booking, because investing in existing clients matters more than offering a 10-percent discount to new clients, he says.

"Discounting just for new clients makes loyalists feel taken for granted," says Stockman.