Ahh, the smell of fresh pencils, papers and USB drives. By mid-July, the aisles at every major retailer where you, your kids and your clients shop had been cleared of summer accessories, replaced by backpacks, paper goods and other back-to-school essentials.

“Stock up now! Get the best deal! Buy in bulk!” the shelves encouraged. Surely not yet, you sighed. The summer is just half gone. Blink. Now it’s mid August: “Where’s that list again? And why doesn’t anyone sell red pens?”

Let the Salon Selling Frenzy Begin

Back-to-school officially kicks off high selling season, not just for retailers, but for salons, too. It’s all about starting fresh, making a good impression— and that’s the heart of what we do in beauty: getting a new hair cut, trying highlights for the first time, stocking a locker with favorite styling products to look cool between class.

Next up, after school pictures are taken and new friends are made? For salons, it’s Pink and Breast Cancer Awareness promotions for September and October, overlapped by full-scale holiday planning for October through December. Toss in Halloween (not only an extreme celebration of makeovers, but also the second biggest consumer spending holiday in the U.S.) along with the simple but powerful transition period of fall-winter, and you are fully armed with promotional firepower into January.

The secret, however, is the lesson of the red pens and the school supply list. You feel like you have plenty of time to plan for your busiest and best time of the year, but if you don’t plan ahead and map out a strategy now, you’ll be scrambling later.

Make time to sit down with your advisors—your sales consultant, your creative team—and study the fashion and retail trends that are hot now, those that are forecast for fall, and the promotional opportunities that exist to help you take advantage of all of them.

MODERN is happy to help. This month, we’ve gathered great transitional tips on color, texture, nails, back-to-school product promos and more. Start planning—and selling—now. Earn an A+ by year's end.

Next up, after school pictures are taken and new friends are made?
For salons, it’s Pink and Breast Cancer Awareness promotions for September
and October, overlapped by full-scale holiday planning for October
through December. Toss in Halloween (not only an extreme celebration of
makeovers, but also the second biggest consumer spending holiday in the
U.S.) along with the simple but powerful transition period of fall-winter,
and you are fully armed with promotional fi repower into January.