Style Blog

Stuck in a salon rut? Want to get from point A to point B faster, but hit a plateau with growing your salon income and can’t seem to get to the next level? You’re not alone.

“Many stylists and salon owners face challenges in this regard because we may become complacent with our incomes, fearful of changes that we may need to make and resistant to learning new skills. When we allow the fear of change to take over, it impedes our ability to learn, which impacts our ability to earn more money,” says Keune Educator and Salon Owner Lindsay Rice.

Here, Lindsay provides tips on growing your salon income wisely with a few smart principles for growth in the beauty industry:

Create an exciting referral and loyalty program!

Make sure it is a referral program that would motivate someone to step foot in your place of business. The goal is certainly to get new guests in the door, but let’s not forget about your existing clientele, too! You can offer discounts, complimentary consultations and product samples. Some salons offer product loyalty programs and others have a punch-card system for hair designs that give guests who have been consuming a way to be rewarded for continuing to frequent your salon establishment. Promotion is key to the success of this endeavor, and all salon members will need to verbally promote the business! Don’t forget about children and men—they are important customers, too. The goal here is to engage everyone under the sun to drive new money into the salon.

Upgrade every salon experience.

Hone in on the small additional services often overlooked by service providers, such as polish changes and eyebrow enhancements, and build “beauty boosters” that can be added to any salon appointment for an additional charge. Offering small services like these enhances the guest’s experience and increases the cost of service, providing additional income for the stylist as well as the salon. Basically, it will rain money in the salon. Create easy talking points for the “beauty booster,” and have every staff member discuss it with their guests. 

Invest in your staff.

They are selling everything, including themselves, in the salon. Take them on educational trips, buy them classes, send them to the most exciting educational events and do it all by building goal incentives. For example, if you are the salon owner, consider saying this at your next salon meeting: “Sell $1,000 in liquid tools per month from June 1 to September 31, and then you can choose to attend one of three upcoming Keune BLEND classes.” As a salon owner, keep in mind that the most beneficial incentive is educational, based around either services or product knowledge. There must also be a start and end point for the goal. The salon would pick up the cost of the class. Cultivate the team and incentivize all staff members for a job well done. This will create a win-win-win in the salon and your employees will be more likely to feel loyal to the hand that feeds them educational experiences.

Create your company’s points of difference.

Talk about them with your team and agree on common things, such as a salon greeting for all guests, a beverage offering, a referral thank you phone call script. Get really clear and consistent across the board to make sure it happens with every guest, on every visit. Then make sure you charge MORE for level of care. Raise your prices to set yourself apart from competition down the street. Your salon and you, the service providers, are providing a level of care that the guest knows is different from the chop shop down the block. Brag about the classes you have attended; take the time to show the guest the new technique you have picked up at the latest Keune class you took; make sure every service provider is following company standards on how to greet guests. Stand apart by creating a higher price point for your salon.

Offer new services and liquid tools.

As a service provider, you may want to think of taking a new class to learn a service you are not currently offering. Taking on a new challenge naturally creates a renewed sense of excitement, all while increasing your revenue stream. Salon owners can ask staff how they can meet service providers halfway in this joint venture. Think outside of the box if you are a salon owner. If the salon doesn’t provide skin care, possibly look at bringing an aesthetician, or body services such as spray tanning, or even nail services—all are a sure thing to generate more salon sales and revenue.

Take Keune’s True Business course.

True Business is such an important class to take because, as stylists, we are in the business of reinvention. At every level of the game in our industry, it requires a new bigger and better version of us. In order for us to get there, salon industry professionals require constant inspiration to change. We need a coach to challenge our ways of thinking, a mentor who has been there to pull us out of our old mindset. Lastly, all of us need a salon professional who has experienced all the setbacks yet still achieved super-natural levels of both professional and personal success. I am that person, and I teach True Business, with tips on growing your salon income, for Keune. If I do say so myself, the class will blow your mind!

Lindsay’s next True Business program is in Kansas City, MO, on May 15, 2017. Her next Keune Academy program dates are November 12 and 13 in Atlanta, GA. Please find more information and book your spot HERE.