Reinvesting in your business will boost customer confidence and keep them coming back to your salon. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost too much!
As a salon owner, you have ways to measure just about every aspect of your business – except your customer’s confidence in your services. Sure, you can take surveys, read comments on social media and talk to everyone who comes through your door, but the faith your tanners invest in your business never remains static. The easiest way to increase customer confidence is to reinvest in your business in many small ways, says David Givans. By making just a few small changes at his Island Tanz salon in Crosby, TX, David says he was able to get his tanners excited about being members and tanning there.
Salon décor is the first step in David’s reinvestment plan. He explained, “Some salons still utilize neon colors and palm trees, which is a very dated theme. While I’m not able to completely redecorate my business, I realized there are things I can do to improve the initial impression.” He repainted his interior utilizing different shades of sky blue, while the lobby was painted tan and the tanning rooms received coats of dark turquoise and chocolate brown. “When my tanners came in and saw me painting the salon,” he said, “they got very excited about the new look. It’s amazing how something so easy could make such a big change in how they perceived my business.”
When is the last time you’ve added a new tanning unit to your salon’s menu? If it’s been a while, you should consider following David’s lead. He said, “Every salon owner should be making new equipment purchases, but doing so takes a lot of planning. In between major equipment changes, it’s good to purchase pre-owned high-end tanning equipment.” For $2,000, David purchased a used high-end unit from another salon in Texas and his clients loved it so much that he created a tanning membership around it. His “Platinum Package” includes three sessions per week in the upgrade unit as well the lower-level units the rest of the time. “It became so popular that I had to add another used upgrade unit and make it a part of the Platinum Package,” he said.
David’s last method for maintaining customer confidence focuses on his personal purchases. After driving around in a gas-guzzling pickup truck, he knew he needed a more fuel-efficient car… but he had to be careful about what he purchased. “I would love to be driving a Ferrari or a Porsche,” he said, “but that would’ve had a negative effect upon my customers. I could only get away with something like that if my salon was already as beautiful as the Taj Mahal.” Knowing he still has some work to do to make Island Tanz the perfect tanning facility that he envisions, David opted for a basic Ford Mustang, which he says is fun to drive but “not too flashy.”
Reinvesting in your business is not only easy, it’s essential for any salon owner looking to reinvigorate their customer base. It also helps maintain the trust you’ve developed with your clients over the years. Using David’s experiences as a guideline, what could you do to freshen things up a bit at your salon? ■
Quick Tips
Here are some considerations when reinvesting in and improving your salon:
• Whatever changes you’re planning, be sure that your clients can see it happening.
•Your lobby is a good place to start: a new coat of paint can do wonders, especially if your current décor is outdated.
•Between major equipment purchases, try adding one or two used high-end units. It’s an inexpensive way to get clients excited about trying something new… to them.
•Watch your personal expenditures because chances are, your clients are watching them, too!
