Four Ways to Add Value & Increase Prices
Everybody wants more, and the beauty industry is no different! Consumers are always looking for an added value, greater convenience, and extra perks. As a salon owner, you might be thinking, “This sounds expensive and time-intensive.” Well, just wait, because we have good news. Adding value allows you to raise your prices which increases your revenue and profit margin! Trust us, you can have your cake and eat it too.
We know that the best way to justify increasing price is when a stylist advances to the next level. If you’re a Level 1 Stylist and you advance to Level 2, of course, there will be a price increase. So, how do we increase prices outside of this standard? The answer is simple: add value to your guests’ experience. We offer you four tried-and-true methods to use at your salon.
1. Upgrade Your Amenities
Upgrading your amenities does not need to cost a fortune, and you can simply start with just one or two methods. At Be Inspired Salon, we offer our clients a small beverage menu. (For our new readers, Beyond the Technique founder, Kati Whitledge, owns Be Inspired Salon in Madison, WI!) When guests check-in, we show them where to have a seat and offer a beverage menu with several options including coffee, tea, water, wine, beer, and bourbon.
Although many salons are starting to offer this amenity, focus on the upgrade. For instance, we don’t just offer any ordinary coffee that we picked up from the grocery store, we offer a locally brewed French roast. Next step: tea—we offer local Cha Cha Tea in a variety of flavors. The water we serve has gone through the reverse osmosis process. Our wine, beer, and bourbon are all sourced from phenomenal local businesses as well! So, you get the idea here, right? Upgrade your amenities.
If you are new to serving alcoholic beverages in your salon, you do need to set some ground rules for your staff and clients. These beverages are completely complimentary; you cannot charge for them. Also, you cannot have anyone under 18 serving alcohol. To be on the safe side, we recommend measuring a 4-ounce pour of wine and a single shot of bourbon, so one alcoholic beverage is their max. After a client is finished with their drink, we simply offer our other options such as water, coffee, and tea.
2. Convenient Scheduling & Communication
Another way to add value is by making it easier for clients to schedule and communicate with your team. Many of you already have online scheduling, but for the few of you who don’t—you need to get on board! Like, right now! As a salon owner, you want to make it as easy as possible for clients to book and reschedule. Allowing clients to conveniently reschedule is a huge bonus for today’s busy professionals.
Not only should online booking be convenient, but clients should also be able to easily communicate with your stylists through email. Listen up salon owners, you must be willing to give your stylists work emails! If you work at any business or corporation, you will be given a work email, and the beauty industry should be no different. Clients will definitely appreciate the opportunity to directly ask their stylists for clarification on using a product, request styling tips, and even reschedule appointments. If you want to charge what you are worth, you have to play in the big leagues and hold your stylists to a professional level.
Some salon owners may be resistant to allowing their stylists to communicate with guests out of fear that they will leave and take those emails/clients with them. Please put this anxiety out of your mind. If your salon environment is phenomenal, everyone is thriving, and there is great comradery, why would a stylist want to leave? You cannot allow these fears to prohibit you from providing excellent customer service!
3. Offer Complimentary Perks
Have we mentioned that everyone wants more? One way to offer complimentary perks is by giving away product samples. Reach out to your distributors and ask if they have foil packets of shampoo, conditioner, or other sample products to give away to your guests. A lot of times it’s simple: ask and you shall receive! Another way that we give samples is ordering in bulk from Qosmedix.com. We will place product samples in small see-through containers labeled with permanent marker. This gives you the opportunity to give inexpensive samples with the goal that clients will return and buy the full-size product!
Another complimentary perk is offering services that are low in cost and time. For instance, we offer complimentary bang trims and “tweeners.” We know that clients should not be trimming their own bangs, so we offer this as a complimentary service in-between haircut appointments! This service is on-the-house as long as the client shows up. If they are a no-show or abuse the cancellation policy, we will charge $15 for the service. We also offer “tweeners” which are in-between clean-ups for men. At this short appointment, we simply clean-up the areas around their ears and nape. While our men’s haircuts cost significantly more than the quickie, stop-in appointments at other businesses (you know who we are talking about!), our clients receive this great added value of always looking their best!
What other complementary services could you offer? How about free haircuts for children under 3 or a complimentary eyebrow wax with a haircut and color?
4. Give Extra Pampering
This might be the simplest technique to add value. At Be Inspired Salon, we offer a hand massage every time a client receives a shampoo. The guest lays back, we put a towel underneath their neck and prop their feet on a stool, so they are completely laid back and relaxed. After we condition their hair, we ask them to close their eyes while we spray a little lavender aromatherapy into the air that smells amazing. After their eyes are closed, we cover them with a small towel and offer a hand massage with a rich massage lotion. Trust us, clients LOVE this experience, and they often tell us that it is their favorite part of their visit! This simple pampering only adds about 3-5 minutes and it adds a tremendous amount of relief—how simple?!
Which one of these four methods is speaking to you and your salon? Remember, the goal is to enhance the overall guest experience—that is what adding value is all about. Adding value allows you to raise prices and increase revenues and profit margins—now, go get started and let us know your results!
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