A “USP”, Unique Selling Proposition is simply what makes YOUR Salon/Barbershop different from the rest. We’ve heard businesses say, “We give the best customer service”. Wouldn’t most upstanding businesses argue this same point? We want to help you create a UNIQUE point of difference that will allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Clients Crave Custom!

Let’s imagine you have very curly hair. If you had to choose between a Salon/Barbershop that does all related services under the sun or a Salon/Barbershop that exclusively works with curly hair types, which would you choose? Your clients are no different!

Get Excited!

Think about your favorite celebrity professionals. They are typically known for one service that they do incredibly well. YOU are essentially preparing your career/salon/barbershop for this same status.

Time for a Brainstorming Session!

If you had zero restrictions, what would you do that would impress the pants off your clients? If money wasn’t an issue, if lack of manpower wasn’t an issue, etc…what would your Salon/Barbershop do that would blow the minds of all your clients?

Ideas:

• We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to provide late night services in which we’ll have a DJ, Pianist or some form of entertainment, while serving one alcohol beverage per guest during their appointment. You could offer this one night per week to start and go from there!
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to cater to teenagers! This includes a specialty brochure of trendy services and pricing for those ages 10-17.
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to carry our own exclusive product line!
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to offer complimentary clean-up appointments in between normal scheduled haircut appointments.
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to specialize in Curly Haircutting.
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to offer monthly packages that bundle client’s favorite services.

Be Courageous!

Friends, do not be scared that if you do this you may lose clientele in other areas…if you do it will provide an opening for your USP which will ultimately serve your future clients the best. Meaning, do you want to be average? Average is best of the worst or worst of the best. Or do you want your clients to have the very best? Of course! Be courageous and create your Unique Selling Proposition today!

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ADVERTISING TIP! Did you know it takes 21 times for an adult to remember new information? This is why it is GOOD to sound like a broken record! Friends, choose ONE message you want your market to know and repeat this over and over and over. Not only will you have a greater ROI (return on investment) with this strategy, but you’ll be able to track your ROI much easier because the message is consistent.

Example:

If you specialize in red hair color, and if doing red hair coloring services is enjoyable, profitable and key to providing a solution for your clientele...then this can be your message: "We are the very best in red hair color". Now focus all of your efforts in exploiting this fact!

Social

Have a Facebook album featuring your sizzling reds. You could have an album for each type of red, such as “Annie” reds, Burgundy reds, Auburn reds, Animated reds, Strawberry blondes, etc…

You pin your best red hair color clients, you Instagram these pictures as well. You ask your audience, “Have you always wanted to try red but scared to know if it will work for you? Let our experts provide a complimentary color analysis to unlock your red hair potential!” Then show different shades of red that would be applicable to any client.

TIME

You get the point…choose ONE service that you want to be known for and hone in on that message again and again. Depending on the area you live, and the platforms you choose to share your message, it may take up to one year for the market to know this about your brand. So give it time.

What do you want to be known for?

Men’s haircuts?

Bridal Hair?

Makeup?

Treatments for thinning hair?

Curly hair?

Balayage?

If you’re a part of a team, your entire team should be on board with one to three categories that your location specializes in and would like to be known for. If you’re an individual, we recommend just choosing one.

MESSAGE

We want to discuss this in more detail as this topic should stand on its own. However, a quick reminder that once you hone in on what you want to be known for. You now need to effectively get this message across to the right audience. An example of what not to do would be sending the message that you’re known for bridal hair and advertising this in a magazine that reaches women ages 35+. This seems like common sense but start with this first: thing about WHERE your ideal audience obtains the information you’d like to put in front of them. More to come on this topic :)

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