Business Blog 26 June 2023: How to Avoid the “Quiet Business” Periods

When someone asks you 'how's business?' and you reply, 'business is quiet', have you ever thought that that reply 'business is quiet' could in actual fact be a self-fulfilling prophecy?

What do I mean by that? Well, business is dynamic - in other words it comes to you because of something you have done to invite it. There are laws that influence the things you do and one of the most powerful is the law of attraction.

Simply put 'business goes where it's invited, stays where it's wanted and grows where it's nurtured'.

So, if you think business is quiet, it sounds like a good time to start 'making a noise'. Noise is just a vibration of energy designed to attract somebody's attention which is exactly what you need to do. It doesn't matter how you do it, but you need to attract the attention of your clients as well as a potential clients.

If you are already in the habit of pre-booking your clients that is because you invited them back to the salon at the end of their last visit.

There really are so many ways to invite clients back to the salon:

1. Check on your data base for clients that have not returned to the salon for over 3 months.

Via your SMS marketing, invite them to do so and offer them 20% off their next docket if they respond to this 'we miss you' promotion.

2. Remind all your colour clients not to wait too long between salon visits to keep their colour 'fresh and fabulous'.

Maybe offer 25% off the treatment if they book within a few days. Once again take advantage of your SMS marketing function - clients respond much quicker to an SMS that to an email.

3. Offer pensioners 'special offers' during the early, quieter times of the week.

4. On high-priced luxury treatments such as Brazilian and Micro-Keratin, have on-day specials that clients can't say no to!

5. If you are running a loyalty programme, offer double or triple loyalty points to regular clients when they recommend new business to you.

Get your Staff Involved

Run an 'information promotion' for your staff whereby they have to tell a story (information) about other products and services and reward the staff member that up-sells the most for the day or week. To make it interesting, tell staff that if they don't sell a retail product, they have to buy one! (Only for brave salon owners!)

These are just a few ideas - with a little imagination and motivated staff you really should have no reason to say ‘business is quiet’.

Like dropping a pebble in the water, every invitation you send out is an action that will generate a reaction.

- Terry Miles, MD of MySalon Software