Are you Excellent?

Is your salon?

Your booth rental business?

What does Excellent mean anyway?

Excellence is finding ways to truly connect with each client.

Excellence is making sure that your clients are wowed every single time they sit in your chair.

Excellence is looking at your experience through your client’s eyes and seeing it as they do.

Excellence is finding the small details and attending to every one of them.

Excellence happens as soon as you decide to refuse to accept anything less.

Be Excellent. Decide today and start.

Are you trying to build your referral business? Wondering how networking really helps to bring in new clients? We (me included) tell you to get out there, put yourself in the path of your right people, tell enough people what you do and the right people will recognize you and become your new best clients. 

Nice in theory, but you might have a few questions about how to put in into practice. Among them:

*I meet people all the time. How can I turn them into clients?

*Isn’t networking for people who work in banks and sell insurance? How does it apply to my salon business?

*Just because I’m asking for referrals doesn’t mean anyone is telling their friends and family about me, does it?

*How does using Twitter bring me any new clients? Aren’t I just talking to people who already know me?  

The second in a series of free (yay free!) workbooks by Rock Your Day’s Dave Navarro arrived yesterday. It’s called 7 Steps for Networking with A-listers Fast (with free workbook). It’s filled with actionable things you can do today to connect with people who CAN help you grow your business. It answers those questions you might have about how networking works, why it works and how you can use it to grow your own business. What’s more, the workbook walks you through putting a plan into place that you can start using today. 

 7 Steps for Networking with A-listers Fast (with a free workbook) can help you create a plan that will:

*Get more referrals wiithout really asking

*Leverage value-added services to turn people into paying clients

*Use Twitter to connect with your target audience

*Network like the big dogs so other people really will talk you up to their friends.

It’s good stuff and most of the ideas here can by applied to your salon business. Check it out by clicking here and let me know in the comments how you are going to use what you’ve learned. We can learn from each other, after all.

Great ideas can be found everywhere and anytime I find ideas and free stuff that will help you grow your business and make a big pile of money, I like to pass it on. So, today a whole page of great ideas arrived in my inbox.  

I’m a fan of Dave Navarro. Every Monday morning he send me an email (Monday morning ass-kicking!) reminding me to think big, be better and to get off my lazy butt, go out and kill something and drag it home. His specialty is coaching people to biggify their businesses and helping you sell more of your stuff.  (All good things, right?) It’s amazing, but he always seems to send me exactly what I need to hear at the moment, with some nugget of wisdom that changes how I think about my business and my life.

So today, in my inbox, arrived a link to a longish post he wrote  – 7 Ways to Play a Bigger Game and Make More Money.   It’s filled with things we can all do to do take our business to the next level, be more profitable and make more money. It also includes a little bit of ass-kicking (wouldn’t be Dave if it didn’t), he definitely calls us on the stuff we do to stand in our own way of really, really making it big.

The post also includes a free (free!) workbook that you can download to begin to immediately begin to biggify your thinking and your business.   Check it out – I know you’ll read and discover something that can totally change how you think about your business.    

Click this link to go right to “7 Ways to Play a Bigger Game and Make More Money”.

I found this article on Newsday.com last week. It’s about how bakeries are having to evolve to stay afloat during the recession, but I saw some interesting parallels with the salon industry.  

Over the past several years, retail bakers both on Long Island and across the country have realized that they have to couple their passion for their traditional craft with an adeptness for business to survive and thrive.

“Before, you were successful and you just put the money in your pocket,” said Thomas Reinwald, a recent college grad who hails from a Huntington family of bakers. ”Now that the margins are getting smaller, you have to look at all the different aspects of your business. A lot of business owners see themselves as bakers first, but really you have to see yourself as a business owner first.”

Everyone’s business could use a tune-up every now and again, just to make sure that you are running as tight and lean as possible.

Even if the recession hasn’t ravaged your business like pre-schoolers in a candy store, it’s good idea to take stock and see where you can cut costs, save time, improve your income and add to your clientele.

Here are 5 easy tips that can make a huge difference in your bottom line. Implement one of them and you’ll see a bump in your income. Do all five and you’ll forget all about the recession.

1. Measure your haircolor.

I know that you can absolutely spot-on eyeball the correct amount of color and developer just by pouring it into the bowl, but humor me for a minute.

Any extra developer you are pouring into the bowl is sucking money out of your pocket. Why not spend a week measuring it with a scale, just to see how close you are? 

And if you really want an eye-opener, get an empty milk jug and for a week, dump all of your leftover haircolor into it. Whatever is in the jug at the end of the week is your weekly wasted color.

Now,  imagine the amount of color in the jug times 52. That’s how much color you are pouring down the drain every year. (How much is that per application? Between $3 and $8, depending on the color line.) Scary.

Bet you could have bought some wicked shoes with that money.

2.   Take advantage of a color tradeout program.

Manufactuers are always trying to convince you that you should tradeout all of your beloved color for some color line that you’ve never tried and probably don’t know anything about. And because of those two factors; many, many dollars of FREE color go unredeemed every year.

Consider this. I know that you have a bunch of junky color lying around somewhere (in your basement, the truck of your car, your closet – it’s somewhere). Tubes of level 1 color, discontinued shades, the tubes of Ronald McDonald red you stocked up on for that one client just before she moved out of state, maybe even remnants of color lines gone by.  Stuff you don’t need and aren’t going to use anytime soon.  Why not put them to good use?

 To take advantage of a color tradeout program, you don’t have to trade away the beloved standby color that you know and love.

Trade the junky stuff for something new and use it to grow your business. Maybe get a new semi-permanent line and start doing color glossings. Get some new hilift color and run a promotion on highlights. Fall will be here soon – why not promote lowlights?

By trading in your junk color, you are essentially getting free color in return for something you had just lying around. Find a fabulous way to use it to make some money! 

3. Contact your MIA clients

Because times are tight, a few of your clients may have had to leave you in favor of less expensive services. Some may even be coloring their own hair (AUGGGHHH!!!!)

It’s not your fault – people are just feeling a little pinched. But as the economy improves, why not get in touch with some of those MIA clients and see if you can get them back in your chair? 

Write them a note, telling them that you miss seeing them and offer them a great deal to come back – like half off their service.

Getting people back that you already have a relationship with is way easier that finding new bodies. Every client is worth between $200 and $1000 per year, so giving up a little bit now to get them back into the rotation will really pay off.

4. Get ready for fall

Fall is almost here and your clients are already thinking about cutting off their sun-damaged summer hair and going darker. It’s time for you to be thinking about it, too.

Spend some time going through the magazines and learn what the new trends for fall are. Cool haircolor and heavy bangs will be hot - make sure that you’re up on the techniques. You may want to put together a book of new looks so you can show your clients how they can incorporate up-to-date style elements into their look.

If you are uncomfortable starting a conversation, write a script about what you are going to say and practice a few times with another stylist, your kids, your cat  or even to yourself in the mirror. When your clients sit down and ask you, “What’s new?” You’ll be prepared with a great answer about how your clients hair should be changing with the season. 

5. Hug your clients.

Are you showing your clients the love? Give them some more of it. This week, hug every client – when they come in, when they leave or, for extra credit – do it both times. Everybody likes hugs and getting a surprise one when you didn’t expect it is a great way to spice up your day.

What’s more, hugging your clients shows them in a cool unspoken sort of way that you really value them and that they mean more to you than just being your “4:00″. They will leave with a smile and you’ll have made a great last impression as they’re headed out the door.   Hugs around!

Good Luck!

Is your career where you want it to be? Are you making as much money as you’d like? Are you thrilled to go to work everyday at a salon you love with clients you adore?

Or could things use a little bit of improvement?

Maybe you’ve grown holes in your book big enough to park a semi in. Maybe all of your days seem the same. Maybe you’ve just lost the spark.

You could use a lift. A jolt. Something that will wake you up, make you feel alive and and make you remember why you got into this business in the first place.

Maybe you need The Ultimate Guide to Booth Rental Success.

It is everything you need to pick you up and put you back on the road to loving your job.

*Improve every client’s experience
*Retain more first-time clients
*Double your referral business
*Create and own a niche
*Easy ways to improve your retail income
*Find more of the clients you want
*How to use technology to grow your clientele
*Easy extras to add value to every client
*How to turn your clients in to raving fans
*Defining your unique advantage
*Pre-book your clients without rejection
*A bunch of easy to run, effective promotions

This isn’t just a bunch of stuff that only works in commission salons. These are ideas especially designed for booth renters, to address the unique problems you face making a living with your own small business.

By utilizing just a couple of the ideas in The Ultimate Guide to Booth Rental Success, you could easily double your income this year. Do a few more and the sky is the limit.

*No more spending money on advertising that doesn’t work
*No more waiting for walk-ins
*No more rethinking your plan every few months, trying to find something that works
*No more wondering if you can pay your rent and buy color this month.

You will be in charge of your book, working on the clients YOU want to and enjoying your job more than you have in years.

Getting The Ultimate Guide to Booth Rental Success is easy. It’s only $39 and you can download it right now and get started changing your life for the better.

Consider what each new or retained client is worth to you – between $200 and $1000 each year and The Ultimate Guide to Booth Rental Success is a bargain. Simply click on the “Add to Cart” button below. Paypal will help you with your transaction and the Booth Renter’s Roadmap to Success will be yours.

P.S. If you need any help implementing your plan, I’m including three month’s of FREE email support with your purchase. FREE business counseling, really. You are welcome to ask me anything about growing your booth rental business from finding new clients to other (not-scary) ways to promote yourself as the talented, hair god (or goddess) that I know you are.

And because I can’t offer this forever, this offer of unlimited (for three months) love and hand-holding is good through the end of July. So get out your credit card and buy it today!

Have you  ever had one of those days at the salon when you feel like you’re herding cats?

Yes, these people are your tribe and they are like family.

But some days they are like your dear Aunt Millie and other days they remind you much more of your crazy Uncle Shirley. And that’s just one stylist.

With some people you never know which of their many personalities is going to show up for work on any given day. And in a salon you’ve got a lot of personalities to work with. Trying to get everybody moving in the same direction sometimes like…. herding cats.

Herding cats has it’s upside. Everyday is different. Sometimes exciting. Always interesting to watch.

But it can be rough on your business. And on your state of mind. If everybody is running in different directions, its difficult to move forward. So mostly, you stay in the same place. Albeit, a little bit frantically.

What if you could get your whole salon moving in the same direction? What could that do for your business? Stop for a second and consider the possibilities.

I see the pain and hardship so many of you go through on a daily basis.

You have responsibility but no control. One rogue booth renter can turn your nice salon into a living hell.

And in an effort to change the dynamics in the salon,  salon owners need a contract.

But there are a couple of problems with most contracts. They are a one-size-fits-all legal document that doesn’t address the problems in your salon. They are also sort of a punishment for bad behavior.

I saw a need for a different kind a contract. A tool to bring your salon together to set goals, create standards and define expectations as a group.

When you involve people in making the rules they are going to live by, you will have less conflict and a happier staff. The rules in the agreement will be reasonable and to everybody’s benefit – not some crazy thing you dreamed up to punish them.

The result is a living, breathing document that addresses the unique issues and concerns in your salon. And because everyone had a say in the decisions, nobody can come back later and tell you that they don’t agree with the contract.

The guide walks you step-by-step through the process of working with your staff to write the agreement that your salon needs. It includes an owner’s handbook, easy to follow instructions, worksheets and a sample contract.

This guide to crafting a polite, effective booth rental contract will:

*Teach you creative problem solving, resolving conflict and future conflict prevention techniques.

*Show you how to bring your entire salon to the table to work together to craft standards and expectations. Everyone contributes their ideas and  is involved in the process, so there can be no dispute over the terms of the contract.

*Address the major concerns and pitfalls concerning most salons, including dress code, appointments, conduct, retail, meeting attendance, cleaning, and the front desk.

*Help you present the idea of a contract to the salon in a friendly, non-threatening way.

The easy-to-use handbook for creating your own contract:

*Guides you through the process of working with your salon to craft a contract with easy to use, step-by-step instructions.

*Shows you how to quickly and easily write your own contract with a sample contract filled with easy to duplicate phrases.

*Covers the important issues without getting bogged down in legalese.  This contract isn’t filled with mumbo-jumbo that nobody can read. It’s user friendly and designed to address the issues your individual salon cares about.

*Starts discussions and uncovers potential conflict. Small problems are resolved before they become hot button issues.

An agreement that is really about accountability:

*Bring your staff together to agree on standards of conduct for the good of the whole salon. It’s not a punishment.

*Make everyone from the receptionist to the booth renters to the salon owner responsible for their actions. Clearly defined terms let everyone know why they should abide by the contract and what the consequences of not following them are.

*Conflicts between stylists will no longer be problems the entire salon as to deal with. Gossip and backstabbing will be eliminated.

*Gives salons and stylists an out when the contract isn’t followed.  Sometimes someone has to leave, either by their choice or by the choice of the salon. This contract helps the salon to decide how and when the separation should take place. No one has to be the bad guy.

Create a team that works together to set goals and take your salon to the next level:

*Get clear on your salon’s vision, mission and values and move forward. A group working towards a common goal is far more effective than a bunch of people all in pursuit of their own goals.

*Provide a direction and framework for the salon to grow. Move beyond petty hassles and arguments into making the salon the profitable place of your dreams.

*Use the contract as a recruiting tool. Attract the successful, ambitious booth renters you really want!

Start turning your salon into the kind of place you’ve always imagined it could be today.

Order your own copy of Restore Your Peace and Sanity & Create the Salon of Your Dreams – The Savvy Salon Owner’s Guide to Writing a Polite,  Effective Booth Rental Contract.

It includes everything you need to get started – the owner’s handbook, worksheets and a sample contract. You’ll be on the fast track to a better, more productive and profitable relationship with the booth renters in your salon, all for just $47. Think about what your peace of mind is worth. For the tiny, little price of $47, you can have the salon that will be the envy of your friends and family. You’ll be living the dream of salon ownership you always imagined.

In fact, take a full year (365 days!) to read and work through this handbook with your booth renters.

If you aren’t satisfied for any reason – if  the handbook and guide doesn’t live up to your expectations or the process of crafting a booth rental contract and implementing the changes you’ve agreed to as a group hasn’t achieved the changes in your salon that you’ve dreamed of, just return it anytime within the year and I’ll refund your entire payment.

To get started on the building the salon of your dreams, just click on the “Add to Cart” button and instantly download your own copy.

A salon owner’s life is hard.

You had a vision for your salon.

But instead of creating the salon of your dreams,you spend your days refereeing disputes and arguing with stylists about folding towels, sweeping hair and selling retail.

This isn’t what you signed up for.

Did you know that there are salons where the booth renters and the salon owners happily work together to achieve goals for the common good of the salon?

Wouldn’t you like to join this select group of happy, prosperous and serene salon owners?

To have a healthy and productive relationship with your booth renters?

To spend your days working to grow your business, not just trying to hold it together?

You need a contract.

Thanks to a heads up from Modern Salon, I’ve been checking out Sam Villa’s website.  Sam is Redken’s Platform Artist of the Year and a true genius when to comes to hair.

In all my years in distribution, no other platform artist had the fan base and following of Sam. Didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, there were a group of stylists that were going to be there.  His work is revolutionary, truly out-of-the-box, but still accessible to actual working stylists.

Sam’s website (SamVilla.com) is packed full of education, snapshots of Sam’s work, pics from the Redken Symposium and stylists testimonials. But what really got my attention was Sam’s video education clips.

Sam demonstrates great cutting techniques for shears, wet hair, adding texture, curly hair and twist cutting via short (4 to 5 minute long) videos. But I particularly liked his Hot Tips.

Sam’s Hot Tips are short videos with easy, but brilliant cutting and styling tips – cutting techniques to make fine hair look fuller, fringe shapes to enhance different face shapes and cutting curly hair.  Simple little things that make the difference between a good haircut and an amazing haircut.

Could be the best 38 seconds you spend today.  Check it out!

Sam Villa.com