DONNA BELLA BUSINESS TIP FOR
January 11, 2011

Question:

My hair extension customer list is starting to grow. What can I do to show-off my work so that new customers will consider getting hair extensions themselves? Unless a customer is in the salon when I apply extensions, it is hard for them to imagine the amazing results that we get?

Sanya, S. – London, ONT, Canada

Answer:

You are right. Most people are not around to see the final results of a hair extension makeover. Here is an idea that Donna Bella uses on its own website, www.donnabellahair.com. Before and After photos.

On the day of the appointment, take a “before” photo of the client. Have her face angled a bit so that you can see the length of her hair. Make sure that it’s a pleasant photo. Try taking one that is without a smile.

Next, do your extension magic. After you are finished, take an “after” photo that features the new extensions and a happy, smiling customer.

Depending upon your available wall space, create some reasonably sized prints (4″ x 6″) that can be placed side-by-side inside a single picture frame. Check out the price of frames and choose a size that is priced right if you purchase quite a few. Then use one of your salon walls, ideally in the reception area, to build a “Wall Of Fame” of before and after customers.

Oh, be sure to get your customers permission to display the before and after shots.

Most clients are pleased to be spotlighted and the Wall Of Fame will create a lot of buzz with potential customers. It also gives a new customer a taste of what her own extensions might look like.

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Salon customers buy what they see.  So why not fill your shop with over sized photos of beautiful girls with natural hair extensions.

For years, successful merchandisers have used photo images of people to capture customers attention.  Think of the variety of chains that provide shoppers with a unique experience because of how they decorate their stores.  Companies from Old Navy to Victoria’s Secret have built their image around photo displays scattered throughout their stores.

You may want to consider what in-store photos might do to boost the perception that you specialize in hair extensions.  Super sized posters are an inexpensive way to tell the world that you are an extension pro.

Here is what you can do.  Start by thumbing through some magazines to locate some models or celebrities who have long hair.  We have to assume that many of their hairstyles are the result of great hair extensions.  Clip out a variety of photos and be sure to use pictures that have no text or words printed over the top of the model.

Next, choose four or five photos that look like they fit together from the standpoint of design.  Consider using a variety of pictures that reflect different personalities, ages, and ethnic backgrounds.

Survey the wall space in your salon as if you were displaying pieces of art.  Consider painting the wall behind where the images are to be hung to match something that blends with the photo.  For example, if the model has a large gold necklace, a coat of gold paint would blend the wall and the photo together.  Various colored paint panels could be used throughout the salon.  If the photo is dark, use light wall color or vice versa.

Now, decide how large the photo should be to maximize the wall space.  A larger photo with little wall space is usually the best formula.

It’s time to find someone who will enlarge the photos you have chosen.  Check with your local print shops, office supply stores, or copy specialists.  My favorite posters come from postersize-it.com.  Everything can be ordered online or over the telephone.  You can even mail your photo images directly to Postersize-it.

Postersize-it has great prices.  A 20” x 28 “ paper poster is only $26.28.  Now that is cheap art.  And the same size canvas poster sells for $46.20.

Remember that depending upon your budget, you can create posters made from paper, canvas, cloth, or vinyl.

Consider two issues.  The smaller the photo the harder it is to reproduce a good large print.  And the larger the print the grainier or fuzzier the photo will be.

So turn your salon into a hair extension art exhibit.  People buy and try what they see.  If they don’t see it, they may never buy it.

Logan is founder of Donna Bella Milan hair extensions and lashes and author of the Donna Bella weblog.

It happens to every stylist.  You think that your appointment book is completely filled for the day and at the last minute, someone doesn’t show up.  Now, you have a forty-five minute block that is empty, wasted, and you are upset that the client didn’t give you any notice.

So what?  Make the best of it!

With a no-show lots of stylists, slow down, stop working and join in the conversations circulating throughout the salon.  Some will tidy up their stations or flip through recent beauty magazines and call it work.  When you do that, you loose some of the most precious marketing time that you will ever have.

Power stylists, those who are serious about building a huge business, make every minute count.  Put your forty-five minute windfall to good use by creating some future appointments from old customers or marketing yourself to new prospects.

Here are four ways to turn your cancellations into cash.

Keep Your Client List Handy

Browse through your customer list to see who hasn’t been in for a while.  Make a short telephone call to a few people to say hi and tell them that you have missed seeing them.  This thoughtfulness will result in a high percentage of appointments and turn down-time into ultra productive time.

Send Some Thank You Cards

Seventy percent of your income comes from about one quarter of your clients.  Identify which clients spend the most money and treat them special by mailing them a personal thank you note.  It’s one of the best ways to guarantee that their business keeps coming your way.  Just keep a box of cards at the salon so that you use you time wisely, until your next customer arrives.

Congratulate Successful Leaders

Collect a box of clippings from the local newspaper that showcases a person’s recent accomplishments.  Use your additional time to call their office or home and congratulate them on their specific achievements.  Somewhere in that conversation, they will ask about your profession and before you know it, you have a new customer.

Start A Facebook Page Just For Business

Sure you have a Facebook page for your friends and family but why not create a second account to promote hair fashion and extensions.  When someone misses their appointment, you have a few extra minutes to reach out to your satisfied customers through Facebook.  Invite them to tell their own fashion story online (in pictures) so people see the magic you worked on their hair extensions.

Logan is founder of Donna Bella Milan hair extensions and lashes and author of the Donna Bella weblog.