From Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, beauty manufacturers showed their latest wares and chatted with their clients about the industry. In light of the economic recession, NAILS asked: How is 2010 looking so far? Have you made any changes to the way you do business?
In the world of salon and spa brochures, what separates the good from the great? While there is no one-size-fits-all formula, here are nine tips for better brochures to get you going in the right direction.
Recently, Groupon’s New York City website featured a $25 Hot Lavender Cream Manicure at Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa for just $12. When the day was over, Sweet Lily had sold 1,661 Groupons, far surpassing its 200-purchase minimum.
From cafés to pharmacies, customer loyalty programs are earning people points that translate into savings. Some salons have taken advantage of these programs as a creative way to expand their customer base. “Loyalty programs open an opportunity to develop relationships with your clients, and they create repeat business because there is an incentive to return to your salon,” says Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, founder of Retail Minded in Chicago.
It’s sometimes instructive to take a look at the nail salon industry from the other side of the chair: the client’s side. That’s why it can be especially insightful to chat with a select breed of nail salon owner: the client-turned-salon entrepreneur.
Part art, part science, pricing your services is one of the most important and delicate tasks you’ll undertake in the salon. And no two salon owners approach it quite the same. We asked readers: How do you decide how much to charge for a particular service?
Glamour columnist Andre Pomerantz Lustig encourages readers to try an "artsy mani" by putting mini kids' stickers on nails.
Train your staff — and yourself — to answer this sensitive question so you’re able to respond quickly and confidently to clients’ concerns.
Blogs can be a wonderful outlet for personal creativity, as well as powerful business tools to help build a loyal clientele. Here are some things to remember if you decide to start your own blog.
Fill those slow days with a once-a-week special.
The Nail Station in Huntington, Ind., asked clients to create short stories using the names of the salon’s OPI nail polish colors. Here are the first, second, and third-place winning essays.
To advertise his salon, Robbie Schaeffer, owner of ROB|B: An OPI Concept Salon, wrapped up a couple of Smart Cars with reflective graphics of OPI bottles and his salon logo.
Despite having been in business just six months, San Jose, Calif.-based That’s So Pedi Nail Salon beat out well established salons to be voted #1 for manicures and #2 for pedicures in the Metro newspaper’s 2009 Best of Silicon Valley reader survey.
Log onto www.nailsmag.com/2010project for business building and winning marketing ideas.
Well folks, this is it — the final installment of The 2010 Project. We hope you’ve found some useful information in the 22 weeks we’ve been sending out this e-newsletter. From suggestive retailing tips to using downtime to your advantage, we included a little something for everyone to help grow or sustain your business in the rough economy that has plagued 2009.
Kyle Simonson, founder and CEO of Minneapolis-based Simonson’s Salon and Spas, found a down economy was no obstacle to the continued growth of her four-location enterprise. Simonson’s Salon and Spa is one of three small businesses that have come together to build a new retail development in Maple Grove, Minn., as a result of a federal stimulus bill which enables the U.S. Small Business Administration to reduce or eliminate fees on 504 loans.