Quantity vs Quality?

The old adage - "It is not how many people you know, but who you know" can ring true in these days of how many friends, followers, fans do you have?! Growing your social media connections can be an excellent goal for your business, but don't forget to develop a few close professional community relationships too. In these relationships - quality wins out over quantity.


Relationships To Build
High profile positions that touch many people in your community are ideal relationships to pursue. Real estate agents, bankers, healthcare workers, hospital administrators, community directors - basically people that work with a large portion of your neighbors who can be potential clients.

Where to Network
Chamber of Commerce groups are an excellent place to meet other business professionals looking to network. Groups such as Lions, Knights of Columbus, or community volunteer and charity groups are additional options. Join and get involved. Attend meetings and participate in sub committees and events. This will allow you to interact with other members to get to know new people and start building relationships.

Promotion Ideas
These professional relationships can help you co-market each other. When your real estate friend closes with a new buyer in your area, have her give them a goodie bag that includes a special discount offer from your business. Host a community event at your location. This allows your clients to meet and greet with your professional friends who can offer special discounts such as setting up a new banking account with your banker connection or or free hearing test with your friend that has a hearing clinic. You can also promote each other in your newsletters or email offers. Brainstorm fun promotions with your new friends that spur interest and hopefully new clients for all of you.

Quality business relationships can do wonders for your business. Challenge yourself to go out and cultivate professional friendships. As your friendships blossom so will the creative ideas to market both of your businesses!

Client Data is Golden

Did you know you have a gold mine inside your business? Your client information is your business's gold. Instead of always chasing new customers, marketing to the clients you already have builds customer loyalty and provides a higher return on your market dollars. Here are some quick tips to mine for your own gold!

Collect Customer Info
Encourage new clients to fill out client info cards. Data collected should include mailing address, email, and phone/cell numbers. Ask questions regarding the type of products and services they interested in. This data will be instrumental in creating effective marketing campaigns. Make sure this data is captured in your internal client database such as your software system or your own spreadsheet.

Data Marketing
Putting the data into action is the fun part! Sorting your client lists by customer types such as women or men, color clients, VIP spenders, retail products purchased - the possibilities are endless. From there you can target postcard campaigns, email blasts, or special promotions relevant to what interests those clients. Bulk campaigns to your whole list can be used for general newsletters or overall promotions.

Loyalty Programs
Using your customer data in loyalty programs can also increase sales. Offering special VIP stats for long time clients with a discount or free products creates excitement and makes your customers feel valued. By capturing your client's first service date, you can send anniversary cards with a thank you message and special discount. Feature long term clients in your newsletters or hold a VIP event with complimentary service or gift bag of trial size products. Celebrating and appreciating their business does wonders for loyalty.

Referrals
Once you have loyal customers who love your brand and services, ask for referrals. Offer a special incentive for the client who refers as well as the potential new client. Have your current customer pass you the referrals contact data and send an postcard with an intro offer. Once that referral becomes an client, employ all the steps above.

Your clients are your best asset. Mine your data well and watch your profits grow!

Staying Relevant

Everyone is busy these days. Most of us our running a million miles a minute. We all all being hit with a lot of marketing message - including your clients. It is more important than ever to stay top of mind. Here are some easy tips to help your beauty business stay relevant and keep your clients spending their hard earned money with you!



Be the Expert
Everyday a new do-it-yourself at home product can impact many of your services and retail product lines. Here is where you shine. You are the professional who is trained and certified in your field. You can guide clients into the right look supported by the right professional products. Do-it-yourself items can lead to bad results. Tout your education and make it a no-brainer for clients to go the route with guarantee successful results.

Marketing Matters
You can't let off the gas just because you have a profitable business. Refreshing services, products, and your location's appearance is key to keeping clients engaged and coming back for more. Special offers, loyalty programs, personalize retail packaging, emails and more are needed to break through to the noise and capture clients' attention. Have a monthly promotional calendar and track results.

Stay Educated
Even if you are an industry pro, there are always new skills, tools, and products to learn. Being in the know reinforces your expert appeal and keeps clients coming to you for the latest looks and products.

Connect
Meet your clients where they want to be reach. Collect clients mailing and emails addresses. Use them to market specials, new services or products, share newsletters, and VIP event invites. Have a voice on social media sites and engage clients with tips, special offers, and contests.

Staying relevant is about staying involved. Take steps to strengthen your relationship with your customers to keep the sales you have and grow to the sales you desire. What is your business doing to stay top of mind? Please share your own tips below.

Setting Goals and Sticking To Them!

Soon the holiday decorations will be put away and the new year will be upon us. Many of us will start diving into our resolutions with a passionate cry that this year I will stick with my goals! Wait didn’t we say that last year….and the year before that… and the year before that. You get my point. Sticking to new goals is a challenge. Here are some ways to set appropriate goals and successfully accomplish them!


Define the Goals
- Create a clear definition of what your goal is.
- Be clear on the “why” of the goal which is your motivation.
- If you have more than one goal, group them into categories
- Tackling too many goals is a recipe for failure. Stick to a few key goals.

The Road Map
- A critial step is defining the how-to with monthly, daily, weekly steps.
- Put each step on a calendar to keep it top of mind and direct a clear path.

Celebrate the Wins
- Encouragement along the way keeps you engaged to accomplish your goals.
- Changing isn’t all or nothing. Celebrate victories with small rewards.

Evaluation – Practice not Perfection
- Put check-ins on the calendar to review progress
- Reviewing will drive more meaning to the goal and redirect efforts if needed.
- Each quarter ask questions such as - is the goal still relevant, how would you grade your progress, can you do other things to improve?

Example Goals
- Business Goal:
Define - grow retail sales by 5%
Motivation - a more profitable business
Map - create monthly retail sales promotion with help of sales team
Evaluation - monthly review of sales results,what worked what didn't
Celebration - quarterly catered lunch, bonus at year end if achieve goal

- Health Goal:
Define - Reach my goal weight of 150 lbs
Motivation - a healthier me to be active and live longer
Map - sign up and calendar an exercise class and attend 3 days a week
Evaluation - monthly weigh in and review of efforts
Celebration - quarterly get new shoes, year end a full spa day

Remember that life is about the journey. You will learn, you will fall, and you will grow– with focused intention, a plan, and self awareness you can stick with those goals and make them happen!

Ask Questions to Close the Sale!

Adding value to your clients experience is the key to ringing up sales these days. Customers want to feel they are getting the most bang for their buck before parting with their hard earned cash. The product and service knowledge your staff have is a valuable asset your business that can provide is free of charge! Educating clients as a trusted advisor works in concert with providing the right service and products to meet clients needs.

Sample Questions to Ask Clients

* What is your biggest hair/skin/body challenge?

* What results are you trying to achieve?

* What styling/skin/body products have you used in the past?

* What did you like and what didn't you like about those products?

These answers will clue you in on services and retail product recommendations to meet the client's desired goals in a non-pushy but value-adding atomsphere.

Tips for Maximizing These Conversations

* Train staff to get the customers talking by engaging in relationship building discussions.

* Listen and truly hear what the client is (or isn't saying) can also help understand their expectations.

* Avoid stereotypes and preconceived notions of what the client wants and be open to what they want.

Understanding the client's needs, wishes, and pain points will drive better recommendations that meet the clients expectations. By giving clients what they want and solving there concerns, you will build trust with that customer and, in turn, sell more services and retail products!

Please share any additional questions that work well for your customer consultations. We all need to maximize every selling opportunity!

Maximize your Seasonal Sales

Do you hear those sleigh bells ringing? It should be the jingle of your cash register ringing up those holiday sales. Now is the time to create your holiday plan to make the most of your seasonal sales!


Gift Cards
The #1 retail gift of the season - gift cards. They are easy to buy, easy to give, and they let the recipient pick the gift they would like. Use store signage to make clients aware of your gift cards. Create a retail display by your check out areas. Make it a no-brainer by including the gift card packaging. Learn more on the power of gift cards in a previous posting.

Ready-To-Go Gifts
Making gift giving easy will drive more sales. Create gift sets in a variety of price points to fit any budget. You can packaging them in cello bags, vinyl bags, or even holiday shoppers tied with a bow. Use signage to call out “Holiday Gift Center” to plant the seed that you offer the perfect gift. All clients have to do is walk the gift to the front counter and pop it under the tree.

Stocking Stuffers
Good things can come in small packages. In your gift center, add smaller items such as lip gloss, travel size hair or skin care products, music, or local vendors coffee or candy. Offer in a variety of price points to increase sales potential. These little items can add high margin to your business and be that perfect little gift.

Gifts that Keeping Giving
This season many clients have limited holiday gift budgets and are looking for value. Your business offers gifts that keep giving through out the year by providing beauty and wellness. Service packages for 3 – 6 – 9 – 12 months would make ideal gifts providing value long after the wrapping paper is gone. Professional hair and skin products get daily use and offer the recipient a luxurious experience.

Share these tips with your staff and check in weekly on progress and inventory status. You don’t want to miss out on a sales opportunity by running out of gift cards or popular retail items. Don't delay, prepare for a profitable holiday season today!

Using Social Media for your Business

Do you tweet... like… blog…+1? Social media is a new world (and language)for many business owners. By now many of us have put our toe in the water by opening a Facebook fan page or Twitter account. Some of you may have a good following with loyal customers and brand enthusiasts engaged in your messages. Then I get the question now what? Many businesses hit the wall with what to share to keep their readers engaged. Here are some tips to help keep your social media followers coming back for more and to streamline your social media time investment.

What to Post
* Ask questions! Just posting bland facts or your latest promotion can get stale. Try engaging your followers by asking their opinions. Poll them on their favorite product, service, or latest trend then share the results.

* Don’t just post a link when promoting a website update, a promotion, or new blog. Explain the content and give the “why” for their click through.

* Instead of talking just about what you are doing (the latest lunch order, coffee, or weather) talk about what is currently interesting you. If you were wowed by the latest red carpet fashion, then talk it up. You can even tie it back into your business showcasing your products or services to recreate your favorite looks.

* Promote others. Don’t just focus on you and your business. Talk about your friends and followers to share their good news. Connecting with others is what social networking is all about.

Stay Sane in the Social Media overload
* You do not need to read every tweet, posting, blog - talk about overload! UGGGH! There is too much out there and who has the time. There are many tools to help. I recommend free tools such as Tweetdeck or HootSuite that organizes your followers and allows you search for key words to zero in on important stuff and weed out the rest.

* Use Direct messages to keep conversations private or if you feel there is no need to broadcast the message to the world.

* Some sites and tools allow you to schedule your posts. This way you can plot out your days or weeks key posts - then set it and forget it. Monitor as you can and respond as needed but no need to be a slave the updates and posts!

Social media can help your business stay connected with your customers, increase their engagement, and potentially grow your business. The key is to have a social media strategy and relax – this is a fun and exciting way to market your business!

Have other tips to share? Please post your thoughts below! Happy tweeting, posting, blogging and beyond!