If you haven't already booked your clients in - what have you been doing???
Well its officially less than 6 weeks till Christmas (or only 1 more haircut), so lets face it, if you haven't been focusing on your rebooking lately then your bookings maybe looking a little lean for Christmas week! While its all very well telling you this now, the things you should have sorted by now with your appointment calendar are:
- Staff roster - whose having time off and when
- What days (if any) are you closing for over the Christmas/New year period (and given staff adequate notice of any closures)
- Budgeted for annual leave and statutory day off wages
- Next years calendar, mark in any public holidays you observe, training times, staff meetings, lunch breaks etc so that rebooking your clients is a smooth process
You now need to be focusing on booking your next 6 weeks worth of clients through to next year. Entice them to come in during your traditionally quiet times (if you have them) by offering a complimentary treatment or scalp massage or similar 'add-on'. Make sure you have a rebooking draw with an amazing prize too, makes it harder for a client to say no to ;)
Have you planned your Christmas promotions?
It is worth the time to sit down and plan any Christmas promotions you want to run and ensure you are well organised so that there is no excuse for them not to happen! You may want to give away a prize a day (doesn't have to be big) and get a client to draw the winner from the day before bookings which will create a fun buzz in the salon. Another option is doing different discounts on different days, or give a wee voucher away for a local business some days. Mix it up and keep people guessing, but the main thing is to talk about it on social media! Use the promotions as information for posts, and get people interested about what is happening in your salon.
Everyones favourite topic.... Stock
Yes, we all loath it, but you really do need to give your stock levels some consideration at this time of the year. It can be a good idea to start 'stock piling' some stock to ensure you will have enough to see you through. No one wants to be doing a last minute lightener dash! It's a good idea to check your levels mid December to make sure you'll have enough time for any supplies to arrive before the last minute rush, also keeping in mind that freight can take a little longer at Christmas.
To gift or not to gift...
It can be a really nice gesture to provide your clients with a little something. You could get a christmas card from your salon printed, or even just give them a wee something when they are in the salon (mini products etc). If you do want to post out Christmas cards, remember that this is only going to be beneficial if you have an up to date database with postal addresses for your clients, OR you may want to personally hand your clients a card while they are in the salon. Another idea is that you may want to give your top clients a more valuable gift, to say thanks for their support over the year. Magazine subscriptions and luxurious candles are always nice ideas.
When it comes to gifts for your team, how much to spend is a really personal thing. There are companies out there that can help with 'gifting' if you need some ideas.
And on the subject of gifts...
This is the time to be telling everyone about your gift vouchers!!!
You may want to run a promotion such as 'for every $100 gift voucher you purchase, we will gift you a $20 voucher' to really entice people to purchase. Plaster this promotion all over Facebook and your vouchers should sell like hot cakes!
The important bit about this though, is you need to ensure that all your staff know how to sell/process your vouchers so now is the time to make sure that process is really clear and that everyone is capable of doing it.
Add a bit of Christmas cheer to your salon
You might want to celebrate Christmas with your clients. Traditionally sherry and christmas cake is the way to go, but most of us have progressed from that. Festive bliss balls can be created, and beautiful fruit infused waters are a nice change. A glass of something alcoholic is a nice gesture, just be careful of those clients who have a wine while waiting for their stylist, a wine while their colours processing and a wine while they are having their hair styled - especially if they are driving after their appointment.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, looking after yourself and your team at Christmas
You will struggle to give your all to every client during the silly season, but there are ways to try and limit the battle. You need to make sure that you and your team are rested, well fed and hydrated. While you can't stop them burning the candle at both ends, It can be a really nice idea to provide your team with a fruit basket in the staff room over the last two weeks, or perhaps provide lunch on the late nights (just let them know the day before so they don't turn up with their own lunch). And again, fruit infused waters are a nice touch.
Make sure you take some time out for your self, book a massage in now, or try and get out for a short walk once a day to help de-stress. I swear by Nuzests 'Good Green stuff' as a supplement, it really helps my energy levels and fills in the nutritional gaps.
I hope this helps your Christmas run smoothly. Its not called the silly season for nothing, but its also the time to 'make hay while the sun shines'.
Good luck!
Pip x