HOW TO GET CLIENTS IN THE DOOR THIS JANUARY

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Posted January 13, 2020

January can feel a bit like a crash and burn after the hectic Christmas period as we move into what is typically one of the quieter periods of the calendar year for salon owners. Previously we have recommended you focus on training your staff during this period or getting your salon processes right – but what if you desperately need to get clients through the door? What do you do now that January is here?

Take advantage of those New Year’s Resolutions

Every year, we all know someone who goes into the new year with a “New Year New Me” approach. They’re often really vocal about it and are willing to spend crazy amounts of money to get it done – so why not make sure that you’re part of this process with them? Think about it – the fitness industry has managed to tie themselves to the new year, and many gyms report January as being their biggest sales month of the year as people put their New Year’s Resolutions into practice. You too can take part in that behaviour – think “New Year, New ‘Do”!

Switch up your social media posts to promote huge makeovers, put a sign in your window and send out an email. Tie it together with a discounted promotion (which we will talk about in a minute) and you’re sure to have people banging down your doors as they get their new year on.

Run a promotion – but be smart about it.

We actively discourage salon owners from discounting their services as often as possible, as it can completely devalue your work. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bundle services together or offer them only on quiet days (after all, lots of people are still free during the day in January while they’re on holidays) or offer promotions only with particular stylists. There’s lots of ways to offer a great deal in the new year – which, face it, we all need after the gross expense of December.

Run a bonus blow dry with any colour service in January to catch those who got their colour done the first week in December and now need their roots sorted come 15 January. Run a mani-pedi bundle deal. Or if you run a salon + spa in one location, do a complete ‘new year new you’ package with lots of surface treatments – think facial, mani, pedi and blow dry – to give people that completely refreshed feeling before they head back to work and normal life.

Now really isn’t the time for a retail offer, as most people are feeling a bit card-shy after Christmas shopping, and none of these ideas actively discount your service. They just mix and match together different treatments to appeal to the time of year – and that can be very enticing for people wanting a complete overhaul of their lives in the new year.

Next time plan ahead.

It’s too late now to think of what could have been for your salon marketing this January.
But remember this – NEXT YEAR focus on promoting your January offer or January sale in December. Think about ideas like a bonus treatment for the buyer with your Christmas offers that’s only available for redemption in January. Or look at a BOGO offer for your gift cards – they spend $200 on a gift for someone else and receive $50 towards any treatment booked in January. Maybe it’s as simple as promoting your January Bundle Deal in December and pitching it as the perfect way to relax after the hectic Christmas period. A little forward planning can mean a huge difference in your bottom line for the month.

There are plenty of ideas here for salon owners struggling with this little lag period in January. And it’s not all doom and gloom if you are – just remember, you and your team worked your tail off in December and made more money than you had in any other month in the year. Now is just the downside of that, but it all balances out in the end. Take the time to get some of those pesky salon problems sorted, run a short and sweet promo to get things moving again and watch your regulars start to roll in from the end of the month as their 6-8 week appointments roll over. We know you can do it.