(English) New In Business: Thrive As a Nail Salon Expert

Esta noticia non está dispoñible en galego…sentímolo. Proba en castelán. Apertas! For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.

Did you recently open a new nail salon business? Congratulations! You have successfully conquered the biggest and most important step as an entrepreneur. The next big tasks now are three: Attracting quality clients, retaining them, and setting your business onto a growth trajectory. None of that is going to be easy, but nothing is impossible for a dedicated entrepreneur like you. You have a good chance of thriving in the nail salon industry- to give your competitors a good run for their money- if you adopt the right business strategies right from the start. Here are a few tips to help you with that:

1. Create an irresistible value proposition

One key to salon business success is ensuring that no potential client walks through your door and leaves without paying for at least one service. You will achieve that by being unique and by giving clients better value for their money. But then, customers may never know how unique your services are unless you first convince them to give your new salon a chance. That is where a good value proposition comes in.

Your value proposition summarizes the benefits your target customer gets when they trust your manicurists and pedicurists with their nails. It tells clients why they should ditch their current service providers for you.

How do you come up with a good value proposition for a nail salon?

• Anchor your value proposition on tangible pain points in your target customer’s life. Which nail problems have your competitors failed to address satisfactorily? Which skills and/or products do you think can solve those pain points?
• Make your value proposition statement unique, authentic, desirable, succinct, memorable, and specific. It should convince your target audience to come and check out your services even if they’ve never heard of your nail salon before.
• It shouldn’t make customers feel like their nails are ugly; it should give them hope that your nail experts have the skills needed to accentuate the beauty of all kinds of nails.
• Include the value proposition statement in all your marketing materials. If you have a website, which you should, use it as the homepage headline to create a good first impression. Add the value proposition to all your social media profiles too.
• Live up to the promise – If your value proposition promises expedited services at an affordable rate, then, by all means, ensure that your customers get exactly that.

2. Get clients addicted to your services

Competitors are out to steal customers from you all the time, just like you constantly try to poach theirs.  They will succeed if you aren’t tactical enough. One tactic you could use to deny competitors access to the customers you already have is getting them “addicted” to your services through a foolproof customer engagement strategy. Your customers’ engagement strategy should ensure that a client starts thinking about her next appointment even before leaving your salon. Here are some helpful tips for an effective customer engagement strategy:

• Train your staff to engage clients on different topics around nails and beauty in general. Give clients tips for taking better care of their nails and present your salon as their “friendly neighbor” that they can consult whenever they need nail-care tips.
• Ask them when they would like their next appointment to be and even offer to help them book before leaving. Train your workers to be aggressive without being overbearing or imposing.
• When clients leave your nail salon, remember to send them a thank you message that same day- when the customer is still head over heels in love with her new nails. This is a time when they are most likely to post happy comments online, so make sure that you ask them to put in a good word for your salon.
• Strive to keep in touch with your customers all the time. Be informing them about new products, complimentary nail treatments, or any relevant offers that may come up. The idea is to ensure that the customers don’t forget about your nail salon and to keep them enticed to come back for more.

3. Invest in salon management software

Days are gone when clients used to call or drive to the salon to book appointments. The digital era is here, and everyone wants to make appointments at their convenient time, from their most convenient location. Salon software provides customers with the booking and/or payment convenience they want. Your software will also:

• Make it easy for clients to schedule appointments, adjust the time, book their favorite nail technician, or cancel if need be. That enhances their experience.
• Help you track your employees’ schedules to identify availability for the day or week.
• Provide an organized booking calendar that eliminates chances of double bookings.
• Collect customers’ information that is crucial for targeted marketing.
• Give sales analysis and financial reports.
• Give you access to reliable inventory management tools.

4. Observe high levels of professionalism

Your salon will be serving people from all walks of life; from different professional backgrounds. Some people might later become your investors or destiny connectors. You never know who is watching how you work, the kind of music you play, how clean your space is, and the kind of conversations you entertain.

Here are some of the things you can do to improve professionalism in your nail salon business:

• Take your and your employees’ personal style and presentation very seriously. Your customers expect you to be beautiful and trendy because of the industry you are in. Create an image that your customers want to be associated with.
• Keep conversations light. People love to pour their hearts out and gossip in salons, which is fine, but you should try to remain modest in the midst of all the noise.
• Don’t make people uncomfortable by saying things you really don’t need to say or cracking inappropriate jokes. Remember: Disgruntled clients will remember and judge your salon based on what you said and not what another client said or did.
• Set the tone for conversations by training your staff to refrain from unnecessary debates and to respect clients’ personal space.
• Rethink your music collection. Choose relaxing and culturally sensitive music.
• Take staff conflicts away from the salon floor.
• Do your best to remain calm with difficult customers.

Conclusion

Running a successful nail salon can seem daunting in the formative years, particularly owing to the enormity of the industry and the stiff competition. However, you shouldn’t fret – you are an expert with a vision and big dreams. Just put your best foot forward, your head down, and get to work!