get serious What you offer the client isn’t the only

thing to consider in order to make it work; you also need to look at how you offer it. Errol says: “You have to make sure everything’s done in the right way to make the client feel total tranquillity; you have to have the right environment with a quiet atmosphere. “We had a beauty room for a long, long

time but because the shop’s so busy it got a bit frenetic; there was too much hustle and bustle,” he says. “I would incorporate beauty facilities again but on a different floor; it’s got to be like a business class airport lounge.”

BRAND AWARENESS AND OFFERS As soon as you start to offer more services you should take advantage of cross-promotion. Mette says: “If clients love and trust a brand already they’ll trust your recommendations; one thing we all love is a recommendation. Plus it’s easier to trust one brand than several.” Aveda emails its entire database every

six weeks with spa and salon offers, while Lisa encourages her staff to up-sell manicures when they book hair

appointments, which admittedly sounds difficult as it’s almost like starting part of your business again. The key is to let people know you are

offering the new service, which you can achieve by creating offers which incorporate a sample of everything you do. Richie offers Feel Good Fridays – a

package deal of a file and polish, hair treatment, blowdry and a mini facial. He says: “The more you overlap the services the more you increase the business. “When the beauty side’s been quiet,

we’ve offered a free manicure and massage to clients while the colour has been setting. That gives them the chance to build up a rapport and now a lot of our hair clients have become beauty clients.” Utilising an expanding business

for brand awareness doesn’t come without risks though; the service you’re recommending has to be good, and relative to client’s needs. Lisa says: “When you’re a hairdresser

and not a beauty therapist, you don’t know what’s going on in there. You could be recommending services to your

clients when you have no idea what the treatment is really like, which can be a risk.” As well as knowing what a particular

treatment entails, you need to do your homework on the person you decide to take on to supply these new services. In fact, it is one of the most important things to think about. It’s all about getting the right team that works well together, meaning they all need to understand every side of the business. Lisa says: “I’d advise you to do a lot

of research on the person. You should be head-hunting them because beauty standards aren’t always the same as hairdressing.”

RETAIL If you decide to break into beauty, selling complementary products as well can really boost your business. At the Aveda Institute 35 percent of the guests purchase retail on the day of the service, which instantly increases revenue. But it can feel overwhelming

when it comes to selecting which products to stock. >>

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