The salon industry in Kenya is a multi-million business.
For a long time, women have been the drivers of this industry but recent trends show that men are also propelling its growth both as business owners and consumers.
As a potential or current salon owner, it's important to establish a great rapport with your customers and provide excellent service to differentiate yourself from your competition and retain your customers. It is important for you to invest in the marketing too to attract new customers. If you are looking for simple ways you can improve your services and drive more sales you need to:
‘Thank you for choosing us’ goes a long way in making customers come back again.
This can be said in person or in more direct ways such as offering discounts to loyal customers. Making your clients feel appreciated is a great way of showing that you care about them. Showing that you care about them will enable them to connect with you and building a business relationship with them becomes easier.
Finding a way to turn your salon into a relaxing oasis where your clients can indulge in a little me-time is a great way to have them return and also refer your business.
Improvements need not be expensive. Investing in a little background music, providing a complimentary drink and keeping the space clean and airy with good lighting goes a long way. Couple this service with a smile and you’ll see the number of loyal customers grow.
Your staff are the most important asset in your business. This is because they can easily make or break your reputation. At first glance your staff are your brand ambassadors, however they think about you will affect the way they speak about your brand. It is important to constantly empower them and to appreciate their efforts in making sure that the business runs smoothly. Some of the ways you could do this include: paying them well and on time, occasionally organize training sessions where they can grow their skill set, provide a peaceful working environment where they can be themselves and thrive, treat them with respect,trust them to do their job well ( many salonists don't thrive in an environment where there is too much micromanagement) and finally as a bonus whenever they perform exceptionally well organize team building activities where they can relax and unwind. Doing this will ensure that they always put their best foot forward in the work they do offering the best service to your clients.
Demand will call for expansion. In case you are fully staffed but still can't accommodate all your clients, think about updating your hours. Monitor the times that are most busy so as to maximize on those days. For example if you close at 6pm on weekdays, try adding at least one night a week where you close at 9pm so that you can accommodate people who want to come after work. This could mean that on those days your staff can be working in shifts to avoid anyone of them feeling overworked. You can also open earlier on busy days like on Saturdays to handle more clients such as bridal parties. The booking records will help you determine your busiest days that will need extended hours.
Salons provide similar services across the Country however as a business owner you can find that one thing that you can maximize on so as to ensure that you become a thought leader in the industry. It is easier to build a business when you are known for a particular service. Specialization gives your clients confidence in the work that you are doing. A good example is the way the dreadlocks salons have hit recently, nowadays many salons are specializing in grafting dreadlocks and are drawing crowds. Specializing will enable you to develop credibility amongst your clients. As the saying goes practice makes perfect, the more you work on a certain skill the better you become at it.
At Pesapal we can offer your salon a mobile point of sale solution to provide your clients with various payments options. With the Pesapal Sabi terminal your clients are able to pay using cards.
