Creating a fantastic revolution - business extra

'Is it working?' That was the question that Alan Austin-Smith asked his Business Extra audience at Salon International and he told his packed audience that in most salons the answer is 'not really'.

Which is why he is trying to bring about a 'fantastic revolution' for the hairdressing industry that does not just involve using the same processes with different names, but really challenges the way salons are run.

In a controversial, but thought-provoking seminar, Alan warned the audience that the current economic situation is here to stay and explained that the biggest knock-on effect of this is that people are much more aware of what they are spending their money on and trying to justify what they spend.

However, that doesn't have to mean that your salon cannot thrive, but you will have to work hard to be a successful business and work really hard to maintain it.

To demonstrate this, Alan set about proving three bold statements for salon owners to take back to their businesses:

1. You don't need more clients

2. The customer comes second

3. Motivation is easy

You Don't Need More Clients

The theory is that during frugal times people will only buy what they need, not what they want; and that they want an offer or a discount on everything. Yet, Apple, who do not discount has thrived by building a worldwide following for products that people do not need and aren't even necessarily the best on the market.

It has achieved this by creating a loyal fan-base who stick with them for each and every launch.

Another company who have achieved cult status by doing things differently is the Innocent brand, whose quirky marketing has caused a relationship where 'fans' will readily spend double the price of a supermarket's own-brand smoothie.

Alan says that these case studies prove that its not clients that you need, as they can have their head turned by competitor offers, instead you need to come up with clever ways to integrate within your community and generate fans, who will stick with you through thick and thin.

The Customer Comes Second

Every salon manager knows that the customer is king and that they need to be treated in a certain way, but does every team member share that philosophy?

If you do not have a committed and motivated team, who understand your brand values and what is expected you are never going to be able to offer your clients the standard of care they expect.

While Alan sees achieving a 100% on-message team who really 'get' what you are trying to achieve is a step too far, he advises working on your average hairdressers to really push them into the fantastic category to improve the overall standard of your team.

Motivation is Easy

Everyone knows that different people are motivated by different things and that for some it is financial reward and others it is time off or just having their successes acknowledged, but Alan believes there is a common theme that motivates all hairdressers: producing great hairstyles that their clients love.

Therefore he says its time to stop bombarding the team with spreadsheets and performance targets and take things back to what they love - the hairdressing. Only then will they produce the best results that will keep the customer happy and ensure they become fans of the brand.