Starting a nail salon business needs a combination of acumen, skills and foresight. To make your business stand out and grow into an accomplished brand it is important that as a business owner you must be aware of the pitfalls and avoid them. Knowing common mistakes to avoid, will help you run a successful set-up. Here we present the top five mistakes that although occur inadvertently but can certainly impact the success of your business.
- Treat Customers Royally
Each customer is different and your brand’s ambassador to potential clients. Customers today do not visit the store just for a manicure or a pedicure session. They seek to experience. As a business manager or owner, your nail salon’s work is to provide them with an unparalleled experience. It is the attention to small details, which will and does make the difference and makes your services stand out in the market. Small acts such as offering clients a small round of consultation before immersing their feet in the bubble bath, or having the pedicure set up ready before the arrival of the guest, seeking feedback in between and after the treatment, and engaging in small talk goes a long way in gaining customer confidence. Customer interaction has to be a fine balance between aloofness and talking too much. Encouraging happy customers to leave you feedback on your social media pages will make them feel involved in your business and create camaraderie.
- Location
The internet and business world is rife with information that a state of the art nail salon, with highly skilled staff, went down under. Believe it or not, the location of your store can really make or break your business. If your store is located in a place where people find it difficult to visit or is out of their way, be rest assured that you will have highly limited footfall. On the other hand, even a small set up in a busy business area, or complex of offices, or malls can exponentially increase the footfall. It is human behaviour to reach the nearest possible store. Therefore, invest time in finding the right location for your store. Ensure that it has visibility.
- Employee Management
Employee management doesn’t mean the administrative work of hiring staff, fixing schedules and running payrolls. It means engaging with your staff to bring out their best. Your nail salon is as good as your employee’s skills and attitude. While skills are important, and hiring unskilled staff is a strict no, what is often overlooked is the attitude. A positive and confident attitude leaves a lasting impression on the client and encourages them to re-visit. It is important to have free and open communication with your staff. Discuss business plans, mentor them to improve performance, and connect with them on common subjects. If you can, invest in their skill development such that the employee feels that the business is like their second home. By deploying the soft skills, you can create an ever-lasting bond with your employees, and your work place will have a happy vibe. Customers love coming to stores that exude happy vibes.
- Hygiene
Any lack of focus here, and you not only loose existing customers but also potential new customers. Your place of work should be kept immaculately clean i.e. no water spills, no unclean towels, no cut nails, no dead skin. An unsanitary place is undoubtedly the surest way to loose clients, and risk your business. When in doubt, re-read and always bear in mind that you’re one bad review away from loosing clients. At all times, it is advisable to have laser sharp focus on hygiene and have absolutely clean work stations.
- No Digital Marketing
Often business owners think that word of mouth publicity is enough to get clients. The answer is an overwhelming NO. Times have changed, and so has the way of doing business. Thus, it is in the best interest to leverage technology to assist you in your marketing game. Whether it is keep a single point customer data base, analyzing sales data, sending out automated non-sales newsletters, and running social media campaigns, or sending targeted promotional offers you got to do it all. While the details of digital marketing techniques is a subject for another topic, in plain simple words it must deployed. Multiple nail salon management software come with in-built modules that analyze your sales data and suggest marketing ideas, and promotional offers. Many of them have proven results and are increasingly being preferred by renowned brands.
Multi-store brands such as Dublin Nails and Nails One in Ireland have deployed Zenoti’s nail salon management software and used its marketing assist feature. They reported 69% increase in advanced booking.
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