Let people know - tanTALK

Michael_W · 05-10-2002, 12:01 PM

I was reading a post where a problem owners were faced with is people trying to bargain with them.

Everyone, in any industry faces this problem. Just as it irks many of you, I too used to get irritated when people tried to bargain with me.

Here's the deal though, that you have to understand. The job of the person coming to your establishment as a consumer is to get the lowest price possible. Your job is to get the highest price possible while retaining them as a customer. That is your relationship bottom line. Everything else is secondary -

If you are going to be commanding a higher price, you should LOOK like you deserve to have that higher price.

I know one salon owner that has a $4000.00 front desk. As soon as someone walks into his salon, that desk says "We are not cheap - and we are serious about running this as a business"

I myself am about to get a fresh coat of paint, and new baseboards. We are going to be painting EVERYTHING. The drop ceiling to match the doors, every single wall, some of the furniture to match. This is only costing me around $1500.00 but it will return the investment.

What are some of the things you guys have changed, or could change, in order to change the perception of your customers?

Michael

BooBop · 05-10-2002, 01:00 PM

Wow! I just wish I could afford a 4k front desk. But youu are absolutly correct.

Showing people that you are a Professional salon with trained and educated staff will help. We are still gonna have the bargin hunters no matter what we do. I have found that the people that have the most money are the ones that try to dicker the price the most.

Golden Key · 05-10-2002, 01:12 PM

very true mj, why is that?
Maybe thats why they have all the money.
Did you notice they have very strong hands as well? Its because they have a very tight grip on their money

Chippp · 05-10-2002, 02:08 PM

We did it the other way around!

When we first opened we had a shop with floor to ceiling windows a whole corner of glass for the reception area , we had all one color walls, carpet, a light pinky grey,
The salon had large floor to ceiling real palm trees 8 of them they were hugh! And 2 large date palms , we had expensive wicker tables and over stuffed couches. The salon looked like a very expensive spa. Spotlessly clean, spacious and well lighted.
In a strip mall.

When clients came in they said "I walked past for months or years but NEVER came in or phoned to get prices, you looked too expensive!"

We were busy but not laughing all the way to the bank.

We would even put our low prices in the windows. We had the best prices and machines in our city.

When we moved to our own building we made the salon look cheaper, thats right !!
Gag! It was planed to look cheapish!

No sofas in the waiting area, just office waiting room chairs, no big palm trees.
More colors, not so stylized or spa like.

What I would call "common".

Clients like it more, they are not scared off thinking we have high prices, they feel more comfortable and relaxed,
I quess most people are used to and more comfortable in a less EXPENSIVE LOOKING salon.

Who would have ever thought?

I learned this lesson by seeing clients sit for hours on a hard wooden bench to have thier hair cuts in a salon up the street from us, instead of sitting in a comfortable spa like setting on over stuffed sofas with fast service and the same low prices in our hair salon.

You have to give the client what they want.
You have to give clients the setting they are used to at home.

If your have rich clients with the best of everything your shop needs to reflect that,
If your clients are the working class, they want a working class salon.

The things you learn along the way.

_________________

Tanning Booths, for people that want only the very best.
Fast, Comfortable, Dark Tanning and Hygienic.
Don't get booth envy, get a booth.

[ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-05-10 14:09 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-05-10 14:24 ][ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-05-10 14:31 ]

tangirl · 05-11-2002, 10:53 AM

I'm probably going to get laughed at for this but, I seriously think that atmosphere and decor are a huge factor in how customers view your salon.

We bought an existing salon last summer. The original owner had painted the walls with flat white paint. There were lotion stains everywhere. The grout between the tiles on the floor was almost black from dirt. The entire lobby looked like a flea market.

We now have people coming in thanking us for cleaning the place up and remarking about how nice it looks. We have new customers commenting about never seeing a salon this clean.

For about $1,000.00 and countless man hours, we invested in semi-gloss paint that is easy to clean. Grout cleaner. New shelves and chairs for the rooms. New lobby furniture. The flea market is gone.

MJ · 05-11-2002, 01:43 PM

You are dead on Tangirl! Not laughing here..
Decor can not be an after thought..
You HAVE to deeply consider the clients first impression like Micheal W said.
At this time I am negoiating moving to a larger salon.

I have this check list to live by..

*Get the best deal possible(Great lease)

*Get the landlord to build me out(rooms), upgrade electric (3 phase 600amps) and the air conditioning to 15-20 ton.

*Chose my new beds... thats the easy one ... SONTEGRA!!!

*Then concentrate on decor

I am open to suggestions at this point..
I am gearing toward the high end clients.
Currently my salon is very nice. Custom Faux glazing. each roon is a different decor..
(Pier One is my favorite place to shop!!)
I want to do something new..
Help!!!
Mj

MJ · 05-11-2002, 01:45 PM

PS I will be leaving a empty room for an future HP BED!! just not in the budget right now.
Mj

BooBop · 05-11-2002, 02:23 PM

MJ, why not go ahead and put another base bed in there and then when you are ready for the HP you can always trade in or sell it out right. Makes more money than an empty room will.

MJ · 05-11-2002, 03:12 PM

Theres a thought!! I also considered a nail tech For that room too.
Mj

Golden Key · 05-11-2002, 05:18 PM

I think the more expensive decor is the way to go, If you have a tacky place people dont want to be in their, people would rather spend a little more money to be seen coming out of your place.
Plus if the decor is well done, they you are more likely to have top of the line equipment.

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05-10-2002, 12:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
Michael_W Join Date: May 10 2002 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	I was reading a post where a problem owners were faced with is people trying to bargain with them. Everyone, in any industry faces this problem. Just as it irks many of you, I too used to get irritated when people tried to bargain with me. Here's the deal though, that you have to understand. The job of the person coming to your establishment as a consumer is to get the lowest price possible. Your job is to get the highest price possible while retaining them as a customer. That is your relationship bottom line. Everything else is secondary - If you are going to be commanding a higher price, you should LOOK like you deserve to have that higher price. I know one salon owner that has a $4000.00 front desk. As soon as someone walks into his salon, that desk says "We are not cheap - and we are serious about running this as a business" I myself am about to get a fresh coat of paint, and new baseboards. We are going to be painting EVERYTHING. The drop ceiling to match the doors, every single wall, some of the furniture to match. This is only costing me around $1500.00 but it will return the investment. What are some of the things you guys have changed, or could change, in order to change the perception of your customers? Michael

05-10-2002, 01:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
BooBop I love Derf!! Join Date: Apr 5 2001 Age: 66 Posts: 7,766 Rep Power: 28	Wow! I just wish I could afford a 4k front desk. But youu are absolutly correct. Showing people that you are a Professional salon with trained and educated staff will help. We are still gonna have the bargin hunters no matter what we do. I have found that the people that have the most money are the ones that try to dicker the price the most.

05-10-2002, 01:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
Golden Key Join Date: Feb 21 2002 Posts: 557 Rep Power: 23	very true mj, why is that? Maybe thats why they have all the money. Did you notice they have very strong hands as well? Its because they have a very tight grip on their money

05-10-2002, 02:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Chippp Join Date: Apr 19 2001 Posts: 2,262 Rep Power: 24	We did it the other way around! When we first opened we had a shop with floor to ceiling windows a whole corner of glass for the reception area , we had all one color walls, carpet, a light pinky grey, The salon had large floor to ceiling real palm trees 8 of them they were hugh! And 2 large date palms , we had expensive wicker tables and over stuffed couches. The salon looked like a very expensive spa. Spotlessly clean, spacious and well lighted. In a strip mall. When clients came in they said "I walked past for months or years but NEVER came in or phoned to get prices, you looked too expensive!" We were busy but not laughing all the way to the bank. We would even put our low prices in the windows. We had the best prices and machines in our city. When we moved to our own building we made the salon look cheaper, thats right !! Gag! It was planed to look cheapish! No sofas in the waiting area, just office waiting room chairs, no big palm trees. More colors, not so stylized or spa like. What I would call "common". Clients like it more, they are not scared off thinking we have high prices, they feel more comfortable and relaxed, I quess most people are used to and more comfortable in a less EXPENSIVE LOOKING salon. Who would have ever thought? I learned this lesson by seeing clients sit for hours on a hard wooden bench to have thier hair cuts in a salon up the street from us, instead of sitting in a comfortable spa like setting on over stuffed sofas with fast service and the same low prices in our hair salon. You have to give the client what they want. You have to give clients the setting they are used to at home. If your have rich clients with the best of everything your shop needs to reflect that, If your clients are the working class, they want a working class salon. The things you learn along the way. _________________ Tanning Booths, for people that want only the very best. Fast, Comfortable, Dark Tanning and Hygienic. Don't get booth envy, get a booth. [ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-05-10 14:09 ] [ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-05-10 14:24 ][ This Message was edited by: Chippp on 2002-05-10 14:31 ]

05-11-2002, 10:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
tangirl Join Date: Jul 6 2001 Posts: 1,875 Rep Power: 23	I'm probably going to get laughed at for this but, I seriously think that atmosphere and decor are a huge factor in how customers view your salon. We bought an existing salon last summer. The original owner had painted the walls with flat white paint. There were lotion stains everywhere. The grout between the tiles on the floor was almost black from dirt. The entire lobby looked like a flea market. We now have people coming in thanking us for cleaning the place up and remarking about how nice it looks. We have new customers commenting about never seeing a salon this clean. For about $1,000.00 and countless man hours, we invested in semi-gloss paint that is easy to clean. Grout cleaner. New shelves and chairs for the rooms. New lobby furniture. The flea market is gone.

05-11-2002, 01:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
MJ Join Date: Jan 21 2002 Posts: 2,709 Rep Power: 23	You are dead on Tangirl! Not laughing here.. Decor can not be an after thought.. You HAVE to deeply consider the clients first impression like Micheal W said. At this time I am negoiating moving to a larger salon. I have this check list to live by.. Get the best deal possible(Great lease) Get the landlord to build me out(rooms), upgrade electric (3 phase 600amps) and the air conditioning to 15-20 ton. Chose my new beds... thats the easy one ... SONTEGRA!!! Then concentrate on decor I am open to suggestions at this point.. I am gearing toward the high end clients. Currently my salon is very nice. Custom Faux glazing. each roon is a different decor.. (Pier One is my favorite place to shop!!) I want to do something new.. Help!!! Mj

05-11-2002, 01:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
MJ Join Date: Jan 21 2002 Posts: 2,709 Rep Power: 23	PS I will be leaving a empty room for an future HP BED!! just not in the budget right now. Mj

05-11-2002, 02:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
BooBop I love Derf!! Join Date: Apr 5 2001 Age: 66 Posts: 7,766 Rep Power: 28	MJ, why not go ahead and put another base bed in there and then when you are ready for the HP you can always trade in or sell it out right. Makes more money than an empty room will.

05-11-2002, 03:12 PM	#9 (permalink)
MJ Join Date: Jan 21 2002 Posts: 2,709 Rep Power: 23	Theres a thought!! I also considered a nail tech For that room too. Mj

05-11-2002, 05:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
Golden Key Join Date: Feb 21 2002 Posts: 557 Rep Power: 23	I think the more expensive decor is the way to go, If you have a tacky place people dont want to be in their, people would rather spend a little more money to be seen coming out of your place. Plus if the decor is well done, they you are more likely to have top of the line equipment.

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