Susan Routledge

Salon Christmas Working Hours Explained…

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As we officially leave Summer and head at full speed into Autumn, the next hot topic from your team will be what the salon Christmas working hours should be.

Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, which always throws doubts into how you should pay your staff.
I have asked Employment law specialist David Wright to give an insight into your legal requirements this year.

Being prepared and well informed in advance, gives you credibility so that you can eliminate any doubts well in advance.

You can now start planning with David’s Advice…

David Wright
David Wright – Employment Law Specialist

CHRISTMAS DAY 2016 FALLS ON A SUNDAY THIS YEAR.
Saturday 24th December is a normal day Sunday 25th is Christmas Day for those staff who would normally work on a Sunday and would have worked. They are paid and use a days’ holiday.

Monday 26th is Boxing Day, if an employee normally works a Monday and the business is closed then they are paid and use a days’ holiday.

* Tuesday 27th is the substitute Christmas day for staff who don’t normally work a Sunday.
* If you have staff that work on a Sunday then they have had their Christmas Day and Tuesday is a normal working day. If Sunday isn’t a working day then, if you close on the 27th, staff who normally work a Tuesday are paid and use a days’ holiday.
The same principle applies on New Years Day which is a Sunday. The substitute for staff who don’t work a Sunday is Monday the 2nd In Scotland where the 2nd is a bank holiday that transfers to Tuesday the 3rd.

 

Here are a couple of examples:

Example 1
Helen is employed to work 3 days a week Monday to Wednesday.
She doesn’t work Sunday 25th so Boxing Day is the 26th and Tuesday is the substitute Christmas day. Assuming the salon is closed on 26th and 27th Helen is paid for 2 days and uses 2 days holiday entitlement.

Example 2
Sandra works Friday and Saturday. Neither of the bank holidays fall on her working days so she isn’t paid, she doesn’t get a lieu day and doesn’t use any holiday.

David Wright writes a monthly article for Professional Beauty Magazine.
You can learn more at http://www.davidwrightpersonnel.co.uk

Hope to see you at Professional Beauty North.

Watch the video and claim your 50% advance booking discount and gift from me at any of my seminars.

Here’s to your salon’s success,

Susan x

Could Technology Shut Down Your Salon?

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Susan Routledge Salon ConsultancyI am sure, like me, you’ve noticed the increase in salons sprouting up around every corner in towns and cities. I’m sure you’ve also noticed that only the good ones survive…but will technology be our new competitor soon?

Staying ahead of the game and equipping yourself with savvy business knowledge will always be key to business survival.

So the question is…

Could Technology Shut Down Your Salon?

I’ve just returned from a really interesting business seminar where we looked at what the future holds for businesses. And, specifically, the jobs – and entire industries – that will become obsolete, and sooner than you might think!

For example, did you know that driverless cars are already operating in California? Before long we will see this phenomenon in your local area, mark my words. Have you heard how Amazon are developing drone technology to deliver our parcels? Automation is happening all around us, whether we like it or not.

The good news is… our industry is safe. For now.

I think it will be a long time before a robot will perform a relaxing massage or a set of individual lashes… or will it? After all, robots are already performing intricate surgery!

All of this really got me thinking about a conversation I had with a business analyst many years ago. His words of wisdom have always stuck in my head.
He said that anyone trying to run a business was sure to fail, if they don’t keep up to speed. And what worked 5 years ago, simply won’t work today.

This is so true. In fact, we see it all of the time.

Businesses are going bust because of how the world is changing and evolving. No one is immune.

A few years ago who ever thought the retail giant HMV would be in trouble? Now, due to the digital download revolution, that’s exactly what’s happened.

Camera retailer Jessops were hit hard on two fronts—by the emergence of how people now purchase on Amazon, and by the amazing camera technology now found on almost every smartphone today. Jessops couldn’t adapt quickly enough and they went under.

You may not be a retail giant, but these modern day technological changes can and DO affect you, me, and our competitors. Without a doubt, there will be far fewer manual jobs in the future, which will result in less salaried incomes.

How can you make sure that your business is “future proof” from the rapidly changing world?

It’s really simple. We do what successful businesses have always done.
We innovate, and stay on top.

Your business must be the best version it can be to stand head and shoulders above the competition. You simply cannot afford to stand still.

You must have a business that’s attractive to work for, and to buy from, to stave off competition. That means a great team offering fantastic treatments, resulting in outstanding client retention.

You must also have excellent business skills, rock solid systems and be able to learn from the best people who stay ahead of the game. That’s how we will thrive in an increasingly savvy, hyper-competitive world.

Now is the time to start thinking about your skills. And increasing those skills, sooner rather than later. Progress marches on, and won’t wait for you to catch up.

It’s crucial to set aside time to learn the best business practices to improve your knowledge and give yourself a competitive edge. And, where possible, seek the advice of people who are already successful in your industry.

That’s why I strongly recommend attending Professional Beauty North in Manchester on September 18th and 19th.

This year’s Professional Beauty North features the best speaker line-up I have seen to date, packed full of leading industry experts. During the event you’ll have access to over 20 dedicated business seminars where you will learn from experts who know what it takes to stay ahead of the game amid tough competition, and through all the latest changes in this increasingly digital world.

From business basics such as learning how to price correctly….
…. to becoming an award standard salon, improving your social media, and so much more.

And yes, I’ll be there too as I’ve been asked to give two different business talks:

  1. How to have a Cash Rich salon that gives you True Freedom
    and
  2. How to Increase Retail Sales whilst improving the customer experience.

It’s a complete salon training event, with up-to-date strategies and tactics for our modern day business challenges. And, even though I might be a little biased, I believe this event is ESSENTIAL for enhancing your knowledge and skills when it comes to running, growing and thriving with your salon in 2016 and beyond.

And the good news is…Registration for the show is FREE and each seminar is only £5! Not a bad investment, especially when you consider the potential Return of Investment from a truly successful salon.

Oh!…and one more thing…

Professional Beauty has given me a code for you to get a full 50% discount off any seminars, too! However, make sure you book early as the seminars always sell out fast.

Simply click on the seminar link below, select the topics you’d like the most help with, then enter DISS50 in the Discount box and SUSAN ROUTLEDGE in the promo box. The discount will automatically work for seminars and workshops too.

http://professionalbeauty.co.uk/e/north2016/site/northseminars

Finally, I have a special personal gift for everyone attending my seminars over the 2-day event. I promise you’ll love it.

I hope to meet you there and help you to grow your Salon to brand new heights!

Here’s to your salon’s success,

Susan x

Do You Always Have a Good Friday?

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Are You Having a GoodFriday_…Or sometimes does your entire week literally fall apart, messed up by no shows and last minute cancellations?

This can be so frustrating! Even though this can feel like it’s totally out of our control, we do have to step up to the plate and take some responsibility for this.

I don’t believe for a minute that there’s a bank of clients out there trying to disrupt our appointment system and our business. Instead I believe that we have help our clients to remember and respect their appointment bookings with us.

Nowadays we all have extremely busy lives with so much to remember every day, while also juggling work and family commitments. Although our treatments and appointments are a huge focus to our businesses, remembering a facial appointment can easily and unintentionally pale into insignificance in the hectic world of your client. So we need to do all we can to ensure our clients have their appointments with us in the forefront of their thinking by keeping in contact with them to give them gentle reminders.

Historically, most businesses will just sit back and hope and pray that the client will remember an appointment time, which could be anything up to 6 weeks away. Does that now sound rather unrealistic to you? No wonder our clients forget.

Here are some tips to help reduce this problem:

  • With existing clients it is essential to re-book their treatment before they leave you. This not only improves your client retention and appointment planning, but it also means that you can confirm correct details on an appointment card for a client’s safe keeping.
  • If a client telephones to make the booking then you must reiterate all of the details back to the client. Then either text or email a confirmation.
  • You must have contact with clients at least 48 hours before their appointment. This can be a friendly phone call or a quick text or email reminder. Many software programmes now can automate this process for you.
    Staying in touch with salon news and updates also keeps your business in a position of importance to the client.
  • Make sure you have a written cancellation policy in place as a deterrent. Having said that, it can be difficult to impose a cancellation policy unless your services are very unique. You can easily lose a client if they think they have incurred charges on their account, and they will simply move to another salon. My advice would be to give your client the grace of forgetting or missing one appointment, and then if it happens again, simply explain how you love offering treatment but that you would need to take payment in advance. If they refuse, then they would likely re-offend. So let the client go.
  • A pre or part payment booking system is a fantastic way to eliminate no shows. This is easily implemented if you have an online booking system.
  • No Shows can be a thing of the past with consistent action.

I hope you have a fantastic Easter.

Here’s to your great business.

Susan x

Susan Routledge works with salons, spas and clinics to help them to get the most out of their businesses. You can contact Susan here>>

Stefania Rossi’s 7 Top Tips to Becoming a Top Employer

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susan routledge business balance calculator

Susan Routledge, Stefania RossiI’m absolutely bursting with excitement this week because we not only have the following Top 7 Tips from recently awarded Professional Beauty Employer of the Year, Stefania Rossi, but we also have the full audio interview, which absolutely oozes Stefania’s passion and drive. This passion has helped her transform Utopia from a salon surviving solely on offers, to the prestigious quality salon it is today.

Stefania is a true pleasure to work with. She’s such an inspirational entrepreneur who constantly thinks outside of the box to inspire her team. You won’t believe what she did in January! Find out at the 25-minute mark in the interview produced for us by Pete Scott from Spa Beauty Success.

So here goes….

  1. Have a clear business plan and vision.

    If you want to inspire your team you must have a clear plan in place so the whole team can see the journey you are taking them on. You build immense loyalty when a team feels part of your journey, and they feel that they have an important role to play. Stef has retained and developed the full Utopia team through massive change and transformation while totally rebranding Utopia.

  2. Take time to Implement clear systems and processes.

    It takes time to systemise a business, but this is invaluable. Stef can easily step away from her business now, safe in the knowledge that everyone knows what is expected of them and how to manage each process. The business continues to strengthen day by day due to the detail Stef has put into even some of the simplest procedures.

  3. Set The Highest Standards

    Once you raise the bar, you have to keep those standards. You must keep your whole team accountable to work to the highest standard, and have a full training programme so clients consistently receive the expected level of service.

  4. Empower Your Team as Individuals

    Spend time with each member of the team to really find out what inspires them. Then you can help them to become their best version of themselves in the workplace. Encourage each individual to be open and honest with how they want to develop within the business.

  5. Have a continuous training and development programme

    A team needs to constantly stimulated with new knowledge and ideas. This can take lots of forms, from supplier training through to attending trade shows, reading trade magazines etc. Always have lots of ways to stimulate new learning within your team.

  6. Build trust with clients.

    Ask clients what they want, don’t just guess! Find out what your target market really wants, and then develop your brand and team so that it resonates perfectly with your client base.

  7. Share your Vision

    It was January 2014 when Stef took over Utopia in Hornchurch. From the very first meeting with the team, she has inspired them to think of the business as if it were their own, and to realise how important they are to the business. Stef and her team have grown and developed the business together. This has been so much more inspiring to the team than to simply follow the owner’s dream with no sense of purpose for themselves.

Enjoy the Full Interview by clicking here>>

Are You Sabotaging Your Business Fitness?

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FIT FORBUSINESSAt 5am this morning my alarm clock went off. I was so comfortable and it was so dark outside, I automatically hit the snooze button. (We all know what that’s like, right?) Fast-forward 9 minutes and I suddenly realised I was supposed to be up for my 6am boot camp in my local park. You see I have a personal goal to lose 6.5 kilos (1 stone) in 4 weeks.

The realisation that I needed to lose weight dawned on me at the weekend when I was delivering my seminar Is your business financially fit, or just a couch potato? I felt like a total frump and I knew that I needed to get myself back into shape.

It would have been so easy to stay in my comfortable bed this morning, especially when I realised that my car windscreen was frozen solid, and it was also starting to snow!

I arrived at the park with 9 others who all looked far better prepared than I. They even looked happy when Matt the instructor explained that today we would be sprinting. Sprinting? This was rapidly turning into my worst nightmare before I even started. I automatically blurted out “I can’t run.” I was then given a head torch, which just made me giggle.

As soon as I turned on my head torch, I started to see the snowy park in a whole new light. It was so beautiful. I still knew I had the sprint challenge ahead, in a park, up a hill.

Matt told me to pace myself and to not be concerned if the others were faster than me. Matt said he only had one expectation of me—to be the best I can be, and to push myself.

I got lapped many times by the others, but every time they came past they would offer me moral support—and LOTS of encouragement. I actually started to enjoy the workout. Now I can’t wait to get better at this. Yes I can run. I have the natural tools; I just haven’t got all of the skills and stamina to do it well yet!

I am now feeling alert and ready for the day ahead, and EXCITED about how the small wins to my fitness are moving me towards my goal.

It’s too easy to make excuses. These excuses have a HUGE impact on every aspect of our personal and business lives.

Here are some of my business boot camp take-aways:

  1. Don’t wait until things are out of control. It’s far easier to tackle problem areas when you first notice them, and before they grow in size. (I’m picturing my big butt here…)
  2. Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t…you’re right. Quote courtesy of Henry Ford. Enough said!
  3. There is no such thing as failure. Sometimes things have to get uncomfortable before we can see our best option.
  4. What negative stories are you telling yourself? Note how often you say a negative belief to yourself. Be careful, these negative thoughts breed!
  5. Surround Yourself with Positivity. Expect people to help you and you will attract the right people to you and your business.
  6. Set Big Goals. A big goal can be scary initially, so break it down into manageable steps to move forward.
  7. Take your Time to get it right. You could hurt your business by trying to copy and keep up with others. Keep stable and build your skills and stamina first.
  8. Be Accountable. Make sure you stay on your path and keep a light shining forwards. Attach time lines to your goals–test and measure your improvements.
  9. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Every expert was a beginner once. Learn from people and businesses you admire and respect.
  10. Love where you are, move forwards and Don’t Look Back. There is no point in staying in the past. You cannot change anything that has happened even a few seconds ago. Worry and regret has no impact on your great future. Only forward planning and present positivity can do that.

Next week we will be posting a confidential Help Box so that we can tackle the issues that concern you most.  Start thinking NOW and get your questions ready to post.

Are You Still In Love with your Business?

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love your business Susan RoutledgeWell, we have just seen Valentine’s Day come and go and we are now heading full-on into a Leap Year, so it seems an appropriate time to ask the question:

Are you still in love with your business?

Is your business fully living up to your dreams and expectations? I do hope so, however like all long-term relationships, more often than not there are certain things which can start to irritate you, and if you don’t tackle these early on, they can get totally out of control and start to be really detrimental to the relationship you have with your business.

Business life can sometimes feel like a long, rocky and lonely road full of unexpected potholes.

I’ve always thought that business flows very similar to a loving relationship with constant, ever changing expectations.

At the start of any relationship, things go along smoothly. Then the pressure is on for more commitment, so then there’s the investment in diamonds, next step the big wedding, kids follow into the mix, and before you know it your whole life has taken on a new dimension with so many more responsibilities.

A similar scenario plays out within your business. The pressure to grow and evolve can bring in so many new responsibilities, leading to a few sleepless nights!

As business owners we are juggling home-life as well as our business, so no wonder we can end up feeling frazzled and out of control. Sometimes there can be too many expectations from others, which can lead you to believe that to be successful you have to keep growing and expanding your business. I’m here to let you know that it doesn’t have to be like that.

The biggest business isn’t always the best. The business that YOU love and feel comfortable and secure with is always the best.

Here’s why…

  1. It has been proven time and again that it’s easier to make money when you have a business you LOVE.
  2. Growing a business too fast without a proper plan in place can cause you untold stress, and even lead to illness.
  3. It’s so easy to take your eye off the ball during a business growth phase, and things can spiral out of control.
  4. Expanding can often result in far smaller profits for the owner due to higher costs and overheads.

How do I know this?

Well, I have made these costly mistakes myself. I was so driven to be the biggest and best, and somewhere in the mix, I lost my way. I grew and grew my small business, expanding premises 5 times. My team grew to 12 members, and I was the working manager. When it got to that point I realised my business was spiralling out of control at an alarming rate. I was working twice as hard to try and make ends meet, working ridiculous hours with no time to look at anything apart from my rapidly growing overdraft.

Fortunately, 27 years I first started up in business I still have my salon. I managed to undo the mess I had made by expanding too fast. I now have a lovely business with a team of 6 experts. The business is now fully systemized. It functions like a well-oiled machine whether I’m there or not.

I do believe that things happen for a reason. Eight years ago, that tough experience inspired me to stop working as a therapist in my business to learn real-world business strategies so that I would never mess up like that again. And that’s what I did.

Lessons in business

I learnt what makes a business truly successful and profitable. I also learnt how to safely scale a business and turn it into a saleable, profitable asset. It was invaluable learning which I now have the honour of passing on to 100’s of fellow Beauty Entrepreneurs to help them to make their businesses great.

The one thing that always stayed with me throughout my journey is the understanding that business has to be fun. Otherwise why do it?

In my next newsletter we will look at some simple steps you can take to exert full control over your business.

Here’s to your great business.

Susan x

Susan Routledge works with salons, spas and clinics to help them to get the most out of their businesses. You can contact Susan here>>

Do You Know Who Your Ideal Client Is?

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ideal clientMany business owners haven’t taken time to define who their ideal client is, and this can lead to problems. Identifying who your ideal client is can make doing business so much easier, far more profitable and way more enjoyable! I speak to so many frustrated owners who are trying to accommodate clients from every age, gender and lifestyle. In my experience, this approach means they will never succeed at building a strong business identity.

When you are trying to accommodate everyone you usually end up with overstocked shelves with slow selling lines, equipment that sits gathering dust ,and far too much money wasted on the ‘next best solution’ in an attempt to fill the appointment book. It’s simply not possible to appeal to everyone, no matter how hard you try.

Building a loyal, strong client base is a bit like building an exclusive club. You need to know who you want in your club and what their likes and dislikes are. If you’re just starting out in business, then you have a great opportunity to get this correct right from the beginning by simply imagining who your ideal client would be, and marketing directly to that one person.

You could model your ideal client on a person you already know, or a combination of all of the elements of their lifestyle such as workplace, preferred restaurants and shops, income and other personal information. The more detail you go into when you’re compiling your ideal client, the more certainty you have to build your treatment menu and branding to accommodate this ideal client.

If you have an established business, then you really need to drill into your statistics around your clients to find the main client type you are naturally attracting, then establish why they chose you over and above your competition. You’ll find that the majority of your clients will have clear similarities and have been attracted to your business from the message you are sending out, even if you are oblivious to this. The message you are sending out is based on how your business looks and conducts itself, along with your price point.

If you examine any one treatment in the marketplace, you will find it with at least 3 different price points, different marketing, quality expectations and branding around it. Each seller of that item knows exactly who they are marketing to, and also how the treatment should be priced and presented to their target market.

Businesses spend thousands of pounds getting their message just right for their intended customer, because they know it will save them far more money, time and effort giving them a long term successful business. We must send the same consistent message to the right audience we have identified.

Your loyal clients feel part of your business, so the easiest way to build and expand your client base is to collect as much data as possible on them so we can attract more of these people. You can then easily direct your marketing to your ideal client, which in turn will attract similar like-minded new clients to you.

You will also keep your existing clients happy, resulting in natural recommendations to their like-minded friends, family and associates for long-term business growth and stress free stability.

Susan Routledge works with salons, spas and clinics to help them to get the most out of their businesses. You can contact Susan here>>

Build Client Loyalty with the Power of 4

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Building loyalty for your salonWe must wake up to the fact that going the extra mile for our clients may simply not be enough to keep them loyal over the long-term.  Business strategy research has shown that you need a 4 pronged approach to help you to achieve this.

Did you know that if you have a client who you only ever offer one service to, that statistically you only have a 50% chance of them remaining loyal to your business? The client may have attended your business for years, and it’s so easy to be complacent thinking the client is yours for life, but in todays climate where choice and variety is in abundance, if you don’t introduce them to other services then you have a very good chance of losing them, and perhaps sooner than you think.

It’s time to take action.

1.  Change a client’s perception and get them to try an additional service, or to buy a retail product they love, and the loyalty likelihood changes to 70%.  Introducing yet another service increases that figure to 85%, before optimising at a 95% chance of clientele loyalty if they have interacted in 4 different ways with your business.  This doesn’t just apply to our industry. Notice when you go shopping, just how many services the larger businesses are now providing including banks, supermarkets and high street stores.

Long gone are the days when the Post Office only sold stamps. They now offer so many options to build loyalty and interact with you. Post office services now include credit cards, home and life insurance, stationary, passport photo booths, lottery tickets, foreign exchange; cash withdrawal… the list just goes on and on!  We need to follow the lead of big businesses and make sure we’re keeping our existing clients loyal to us, then we won’t need to be constantly chasing new ones. This strategy is so simple, yet effective!

It’s so easy to presume that a client only wants the service or product they’ve booked and/or purchased, but WE are the experts, and it’s our duty to keep our clients up to date with our new, as well as existing services and products that would be of benefit to them.

Here’s how you can do this easily: 

Breakdown the time you spend with a client into segments. Make the conversation with your client more about them than about you by encouraging them to talk about themselves. Use this as your valuable listening time, and from this, you need to assess and retrieve information on what the client needs and wants. Approximately 10% of your time with them should be used to advise on suitable products and treatments, events and special offers you know would help them.

2.  You should never need to sell to a client. Instead make sure you are so knowledgeable that the client will trust you implicitly to try new things encouraged by your enthusiasm and professionalism.

3.  List all of the ways you can get a client to engage with your business. Do you encourage clients to buy gift vouchers? Can you offer online booking? Do you blog and send out newsletters? How about competitions and prize draws?

4.  Instead of discounting, add value by combining treatments and products into special price packages. If a client normally only has a nail service then try to include a treatment which involves lying on a treatment couch, or utilising a different treatment area of your premises to widen the client’s perspective of your business and ensuring you utilize their loyalty in the Power of 4.

Susan Routledge works with salons, spas and clinics to help them to get the most out of their businesses. You can contact Susan here>>

Tips to Make Your Salon Stand Out

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salon stand out

With many towns boasting as many as 10 beauty salons within a 2 mile radius, you really do need to stand out in the marketplace, but how do you do it ?

Firstly, YOU must know what sets you apart. Many fail by claiming to be something they are very clearly not. A whole lot of salons follow the lead of another and never find their true identity or discover their true potential – avoid being one of them and make your salon stand out!

Sit with a big sheet of paper and pen, identifying your businesses strengths and what you feel you do head and shoulders above your competitors and why your clients love what you do. Don’t forget to ask your clients too…they love being involved. Your uniqueness can come from price point, quality level, treatment or product choices, etc, etc.

You need to be exceptionally clear on where you excel and also who your ideal client is. This all creates your brand and strong business ethos. You cannot build a strong brand by trying to be something to everyone. I always recommend to write a Philosophy statement stating exactly what you want your business to be projecting to your clientele and never ever stray from those values.

Once you have established what makes your business so unique and your services invaluable to your clients then you need to make sure it reflects in every single angle of your business. Use your strengths and differences to make your salon stand out so much that everyone knows exactly what makes you special from the sea of similar salons.

Susan Routledge works with salons, spas and clinics to help them to get the most out of their businesses. You can contact Susan here>>

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Susan Routledge is an award-winning beauty & aesthetic clinic owner, leading industry speaker, author and member of numerous beauty industry steering groups and judging panels.

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