Hot Hair Color
What’s driving it: New technology that opens up options for colorists; fun trends like pastels.
How to cash in: Think about color service add-ons to color to boost tickets incrementally.
If they like what you do, color clients tend to visit regularly, and they tend to be loyal. That makes this category a gold mine. (Built-in retention!) The flipside of all that regularity is the risk of missed opportunity. If your client isn’t trying new things, you’re stuck at one level of service sales.
Andrea DeLeon, vice president of marketing for the salon division of Kao USA (Goldwell, KMS) points out that many colorists avoid selling add-ons for fear of seeming pushy. “They’re also afraid of having a recommendation rejected by the client, which can be uncomfortable for both people,” she adds. The company came up with a simple but effective way to get the conversation going, called upgrade menus: stand-up cards or mirror clings at eye level at every station, advertising services that require a small investment of time and money but deliver high impact, such as gloss toning or a SilkLift lightener upgrade. “When a client is in the chair, they’re focused on improving their appearance, so we often find clients ask about the menu services and for the stylist’s recommendations,” DeLeon says.
She adds that salons who have embraced Goldwell and KMS service menus have definitely seen an increase in revenue and client retention as a result. “Coco Cheveux, one of our top salons in Portland, ME, experienced a 20 percent increase in service revenue once they began offering the menus, and they sell on average 27 upgrade menu services per day,” says DeLeon. “Just as important, their re-bookings jumped from 19 percent to 45 percent, which shows how the upgrades were contributing to a positive client experience.”
Image: Goldwell's upgrade menus, are placed at the styling station, are designed to prompt clients to ask about add-on services.