Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

To attract the top stylists offer them a reduced chair rate and maybe a cut of the action.

you have described two seperate problems.

Attracting stylists with a clientelle is a networking issue. Stylists tend to move to what they feel will be a better prestege location which may enhance their business. Locating stylists on the fringe of the good area and talking about the money making potential of your spot is the key.

Now as far as attracting walk in business...
You need to begin setting peoples expectations prior to their visit. There are tons of tour groups that go to your area and if you worked with the tour operators you might be able to start laying the ground work ahead of time. discount coupons for the salon that does PH's hair....

I suggest using ad spinners (see description at www.adsvalue.com/specialty.php#AdSpin) since your location is excellent for this type of advertising.

Combine this with the NuCoPro suggestion and you've got a winning solution.

A little local TV coverage of the spinners / ladies couldn't hurt either.

Bob

It's possible that stylists with a large client base will be reluctant to move, because their clients presumably live/work near where they are now. I know I'd be concerned about losing customers who find my current location convenient for them.

You're going to need some reason for a stylist with a strong client base to move. If they're busy where they are, it's a big risk. If they're not very busy, then that means they don't have a long list of current clients and they're not what you're looking for. Catch-22.

Maybe the thing to do is focus your energy on building the business with the current stable of stylists. If they had a lot of clients you wouldn't need new stylists with their own clients.

If a stylists have clients, then why move? Their clients are already coming to them, and are used to where they are. The reason they would move would be: opportunity for more clients, cheaper rent, or more upscale salon. The problem with focusing on stylists based on cheaper rent is that they are likely to leave your salon when they find an even better rent. Since you don't currently have much foot traffic, then the only benefit is your salon itself. Therefore, you need to position it as something different. For example, can you do makeovers (not just hair)? Or, can you offer your clients a service while their hair is styled (A car wash? Errands? Favorite music? Sex in the City episodes on their private screen?)

Women (in my experience) don't change stylists on a whim. If someone has one, they keep using them. You want to find people who don't have a regular stylist. Have a style-a-thon, where you donate a % of style to a charity (and have the charity help bring in the foot traffic). Fusion market with another business: for the price of a style, you also get nails done, or a free DVD rental, etc.

All of the other suggestions are good, but, as you already know, the relationship between client and stylist/salon is one of great trust, which is why clients follow their stylist and are nervous of new ones. A screwed up hairstyle is extremely visible and your clients need to feel that this is not what they will end up with when they come to your salon.

You need to invest in making the salon look beautiful to match the neighborhood and to suggest to your clients that they are in a high-end salon. Your pricing needs to match your decor - if your salon does not look expensive, you need to have cheaper pricing, but it sounds like you are in a neighborhood with upscale people, so if you have low priced services you may end up turning off even more of your audience.

You also need to have a busy salon - nobody wants to go to a salon where it looks like nobody goes. Try offering discounted haircuts to local college students so that you have a vibrant crowd of people in your salon at all times, but don't advertise it on the front of your salon - just on the campuses, so that casual observers won't know why all these funky, cool young women are really in your store.

Put a coffee table outside your store on the sidewalk - people will stop and sit and you'll look busy.

Buy some cheap store mannequins and dress them up with really snazzy fashions from another local store and you can design great wigs for them and then you can promote the fashion store in your window and they can promote you in their window. It will also help you to have a constantly changing window display and look really up to date.

If you have as much traffic, both on foot and by car, passing by your store as you do, you should be seeing more in-store traffic. Take a long hard look at your store with the eyes of someone who doesn't care about it as much as you do and see if you can find anything that would be turning that traffic off. Then deal with those issues. Even if you have to borrow money to do it - because it sounds like you may not make it without it.

You could also try talking to a local hardware store about giving you cabinets and counters that look good in return for in-store signage. You'll be lucky to find one that is willing to do it, but it might be worth a try. You can also do the same with flooring and rugs.

Find a local art center/college to hang their paintings in your salon - you can sell them for them (for a small commission), and that will also help you to look hip and up to date and stylish.

Good luck.

i know that "headhunter" firms are big in the business world, but maybe not in the hair industry. Maybe you look for a headhunter that would be willing to look at some very accomplished stylists. By doing so you would get the stylist with the clientel you desire.

As for looking for more walk-ins. Maybe you do a walk-in special where if they get their hair cut you give them the product you used in their hair for free. Or even just a reduced rate.

Good luck!!!

aresnik7