Let It Rain...Men

 

    Since  it's raining men this month on Nail Talk Radio I thought I might research a few ways to get it raining men in your salon or spa.  The Small Business Development Center Website reports "Revenue growth in the beauty industry  is expected to improve over the next five years, rising at an average annual rate of 3.3% to $49.3 billion by 2017…this will be driven by an expected increase in per capita disposable income and declining unemployment toward the end of the five-year period…higher disposable incomes could also lead hair salon customers to spend more on higher-value services like manicures, pedicures, facials, hair modification treatments, and massages." Good news for beauty professionals. Now I'm not sure if the S.B.D.C. factored any shutdowns in their stats, but that's a post for another time. The economy has always threatened to shut down the beauty industry and quite frankly there have been many salons that have not been able to hang on. Truth be told, there was probably an instability in many of these businesses long before the economy tanked. Again a post for another time. My favorite quote about this is from my friend Geno Stampora. What he shared a few years ago, after 9/11 when everywhere you turned was bad economic news really stuck with me. He said I really don't care if they say that we are in a recession or depression, I choose not to participate in it. So ramp up your marketing efforts, keep a keen eye on your business numbers, tighten your beauty belt if need be and look for new ways to generate income. Building a male friendly salon and salon menu is one way to start. Imagine if every client you put your hands on has a significant other and you could get your hands on them, well for services anyways. You could double your business just like that. What are some ways to encourage male traffic to your salon?

    

      We all know men love being pampered but they don't want anyone to know it or see it. Try scheduling your men's services on slower days so they are not the sole survivor in a sea of women clients. Think about keeping private services private. Book their pedicure or manicure in a more private setting, perhaps a facial room or draped area. And remember even if they love their services, don't expect them to refer their friends, that is just asking way too much.

Encourage your female clients to get their man  in for services. Today's market place is more competitive than ever and a well groomed man says a lot about him to potential employers and clients. If they can't keep themselves together how can they be trusted to manage bigger challenges? There was a guest in the salon I overheard just the other day getting a pedicure complaining how bad her husband's feet were, ok she said disgusting. I would have taken that opportunity, especially if she was a good client to offer a free pedicure for her husband. I know once in my chair he will become addicted to the service, plus now he has a happy spouse, and we all know what that means.

Put together a more male friendly space, lower the ratio of fem-details to men-details in your salon along with Golf Magazine, Men's Fitness, Maxim, you get the picture. Design services specifically for men. They don't want to come in and get a pretty piggy pedicure. They need a foot work-out, hand detailing, use words that give them images of things already in their world. Pay attention to fragrances as well. Men want earthy, musky scents more in tune with aftershave and colognes they are already comfortable with.  Partner with a fitness club, a golf or country club and offer the employees free services for referrals. Male guests are much more loyal than females so beef up your men's services, because that's smart marketing.