Open Toe Sandal Pledge

I did not write this, but I must share. Friends don't let friends walk around with bad feet!

Alright ladies, it's that time of year once again!!! I think we need to be reminded of a few things. So my sisters, PLEASE, raise your big toes and repeat after me below...

As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the Rules when wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.. SCRATCH THAT.. I'll just go for GEL TOES and have no worries!!!!!

I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.

I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back! into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good.

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure.

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

Think Like an Olympian

 

      Whenever the Olympics roll around we seem to get inundated with Olympic thinking and Gold Medal coaching articles. This year is no different, yet one article that caught my eye was written by an actual Olympian, not some journalists take on the Olympic mindset. Shannon Bahrke Happe is not only a three time Olympian she is a successful business owner. She shared with Entrepreneur.com the top 10 things she learned while training for the Olympics that can just as easily be applied to running a successful business. Happe launched Silver Bean Coffee Company with her then fiance (now husband) Matt during some down time recovering from an injury. When you build your passion into your company you don’t have to buy into someone else’s dream, you can create your own. Building anything that’s going to have some staying power takes work and commitment whether it’s a relationship or an international company. The stakes may be different but the process is very similar. Here are her top ten lessons.

1.       Always have goals but make sure they are measurable. Begin with the end in mind and work backwards breaking the goal into smaller monthly and daily goals. Remember inch by inch it’s a cinch.

2.       Don’t get so blinded by the goal that you don’t enjoy the sights along the way. Some of the greatest lessons and certainly the best stories are from the journey.

3.       No matter whom you are speaking with don’t let your ego get too big to say please and thank you, with a smile.

4.       Surround yourself with the best and brightest.  IF you don’t know it, hire it.

5.       If you don’t believe in yourself no one else will. When those doubts creep in, and they will recommit 100%.

6.       Winners are those committed to the whole process, not just the fun stuff. The difference is often in doing the things others are not willing to do, or haven’t thought to do.

7.       Running yourself ragged doesn’t bring the gold. Rest and relaxation are just as important and can give you renewed perspective.

8.       Take care of yourself, seriously. Get enough rest, eat properly and stay hydrated to stay on top.

9.       Winning is great, but be humble. Especially in the Olympics, anything can happen and seconds can knock you off the podium. So be a gracious loser as well.

1.   You must once and for all get rid of your fear of failure. “To truly achieve greatness you must be 100 percent committed to either succeeding beyond your wildest dreams or going down in a great big ball of flames!”

 

              So as we all watch these Olympics with story after story of both the thrill of victory and agony of defeat we must remember that these athletes do not exist in a vacuum. Behind every athlete is a supportive network of people that they relied on to get where they are. No one succeeds alone. So as business people I ask who is in your network cheering you onto the finish. If you haven’t built your network yet it’s never too late. Being in business can be lonely. Building a support system of fellow professionals that can pick up a flag and wave you to the finish line is great for the health of your business. Because building a healthy business is smart marketing.

Is Your Business Fit?

     This month is all about the plan. Fitness plan, Daniel Plan, insanity plan. Plan, Plan, Plan. Well even the best plan will fail if it is not put into action. So while thinking about my marketing segment today I couldn’t get this morning’s class at church out of my head. It was the last of a series on being financially fit. If there is a crisis in the health fitness arena there is without a doubt a crisis in the financial fitness arena. Why not the big sexy plans for that? Where are all the infomercials and books and financial boot camps? Maybe because the advertisers don’t want people to understand their financial ills, that would mean after all they would have to stop buying all their crap. So tonight I want to share some financial fitness tips courtesy of Grace Church.

Many of us think of a financial plan only for our personal finances but I want to encourage you to set up a fitness plan for your business. If you think about it we are merely vessels of money. The only difference is the amount we carry. In through earning, out through spending. In and out all day long. And as we all know, at the end of the day, we can’t take it with us. In the meantime, we should learn to make sure money blesses us instead of stressing us. There are really just a few principles to follow.

     We arrive at financial peace by living within our means; debt makes slaves of the borrowers.  This is especially true in business. Granted sometimes we need loans, to get a business started. But this debt needs to be managed properly and should never grow beyond our means of paying it back in a timely fashion. Escalating debt is trouble.

     The 10-10-80 Principle is a strategy many have used as a guide to great financial health.  Traced back to the 1700’s John Wesley founder of the Methodist denomination used this methodology in work and life.

Give 10% . I know what you’re thinking, I can hardly get by using 100% and I get that, I really do. Giving get’s so much more in return than money could even purchase. You get joy and fulfillment and more blessings when you are a cheerful giver. Even when times are tough I encourage you to give. I’m telling you you’ve got to have faith, I don’t know how it works, I just know it does.

Save 10%  You must have an emergency fund, in life and in business. 3-6 months working capital in case of an emergency. Have appropriate insurance in case of a crisis.  I’m getting ready to take a few weeks off for a  medical crisis. Fortunately I have an emergency fund and short term disability insurance. My world won’t collapse due to poor planning. Avoid risky investments and diversify or don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Seek council of other financial savvy friends or professionals. I have a client whose husband does financial planning. We barter for services so we can both go to pros.

    Last but not least live conservatively on the rest of the 80%. So many of us have lost that simple common sense approach. I just saw a study that stated that over 70% of Americans could not come up with $2,000 in 30 days if they needed to. It went on to say that 25% of Americans that make between $100,000 and $150,000 couldn’t come up with it either. How sad is this? I spoke of this last week, to constantly be checking your expenses so you can lower them and have some wiggle room. If you are living all the way up to your means, you are one crisis away from a financial nightmare. So with all the New Year planning, make sure to include a plan for financial fitness because that’s smart business and smart business is smart marketing. 

Eye on the Prize

         How are you going to stay on target for 2013? Many of you may have already broken a New Years resolution, or two. That's why it is much more effective to set goals instead of resolutions. I'm going to dig a little deeper into the goal setting program I spoke about last week. Define your top target  specifically..and keep focused intensely on that one goal.  You can have a few goals in mind, but when you focus on more than one thing remember your attention gets diverted and you make baby steps, not strides. Experts say any more than three and you're doomed. This is not to say you can't accomplish more than three things a year. Focus diligently on the first one or two goals until you put that big fat check mark next to it..Only then move onto the rest of your list. Think about what's great already in your life, in your career. Make yourself a success list and keep it close by. I have a wall of thanks in my home office. I keep all notes, print out all the thank yous and inspirations so they are never too far from me. One glance and I remember that I am making a difference large or small. Once you take stock and look at the positive, build your goal list for 2013 with the recommendations from last weeks segment.

     Think about what you want to reward yourself with when goals are achieved. Not just the reward of accomplishing the goal but a real tangible reward. Maybe a weekend away, or a shopping spree, maybe a new car if your goal was really rewarding. As tempting as it would be to reward those around you I still encourage you to reward yourself first. Remember what gets rewarded gets repeated. Create a dream board. Also called a vision board, it is the process of actually going old school and purchasing poster board and filling it with pictures cut from magazines that best portray your goals. I am actually signed up for a Ladies who Launch seminar this month  called Using FENG SHUI to Create Your 2013 Vision Board. Apparently I must not have had my pictures in the right place on the board all these years. Nonetheless, it's a fun evening out to network with fellow like minded business women.  I have to say the few years I did these boards I did manage to get a whole lot done. Coincidence? Maybe. But there is real power in staying focused and having your vision board out where you can see it every day.

     Put your goals out into the universe. Involve family members, co-workers, friends, even casual acquaintances. You might even want to bring in an accountability partner. Share your goals and your plan with someone and ask them to hold you accountable. Schedule reviews in regular time intervals to track your progress. Very rarely do we not notice being shoved off course but getting nudged little by little off course can happen to all of  us. Make sure you choose someone that won't put up with your excuses either. It takes candor to keep things on target. Have a system for checks and balances. Nothing is worth having if it costs losing too much in the process.

 

Proper Care and Feeding of Clients

 

     Today’s tip is the proper care and feeding of a clientele. If you are just building or almost fully booked proper care and maintenance of your clientele is essential for your long-term success. The average technician loses an average of 5 percent of their clientele per year through no fault of their own. Clients move, they unfortunately move on to the big spa in the heavens, their economic condition changes dramatically. Whatever the circumstance we need to be constantly monitoring our current clientele.
      Thanks you’s are essential. I know I’ve talked about his before, a nice handwritten note especially after the first service but how about just because. Maybe you know they got a promotion at work, maybe they had a few difficult weeks or months or year for that matter. If you haven’t seen a client in a few months, chances are something’s up. Don’t ignore the warning signs and take the passive route. Take action with a phone call or a quick email, or yes that hand written note.

     Something like I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen your smiling face lately and just wanted to check in to make sure everything is alright with you. You may want to offer an incentive to return, It’s up to you to decide how you manage your offers. If you haven’t seen clients in more than a few months try a “Miss you” promotion. Same theme, maybe offering new items or services since they have come in. I sent out an email to my entire list when I started offering Shellac and it brought clients out of the woodwork. If you are consistent with your efforts chances are eventually something is going to strike their interest.

      Do you send your guests home with an instruction sheet to ensure they successfully maintain at home the professional service you gave them at the salon? I am including a link in my blog this week from Beauty Tech that has many useful ideas to use in composing your own client letter. Nail Care Check list
     Things like, treat your nails as jewels not tools, check your grip when lifting heavy objects to make sure you don’t break a nail, wear gloves when you do housework and gardening. You know all the things you think they know but don’t. I know a tech that makes her clients sign off that they have read her “10 commandments of nails” before she will guarantee her work.
      Do you recommend the right retail for them to be successful? Are you educating them about their nails or just providing a one time service stand? Are you building relationships or counting cattle? Do you follow up a new client service with a phone call to see how they liked their visit?

     Find out if they have any questions or challenges with their new full set or treatment products. If they are not happy, catching problems early and fixing them will score you big points toward the future of the relationship. I worked with a girl that had one of the first mobile nail salon service businesses in the country. While she was building she was truly a one woman band. She would work all day and at night, in her best British accent, call her clients back to see how they liked their visit. Needless to say she built her business with a strong foundation of loyal clients. So in these challenging times it is more important than ever to keep in touch so you don’t loose touch with your clients.

Publicity Planning to Get Out Front!

I often network with brilliant marketing minds outside of this industry. A really good friend of mine with an MBA in marketing manages a lumber yard and hardware store. What do salons and hardware stores have in common? Marketing is marketing. We both need to constantly recruit new clients. We need them to return and buy more often and we need them to purchase more with us when they visit. Today we were sharing what we have going on in our worlds and he shared his Publicity calendar with me. It reminded me that publicity is a very real and very cost effective strategy for increasing your visibility within the community and often times a great way to give back. You might think it is a stretch, but it's really not.
February is a tool blow out sale. Maybe you have some left over holiday inventory hanging around that you need to clear out for Spring specials. What about a tool talk night? Purchase one of those horrific kits they sell at Target or Wal-Mart and explain the dangers of using improper implements. You can also instruct clients on proper care and maintenance between salon visits.
March is garden show time. Look for women's events at local community centers, teacher appreciation weeks at schools anywhere you can donate your time and talents to be in front of a group of potential clients. Our local community center has a spa day I participated in always bringing in spring trends and updates. This would be a great opportunity to have your program dispel all the misinformation about the dangers of gel manicures.
April Lawn care clinic. How about a foot care clinic? Do you have an educator in your area that can come in and help conduct a live event? Or invite a local podiatrist to share health foot care habits and have special pricing on pedicure packages. If you get 10 ladies to attend and they each purchase a pedicure package for 250 for a series of 5 pedicures that's a $2500 dollar evening. Add on polish, sandals and pedicare socks and it could quickly add up to 3 thousand.
May, is adopt a pet month. Do you sell pawlish? Why not partner with a local shelter or pet center and put together a Pooch pageant? Have some fun raising awareness for these dedicated rescue centers. Maybe a portion of any sales that month can be donated to the center.
June is tent sale month. Do you have an area you can use outdoors and have a "tent" sale? Every summer I held a Tent sale of sorts. I had a sidewalk sale complete with free hotdogs, chips and a beverage for every purchase. I often brought in more boutique items, summer bags, toe rings, flip flops, you get the picture. I borrowed a tent from a family member and set up in a courtyard for a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Clients looked forward to it every summer and often brought a friend.
July offers an ice cream social. Many towns have these in their community, have you ever participated? Bring in a ice cream pedicure service and raffle off chances to win. Set up an area to do demos so participants can see smell and experience this amazing service for themselves.
August its festival time. Does your town or surrounding community have a festival? Get involved offering nail art, glitzy lips, retail items and don't forget a special incentive to visit your salon. Many have door prizes so make sure to offer a signature service, not a basic one, put out the good china for your new guest.
September/ pig roast clambake client appreciation sale. You know I personally would probably offer a different menu, however this particular areas demographic is quite 4 H rural and works for them. I would have a client appreciation wellness event with signature healthy dishes, maybe bring in a local area chef for a small presentation and offer 10% off any retail or service purchases all evening. I held a client appreciation event once a quarter and they were always loads of fun bringing in many new guests.
October offers a Pumpkin carving festival. Many communities have a fall festival. Why not partner with the planners and offer nail art booth and sell premade Halloween press on nails? Many of you know any festival I attend I always have a fishbowl contest to win a $25.00 gift certificate. Entries must include name, phone and email address and will automatically get added to my marketing email list.
November is the 2nd annual girl scout girl power event. Partnering with your local girl scout chapters can be a tremendously rewarding experience. Nail Parties are simple to put together and brings new faces to your salon, should you choose to hold the party in house. If you don't host the nail party don' t miss out on the opportunity to market to moms. Send a goodie bag home with mini polishes, nail brushes, mini files and an incentive for Mom to visit your salon. So there you have it, two totally different industries, sharing a marketing calendar. Thinking outside the bottle. Take a few minutes this week and write out your publicity calendar. Post your events on Yelp and your fan page and send a press release to your local papers, TV and radio stations. Putting a publicity plan in place is smart planning so get planning!
Need more? Purchase marketing tools on my website Millie Haynam