Education?

Representing Beauty Professionals in DC

     SO... I got this comment a few months ago on this blog. From "anonymous" aka coward, wrote something to the effect of "Please forward me your formal education so that I might consider this content valuable." Really? I have to admit, it stung...for a couple of days. Just for the record...I do not have a piece of paper from a university stating that I spent hours in classrooms looking at books, writing papers and cramming my mind full of information I might never need nor use. Don't get me wrong. I have the utmost respect for those that have this said piece of paper, especially since I don't have this coveted prize. It took me many years to understand that life education and non formal education has just as much value, if not more. I heard a quote the other day that stated  "It's not about the amount of intelligence you have...it's about how you learn how to use it!"

     The same can be said for education. So many have a degree that they don't use, or they stop using once they are "done" with school. After feeling sorry for myself for about a minute...I got mad...then got thinking. A very good friend of mine that has his MBA with a concentration in marketing told me "Your knowledge is so much more valuable than my MBA. The fact that you read as much as you do, keep current as religiously as you do makes your information surpass most degrees." Well this made me feel a little better. Ever since I graduated from beauty school I have continued my education. I have spent countless hours on educating me, and not just in the traditional ways. I have studied my mentors, read countless books and invested in hundreds of seminars/webinars and workshops. By concentrating my efforts and studies in a very small targeted area it has enabled me to be somewhat of an expert in my field. 30+ years in and I'm still learning, still growing, still exploring. I am honored to get asked to speak, write and train in an industry I love so much. So piece of paper or not, I pulled up my big girl pants and put that comment where it belonged...in my SPAM folder. I have learned just as much from my failures, maybe more, than my successes. And after all isn't that what this life/work game is about. How you play it? I welcome your comments...as long as they are not anonymous!

Beauty Classic 2012

      Today's segment is a show report from Premiere Columbus. First stop was the Dashing Diva Booth to speak with Mary Jo Zwirowski about their new fall products. We got a look at the new wrap designs that were beautiful as well as the base and top gel system. Her clients are getting two week wear with the Design fx topped off with their base and top gel. It has superior flexibility and can be used with any other system, it also cures in both UV or LED lights. You can also layer other fx before the final top coat. Patti@Fashion week Their new colors fx are available November 1st. I posted a link on our Facebook page that features Patty Yankee and these awesome new appliqués she used at Fashion Week. Check out more here Dashing Diva

     Next I visited the OPI booth and talked to Kelly Hettesheimer a guest artist from Charleston South Carolina. She showed me the new Skyfall 007 Bond colors featuring The Man with the Golden Gun 18karat top coat. It has actual flakes of 18karat gold in it. They also have a Sky fall 007 Magnetic Lacquer and magnetizer for 3 different designs in IS that Silva? self explanatory, Bond James Bond gold obviously, and Morning money Penny, a rich burgundy red. To round out the promotion they are offering 4 new pure lacquer nail apps, which is their nail appliqué. And last but not least the 6 piece limited edition "Bond" gel color kit. Check out more here OPI

      I ran into Jaime Schrabeck at the Light Elegance booth who was teaching 5 classes at the show. She was thrilled her classes were standing room only. I did mention we were talking about feet all this month and asked her if she would like to come on and talk about her waterless pedicure, so hopefully we can make that happen. Check out her website here Precision Nails

      Darcy Olin educator extraordinaire from Orwell New York shared all the new and exciting things going on at Light Elegance. They have launched their new Poppy paints, small pots of highly pigmented gel that take your nail art to a whole new level. They have a slight 3 d effect and this introductory line is now available in 8 spectacular metallic colors. They also launched Pretties, loose powdered pigments to enhance any nail design that can be added to both gels and acrylics for one of a kind works of art. They have two packs, Primary Pretties with shimmers and mattes and Effect Pretties with out there shimmer and sparkles. Very cool stuff. They also launched their nail art brush collection with 6 new brushed and 4 new bling brushes. Check out more here Light Elegance

 

      I spoke with Gina Cella from CND for a few minutes before her sold out Flavor of the season class. I got to see up close and personal their new fall shades and a sneak peek at the two holiday shades Ruby Ritz and Tinsel toast , both shimmers. Check out more here CND

 

      I stopped at the Venique booth to see what that was about. It offers the newest technology called Sil-tek. It actually integrates silicone into the top coat allowing the polish to expand and contract, almost like saran wrap. It Their top coat also boasts added diamond dust for enhanced strength and superior shine. Their nail lacquer flexes with the nail for longer lasting wear. The base begins the process with a tacky film creating an anchor for polish preventing chips and peeling. Check out more here Venique Nails We also sat in on MaeLing Parrish's gelish class. Who knew in Ohio we would have the honor of a cover girl in our class, but MaeLing is actually from Columbus. She is getting ready to head out to Brea California for a national educator training. She shared her new House of Gelish colors, and don't you all be Gelish when I start posting these fabulous colors. Her class was jam packed with top tips from a true gel master.

      We also got to see how she created those fabulous cover nails. She is on this month's NAILS magazine and she will be on December too. Check it out here NAILS

She also said they are launching new colors at Premiere that are so fabulous she couldn't even talk about them...well she told me but I'm sworn to secrecy..just kidding, I told her I was going to say that. So that's it for the Premiere Beauty Classic.

Retention Marketing

      What is great marketing without great retention? Do you know your retention rate? Out of 100 new customers do you know how many are still coming in one year later? Do you know the industry standard?
Unfortunately the most recent statistics posted online have the average retention rate at about 30 percent. So 30 out of that hundred stayed on as a client, worse yet that's 3 out of 10. Not such a great rate. So with social media, rewards companies and gurus praising electronic marketing and push notifications why are retention rates still this low? How on earth can you move the needle and get a larger percentage to stay loyal to you? Basically you need to quit pushing your agenda and start listening to your clients. Salon loyalty is not what it used to be. I have to blame GroupOn for that, well some of that. Their ridiculous service discounts offered your guest the opportunity to try out another salon, basically about the same caliber as yours, let's be honest. There is a certain sea of sameness among mid-level salons out there. Actually all levels have about the same feel and experience. So what is it you are truly doing to keep your guests coming back, remaining loyal. A Facebook contest? A discount for a last minute appointment? I read an interesting article over the weekend called Need a better enewsletter? Think like a drug dealer on Inc.com. While I don't advocate we drug our clients, although there are those few.. the point was to make them addicted to your content so they can't wait for their next fix. Is your salon and service addictive? You need it to be so they wouldn't even think of going elsewhere. How do you create addictive service? Well there are quite a few strategies that help prevent your clients slipping through the cracks and finding another dealer.

      Be current. You truly need to be up on the latest trends. Do you have to buy the master kit at every show? No. Don't send me hate mail, but you can find most of the new trends at the hobby stores. Once you see if it is a trend that works for you, then you can invest in the master professional kit. Keeping current is also reading the latest nail blogs, trade magazines and listening to Nail Talk Radio. And if the quality of your work is poor, they won't be back, end of story.
Check out what the competition is doing. Maybe not next door but across town. Shankman states in his article" No matter how good your business is, if you’re not monitoring your competition, you’re losing to them. Those who don’t learn from their competitors are doomed to be eaten by them." The only way to really find out if you are better is to be on the same side of the service as your clients. One of my best additions to my basic service was to add heat mitts, when I was offered these at a discount salon and yes, it is still within my 30 minute manicure service.

      Follow up with each and every client. If you are going to use a rewards program Keep it simple sweetie. If they have to rack up points in the hundreds of thousands, really? Mine is simple. I hand each client referral cards. The new client gets 15% off their first service, my current client gets $5 off their next service. Appreciation goes a long way. Follow up each new guest visit with a phone call or a thank you letter. Keeping in touch with clients "just because" is a great way to build a relationship of loyalty. Building loyalty is going above and beyond, with the economic climate what it is most everybody is nice, listens and offers a technically good service. You must go way past what is standard. Tune in next week for more ideas on going above and beyond standard to outstanding.

NailtechsUnite!

      Last week I spoke about creating or joining a mastermind group. This week I think I found another one. Today I spoke at the first meeting of Nail Techs Unite, founded by Tiffany Jones of Cleveland. The vision of NailtechsUnite is to unite nail technicians by creating an environment that uses sharing to hone technical skills, social skills and professional skills. When LaDosha Wright, another hairdresser friend forwarded me the information about this event last week I immediately emailed Tiffany and asked how I could help and offered to speak. Tiffany welcomed me aboard and even shared at the event today that she had never had someone offer to help her and was thrilled. I have wanted to get a nailtech networking event together for some time now and this was the perfect meeting of the minds.

      To begin Tiffany did something very cool. She had us pair off with someone we did not know and ask them a few questions, five or so things they wanted people to know about themselves and they did the same for us. She then had us introduce our new friend and share this information with the group. It was a great way to get to know a bit more about each person.

 

      Next she shared a bit about herself and went over her ideas of professionalism. When we criticize one nail tech we criticize all nail techs. We are only as good as the company we keep, the technicians we encourage, the professionals we teach. To be professional we need to be consistent. Keep regular hours, provide the same service, be pleasant to all, consistently. We need to have commitment. Commit to our profession. Dress for success keep up with the latest trends. We need to have good communication. Whether you email, text or Facebook with clients, make sure you are in constant communication with them. Tiffany has different specials or her twitter followers, her Facebook fans, her text clients and her email clients. With technology today there is no reason to not keep up with our clients. Educate your customer. Explain why they need to book on a regular basis, why they need retail products to maintain their professional service at home. Educate them about the different services and products. She used the term UV color, instead of shellac or gelish, I liked that. Share information with other nailtechs. Don't get into the backbiting mentality. Share what you know and be a blessing to others and it will come back tenfold. Sanitize/sterilize. Whatever your choice, make sure you are keeping up with state board standards. In Ohio we can only use a file once. Tiffany suggests giving away to the client the used board or buffer block and emphasize these are one use items, Would you like this before I throw it away? Don't skimp if you are running short on time or tools. It's your business and its integrity after all, honor it. Set boundaries for your space. Don't let your clients ruin your workspace with food or drink, messing up your work. Stay educated. Read trade magazines, listen to Nail Talk radio, ok I added that one, attend trade shows and business classes. Our clients want to know what is new, we must keep up on trends and keep our business current. And last but not least be passionate. Tiffany admits she would rather do nails than just about anything. Clients sense our passion for what we do and enjoy being a part of it.

 

       Brittany Nail diva Foster also spoke. Brittany has been a nail tech for 11 years and stepped out on faith two years ago and opened her own salon and started her own natural nail product line. Brittany also spoke about professionalism and building your brand. She shared her humble beginnings from doing all her own graphics and a wix site to now having a graphic designer and web designer. As her salon and product line grew she reinvested money into her business and upgraded her brand. This was so refreshing to hear. Too many nailtechs put the cart before the horse and end up out of the race. She talked about the importance of retailing, that 60% of her revenue comes from it and she had free samples for all of us. And me, well you guessed it, I spoke on marketing. Tiffany would like to have this networking event once a month and provide a forum for help and guidance so we all grow stronger together. If you don't have a group in your town, be the group, start networking with other area nailtechs and learn how to market your businesses together.

Tips for Building an Online Presence

Today's tip comes from Jeff walker. 16 years ago Jeff went from Mr. mom with no job and no resume to running a million dollar Internet company. Jeff shared his marketing tips for building this amazing Internet business. Here are a few I want to share. To see the full list visit success.com.

1. Always be building your list and your relationship with your list. Your list is an import asset to your business. Make sure your guard this list and your relationship. Don't sell the list or abuse the privilege of it by overusing it.
2. Only sell what your market wants. Watch which promotions and services get the most interest and trust your instincts and what your clients and not what you want to offer.
3. Take the long view. Dont chase today's dollar too hard without long term thinking.
4. Don't depend on a single source of traffic. Consider joint ventures, Facebook, twitter, you tube, google+ and pinterest. Seo, press releases, blogs, articles. Online advertising.

1. Get out of your salon and go to live events. Donate your time and talents to fund raisers, community events etc. If you can't attend offer to send a goodie bag with info about your salon, special offers, free samples.
2. The purpose of a sale is to create a raving fan. Make sure to deliver a great service great products and a great experience. Then let your customers become your evangelist in the socially connected world. X
3. Create value. The path to long term success offline is to make sure you're creating massive value that your clients determine, not you.
4. The power of the mastermind is huge. If you dont have a mastermind group get in one or create your own. Putting enough entrepreneur s in one place will always be a wealth of information. The format is to put a business challenge out there and brainstorm about the solutions. After all it's much more fun to solve someone else's challenges that your own.
5. Sell with the human touch, steer clear of sounding too corporate. People want todo business with people not a company.

     6. It's all about the baby steps. Your first website might stink, your first newsletter might be

          awful,   just keep moving forward with your ideas. One foot in front of another. No one starts a           million dollar company overnight. Focusing your plan and keep putting one foot in front of            the  other and it will happen .

       Getting back to the mastermind group concept, I'm actually driving back from Wisconsin tonight from my good friend Gina Malson,s open house. I met Gina and Chelly Eric and Carol Ervin as educators almost twenty years ago and we have been brainstorming ever since. We surprised Gina and showed up for her open house tonight. If you don't have a nail tech mastermind group, there is not one other thing you can do that will be more valuable to you and your business.

Power in an Outside Voice

 

      Today's tip of the week comes from an inspirational post from Jon Gordon. I subscribe to his newsletter and today's newsletter was titled The Power of an Outside Voice and it had nothing to do with volume. According to his Facebook page Jon Gordon is a speaker and bestselling author. He helps organizations develop positive engaged leaders and winning teams. He shared what a CEO told him after he had just spoken with this company. " Jon, never underestimate the power of an outside voice. We brought you in here to reinforce our message" he said, "Our folks get tired of hearing us say it but when it comes from and outside voice it's new, fresh and exciting." we can all understand this statement, especially if you're a parent. Sometimes the people you are trying to influence with your message have you on mute. Bring in however, an outside influence, even with the same exact message and all of a sudden the ear buds come out. The newsletter goes on to state how important it is to bring outside messengers to your team, so here's the twist. From a marketing position you can apply this to your marketing message by way of outside voices called testimonials. If over 45% of purchases made are through a social media recommendation now is the time to harness the power of your fans. A glowing endorsement from a client can be worth a years advertising budget. Potential clients ears will perk up when they hear a testimonial. Imagine how your message may sound over and over to the same audience. Change it up with client feedback.

       So how do you get this valuable feedback? Obviously approaching first time clients may throw them off. You might want to wait till they have visited a few times, timing is everything. You can solicit feedback via verbal comments, emails, thank you notes and customer surveys. When you are nurturing these valuable client relationships by offering outstanding service most customers would be thrilled to give you a glowing report if you asked. Here are a few things to consider to get the most benefit from these raving fans. Always get their permission before using any one's words. Never rewrite their testimonial without their approval. Include their name, job title and company, even a picture helps. You can get different types of testimonials like written, audio or video. While written are the most frequently used audio and video testimonials have proven to be more effective. Not everyone is a great writer. You can coach them, especially if they say they don't know what to say! Offer a few examples of others you have gotten to help get positive results. Make sure they are specific. Yes they had a nice service but what specifically made it really special? Steamed towels? Custom blend colors? Fast efficient service with no waiting? Think about what other clients might find attractive about your business that meets their needs, or solves their problems. Some recommend at least 12 business testimonials so be proactive. As an example I'll include one of my unsolicited testimonials from a fan.

    Hi, Millie!
              I ordered your new marketing book a few weeks ago and I have not been able to put it down! I am enjoying all of the great ideas and am ready to kick things up a notch or two. I just wanted to say thanks for all that you do and for sharing and giving such inspiration. I also appreciated the little handwritten note that you added to the first page of the book I ordered. Nobody I know does that, but it was a great surprise and made my day! Thanks again!

Carrie Sanders

Topeka, KS

Give Back=Get Back

      October is breast cancer awareness month and a great way to give back and market your business at the same time. There are so many ways to get involved and give back. Consider partnering with an area restaurant for Manicure Mondays for the cure one night or every Monday in October. Set up at a local hot spot offering mini manicures or nail art and offer to donate a portion of the evenings proceeds to Breast cancer research. Make sure the restaurant includes the event in all their marketing emails and posters. Put up flyers at local coffee houses and anywhere else that allows community event postings. Events at your salon can be just as rewarding. Manicures for the cure can be offered all month with a portion of each service donated. You can also add nail art for an extra two dollar donation.

      Call your local Cancer center or the National Breast Cancer Foundation and they will send you a ton of marketing materials like self exam postcards, pink ribbon reminders and more literature than you could imagine. They are more than willing to send as much as they can for free to help support your event. Make sure to get postcards in the mail, put an event up on Facebook or in Eventbrite even on Yelp and twitter. Remember on social media especially twitter to send this out several times a week to make sure you get as much exposure as you can.

      Partner with a local med center or cancer center. Ask to speak with the office manager and offer a certain percentage off any service for every woman that gets a mammogram in October, or put together a free gift like a sample hand cream, mini pink polish, pink emery board and sample nail oil. Have the literature up on mirrors, in the bathroom, at the front desk and at your nail table to spread the word and encourage women to get this often times life saving procedure. Offer a free gift or free upgrade to any client that gets a mammogram in October. Offer a contest in your salon for a pamper day to a breast cancer survivor. Encourage your clients to nominate a survivor by sending their story in by email or snail mail. The year we did this we were so touched by the many stories of amazing bravery and courage that we ended up sending each one a $15.00 gift card. They were so appreciative and our client who nominated them was so proud to share this opportunity including bragging rights that her salon values the health and well being of women in the community and isn't holding back but giving back. The good will generated by an all out Breast Cancer month is priceless. Make sure you are writing press releases about your specials and events and invite the local news anchors to your salon to experience it firsthand.

      If you are in a plaza you may want to contact the local mobile mammogram center and offer your parking lot one weekend in October to host mobile mammograms. Every tenant in the plaza can put together their own special offer and put together a fabulous goodie bag. Contact the local radio stations and offer to host a live broadcast from the venue. Newspapers, TV stations and radio stations love to get involved in the local businesses especially when companies are giving back to the community. Make sure you have plenty of business cards, salon ,menus and ways to capture contact information. And by all means follow up follow up follow up with each and every possible new guest with preferably a hand written note for helping support the cause so important to so many. Unfortunately I don't think there is any one of us that has not had this horrible cancer impact their life in one way or another. We touch so many lives in such a positive way all day, all week , and all year. We can reach so many others and have such an important impact by putting together a special month to possibly make a difference in another's life. It just could be the difference between life and death.