Gear Up for the Holidays

As the fall weather moves in, people’s attention turns to gifts, wrap, and holiday parties. Lucky for us, we can help clients meet their needs in all three areas.

Now is the time to start thinking about your holiday nail art line-up. You should be assembling a display board of easy to complete, quick designs that can turn a plain manicure or enhancement into a fashion accessory in no time. Imagine adding $5 to every service ticket over the holiday season. That’s conservative. While you are at it, don’t forget about those party toes. With all of that holiday shopping and prepping comes fatigue. Add a quick foot massage to the menu to quickly recharge weary clients. Charge by the minute with increments as low as 5 minutes. This is a great way for our clients to sneak in some pampering. The first year I offered mini foot massages, I didn’t have enough time to accommodate everyone. Now the clients ask as soon as they walk in the door. Everyone loves a foot rub!

Okay, your client is seated in the chair enjoying their service and a cup of tea. What do they see as they look around? Create mini retail areas in their direct line of sight. Baskets of products, paired with gift certificates, testers, and literature will keep them interested. Impulse buying is at its height during the holidays. Start placing orders now and have plenty of lotions, oils, and bath and body products around.

Encourage clients to purchase a gift certificate for themselves. Offer a buy one, get one at a discount and you can busy up those post holiday downtimes. Imagine for every gift certificate that your client buys for one of her friends, she can purchase one for herself at 10% off! Tuck free gift certificates for paraffin dips into gift baskets to encourage the recipients to come in and partake of salon services.

When it’s time to tally up the purchases, don’t forget the wrap. Offer gift wrap or bag services and it will be one less thing your client has to think about. Gift bags are inexpensive and have a fairly high markup. It just makes the whole experience more polished.

Offer to deliver the purchases to the client’s car when the sale is final. If you plan to take care of them, the client will take care of you long after the holiday season has passed.