Increase Client Visits Using a Menu & Maintenance Plan

In today’s economic climate, consumers are cutting back on frequency to restaurants and services. This current trend effects a salon’s overall income and shrinks the value of the color business. For instance, a client that maintains their color in a timely manner will be a better visual advertiser for the salon and thus produce more visits and guest referrals for long-term sustainability.

Ideally, for many color services, clients should return within a four to six week period. However, each visit represents an added expense to the average household budget and more and more people are cutting back on visits in today’s economy.

How are we going to increase a client’s salon visit under these circumstances without losing clients to a lower price-point salon and without discounting services?

A maintenance plan is the answer.

So what is a maintenance plan? Well, it is an overall list of services, procedures and scheduled visits needed to maintain the clients color needs within a calendar year. Maintenance plans, along with a well-defined color menu (with every option possible listed), allow stylists to pick and choose services that are more affordable for the guest, rather than discounting services, which may weaken the salon’s long-term brand-image. More importantly, it allows for more frequent visits to the salon, which increases traffic flow and overall revenue.

The HeadMapping service menu in ColorBiz has 28 different options available to clients. These options can be used either in combinations to create customized looks or as individual services for the maintenance plan to accommodate the client’s hair color and budget needs. In regards to ColorLights (ColorBiz’s highlight’s service menu), HM offers 8 different partials and one full service option, which increases communication between stylists and guests, eliminates gray-area in pricing, and allows clients to receive excellent services on a budget.

For example, service providers’ can downsize from a Full Panel Division AB $110 (more of a partial) to a Full Panel Division A $90 (less of a partial) to save the client $20. Also, for in-between double process colors, service providers can also add a second Newgrowth/ColorBalance service to the maintenance plan, to extend the Colorlight service and make it more affordable for guests with gray coverage.

In the revised maintenance plan, the client is not paying $185 every 5 weeks. Rather, the client pays $185 every 15 weeks, with the lower-priced services inbetween, extending the life of the hair color and the maintenance plan. This plan would save the client over a $100, depending on the service and get them in within the 5-week cycle. In the long term, the client comes in more frequently and the salon generates more income.

Below is an example of $100 service visits in a year and what they represent in terms of dollar amount.

12 week maintenance plan = 4 visits a year
4 x $100=$400

10 week maintenance plan = 5 visits a year
5 x $100=$500

8 week maintenance plan = 6 visits a year
6 x $100=$600

6 week maintenance plan = 8 visits a year
8 x $100=$800

5 week maintenance plan = 10 visits a year
10 x $100=$1,000

4 week maintenance plan = 12 visits a year
12 x $100=$1,200

3 week maintenance plan = 16 visits a year
16 x $100=$1,600

Tags: Aveda, Claudio, SalonBiz, Tecnology, Walter

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Comment by Walter Claudio on March 22, 2011 at 10:49pm: Hey Jerry,

Great question! Well our situation is a bit different because we normally operate in service teams. Clients get out in and out in a timely manner Application times are reduced by 50% when 2 or more members are doing the application. So to answer your question a ColorBalance (roots to ends) is 30min. ColorLights (Full Head) 45min. Most services are completed within this time frame, so there is always opportunities for up-sells.

Comment by Jerry Morgan on March 22, 2011 at 9:01pm: Talking about coloring, how long do clients spend in your salon for highlights and for color?

Comment by Walter Claudio on March 21, 2011 at 9:31pm: Very well put my dear! You are part of a new generation of young professionals that operate within standards that deliver pricing integrity and offer creative options to wow the client! Keep up the great work Lexie!!

Comment by Lexie Nicole Faust on March 21, 2011 at 9:20pm: As an artist and a natural people-pleaser, I find working within a guest's budget to find the best beauty regimen for that guest stimulating. Guest's not only want to look great, but have sustainability as well. With thorough consultation and the use of the HeadMapping menu, stylists are empowered to find solutions for guest's in every situation, monetary or not.

I like to WOW my new guest's with what I call "the-whole-shabang" so they can see the benefit of having haircolor on every strand to find the perfect tone/dimension for that guest. During the consultation - something I believe to be almost the most important aspect of any service - I explain to that guest using the HM menu how to maintain beautiful hair color with a series of questions based on frequency of visits, hair needs (i.e. gray coverage), budgets, etc. Sometimes, it's a ColorBalance (roots to ends). Other times, it's highlights, inbetween foils colorbalance, and a colortone/gloss. There are numerous combination's. Either way, to pin-point the guest's needs during the consultation is imperative. Using the HM menu, stylist's can create maintenance plans within given needs and guest's get no surprises. It's a win-win!

Comment by Walter Claudio on March 20, 2011 at 11:32am: Alia, Yes both Patrick and Bobbi committed their color business to HM a few years back, because they saw how it would impact their business. As early adopters, they forge forward with implementation and training and successfully transformed their business model. You are part of a great salon my friend! I love hearing it from a service provider’s perspective because that is the direct point of contact with the guest! Yes your right, both client and service providers have options with HM! I also have seen it as a confidence builder when it comes to pricing procedures. Most service providers have been given the responsibility for pricing color services but have not been given the tools or training to responsibility charge accurately from service-to-service and guest-to-guest. Isn’t great not to worry about pricing and focus on providing creative great color results? Keep up the great work my friend!

Comment by Alia Trudgeon on March 20, 2011 at 9:17am: Walter, I've been at Mango for a year now. I started out with my license and have done the advanced training program we have. I've been on the floor a few days per week since October. Mango has been using HeadMapping for a few years now, I think. It's such a great tool to have! We use Millenium for our book. Probably the biggest advantage I've seen with HeadMapping as a stylist is that it makes it so much easier to communicate with guests about what service they're getting, what options they might have, and price point. It's a wonderful thing to be able to say "This is what I recommend, it will be this much, does that work with your beauty budget." Having something concrete is a great thing!

Comment by Kim Hansen on March 19, 2011 at 5:35pm: @ Walter thanks for the applause!

@ Kathrine Walter is the brains behind headmapping. He would be the very best one to speak with. Amazingly brillant man.....I would love to talk to you as well...owner to owner :)

Comment by Walter Claudio on March 19, 2011 at 11:22am: Kim,

You need to give yourself credit because cultural shifts don't happen through osmosis. It takes a great leader with vision, focus and passion. Remember the term “fanatical implementation” will that’s what you did my friend. You changed the DNA of your business and I applaud you!

Lupe, you are spot right on in regards to teams. A team needs a leader and your team is Blessed to have your insight into HCM and your talent as one of the top colorist in the industry! We created service teams in our culture years ago and have not looked back!

Kathryn,

We can connect directly and we can discuss the process of HeadMapping and how it can change your current business model into a lean, green, color machine!

Comment by Kim Hansen on March 19, 2011 at 8:44am: @ Kathrine I have done headmapping since 2006 with out Salon Biz. When we started it, it was still being beta tested so we didn't have the opportunity to use the software. Now that is is out and functional I would love to have it in my salon. I am sure it would just add that much more efficency, but we do so great without it it just hasn't been a priority. It's very amazing how it orgcanically changes the enviroment of the salon.

@ Lupe yes it's true, as owners we always have a lot on our plate. It's another tool we can use to systemize our mode of operation, to make our lives so much easier. Who doesn't love that!!!

Comment by Lupe Voss on March 19, 2011 at 12:14am: Kim, That is awesome! It sounds as if it builds a "team environment", too. How amazing is that to have a salon full of colorist/stylist that have strong systems which builds confidence?

Walter,

We all need a standard and direction. A mindful set of operations is a gift... As a salon owner it can be overwhelming with our daily "ins and outs". It can also be overwhelming setting up operations and systems. Thanks for this!