Latest / Salon Success Secrets — The podcast for salon owners who are done hustling harder and ready to break their revenue ceiling. / Welcome Tours That Wow!

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Welcome Tours That Wow! · Salon Success Secrets — The podcast for salon owners who are done hustling harder and ready to break their revenue ceiling.

• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Today we are going to be talking about a super awesome way to stand out when a new guest arrives to your salon.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: How can you really just create that wow experience right away to really start to cultivate and develop a great relationship with a new guest inside of your salon?
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we're going to talk about welcome tours, that wow.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: And you know, I had the opportunity to visit a boutique the other day.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: When I walked in, it's like oh, how can we help you?
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: And that was it.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: And then they walked away and I said, no, I'm fine, I'm good.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: So when we take that back into the salon world, like our first impression is when they walk through that door, so how can we literally roll out the red carpet for them?
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: So they're like, wow, I don't know what it is about that salon.
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: I feel different when I leave and I feel different in a much more beautiful way.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Yes, and so if, if, you would love to create that experience for all of your clients that walk into your space, today's podcast is going to be an amazing roadmap.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: We're going to give you actionable tools to utilize right away inside of your company to really start creating that experience to where people are just raving fans of your company.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: And so we have four simple steps to follow, and don't worry if you have a front desk or if that is one of your goals to eventually add in a front desk.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: We're going to cover all areas of the market and just give you some actionable items that you can implement today.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Awesome.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: So let's talk about step one, super easy step.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Step one is the signature greeting, and we use the word signature because that means we want it to be warm, welcoming, welcoming but consistent throughout.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: And so that would be like a client walking through your doors and you're like, hey, do you have an appointment?
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Or you know, another client walked through your doors and like, hey, what's your first name?
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: So like that is inconsistent.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: So when we talk about a luxury experience or we talk about a brand, like to make sure that you're using that uniform language that is consistent throughout, like the guests feel that difference and it feels more natural for them.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: We're like, wow, I'm excited to be here.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: So just thinking about, like what words?
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: What is your welcome message?
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: When they walk in, we like to use the words welcome back.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: We went to a church outing.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: I think we were there, I think you were there, lindsay and we went to a church outing for a retreat not to make this religious or anything but and we got out of the car it was our first time there and they were like welcome back.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: And at that moment I was like man, that feels different.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: Like you feel like you belong to a place, and so that's one example or an idea that you can use.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: As someone walks through that door, welcome back, and then you know, depending on if they're a new client or returning client, you always want to use their first name because there's so much power and someone knowing your name.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: And you know, I think that we have all experienced the opposite feeling of that welcome back feeling.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: You know, and you might even be thinking, welcome back, they haven't even been here before.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: But really, what welcome back signifies is, like Jen mentioned you belong here.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter if this is your first time or if you've been here a hundred times.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: Like welcome back, we are excited to have you here.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: But when you've had that exact opposite experience, you know, I don't know if, you know, I've walked into a nail salon before where literally, they just, you know, say, pick your color and point to the wall of a million nail polishes and they didn't even know what I was there for.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: You know, I could have been there to purchase a gift certificate or, you know, whatever else it was they have to offer, but instead they just automatically assumed that I had an appointment.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: And so, you know, I think that that's something to just really dive into.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: If you have, you know, that team at the welcome desk that will be, you know, we'll be performing these tours of.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: You know, what is it that we want to create?
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: What's the feeling that we want to create for our customers when they walk in the door?
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Because we want to all have that consistent greeting, like Jen mentioned, but we also want to have consistent energy.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: We want to smile, maintain eye contact, use the name, like Jen mentioned, whenever possible, and so really getting crystal clear on what your signature greeting is, I think is huge, and to me it's one of the most cringeworthy things that occasionally I'll still hear it and it's just a great coaching moment when somebody walks in and somebody says do you have an appointment or anything other than welcome back, welcome in, we're excited to see you and you know, and just starting to create that connection right away, you know, I think we need to if we want people to purchase retail and gift certificates and come in when they don't have an appointment and create a space for even walk-ins if there's the opportunity.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Making sure that we make everyone feel welcome in that signature greeting.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: I think it's going to be one of the key pieces here.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Mm.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Hmm, you know, somebody, a salon owner, wanted to ask me well, jen, like this is great, but usually the people that are part of my hospitality team are front desk.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: They're all so young, how do I get them to have that consistent greeting?
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: And I said, well, let's think about Chick-fil-A, because I know most of you know what Chick-fil-A is and you know they have that special greeting, my pleasure.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: And so, like it is possible.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: So I would just make sure that you're checking in with your beliefs, because if you do have that belief, oh, they're just young, they don't know what's going on.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Like they can be openitz Carlton, and in that book they take actually homeless people off the street, bring them into the Ritz to start training them, to give them an opportunity for a job.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: And when somebody was interviewing these people that were giving this opportunity, they're like what was the greatest thing about this opportunity?
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: And they said the greatest thing about this opportunity was that they remembered my name.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: And so, you know, they're homeless, they get shelter now they get, they're making money, but the greatest thing to them was that they, somebody, remembered their name.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: And so, like that just shows you the importance of knowing someone's name.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: And you know.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: I like to say we like to say you can safe social stock and like if you have a new guest, like check them out really quick and that way you can put a face to a name Cause just imagine when you walk in somewhere new and they already know your name.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Like that's creating that trust factor, that's building that relationship and that really can help set the tone for the reservation.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: That's such a powerful story and you know such a simple thing to do.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: It doesn't cost you any additional money and you know, really the return on that is huge, because you already start to feel connected to that individual and they start to feel connected to you, which leads us into that second step of wowing at the welcome tour.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: You know of creating connection, and so step two is going to be creating connection, and so this is really where you're going to want to dive into creating that personal connection with the client that you're about to serve, you know.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: So you want to make the clients feel comfortable and understood, and so when you're creating, when you're working on, you know, creating the best welcome tour, you know, think about like, hey, we're not just here to.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: You know, tell them bolts and facts and stuff about us, and this is not about us, this is about the person that we're about to serve.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: This is about our client, um, and so, you know, actively listen to them, ask them open ended questions, you know, like, what are you most looking forward to about your experience with us today?
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: Or you know, how can I help make your time more comfortable during your visit with us?
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: Asking them, you know, some genuine questions that you're interested in.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: You know, if they have something that they're wearing that stands out to you, you know, offering them a compliment and creating connection through that way is great.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: Like if they've got a cute brown bag you're like I love wearing brown bags.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: Like you know, whatever it might be that you see, if you can look for a way to kind of create that connection where, like, I see you and me and they can then see you and them, that really can help create that successful connection right away and people who feel connected to another person just automatically want to listen more, they're more receptive.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: It really starts to set the stage before they even meet their service provider for an exceptional experience with you.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: They're already like wow, this is way different than anywhere else I've ever been before.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it reminds me when we started doing tours a long long time ago.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: They were like people weren't really enrolled in the tour.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: I don't think they liked the tours and I said, okay, let's review of like what's happening and this is how it would go.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: You know, welcome back.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: Do you have an appointment?
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: What's your name?
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: Get you all checked in.
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: Okay, I'm going to give you a salon tour, but what happens in that moment?
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Like Lindsay was saying, there's no connection.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: So I love that you said.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: You know, just using those open-ended questions or finding some points of similarities or giving them a compliment helps to build that connection.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Because then, once you build that connection, you can continue the building blocks of like.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: By the way, hey, I'm just going to show you around today so you can get acclimated to where everything is.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: We're so excited to have you.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: So just remember that too.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: And so when we move on to the third step of wowing at the welcome desk, it's going to wowing for a salon tour in the welcome desk.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: It's going to be what's in it for them, like.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: This is what I noticed a lot of times with salon tours is like you know, this is we carry Redken, we carry Pureology, we carry Kevin Murphy, whatever it may be.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: You know, this is our, this is our styling area, this is our color room, this is our shampoo room.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: Well, that's all great, but, like, really, when we're talking about serving, like, we want to let them know that we're here to find solutions to their greatest hair and skin challenges.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: And so, you know, using words that bring light and life to someone and show them that, hey, you probably have a solution for a challenge that you're facing.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: And so you know, like one idea would be, we say, like this is our salon stage.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: Our goal is to make you leave feeling beautiful inside and out.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: We are a team-based salon, so for us to achieve that goal, you may get the opportunity to work with more than one service provider, and so that already sets the stage for, hey, you know what?
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: This is awkward I've never seen two people working together on one client.
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: It already sets the stage on that, because they understand what's in it for them is for them to leave feeling beautiful inside and out.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: And if you're thinking Whoa, whoa, whoa, jen, you have more than one person working on a client and your salon space.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Yes, If you want to hear more about how you create an epic master's program, check out.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: We will have a future episode soon about that.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: But you know, letting people know like hey, this is a team-based salon, whether you know people are already working with multiple service providers, which we would say like hey, it doesn't matter how big your team is.
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: You know, when we have a mission to serve as a salon team, we're all going to serve it.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: So it doesn't matter if a guest is sitting in one person's chair.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: They are a guest of the salon and so you know we are going to treat that client with the utmost respect and do whatever it takes to serve up on the mission to help them feel beautiful inside and out, you know.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: And so when you, when you pass on that point of difference, you know, like Jen mentioned, make sure that you're focusing in on what's in it for them.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: So even if you're going to talk about, you know, hair extensions, for example, you know you might point out that you have a wall of you know hair solutions to help people add volume or length to their hair.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: You know so, just you know, making sure that you kind of set it up in a way that they're like okay, so, like I understand what's in it for me.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Like I, I saw that hair over there and I had no idea what it was.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: So now that you've told me what it is and you know you, you could even ask them like have you ever wanted more length or thickness to your hair?
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: And you know if they say yes or no, you know if they already have tons and tons of hair, they might say no, not at all.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: And you can say well, no worries, we also offer additional solutions, like Brazilian blowouts or keratin complex treatments or whatever it might be.
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: So we're just here to serve all of your needs and so, if you know, later we'll get the opportunity to talk with a service provider and dive into those even deeper.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: But here's just a few of the solutions that we have already and that really starts to point out like hey, that's what's in it for them.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: They know that you're a team-based environment.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: I think that's one of the key things to get across in that welcome tour, just so that you already start to paint the picture like hey, because not everybody's going to be the perfect fit for that first service provider that they see.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: And so, like letting them know like hey, this is, we want you to see as many people as possible.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: We work together as a team.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: You know, multiple people might blow dry and they might color, they might, you know, do any of these things.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: You don't have to get too detailed about what that looks like.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: What Jen mentioned was just perfect, but just pointing it out like hey, this is, we're here for you and we want this to be about your experience.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: This isn't a stylist driven experience.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: This is truly a client driven experience.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: We want to do whatever it takes to make it an amazing visit for you.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: Awesome, yeah, I love that.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: And you know, this is really really where you start at the front and kind of walk them through the salon too and to make sure that, like Lindsay was saying, you point out those points of difference.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: And I think language has so much power.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: So because if you say, oh, this is our color area here, like, think of, like, how could you transform that word and make it luxury to you?
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: Like this is our color lab lab, where we're excited to make your color dreams come true.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: You know, this is our relaxation room, our treatment room, whatever you want to call it there, instead of, hey, this is our shampoo area, come check it out.
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: Like, if you're really starting to or want to create that luxurious touch, to make sure that your words are matching that experience for them, because already in their head, just by saying relaxation room, they probably picture themselves kind of sitting back there in a relaxation state, thinking, oh man, this is nice.
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: And then you can point out little points of difference for them to like, oh, this is a relaxation room where you'll get to enjoy a hand massage or a hot towel or, you know, eye mask, whatever it may be for you.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: So I think that really helps them to start painting that picture of what the experience is going to be like and it really helps to raise their excitement.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: Man.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: That makes me want to get a nice little hot towel scalp massage right now.
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: So I think that's wonderful, you know.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: And then also just thinking about you know human needs, I think is a great thing to kind of touch on too.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: And while you're with us today, here's where the restrooms are located.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: We've got drinks that will be, depending upon the welcome email and stuff that you send out.
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: You might already know what their drink of choice is, but just letting them know, like we've got some offerings for you of drinks, and then we also, if there's any at all, that we can help make your visit with us, you know, more enjoyable.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: We've got a basket of, you know, random medications, personal care items, chargers, anything you might need during our visit.
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: If you think of anything, we're here to help assist you in that.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: So just letting them know about some of those things.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: You know, we used to always joke around in the salon and say, oh, I would totally cringe if somebody asked where the bathroom was, because I knew that they didn't get a tour.
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: And you know, one time we were joking around about that and then I gave somebody a salon tour and showed them where the bathroom was, and literally as we were walking back up they said and where's the bathroom?
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: My team was like that was so great, because I was like, well, it's not going to make me cringy anymore, but because I told them you know, but there's just a lot of information to get out, and but they felt so comfortable, you know and, and really all joking aside about that, it's just, you know, letting people know like, hey, I want you to feel at home in this space, I want you to you know, if you have questions, feel free to ask.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: All of that good stuff.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: Just creating that welcoming environment for them is key.
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, right.
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: So let's move to step four, which is going to be about creating, offering opportunities and a guest portfolio.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: So by this point you've kind of walked them through this space.
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: You could always, you know, do a touch point of like hey, just so you know, be sure to ask your stylist about really giving you a brown makeover, your beautiful eyes, I know it can highlight your eyes in a more beautiful way, or just in a beautiful way, not more beautiful way.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: So, pointing out things like that, one thing you could always do is visuals are really nice.
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: So like, if you have, like a scalp treatment or something like that that you're showcasing, like to have pictures of some scalp under a microscope man that will sell some scalp serums faster than anything else, and like you know, just be sure that you take part of our complimentary scalp analysis today.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: Just pointing little things out like that that they're probably unaware of just helps them to start feeling that value.
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: And then the other part of that, too, is you want to make sure that you give them a guest portfolio.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: We talk, we call it a portfolio because it's really a um, it's a portfolio of what their wants and desires are, but also like what's most important to them.
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: And so in that guest portfolio, you know, we're going to go over face shape, we're going to go over skin tone, we're going to go over eye color, we're going to go over, like, what's the most important thing to do during their visit, what are their biggest hair challenges, what are they looking for today?
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: So, like, if you'd like a copy of a sample of a guest portfolio, just send us a email at hello at salonbusinessschoolcom and we'll send that over to you as a gift, just so you can plug and play and create your own.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: But like that guest portfolio, again, it starts to build that trust with the client, because it's very, very rare in a hair salon that you go in and most of the time they sit in the chair and it's like okay, hey, lindsay, what do you want to do today?
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: So to already have that guest portfolio and already be able to learn a little bit about the client before you even see the client in your chair, I think is super helpful.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: Yes, I love that and, you know, really adds so much value to that guest experience.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: And in today's world where you know we're in the information age and you know there's so much random information at people's fingertips, when they are able to get it from you, you are the experts in their eyes and the value that they're receiving they would give you way more money than you would even ask them for just to stay in exchange with each other, you know.
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: And so I would say all of these things are amazing to implement.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: And you might even be thinking, well, gosh, I don't even have anybody on my hospitality team yet and that's okay, you know, I would say, if anybody can peel away to welcome in a new guest, that's going to be key.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Even if you know one of the service providers can just give a welcome tour before they get started with the appointment, that would be amazing.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: But you could also, you know, send a welcome text, you know, beforehand, to kind of go over some different things with the guests.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: You know, whether, whether you do have a hospitality team or not, you know we like to send in, send a welcome email and text to people.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: It's a welcome text that they can click on a link to to read a message, um, and then you know, include, uh, a message from the owner and you know, just thank them, because people do have a million choices of where they go and you know they chose your salon and so you know there's power and putting connection to a locally owned business and you know, thanking people for making that choice and already starting to, you know, help lower their resistance before they even come in, because so many people think, well, where am I going to park?
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: Where, where am I going to?
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: What should I wear?
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: Where am I going to walk?
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: In All of these different questions, if you can answer those in a welcome email or message, text message, before they even come in, they already start to feel more comfortable and at home with you.
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: And so something else to think about too is if you're like, okay, this is great, but like how do I get my team on board?
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: And remember just, anytime you try something new, it just takes practice, you know, takes repetition.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: So like using it at salon celebrations to role play, let it be part of your own boarding experience.
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: Maybe you have a branded language.
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: We do a branded language game where if you've ever seen family feud style like we do a little buzzers, it's fun, and then we have like like say this instead of that, and so we just really kind of build that language into their mindset.
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: And then we play a little game like, okay, say this instead of that, and if someone knows the answer, they'll go buzz their little buzzer and just for fun, and so like just really the more fun that you can make it and letting people see that, hey, these little luxurious touches really help to elevate all aspects of our building, all aspects of our business, including your take-home pay, then you know, I think it just takes consistency Consistency is that key and communication when you think you've communicated, communicate it again, because it takes someone at least probably seven or eight times to really truly pick it up.
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: So this is not something you set and forget, like you're not going to say it just at one salon celebration and then never say it again.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: So it's going to take a lot of repetition to to get this into place.
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: Love it.
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: So, just to recap, the four steps that we covered today were create that signature greeting.
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: Next, you're going to want to create connection with the guest.
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: The third step is pointing out those points of difference and what's in it for them, what's in it for the guest.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: And the fourth is creating that offering and guest portfolio.
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: And when you knock out those four steps, you will be wowing everyone.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: Every time they visit your salon company, they are going to let other people know hey, you've got to go check out X Y Z salon down the street.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: I just learned more about myself and my hair and, you know, met several amazing people there and they just treated me amazing.
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: And it won't even matter how much you charge when your intentions are in that place and you're serving to that degree, you're gonna really attract some amazing people and really stand out in the sea of salons awesome.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: We'll catch you next week.
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: Have a beautiful day.