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Getting to Beauticians! Some of my thoughts!

by nerfsmurf
8 replies
So I have been trying to cold call hair stylists and people who work in the sort and noticed that they rarely have downtime! I would often call them when they were in the middle of doing a clients hair. So I figured, well, Ill just drop in to visit them!

Printed a thousand flyers, loaded google maps, made a route and started to deliver some flyers! I noticed that even on a Tuesday morning, alot of these places were packed, especially nail salons! So many were gossiping about some hot topic, and I didn't want to disrupt the beauticians speaking with their clients, so often times I could just introduce myself, do a 10 second commercial, and leave a few flyers on their front desk.

Nail salons, which were almost always full, presented a language barrier sometimes with the shop owner.

I also noticed that there are about 1 Beauty supply store for every 4 shops I visited and thought that maybe I could leave some flyers in those as well. Ill get some holders and drop some off later.

Other things I have tried are e-mailings and just recently, I have started craigslist and linked-in. I have had a great response rate (10%-20%) with texting BUT I don't think it's legal??? Maybe if I personalize it (actually, thats what I have been doing, responding to their craigslist ads as if I were a customer)

Anyone have ideas how I can get through to these beauticians? I have a great call to action on my flyers and an excellent commercial and call to action on my website. My service is SMS marketing.
#beauticians #thoughts
  • Profile picture of the author TheBigBee
    I think you are wise to:
    1. Focus on one service
    2. Focus on one vertical (beauticians)
    3. Offer SMS marketing (1,600% ROI!)

    However, I would change my approach. You're essentially taking what amounts to a spray and pray approach. MOST business owners do not see the value of MOST services until they need it. Usually, this "need" is triggered by what their competitors are doing.

    I would niche it down a bit more to focus on a subset of that market who will actually NEED what you are offering at that moment. If you take 1,000 beauticians, which of those beauticians are likely to NEED SMS marketing the most? In my opinion, this is a simple answer; those who have run a daily deal recently.

    Half of all business owners who run these things swear they will never do it again, because they come to realize they've been treated like wh*res. The deal publisher uses them and moves on, and the customer uses them and moves on to the next coupon.

    What these businesses need is a way to get these people back in the door. By focusing on beauticians who have run daily deals, you can present to them a problem they are already experiencing; they don't have a way to get those people to come back. Your SMS services solve that because each time a coupon is redeemed, the merchant can verbally ask for the persons SMS opt-in or hand them literature.

    You want to position the sale to focus on not only the problem of having gotten all this new traffic, but no way to bring it back, but you also want to address the problem of slow periods in one shot.

    Example;

    You: "Madam Business Owner, what is your slowest day of the week?"

    Them: "Wednesdays."

    You: "SMS marketing is perfect for this, you can send out discount offers valid during WEDNESDAY only to these habitual deal shoppers. This way - you guys are both winning. You get to cover your fixed costs and over time this will turn into thousands in new revenue, and they get a deal. Everyone wins."

    So, I to sum it up I would:
    1. Focus on offering SMS marketing to business owners who have taken an action (Groupon) that clearly demonstrates a need, and will help you illustrate value.
    2. Focus on utilizing SMS to sell excess inventory during slow periods.


    When you approach it like this, you'll be able to charge more for your services. You can use CallFire to send them out for a penny, and could easily charge 5 cents (500% ROI) if you frame it right. If a guy has 1,000 opt ins and his average sale is $50. It costs HIM $50 per blast... how many sales does he need to make per blast to turn a profit? 2! .002% conversion yields a 100% ROI.

    I hope this helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author nerfsmurf
    Really does helps alot! And yea, I looked at those who uses Groupon quite a while back and planned on pitching it just as you did, well, just not as nice! Another thing that I am doing is targeting the salons in the lower income areas of my city. This allows me to gain experience to later approach the higher end salons/beauticians.
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    • Profile picture of the author TheBigBee
      Originally Posted by nerfsmurf View Post

      Really does helps alot! And yea, I looked at those who uses Groupon quite a while back and planned on pitching it just as you did, well, just not as nice! Another thing that I am doing is targeting the salons in the lower income areas of my city. This allows me to gain experience to later approach the higher end salons/beauticians.
      I like that approach. However, here's something you might want to THINK about trying if you are focusing on a lower income demographic.

      If you can afford to spend $100. Find 3 businesses to offer the service free. Here's what I would do:

      I would buy these post card holders at an office supply store. On the front of the card, print in large bold black letters - in preferably an Helvetic font, I'd put:

      DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT TAKING ONE OF THESE

      Place it on the counter or wherever they pay so that it's impossible to miss. Folks will take a card, and should be able to flip it to the back to receive an SMS offer; "message 12345 to get half off every week."

      The "half off every week" would basically mean; "half off during slow days / times," because those are the only times they'd receive an offer.

      Take PHOTO'S - CLEAR BEAUTIFUL gorgeous photos of this set up, get the photo printed and laminated. Enlarge it, but make sure it's not distorted. So you're laminated copy should have an image of the entire set up on the front, and the back of your laminate should have the offer.

      Show the next customers you speak with this set up and how it's so impactful. You're now showing them PROOF that you set this up for other business owners. "It's sitting there and you're forced to take it... then they take these things and flip it over and they say 'gee I can get half off here every week?' and they opt-in.

      Offer to set everything up for free if they purchase the post card holder, and pay for the printing of the cards themselves. Charge a small monthly fee ($25) and a nickel per SMS and you should be good to go!
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      • Profile picture of the author midasman09
        Banned
        I'm sorry....anyone talking about "Making Money FROM Beauticians" has to re-think their program. Why spend your Time & Talent on trying to get money from a niche whose customers spend a min of $45?

        This Niche, in general, is NOT interested in "spending money" on promo projects! (imho) Granted...some are, HOWEVER the "average" Beautician or Hair Salon is NOT willing to toss YOU enough Cash to make it worth YOUR while! (Again....MY experience)

        So....Instead.....YES...beauty salons DO bring in lots of customers....why not "change your thinking" and USE THEM to bring little ol' YOU a pile of AD CASH....every month?

        Here's what I did....MANY years ago!

        I'm sitting in my favorite Barbershop Chair, getting a trim. The owner's name is "BUZZ" (Really) I ask Buzz "if he's doing OK"! He replies, "Ya...BUT....could be a LOT better!"

        Buzz has a good following with 2 other barbers and a good-sized barbershop.

        SO....as I'm looking straight ahead at his BLANK walls....a "Hot Flash" comes to me; "Hey Buzz!....what if I were to put 8 x 10 Framed Ads of local businesses....above the mirrors.....and PAY YOU to have them there?"

        You kiddin' me? The guy went Ape!

        He said, "Donny" (In my younger days I was called "Donny")....what are you talkin' about?"

        I said, "Buzz....you have this great BLANK wall that 3 local consumers are STARING AT....while you are cutting their hair...for 20 Minutes! They CAN'T MOVE THEIR EYES!....THEY CAN'T CHANGE THE CHANNEL!.....THEY MUST, STARE AT YOUR BLANK WALLS!

        "Why don't you use those "Blank Walls" to produce INCOME for you?

        Thus....I started my "Barbershop Bux" program.

        What I did was ....make up a Demo Sample (I always made up a Demo of what I was selling, to show potential customers/clients) I bought some 8 x 10 (el cheapo frames) at Wally-World.....made up some "Demo Ads" and proceeded to show my Demo Samples to local biz owners.

        Initially, I offered their Ad on the Walls of 5 Barbershops for $25/wk ($100/mo) I could fit 10 Ads across the Wall, above the mirror, so....10 Biz paying me $25/wk = $250/wk .....x 4 = $1,000 Per Month!

        When I saw how this was proceeding, I then got another batch of 5 Barbershops to participate.

        I offered to pay each Barbershop $5/mo per ad or....$50/mo for the 10 ads ... which brought my Net Profit down to $1,000 - 5 x $50 = $250 = $750 per Mo NET in my pockets.

        I then was Netting $750 x 2 = $1500/mo....and, some of my Advertisers took BOTH batches of barbershops.

        I wound up with 30 barbershops in 6 towns (5 per town) earning me $750 x 30 = $22,500 per Mo.

        I then sold my biz to an "Ad Agency" who proceeded to muck it up and within a year they got so many biznesses ticked....they shut it down.

        However....that does NOT mean YOU can't start this up in YOUR area!

        Next time you go to your local barber.....take a look at what space is above the mirrors. Imagine some Framed Ads of Local biznesses mounted there ....then....imagine YOU.....making up some Samples and getting 10 local biz to pay YOU to have their ad in 5 local barbershops for $100/mo.

        Impossible?

        Just for the heck of it....at lunch today, Dec 19. 2013....I took a spin around to some local barbershops and.....guess what? EMPTY SPACE ABOVE THE MIRRORS!

        So....why don't you who are reading this....consider giving this a try! It could make 2014 a Good Year for you!

        Don Alm.....Idea-Guy

        Oopps.....the photos I was going to upload so you could see some of my Samples....are too big...so I will compress them and re-upload.
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  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
    This is NOT a market worth pursing in my opinion.

    Their mentality as a whole does not believe in marketing and
    although you may be able to make some sales to the owners, the individual stylistist/manucurist/beautician does not think like an entrepreneur and sure as heck are not gonna be paying for any serious marketing, even though many of them are so called "self-employed".

    They just wanna do hair/nails.
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  • Profile picture of the author nerfsmurf
    @TheBigBee - Great idea! I think I'll actually Photoshop those images together (I'm damn good with it ) since I am in a bit of a money crunch, until January anyway. Only downside is that the card holders may look different from what I can actually find in the office supply store.

    @Eddie Spangler - I was aware of this before I decided to hop in the field. While what you say is true for a majority of these beauticians, I believe that a few know better. I'm just trying to find those few
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  • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
    network with vendors who want their business or already have their business.

    beauty product distributors
    haircare product line reps
    scissor/razor sharpening repair
    etc...
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    In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

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  • Profile picture of the author nerfsmurf
    That's great Don! Thanks for sharing! If I may ask, who were interested in promotion within barbershops? I know you promote "Think of the rest for yourself", but 1/2 of an example would be enough .
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