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Business Strategies that a Salon Successfully Adopted During COVID-19

Salon Ciseaux behind the chair 7

Running a successful salon requires constantly reinventing the wheel. Applying fresh business strategies, while staying ahead of new trends is simply part of the job. Two business owners were reminded of that fact during the outbreak of COVID-19, when they were forced to think outside of the box to keep the doors to their salon open—and every new strategy they implemented worked. 

Arlene Webber is a co-owner and stylist at Salon Ciseaux. She runs the space with her business partner Catherine Imbesi, also a co-owner and hairstylist. Without a doubt, the pandemic served as a catalyst for these two trailblazing female entrepreneurs to start applying a host of new business strategies to stay afloat during turbulent times. 

Salon Ciseaux isn’t officially part of the Booksy family, but we took the time to learn from this booming Central Florida based business. These two stylists took the area by storm 25 years ago when they first opened a boutique that specializes in natural, curly hair styling. That business model may be the norm nowadays. But back then, it was decades ahead of its time. 

Learn the different business strategies that these two professionals applied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read about the changes they made to their overall business model, which included revamping their customer service approach, taking advantage of modern technology, and investing more time into team building. And consider replicating some of their innovations inside your shop or salon. 

Salon Ciseaux behind the chair 5
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Taking Advantage of Technology

About three years ago, Arlene and her business partner made the decision to start implementing a host of new business strategies. Their goal was simple—to keep the doors to their salon open during a very tough time for everyone involved in the industry. Arlene said that it was important to start by taking advantage of technological advancements available for beauty and wellness professionals. 

First off, they started using online appointment scheduling software, so that clients would be able to book with greater ease. And using a booking tool helped the salon keep better track of their customers. It also helped with reducing the amount of foot traffic within the salon. And that's because fewer new customers strolled into their space asking about walk-in appointments.

The salon also began using virtual consultation sessions. More specifically, they started encouraging clients to send in pictures before coming into the salon. That way, they could place those clients with the right stylist and offer at-home hair advice, which also helped the two business owners encourage social distancing. 

“The journey has been interesting. There were a number of different learning curves. But over the past few years, although the team is smaller, everyone here has grown. Because of those changes, the salon is still in business and that’s in part because of the decision to stay current and keep evolving,” Arlene said. 

Salon Ciseaux with client

Distributing Staff Resources

Another one of the new business strategies that Arlene and Catherine implemented involved creating different Color Clubs, which was the name they chose to help them categorize different stylists who have similar specialities. In short, they divided their resources to make sure that staffers with similar styling specialities were each part of the same group or Color Club. 

Before the pandemic, clients would spend most of their time working with one specific stylist. Salon staffers would try their hardest to change their schedules to accommodate clients. But the pandemic forced the salon to adjust that approach, since staffers had to reduce their hours. And that made it tougher for clients to meet with the exact same stylist during every visit. 

Instead of struggling to continue with the same practice, they created the Color Clubs, so staffers could recommend clients to one another and share repeat customers. Making this change to their business model worked perfectly, because it encouraged clients to evolve and move around the salon. Customers would simply work with the staffer that's the most flexible at the time. 

“Clients don’t have to just come to Arlene. They might come to Arlene or Catherine in the beginning. But eventually, they might want to come in on a Wednesday. And since I don’t work that day, clients can ask ‘who do you recommend?’ And then they could go to that person in the Color Club, since they’re getting the same quality of service from us regardless,” she said. 

Salon Ciseaux behind the chair 8

Adding Color Kits to the Menu

When it came time to apply new business strategies in regards to their service menu, selling color kits was a major change for the better. Despite social distancing, most of their clients still wanted coloring services. Those same customers were in front of their computers during work hours or meetings with family members. Naturally, they still wanted to look their best.

According to Arlene, the color kits were a huge success. Loyal clients still wanted to support Salon Ciseaux. And this was the perfect way for them to do just that. Almost three years after they first started selling color kits, there’s still a business for this pandemic-inspired service. Color kits can be shipped to clients, or customers can buy them in person at the salon.

At first, they thought it was simply a great way to stay connected to clients, who were visiting less often due to the pandemic. But Arlene has noticed that there’s still quite a demand for the color kits. So, it’s become a service that they continue to offer. Arelne added that color kits are ideal for special events, when clients plan to be traveling for some time.

“We started selling color kits, and we created videos to show clients how to apply the color and take care of their hair. During that time, everybody was doing something online. We did that and that actually kept us afloat. That kept us going. Because clients need their color, even if they weren’t a client at the salon, they found us through social media,” she said. 

Salon Ciseaux client consultation
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Hiring Salon Coaches to Help with Business Strategies

Another important strategy that the owners of Salon Ciseaux implemented when times were tough, involved hiring salon coaches, who provided virtual business consultations. During that time, they had tons of questions and needed information on a number of different topics including government loans, unemployment benefits, and very specific financial related issues.

“We decided to start using a salon coach, because salon owners need advice too. We don’t have all the answers. So, we have someone we want to share ideas with. And they keep us on top of our game,” said Arlene. She added that the coaching company also helped them work more closely as a team, despite the limitations that the shutdown caused.

Arlene said it was important for the team to be able to see one another to keep each other company. Spending virtual time together kept them all uplifted. Everybody wanted to get back to work. And that was true despite the fact that the doors to the salon were closed for about six weeks. 

In addition to team building, the salon coach advised them on maximizing resources. When they were closed for business, Arlene focused on selling products, while Catherine crunched numbers and applied for loans. Even after government officials lifted the shutdown ban, the salon coaches kept implementing a host of team building exercises. And they still use those exercises—like creating a group huddle before work—to this day.

Salon Ciseaux behind the chair 6

Applying Business Strategies for the Future

Out of all the business strategies the two entrepreneurs employed, staying prepared for what’s ahead became the most effective tool for feeling more confident about the future. Ups and downs are going to happen. But business owners need to take the necessary steps to be prepared for other potentially challenging periods, Arlene said.

In particular, Arlene said they learned to become even more involved than ever before with regards to social media. Many industry experts felt isolated from their clients during the pandemic. But Arlene said that “we could actually still have a relationship with our clients, even if they weren't in the salon, because of the different social media tools that are available.”

“We learned that virtual relationships with clients are very possible. You can’t necessarily do hair virtually. But we’re prepared to still communicate with you,” she said. If another shutdown occurs, the salon owners are better prepared to keep an open dialogue with customers. And that's because they better understand the importance of social media messages and posts. 

Arlene added that COVID-19 also encouraged them to start new business partnerships, especially with the owners of major hair care brands. For the Salon Ciseaux team, additional business partnerships meant increased access to new, quality hair care products. They were also able to increase customer loyalty by offering more of those high-quality products to customers.

Salon Ciseaux owner Arlene
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