It may be that the lease is up on the current building that your salon business operates from. Or perhaps you have simply outgrown the space as your hair or beauty business has grown in size.
Whatever the reason for your relocation, it is imperative that you work strategically to ensure that you retain your clients, keep staff motivated and of course, attract new business.
Related: How to keep a handle on staff turnover
Organisation is key to successfully relocating your business and ensuring that all lines of communications between staff and clients stay open. Not only will this ensure that everyone is up to speed on what’s going on, but will also reassure anybody who has any questions or concerns.
As a salon owner, make yourself available to all clients and staff – the last thing you want is for any added stress or surprises that could have been easily avoided through a simple conversation.
Have you considered the factors of a new location?
Ultimately clients will choose a salon based on its accessibility, in our guide choosing the perfect location for your salon, we highlight the key location factors that will help get your salon business off the ground. Your new location should be no more than a few miles away from the old ones as you may end up losing clients and staff due to a further commute. If you are moving further away, make sure you incentivise staff to stay and offer deals for existing, loyal clients.
Discover: How to build loyalty with your salon business
When moving your existing business to a new site, consider the amount of footfall it is likely to attract – is it near shops and amenities? Does it have parking? If you have had to relocate due to a capacity issue, ensure that the new location has enough room to accommodate client and staff growth in the future.
Informing clients of your move…
Clients like consistency, and it is very likely that your clients will want to follow their favourite stylist or therapist who they have developed a relationship with. This is good news for you as a salon owner, but make sure you don’t take this for granted. At this point, ensure that your staff are fully on board with the relocation plans.
If possible, inform clients as early as 2-3 months in advance of a proposed move. This will be especially helpful when booking clients in for future appointments. We also recommend spreading the word via your social media platforms. Inform people of the date of the move, the all important new salon address and a courtesy note to thank people for supporting your business.
Don’t forget to also update your website and social platforms around 2 weeks before the move. Yelp and Google Places will also require an update so that anybody searching for your business online can find exactly where you are.
Keep downtime minimal…
With any move, there is naturally going to be some downtime as you get everything moved from one place to another. Try to account for this by moving things in the evening after the salon is closed. Rope in as many people to help as possible including staff, family, and friends. The quicker you are set up, the faster you are able to start trading again.
Hold a launch event…
It is a great idea to bring together clients, old and new, to show them around the new salon. We recommend incentivising your clients to come along to a launch event with special opening offers and promotions. You can also hold a launch event where clients get a % off their next treatment when they recommend a friend or family member who books in. Not only will these attract people towards your business, but also drum up some extra interest on social media from people sharing imagery and checking in.
When your new salon is trading you can also offer clients a % off their next treatment when they recommend a friend or family member to further attract new clientele towards your books.
Other posts in the Salon Management series: | HOW TO BUILD LOYALTY WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS | Dealing with difficult clients | Attracting new clients to your salon business
