TIPS
by Ivan Zoot
Clipper Tips 2009 Edition
2009 is guaranteed to be a whole lot different than 2008, while featuring a lot more of the same. In that spirit I am excited to update you on the direction of Andis and Ivan Zoot Clipper Tips for 2009.
Clipper tips will continue to be offered here in my column for the coming year. Three clipper tips are listed below. Share them, use them and grow your clipper business with them. We have begun blogging our clipper tips on the Ivan’s Adventures in clipper cutting blog on the Andis website at www.andis.com. If you need more clipper tips, sooner and faster this is the place to go. Tuesday is clipper tip day.
In January, we are launching a podcast series that is available for FREE to download on the internet. This will be another high tech, modern way to get great clipper tips and clipper related information in a timely and fresh manner. Stay in touch with us for more information as this exciting launch nears.
Here are your January, 2009 clipper tips. This month’s tips are business focused. This is in response to what I am hearing on the street: “we need to grow our business”.
Do Short – Short hair cutting is the key to making money in the haircutting business. Short hair comes back sooner, takes less time in the chair, sends more referrals and requires home care product.
Go Short - The best way to build a short haired clientele is to wear short hair. You’ve got to be a buyer if you’re going to be a seller. Lead by example.
Come Again? – Ask twice and reconfirm clients cutting instructions. Remember the rule that the carpenter lives by, “measure twice, cut once”. I still haven’t figured out how to put hair back on.
THERAPY
TRENDS
by Elayne McClaine
Inaugural Therapies for Those Undercover There is an underserved, undercover consumer in our midst. Those who wear wigs have cast their vote for change. No more perms, braids, pieces or promises to rest or restore her hair. Her new campaign for glamorous hair is high-end, luxurious and invisible. Consumers are opting for lace front and “invisible” wig options. They want to go undercover like Beyonce, Tyra, Jennifer and Alba. Though the lace front wig is apparently not a new thing, it’s new to most people outside of the entertainment and health care professions. Many of these wig options cost between $500 and $20,000 and the upkeep contributes to the OTC economy.
Undercover consumers require undercover therapies: Tapes that hold for 1-5 days and adhesives that hold for 3-5 months. Protective agents to remove the adhesives and concealers are used. The new undercover consumer needs products that support the look and the care of these expensive wigs.
Wig wearers already bring a high investment per capita to the OTC. Repeated use of wigs requires scalp and nape cleansing and care. New brands launched in 2008 were created for the care and conditioning of the scalp and nape. These new lace front invisible wigs require products to blend, match and adhere to the scalp. Most products are only available online or in the salons that cater to this upscale consumer. OTC’s should campaign in 2009 for awareness of the new categories created—special glues, tapes, protectants and makeup. Undercover therapies are needed to protect the scalp, conceal any telltale lines, and beautify the hairstyle. All are undercover therapies you can count on.
CHANGE
TO GROW
by John Jones
Focus on Beauty - It’s Your Business
No doubt about it, the economy has slowed. The stock market is in turmoil, and consumers are nervous, very nervous. I think it’s safe to say that we are all going to be challenged in the coming months to find new ways to protect our profitability and serve our customers. On the bright side, our industry is fairly recession resistant because even in a bad economy, consumers continue treating themselves to the affordable beauty products that make them look better and feel better about themselves.
The beauty industry marketers and retailers that grow during tough economic times are the ones that focus on fulfilling and exceeding their customers’ beauty expectations. Did you know that Estee Lauder and Revlon were founded during the depression when unemployment was 25%? Charles Revson and Mrs. Lauder understood that women had beauty dreams that traditional marketers were not fulfilling. They presented their products in an elegant atmosphere that lifted a woman’s spirit and confidence.
If you want to grow your beauty store business in tough times, and make it recession proof in the future, focus on meeting your customers’ beauty expectations. Mrs. Lauder and Mr. Revson made sure that every woman that visited their counters was made to feel special and that she left feeling better and more beautiful.
When customers come to your store because of the beauty experience you offer for free, increasing your sales and growing your profits will no longer be a challenge.
