Is Your Salon Remarkable?

I was reading a book over the weekend by one of the smartest marketing guys in America – Seth Godin.  The book is called the “Purple Cow” and if you haven’t read it yet…you really should.  Anyway, it got me to thinking about the salon industry (which often happens) and I wanted to share a thought or two with you.

Let me first start out by asking you a question. What makes your salon different than any other salon in your area?

I want you to think about that. Because, you really should have had that question answered BEFORE you ever went into business for yourself!

I often ask that question of salon owners…when I’m building them a new website or doing some basic consulting. You’d be amazed at how many people just stare back at you for minutes in dead silence.

But that’s precisely what Seth Godin talks about in this book. Cows after you’ve seen one or two or ten, are boring.  A purple cow, though…now that would be something.  Godin defines a Purple Cow as anything phenomenal, counterintuitive, exciting…remarkable.  Every day, consumers ignore a lot of brown cows, but you can bet they won’t ignore a Purple Cow.

I mean…think about this…

In today’s world – your business is either remarkable or it’s INVISIBLE.

Remarkable salons thrive. Everyone else struggles.

Now what do I mean by “remarkable”? Well, remarkable means that you give people a reason to “remark” about your business. In other words, are they talking about you? Are you different enough to warrant people to start talking about you (to their friends)?

If you aren’t…it’s going to be a struggle. In fact, maybe it already is.

People talk about remarkable things. Here are some businesses that are “remarkable”: Apple, Starbucks, Whole Foods. These are companies that turned the business world upside down and left their competitors in the dust.

Most salon owners never thought about making their salon remarkable. Well, I’m here to tell you that…it’s time.

The world has changed. There are far more choices out there and there is less time to sort them out. That’s just a fact. Your best bet would be to carve out a very specific niche and be the best within that little world.

For example, maybe you become the premier “color” salon in your area. Or maybe the best salon for people with curly hair. Or maybe the best salon for wedding hair. Something that your salon can be KNOWN for. Something that people can talk about.

Just make sure the niche is big enough to support your business. In other words, don’t pick a niche that’s too narrow or a niche that people don’t care about. Also, don’t pick something that is too trendy.

It’s no secret that Aveda salons do better than almost any other salon (as a group). If you don’t believe me…check out the Salon Today’s top 100 salons some time. There are Aveda salons though out the list. Now, why is that? Because they cater to a specific niche that truly believe in the philosophy.

Don’t be the salon that caters to everyone…or you will be the brown cow.

Give it some careful thought.

As always, aim high…and dream even higher…

Steve Sampson

HairMax Salon Software is a product designed to be the best investment your salon has ever made. It is not only the easiest and most powerful salon software on the market. It is from a company dedicated to becoming the ultimate VALUE source to the industry.