Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Do 5 Things For Your Business EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Do 5 Things For Your Business EVERY SINGLE DAY!


As Beauty Pros, there are many things that require our consistency to have success with what we do. Makeup Artists must execute beautiful makeup looks, provide great customer service & stay abreast of industry trends in beauty & cosmetic products. Hair Stylists are expected to give their clients/customers exquisite cuts & a vast array of styling & color options. Nail Techs/Manicurists provide expert hand & nail care, they have to be excellent listeners & sometimes use their skills as therapists. :-) You name it - Estheticians, Fashion/Wardrobe Stylists, Personal Shoppers - ALL BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS have many duties to perform...

...and yes there is much more!

Along with our technical responsibilities - THERE IS A BUSINESS TO RUN. Many, if not most Beauty Pros are their own secretaries, managers, publicists, webmasters, social media managers & a whole host of things that are CRUCIAL to running an efficient, successful BEAUTY BRAND! WE ARE OUR BRAND!

If you are new to the beauty industry or just looking for some ideas to implement as part of a new BUSINESS STRATEGY, BEAUTY BRAND BIZ would like to offer you a place to start. The success of your business requires commitment to BUSINESS PRACTICES as much (if not more) as the services you render. Let's start with just 5. JUST 5 you say? Yes, JUST 5. The depth with which BEAUTY PROS should delve into smart BUSINESS MANAGEMENT has dozens of KEYS we could discuss. We will explore just 5 for now. BEAUTY BRAND BIZ was born because of the many who are new to the beauty industry & have many business questions.

Our 5 Things were introduced via a Beauty Brand BIZ tweet stream this past Monday, January 9th. Whether you are in the beginning stages of building a successful BRAND or very experienced at managing a BEAUTY BUSINESS - these 5 things can offer you a way to be consistent in extending your reach while you expand - to really get your BEAUTY BUSINESS BUSY!



 Beauty Brand BIZ 

BEAUTY PROS! ✔ : 1) Contact potential new clients via phone.

Contacting new prospects by phone is an essential daily practice. Make lists & use a calendar to keep track of connections you have made/need to make. Organize your lists using categories, titles. The more contacts you make the better. Step 2 is incumbent upon how you execute this step.
  • Reach out to newspaper/magazine editorial/beauty staff. Get to know them
  • Contact OTHER beauty pros about possible collaborations
  • Call companies to find out how you can sell your services to them
  • Get names, titles, direct phone numbers & emails as much as possible
  • Check that stack of business cards for referrals you have not spoken to
YES! REACHING OUT IS NUMBER ONE! This simple step is the flour of the cake recipe & you are not baking without flour!



 Beauty Brand BIZ 

BEAUTY PROS! ✔ : 2) Fifteen, yes 15 (minimum) follow-up phone calls & emails EVERY DAY.
Once you begin or re-vamp your assault, you have to back up the steps you have already taken with consistent follow-up. So lets say a minimum of 15 follow-up correspondences each day to start. We will base these on contacts that you have made. If you are starting fresh, you can begin here as well. (if you have completed step one above)
  • Phoned, got no answer? Call again, send email confirmation of conversation 
  • Emailed, no response? Follow-up time! (This is why lists/calendars are so important)
  • Some correspondences have lead to meetings. Check status/results of mtg. 
  • Keep pushing until solid leads materialize. That is progress, potential business
Completing above steps with 5-10 new prospects adds up quickly. You could potentially stay very busy performing these tasks on a daily basis. COMMIT DOWN-TIME and/or dedicate DAILY TIME SLOTS for these important parts of running your business. You will experience immediate results when you are consistent.
 

 Beauty Brand BIZ 

BEAUTY PROS! ✔ : 3) Promote & engage your network via .
I hear it all the time. Beauty Pros that use social media personally - on a daily basis via FACEBOOK, TWITTER  & other platforms STILL CONSIDER IT DAUNTING when they talk about this prospect for their business. Beauty Pros cannot get left behind. SOCIAL MEDIA is the way, currently & of the future. Social Media will ALWAYS be an essential element in BUSINESS BRANDING, INTERNET PRESENCE & PROMOTION. A consistent, unified cross platform presence is most of the battle:


Website name, Blog Name, Facebook Business Page name, Twitter handle, online profile user names - when they are all consistent, you have a head start in establishing & staking your BRAND on the web. 
  1. Learn the technical aspects of how to keep your BRAND MESSAGING UNIFIED across these platforms. Most of these technical details can be found by searching the websites of social media giants like MASHABLE, TECH CRUNCH, SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY, ALLTOP & many more. Look for articles, forums & video tutorials about how to seamlessly integrate your SOCIAL MEDIA ventures. USE THAT SMARTPHONE to your advantage. Search your app stores for programs that can enhance the social media experience as well as keeping your social media world at your fingertips.
  2. Consistency in avatars, profile pictures & logos is very beneficial when one is BUILDING/ESTABLISHING their presence in the beauty industry & on the web. You want to stand out with uniqueness, yet standards do apply when it comes to being superior at individual BRAND IDENTITY. Have a look around YOUR industry to see what kinds of images other pros are using. You'll notice a trend. Clear, clean, good quality images go without saying. They are the beginning of YOUR STORY. Keep it professional. Captivate your audience.
  • When building your brand in social media, make sure there is a distinct message that is evident in most, if not all of your posts. Decide what that message is & stick to it. Example: PEPSI is leading beverage company. Their message is about promoting & selling their products. Their web presence mainly consists of keeping their products on the minds of the buying public so their posts consist of content around that CENTRAL THEME. They extend their reach with promotions, contests, events, offers & information to maintain the solidity of their MARKET SHARE
  • DO THEY REMEMBER YOU? What's your biz name? What's your Facebook Page name? What's your Twitter handle? How do you spell that? In essence, keep it simple & simply consistent. Your WEB PRESENCE is best established & maintained with consistent BASICS. Find your uniqueness with that guideline in mind
  • Are you easy to find in ? How searchable are you on the web? Are all of your links accessible? Make sure integration on the web includes visible & active  links to all of your presences on the web.  WEBSITE, BLOG, FB PAGES, TWITTER PAGE, LINKED IN PROFILE & ALL ONLINE PROFILES. These details speak of your confidence in your BUSINESS PLAN & are a testimony to your CONSISTENCY. This is great for consumer & BUSINESS TO BUSINESS confidence

  • Bring your PERSONALITY into the BRAND. This is very different from being "too personal" in your web content. You want to let the public see who you are & what you are all about. PERSONALITY helps you to connect with people. That makes them remember; BRAND IDENTITY is directly related to keeping your BRAND fresh in the minds of past & potential clients, colleagues & many others who will eventually HIRE YOU. Use that shining PERSONALITY to engage major beauty brands, companies, colleagues, media & clients in social media - this leads you to more potential business & leads more BUSINESS TO YOU

  • KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER. Your experience with clients is a great tool to examine how to engage them, keep them interested. Evaluate what they like, what they find interesting, what they like to hear & make some of those things part of your brand. Continually tweak, evaluate, tweak & re-evaluate to stay current with trends & how TRENDS work with YOUR BUSINESS
  • STAY FOCUSED. Stick with what works & find new things that work. Competition will always be fierce & BEAUTY PROS must be in tune with what works for their individual business

     Beauty Brand BIZ 

    BEAUTY PROS! ✔ : 4) Make a habit of daily organization of contacts.
    Running an organized business that is constantly DOING MORE BUSINESS requires systematic organization of client base, business contacts, colleagues & associates. There are many software programs & email clients that allow you to easily keep track of everyone & all of your communications. You can find a great list HERE that has free programs for accounting, email, event planning etc. Many website hosting companies offer excellent email options for keeping up with your contacts. Check those first, then explore if you feel you need something a little different. BEAUTY BRAND BIZ highly recommends CONSTANT CONTACT for email promotions. BRANCH OUT is great for keeping up with contacts & promoting to specific audiences via Facebook. PAY PAL is awesome for processing payments & invoicing clients & businesses.
    • Spend a few minutes everyday updating databases & planning next correspondence
    • Modify lists. Dump non-leads & keep fresh leads where you can get to them quickly
    • View invoice records so that you are organized & prepared at all times, TAX SEASON & year-round. You do not want to get blind-sided by any financial transactions


     Beauty Brand BIZ 

    BEAUTY PROS! ✔ : 5) Plan quarterly events to highlight your services.
    EVENTS are priceless for BEAUTY INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. Grand Openings, Seminars, Teas, Showcases, Classes, Girls Nights In, Cocktail Hours, Parties...there are so many ways that you can engage, re-connect & keep your BEAUTY BUSINESS exciting to the people you currently serve & those who may potentially fill your book. Do at least 3 different kinds of these events in your local market every year. Consider doing at least one outside of your local market to expand your reach nationally or globally. Make connections with industry trade shows & events to help facilitate activities. Well planned events almost guarantee an awesome response. You build your business while having fun & getting to know the people & things that drive the BEAUTY BUSINESS INDUSTRY.
    • Plan ahead. Scout venues like salons, libraries, lounges & stores. Reach out to people who work at, work with & manage these venues to get the ball rolling.
    • EVENT PLANNERS are your best friend. Use their services to make your events special & memorable.
    • Prepare yourself well by producing written scripts that detail your event from start to finish. That way you are not taken aback by inevitable SURPRISES that may occur.
    • DAILY visitation of your event planning research keeps the ideas you have fresh in your mind & assures you the confidence necessary to WORK THAT ROOM when the time comes. Keep in mind that the focus is not always about SPECTACULAR OVER-THE-TOP EARTH-SHATTERING Events. Many times, SIMPLE & INTIMATE are just the right tone to strike for your BIZ
    There you go BEAUTY PROS. Hopefully this post has given you some ideas about how to be a better BEAUTY BRAND EVERYDAY. Your BIZ is sure to benefit when you add/increase your DAILY COMMITMENT to "THE BUSINESS SIDE" of beauty. ;-)


    BEAUTY BRAND BIZ thanks you for sharing in our excitement for this first of many posts dedicated to the BEAUTY PRO, their BRAND & their BIZ. We look forward to bringing you more & more content that will be useful. Tremendous thanks for stopping by the blog.

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