It’s winter, and any salon owner knows that these can be quiet months when it comes to business. The frenzy of summer has passed, and the voucher-buying sprees associated with Valentine’s and Mother’s Day are a distant memory. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities to cash in now.

Summer bodies (and hair, and skin) are made in winter
Sure, the push to look our best isn’t as strong in the winter months as it is during beach season, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be creating that need for your clients, says marketing expert Sally Cho. “It’s a chance to raise revenue through education. Remind your customers that there isn’t necessarily a fast fix to their concerns and so they should be working on them throughout these quieter months, whether that’s the longer process of lightening hair for summer, dealing with skin issues or tackling cellulite. It’s a chance to sell a series of treatments, to assure them they’ll be ready to roll come summer.”

Sell packages, not one-offs
Creating a package ensures that your customers commit to a bigger spend, says Sally, and that creates more opportunities to on-sell. “A package of treatments gets that same customer physically into your salon at least three times. That’s three opportunities to sell them products, to suggest further treatments, and to better understand their longterm goals. You want that commitment from them because it will ensure they’ll be back.”

Create a winter loyalty program 
You may (and by ‘may’ we mean ‘should’) already have a loyalty program in place, but adding a winter-specific program encourages youth regular clientele to increase their visits during the cooler months “Perhaps it’s incentivised differently, or offers discounts purely for use during winter,” says Sally. “Regardless, you need to be shouting about it to ensure that you give people a reason to book in.”

Take the opportunity to educate
This is not the time to slow down on your socials game, says Sally. Use your social media to discuss the merits of maintaining your beauty regime throughout winter. “Posts on why customers shouldn’t skip out on their regular appointments is a must – remind them that putting the time in during winter will make summer that much easier. Discuss the effects the cold and wind can have on our skin and why you have just the treatment for that. Whatever it is, say it loudly.”