Habits of Successful Clinic Owners (and other business owners)

 

Running a retail business is both demanding and exhausting. Running one where customers are booked one to one with your staff is even more demanding in terms of Marketing Strategy and Standard Management, since you have to pay the staff whether they are booked or not, and you actually can not see or even hear them while they are with clients. It doesn’t get much more challenging than that.

Here are some habits of successful Salon Owners (and other retail or service based businesses):

Habit Number One: publish written standards on your expectations from your team – including that you expect them to rebook, retail and add on at a specified level.

This is Rule Number One. If you don’t insist that your team build your business, it won’t happen. Therapists who are motivated enough to do all f the above without your direction will leave and establish their own business. The rest need you to push them along and teach them how. Use the 90 Day Trial to add a little pressure and get good habits formed early.

Habit Number Two: invest in training.

The old dilemma of what if I train them and they leave. They probably won’t, because you are keeping them engaged, but if you apply a reasonable bond for a period of say 6 months, then you should be covered. You need your staff to be at the top of their game because they are representing you. I just add to this, that post-training ongoing mini-tests are a good idea, to prevent the relaxing off and ‘unlearning’ that can happen.

Habit Number Three: look ahead at what is coming up – always.

Every month, week and day – look at forecasted revenue as compared to your expectation. This way you have time to action something if you need to boost sales – even on a daily basis with a crazy retail add-on. Know exactly where you are at month to date, and what your options A,B and C are to bring it in line.

Habit Number Four: treat your promotional tools as tools – bring out the right tool at the right time.

This is almost the habit of not panicking if you are behind the target, and not overspending or under promoting when you are above target. Have your set of tools ready for release. If you are at 110% of target – use the lightest tools. If you’re at 50% of target: pull out the sledgehammer. You will be unlikely to need the sledgehammer if you are watching ahead at what is coming as above.

Habit Number Five: treat every dollar spent as your last dollar in the bank.

Therapists hate this. Be Scrooge McDuck. When times are good, tuck some away in an accrual fund for future reinvestment. Always be looking for an opportunity to reduce costs without reducing quality and reviewing supply chains. Ask for samples of wax that’s less expensive than whatever you are using and watch prices. Suppliers do need to take increases from time to time, and the exchange rate adds pressure for sure, but you are within your rights to resist ongoing frequent price increases!

Habit Number Six: engage in active marketing campaigns 11 months of the year.

This does not say ‘Spam your Facebook followers with deals once per month’ – actually it is completely the opposite of that (another topic). Run a monthly marketing campaign of newsletter, social, blog and Google all year round – except for December. If you’ve run the rest of the year well, December will take care of itself!

Six is enough habits to consider in one day – how many of these habits are you following?