Professional_Beauty_GCC_-_December_2019

For most salons, January is a relatively quiet month.

Clients are up to date with their colour thanks to the party

season and most are stretching out their root touch ups

until January pay-day.

January is a great time to take stock of the business by

revisiting the finer details that make your salon such a

success and help you remain competitive throughout the

year. In the current economy, even the smaller things can

help set you apart from other salons so it is increasingly

important to give them some time and attention.

To give you an idea of what’s on my checklist, here are

the top ten items I will be reviewing and revisiting in the

salon come January.

Stock levels

I avoid surplus stock and clear out any out of date items

that simply haven’t moved. January is a good time to look

at what has been ‘hot and not’ throughout the year and

re-evaluate the items in demand and those that clients just

aren’t buying. I use the 30 day rule for most of my stock. If

you have 30 days credit, then you should aim to sell the

product within 30 days.

Retail shelves

We have recently had a re-organisation of our retail

shelves. They were becoming too cluttered and messy,

with no signage to guide the clients to the right products.

We now have less multiples of products but more signage

so our clients can automatically find the right products for

their hair type. My advice would be to take stock of your

shelves, consider what you really need to display and

make it easy for the client to browse what’s on offer.

Staff training

I’ve addressed the issue of staff training in so many of my

previous columns. January should be the time you identify

Maria Dowling is creative director at mariadowling salon and has been a colourist for more than 20 years.

For more information call: +971 4 345 4225 Follow mariadowling on Instagram @mariadowlingdubai

the gaps in your training, where you see the

need for training and then organise a training

schedule for yourself and the team, whether

for upskilling, refreshers or a recap of salon

policies. I always say that a salon should

always be learning if they want to stay ahead

in the market.

Answering the phone

This is something that should be reviewed

regularly but at least once a year we need to

change it up when it comes to how we answer

the phone. I always ask the reception staff to

come up with suggestions on how we can

improve and really make a great first

impression when a new client calls. We also

record all conversations and use them for staff

training as often playing it back makes us think

a lot more about how our clients hear us.

Client menu

We are always on the hunt for the perfect

refreshments to add to our menu of premium

complimentary tea, coffee and soft drinks. I

always ask for feedback throughout the year

and January is a time to look at what is missing

and what should be replaced.

Guest towels

Our towels are used, washed and dried far more

than your average towels at home so need to

be reviewed and replaced if they are starting to

look faded or shabby. We are a premium salon

and the towels we use should reflect this. We

use January to clear out the old and replace

with new ones.PB

MARIA DOWLING offers her top ten January must-do’s

to help stay competitive throughout the year

NEW YEAR

CHECKLIST

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