Whose Business Gets More Attention, Yours Or Your Competitors?

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When you first set out on your journey to become a salon owner, your business becomes your baby and your number one priority. Or does it?

Whilst most business owners will claim that their salon is their main preoccupation, there are many signs that suggest otherwise. Are you neglecting your own business without even realising it?

A quick glance at any number of industry forums or social media groups will demonstrate my point.

Every other thread seems to include one of the following:

  • The salon down the road is offering spray tans/nail enhancements/full body massages for £5.
  • I know a mobile therapist who isn’t insured.
  • The girls at the salon in town haven’t had proper training.
  • My competitor has more Facebook likes than me.

All of these threads show that you are spending more time looking at the businesses around you than your own. The worst examples are those who then try and cause trouble for competitors with false bookings, bad reviews and other dirty tricks.

If you are spending this much time worrying about someone else’s business, how can you possibly be concentrating on your own. Look at your own treatments, prices, staff and standards and make sure that you are as good as you can be. Of course it is important to be aware of your competitors, but don’t let them take over too much of your time.

Here are a few basic answers to those questions that seem to be gnawing away at many:

  • If another salon is under-pricing themselves then they will soon realise the true cost when they cannot pay their bills or reach their targets. Don’t try and compete with this or you will end up in the same boat. The only way they can afford to maintain this is by using inferior products, which is another tactic you don’t want to copy.
  • It is very difficult for you to really be sure whether another therapist actually holds insurance or not. It is not currently a legal requirement for a therapist to have insurance, it is just considered good practice, so there is nothing you can do about this other than making sure your own business remains professional and properly covered.
  • Again, you will struggle to prove what training another therapist holds, and again, there are no legal requirements on this subject. If they are not properly trained it will soon show in the standards of their treatments and customers will start to move away. Make sure you are ready to offer those clients the treatments they really wanted.
  • Social media likes, follows or subscriptions don’t count for much in the real world, especially if they are just made up of your family and the next-door neighbour’s dog. A good number of followers is good in order to make sure your offers, reviews and pictures of your work are reaching the widest number of people, so just make sure you are doing a good job of your own social media channels and your followers will grow organically.
  • There will always be trolls looking to hurt those who are more successful. It is important to remember that this is why they are doing it. The general public are not stupid and can see for themselves what is happening. Trolling and bullying will always reflect far worse on the perpetrator than the victim.

Don’t waste valuable energy on other people and things you cannot control, it is energy your own business needs far more!

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