In my efforts to sell my business I started to change a few things and I believe these have been paramount in putting us in a position from which we can expand and grow as a salon. I started listening on a whole new level any advice from anywhere became welcome.
I had been shaken and I had a new drive. I’m a huge believer in leading by example and I think my enthusiasm rubbed off. We started to work to make the salon better together. My daughters came on board and we built what is a close knit team together. As a salon we listen.
One thing we do now is Focus Groups.
Basically what this means is that twice a year we get 20 customers to volunteer to be part of the focus group. We give each of them a 15 pound voucher for participating. Then we get an outside person to come in and question them.
None of the girls at the salon are allowed to attend. The event is completely anonymous and the person that quizzes them makes sure to find out exactly what they like and don’t. Any suggestions they have or complaints.
Sometimes it’s scary getting the feedback but we take it all on the chin. It’s our priority to meet our customers’ demands and we cannot really do this without finding out what it is they really want. By giving them the opportunity to let us know exactly how they feel, we have opened ourselves up and been able to implement some changes that without their invaluable help we may never have even guessed were in demand.
