EVERYBODY’S TALKING #SalonSmartLive
Some of the most popular sessions of every Salon Smart – IRL or virtual – are when lots of people get stuck in to talk through some of the big questions, The Great Debate and Think Tank panels, and the more informal Meet & Mix session, challenge industry leaders with the questions YOU want answers to. What did they have to say?
The Great Debate
Our expert panel included Jordanna Cobella, Errol Douglas MBE, Hilary Hall, Elena Lavagni and Ricky Walters, and they shared some incredible examples and insights for the audience at home. Everyone discussed the importance of team and communication – undoubtedly the big take away from Salon Smart Live.
“We’re speaking more. We’re a nation of Google reviewers and right now the reviews are going through the roof because we’re making sure clients are 100% looked after,” said Errol.
I see opportunity in everything, everywhere all the time. It takes a little optimism and vision to see that
“It’s keeping the conversation going,” chimed in Jordanna. “We had a big session with the team, we had a suggestion scheme, put our heads together and came up with a plan. It had us stronger, and formed relationships in ways we couldn’t before.”
Ricky Walters was all about turning a negative into a positive: “I see opportunity in everything, everywhere all the time,” he admitted. “It takes a little optimism and vision to see that.”
There are still lots of people really worried about coming into salons; the more you can do to reassure them just makes them more likely to come back
Speaking about focuses going forward, Elena discussed the importance of re-establishing trust with clients, and reintroducing them to their previous routine of visiting the salon. “During lockdown, clients’ routines were destroyed. We now have to rebuild that routine – going to the salon shouldn’t be a one-off treat, it should a regular occurrence. We need to find out their behaviours and get them back into their old routines,” she explained.
The NHBF was shouldering a lot of the weight of the industry during lockdown, lobbying tirelessly for help and attention from government. The future remains uncertain for so many businesses, which is why Hilary Hall had very plain-talking advice to keep ploughing forward. “Paying close attention to costs is important, but following the guidelines is crucial to keep everyone safe. There are still lots of people really worried about coming into salons; the more you can do to reassure them just makes them more likely to come back.”
Think Tank
This iconic Salon Smart live Q&A session helps find solutions to real-life challenges – so the panel of Simon Harris, Giorgia Rossi, Elena Tayleur and Mark Woolley was faced with YOUR questions to deliver some answers!
When asked if now is the right time to recruit, the answer was positive. “Find someone who can have a positive impact on your team – look for someone who can push things forward,” suggested Mark. Simon was pretty blunt: “I always say: ‘take on staff when you don’t need them’. If you recruit when desperate, you’ll take on anyone available!”
When asked how to offer a luxury experience in a climate where everyone is behind PPE and refreshments are banned, Elena argued: “compassion and kindness can go a long way at this time. We’ve placed a huge emphasis on the quality of consultations, on a ‘soft-pace’ and taking more time.”
Giorgia shared some invaluable advice on adapting in the current climate, emphasising the importance of encouraging clients to return to salons. “The consumer is scared, and as an industry it’s our responsibility to make people feel comfortable enough to come back to salons. We need to adapt – if not now, when?” she asked viewers.
The world has changed. The emphasis should be on how great your salon is, and why they shouldn’t want to leave instead
An interesting question regarding the recent court ruling, in which a self-employed stylists successfully sued for backpay and additional rights after being locked in what was effectively an employee contract. Chair rental opportunities are certainly tempting to many salons, but Simon Harris was quick to point out the issues with the set-ups. “If not for COVID there would have been a huge clampdown anyway this year,” he warned salon owners nervously re-assessing their rental contracts. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t genuinely build a culture when there’s another business working within your company, it doesn’t work.” He pointed to the My Salon Manager chair rental calculator which was created expressly to avoid scenarios such as this, with clear rental agreements and lines drawn.
Radius clauses may leave younger stylists scratching their heads, but some old-school salon owners like to leave these lurking in contracts to avoid client poaching. When asked about them, Simon and the rest of the panel were quick to pour water on the idea of adding them to contracts. “If it’s breached you’ll need to have very deep pockets to prove and enforce it,” he warned. Mark Woolley agreed, adding, “The world has changed. The emphasis should be on how great your salon is, and why they shouldn’t want to leave instead.”
Meet & Mix
The Power pack cans of rosé were cracked open for this, no ordinary Salon Smart Meet & Mix session! More than a dozen of the mainstage presenters and panellists, based both in the Salon Smart Studio and joining from other locations, were armed with iPads, a special login to our interactive app and plenty of caffeine for the audience’s burning questions.
Amanda Nottage, editor of Creative HEAD, made little pop-up appearances on screen with her roving mike, curious as to the type of questions our Meet & Mixers were receiving. Jordanna Cobella went into greater detail about the power of her colour menu moodboards as conversational starters, Mark Woolley discussed the thorny issue of sending stylists from the salon into clients’ homes and Tom Chapman spoke about the need to ensure not just the client but the team feel safe in your salon every day.
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