The past year has been a weird time for salon owners. As many salons had to close their doors for some amount of time, and some even permanently closed. It may feel like an odd time to think about raising your prices, but as a business owner, you have to be looking forward and doing what it takes to keep your salon open and business afloat. Change is something that most people don’t enjoy. The best way to change something is to communicate it clearly and correctly. Increasing your prices can be seamless and go off without a hitch if you do it right. Sharing the price increase in advance will be vital to keeping your current customers happy. If you look around, you will notice nearly everything is rising in price, from a tank of gas to a gallon of milk. Most of your customers will be very understanding of the increase. You will find some tips and advice on increasing your salon prices below. Follow these tips, and your price increases will be headache-free.
The When And Why When It Comes To Raising Prices
There is never a “perfect” time to raise your prices, but when your costs increase as a business owner, you have no choice but to raise the prices. Suppose your costs are going up; that is a perfect time to raise prices. If your expenses have not gone up, but other changes have happened, like expanding your salon or adding more services and upgrades to your salon, that is another excellent time to raise prices. Inflation is a natural thing. You will have to increase your salon prices at some time to keep up with everything else in the world. 2021 is a great year to raise costs due to the changes that have taken place in the last year.
How to effectively communicate the salon price increase
These are some points to have in mind when you are ready to inform your salon customers of a price increase.
Be Honest And Certain When You Raise Prices
The key to gaining your client’s trust is clarity and honesty! Layout all of the salon price changes; don’t keep anything hidden. If you add on a blowdry fee, make sure you communicate those increases or add ons to your clients. Any minor details that may slip away need also to be highlighted and understood by your salon clients. You will have to be confident in your decisions, so you feel comfortable and confident talking about your price increase. Do not apologize for raising your salon prices either. You are valuable, and your customers believe that because they come to you and trust you with their hair. Your value is something that no one can take away from you.
Announce Price Raise In Advance Rather Than Allowing Clients To Find Out At Their Appointment
Communicating is by far an essential step to take when you decide to increase your prices. Do not wait for your clients to get done with their service to tell them your prices have increased.
You won’t want to startle your customers with an abrupt, sudden increase in your salon prices on their appointment and possibly lose them as a salon customer! If you do not make your customers aware of a price increase in advance, you may have to deal with upset clients in your salon, making a scene. By making your customers aware in advance, they will feel prepared for the updated prices. The more you prepare your clients, the better they will take it.
Understand What Value Means To Your Clients
You may be increasing your prices due to an increase in your rent, continuing education, or an increase in your back bar and retail product prices. Whatever the case may be, if you are increasing your prices to offset costs. It would be best if you increase your salon’s service prices. Your clients are not going to want to hear that explanation of why you are increasing your prices. They will want to hear how their experience at your salon is going to be more valuable. A great way to explain cost increases is to explain to your clients that your staff is taking continuing education to keep up with the latest trends and knowledge for hair. Because of Covid-19, you can also explain to your customers that the price increase is due to sanitation practices and products to keep them safe. The key here is to make it all about them and benefit from the increased salon prices. You’ll want to make their salon appointments a little more luxurious than they were before the increase.
Know The Answers To The Questions About The Increase Before They Come
Your clients will have questions about the increase in your salon prices, so you should be prepared for that. Questions that your clients are bound to ask are, “Why are you increasing prices?” or “The salon down the street is much less expensive, why are you charging so much?”. Take this opportunity to express your clients the difference in your prices and what makes you stand out from the other competing salons in the area. Be confident when having these conversations.
Announce Increasing Prices Directly To Your Clients
A great time to bring up the changes of prices is during a salon appointment in person a month or so before making the change. Telling your customers in person will allow them to ask questions and have an excellent genuine conversation with you about the reasons you are increasing prices. You can bring it up in a casual but confident way by letting them know next time they come to the salon, prices will rise and explain to them why. For the customers you don’t regularly see, announce the prices through an email or text message. First, make sure to thank them for choosing you to trust with their hair and then give them an exact date of when the prices will be increasing. The message should be direct, enthusiastic, and confident!
How To Deal With A Complaint About Price Increase
Just like knowing the answers to the questions before they are asked. Know what to say when you get a complaint about the increase in prices. Have your facts laid out and be confident. If a customer complains and wants an explanation the best way to handle it is by staying calm cool and collected and laying out the facts and reasons behind the increase in price. Most times after the explanation the client will feel at ease and move forward.
Where To Post Your New Pricing
The Front Desk Of Your Salon And At The Stylist Stations
The first place you will want to have signage about your increase in pricing is your salon’s front desk. You can write up a quick note much like the text or email you sent out to your customers. Something simple, direct, and informative is always best. Post the message at the front desk, all the stylist’s stations, and even the bathrooms. That way, your customer will be able to read it wherever they go and won’t miss it. Surprisingly some salon clients will still not notice it, so you’ll want to communicate it to them as well verbally. Ensure your note has an effective date on it, so the customers know when to expect the increase.
The Salon Business Website
Posting an announcement on your salon website will be necessary. You can do a pop-up, banner, or announcement section on your website with a blurb about the increase of prices and when that increase will go into effect. You could even use the same messaging that you posted in the physical salon. It is essential to have this on your salon website so new customers will see it as well.
Your Salon Booking App
Another virtual online platform to announce a rise in prices to your clients is your salon booking app. The app is where your clients go when they are ready to book an appointment with you. Consequently, communicating your refreshed rates here becomes crucial to bypass any miscommunication. Most salon software makes it very easy to adjust your pricing, and some even allow you to create a pop-up or banner to make announcements. If your salon software allows that, take advantage of it and add a pop-up or banner with your written statement of your increase in pricing.
Your Salons Social Media Platforms
Social Media is another critical place to post your updated pricing. Social Media is something many consumers use for news and updates so keep that in mind when you announce your updated pricing. If you have a salon social media manager, have them post about the increase for you. If you run your socials, pop on and put up a personal message about when and why you are increasing your prices. The news will come off more personal if you do it yourself. The app Canva is excellent for creating graphics. It is effortless to use and will take you little to no time to design an Instagram post or story that you can then share with the rest of your social media platforms.
The Salons Online Listings
Google or Yelp may list your salon. Make sure if you advertise your prices on these sites, you update them on there as well. You can even add in your description or bio that you are increasing your prices and any recent updates you may be adding to your salon services.
Written By: Catie Delahanty
