39. Network your way to salon success

Hi everyone, this is the weekly Build Your Salon podcast with me, Phil Jackson. I'm here with the tools you need to generate the profits you deserve so that you can lead a fuller life. Hello and welcome, and today I'm here to tell you that you are not a rock, you are not an island, and that you need to concentrate on building your networks. Now, networking can come across as slightly intimidating, particularly if you're in the hair and beauty industry. We seem to have a small confidence crisis. We seem to think that somehow, because we are salon managers and salon owners, that the normal business rules don't apply, or even that we'll turn up for networking events and not be taken seriously. Well, let me tell you something. I've done lots of networking over the last few years. It took me a while. I wouldn't say it's my favourite thing to do, even now, but once you get past the very detail of what we do, once you get past the technical aspects of any business, we all have the same problems. We all struggle with staff. We all struggle with customers. We're all competing for profit margin. So it's time to get out there a little bit and start building our networks. But I think there are three ways we should be building our networks for three very different reasons. First up, we need to be building our industry network. Now, I'm always amazed whenever I go to an industry event at how few people actually put themselves out there and talk to other salon owners and managers. It's like we're so competitive and so worried about losing customers that we can't even talk to a salon owner from the other end of the country. Let me let you into a little secret. The speakers at these events are just there so that you have something to talk about to a stranger. Okay? So if you see a speaker in the morning and then there's a break for lunch, then trust me, that speaker was there so that you have something to talk to other salon owners. You will double, triple, quadruple the value you get from training and industry events by actually networking with the salon owners and managers that are there. It is reassuring to know that we're all facing the same difficulties. It's reassuring that we're all struggling with recruitment. And trust me, you will not come across a brand new idea anywhere in the world that hasn't been tried in a salon somewhere before. So get out there. Find out what's working in other people's businesses.

Find out who you can rely on when times are hard. And if you've got problems, jot them down at the next industry event. Just say, look, you sound like you've got a really impressive business. You sound like you've got things nailed. What are you doing about recruitment? How are you managing your social media? People are incredibly generous when you ask the right questions, but you will not get help that you don't ask for. So put yourself out there. Now, I forced myself to do this by going to these events on my own. So I was quite cliquey. If I took one or two of my guys from my salon to an industry event, chances are we would only end up talking amongst ourselves and bitching about the dreadful hair that we saw in front of us. So I stopped taking people, started turning up on my own. It's a really good discipline. Actually, I can take people with me now because I know that I'm strong enough to get out there and do some networking as well. But if you're struggling to get yourself out there, if you're struggling to make connections in the industry, turn up on your own. It makes you talk to people. Next up are professional networks. So what I want you to do is start to deepen your understanding of the professionals that are around you. So I want you to have more deeper conversations with your accountant, more and deeper conversations with a lawyer, more and deeper conversations with your suppliers. It's time to richen those relationships a little bit and it's time to understand a little bit about what's going on in the greater world of commerce. An important part of this can be network events. Now, networking events can be intimidating. I'll be honest with you. Usually they're run on a local level and what we're trying to do is mix with people that aren't in the hair and beauty industry. And I will tell you now, walking into a room full of people that seem to know each other, have nothing to do with our industry, is intimidating. But usually an event will have a facilitator, someone who's there to welcome new members and take your details on the way in and give you your little badge. So trust me, they know what they're doing. Stick with them. Let them make the introductions. Now, a little word of warning. It is bad form and actually quite rude in some instances to try and get new customers from a business networking event. Business networking is about just rubbing shoulders and finding out more about the other person than you are giving away yourself. It's about starting to build a relationship you can rely on in the future. It may well be, over time, as people get to know you and like you and trust you, that they choose to become customers. But that is not the primary goal of networking. And you will spot the people that have got this wrong because there will be the networkers there that everybody is avoiding.

And they're the ones that are handing out lots and lots of cards and trying to book meetings on the day. It's really bad form and actually very rude. Don't do it. Go there with an open mind. We need to get past this block that we have, this confidence issue that we have around our businesses. And trust me, after you've been two or three times, started to see some familiar faces, it does get easier. Again, it's still not my favourite thing to do. It's still not something I would choose to do on my day off, but it's a very necessary part of the networking that I do and it's actually paid me a lot of dividends over the years. We can get ideas from other industries to bring into our own salons the same as we can from other salons. A little secret for you. Most other salons out there are struggling probably more than you are. Most other salons don't know what they're doing. Don't take ideas just from salons. Have a look at the greater world of commerce and find out what's working there. And finally, we need to invest in our personal network. Now, your personal network is not Facebook. It's one aspect of it, but it's not deep enough. It's not reliable enough and it's not important enough. We need to build personal connections so that we have support when times are tough. And let me show you how shallow your relationships are on Facebook. If you disappear from Facebook for four weeks, don't tell anyone that you're doing it. Just switch off Facebook. You can check it if you like, but don't contribute. Don't post. Don't share any photos. Don't check in anywhere. And I guarantee that 98% of your friends will not even notice. Maybe even 100% if you're also texting and communicating with them in a different way. You could literally drop down dead on Facebook and most people wouldn't even notice. This is not a deep enough level of personal connection with you. You have to find people that can support you in the tough times. Yes, involve your family. Talk to them about business problems, even if it's just a sounding board. Be careful with free advice though. I've always said that free advice is worth exactly as much as you paid for it. But also, you need personal relationships outside your family. You need to talk to your friends and friends of friends. If you've got any chance of getting a mentor in your business, do it now. You may not have the same mentor for the whole time that you're in business. As you grow and develop and your needs change, your needs for a different type of mentor will come along as well.

So don't rely on one person throughout the whole of your career. But absolutely at every stage, you need some kind of mentoring relationship. Maybe that's very informal. Maybe you just meet in the pub once a month or take someone out for lunch for the price of lunch. If you've got a sounding board which is valuable to your business, absolutely capitalise on that relationship. But bear in mind if it's a personal network that you're building, there has to be give and take as well. It might well be that there are groups that you can join. It might well be that there's even industry groups that you could join. Though I haven't managed to find them offline. You need that personal network for when you're under pressure. I hope that's been useful to you. If it has, don't forget to subscribe. I do a broadcast like this every single Monday. I would hate you to miss out on the content that I'm sharing. If you've already subscribed, I will see you next week. Take care. Hey everyone, it's Phil again. I hope you enjoyed the episode. If you did, please subscribe and be sure to tell your friends. For more help and information on running your salon and your life, head over to buildyoursalon.com. I'll see you there.