December Q and A

How are you? How's December? How is your salon business this season? Let's find out in my monthly Q&A. Hello, hello, hello my salon lovelies. Phil Jackson here, your queen of salons, coming in your ears and eyes with another dose of wise old owl wisdom. How on earth are you achingly well? I hope. How's December treating you? Hearing some good stuff, lots of good results coming in from my coaching clients, one-to-one clients, group coaching clients, all having a really good start to the month. I'm hoping that we can maintain that. I'm hoping that it's not a really good start to the month and then things are going to tail off when we would normally be expecting a big rush before everyone closes for Christmas. So how are things with you? Reach out. Let me know. Phil at buildyoursalon.com. Also reach out if you have any questions. So today's episode is a Q&A episode. I do one of these every single month. I would love to get your questions into my January Q&A. So let's jump in, shall we? We've got three lovely questions today. And the first one comes from Ricky in Cardiff. Hello, Ricky. How are you? Is that a boy? We don't get boys, not in my tribe. Well done. You can fly the flag for masculinity in my slightly camp world. How can I manage my social media better? I create a lot of content and I mostly get a lot of views, but it seems to take up more and more of my time. Oh, I feel your pain, Ricky. I know what you mean. It's become almost like a second job, hasn't it? Keeping up with our socials, keeping the content flowing. Through Instagram and Facebook and TikTok and wherever else it is that you're choosing to show up. But I'm pleased that you're getting lots of views. Pleased that you're happy with your results. Let me see whether I can help you smooth the process a little bit and reduce your workload. Now, I'm not a social media coach. That's the first thing I would point out. There are people out there who specialise in this kind of thing. I'm just going to give you my tips from things that I've seen in the salons that I coach from my own business as well. And the first thing I'd like you to do is to try and get your clients to do a bit more for you. If you can get them sharing content and tagging you in it or sharing content on your Facebook page, for example, that can reduce your workload quite considerably. And also bear in mind that we're talking about social media. It's not marketing media. We want that socialisation aspect to come in.

It's about building communities, deepening relationships. And I've been saying throughout the whole of this year that I don't think that social media is actually amazing at bringing new clients into your business. Now, some people have called me out on it, said that I'm wrong, that I don't know what I'm talking about. Whatever. I'm just voicing my opinion in this free world in which we live. But I personally think that social media is better at deepening relationships with your existing customers. And I think that can work really well if they're sharing some of the content, too. Secondly, and my personal favourite, is to batch your content. So you may or may not know that I produce these videos. And this video is also turned into a podcast. Basically, I strip away the soundtrack from this video, turn it into a podcast that gets uploaded to all the major platforms. And also, this video will be repurposed. I use a piece of software which is called Opus Clips. I'm not affiliated with Opus Clips. They can send me a check if they want to. Or better still, give me two months free. That'll be lovely. And Opus Clips will take this video and suggest segments of it. 30 to 60 second segments. But I can then use a social media content. So I'm repurposing lots. But I will also be batching. So it's pretty rare. Actually, I am today. But it's pretty rare. If you look at my hairstyles and the jackets that I'm wearing, normally you'll see that I batch my content. So I will produce two, three, sometimes four podcasts all on the same day. Because you get into the flow of it. Once the lights and the camera and the microphone's all set up, it makes sense to produce two or three episodes on the trot. Also, I produce little short videos which go onto Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube Shorts. And those videos, I'm normally walking across a field. But that needs to stop now that we're into a new season. But I will also batch those as well. So you'll notice if you look at the jacket that I'm wearing, I'll probably do four or five of those each time I go for a walk. I won't go out, reproduce one and then come home again. So batching content can save you lots and lots of time. Two bits of software to save you. You need a scheduler. Now, there are lots of social media schedulers around. And it used to be that people said if you used a scheduler, that would reduce the reach of your post. I don't think that's the case anymore. Or certainly if it has an impact, the impact is very, very small. And for the amount of time that it saves me, I think it's worth it. So a scheduler will help you lay out your content in a visual way so you can see where the gaps are and where you need to produce more. But also, it stops me watching videos of people cleaning rugs when I should be producing content.

You're a content creator now, not necessarily a content digester. It's your job to create. It's not your job to watch lots and lots and lots of videos. So use a scheduler. It puts some distance between you and the temptation of the feed. On that note, the second bit of software, and this is a new one to me, I think it's only available on iPhone. It's called One Sec. Have a look at it. Basically what it does, each time you, well, you set it up. So basically, each time I open Facebook or open Instagram, it stops me in my tracks. It makes me take a deep breath. And then it says, do you really want to open Facebook right now? Yesterday, no word of a lie, hand on my heart. I should have opened the app so I could show you. 24 times I went to open Facebook and it stopped me. Honestly, 24. I didn't even realise I checked Facebook that often. I don't think that I'm a Facebook junkie, but I seem to spend lots of time checking those feeds. So use a scheduler. Have a look at One Sec. It's free, I think, for one app to block. And then if you want more than that, very, very cheap. It's less than 20 quid a year. I would also have a look at what you actually want out of your social media. So you've said you're getting lots of views. The thing is, views don't pay the rent. So you need to figure out what you want your social media to actually do. Then we can start to measure the success of different bits of content. So if some things are landing, getting you lots of views, but it's not converting, it's not turning into customers, or it's not deepening those relationships, or it's not even being watched by the people that you want it to be watched. We can start to push those bits of content to one side. So we can double down on what works, get rid of what doesn't. I've done this recently. I was doing lots and lots of inspirational quote posts. They just weren't landing for me. It's not what my tribe want. So I've knocked them on the head, and that saves me a big chunk of time every month. So measure the success of your posts, figure out exactly what it is you want each post to do, and get rid of the stuff that's not helping along the way. So if that's been useful to you, Ricky, let me know how you get on. If you implement any of those tips, I would love to hear. Let's jump into question number two. Sorry, I went on a bit for that one, but there's a lot to cover. Question number two is an anonymous question. As you know, I'm more than happy for people to keep their identity secret. I am fed up with, oh, I can see why you kept it anonymous now. I'm fed up with my team. I'm fed up with my team not getting any, I'm fed up with my team not putting any effort into getting busier.

I'm having regular meetings with all my stylists, but they don't seem bothered about getting busier. They think it is my job to give them the clients. I'm the only one who is booked up ahead. Sorry, I'm struggling to read this. I'm the only one who's booked up ahead, and I feel like I'm working to pay their wages. Okay, I understand this. I feel your pain. Well done, first of all, for doing performance management, because you're doing more than most salon owners do. Well done for taking responsibility. This is your responsibility. Ultimately, you gave them the damn job, so everything comes down to you in the end, I'm afraid. But you're right. They do need to step up and do their bit as well. So, I do think it's your job to give them clients. Sorry if that sounds unpopular. You need to give them enough clients to get them started. And if you ever want to really make a stylist or beauty therapist sit up and pay attention, give them a list of all the new clients you've given them over the last 12 months, and then ask them where they all are. Because it's your job to get them clients in the first place. It's their job to retain them. It's their job to get them rebooking. It's their job to upsell them. It's their job to get them recommending to their friends. Okay, so it's your job to kind of seed the field. It's their job to nurture the crop and ultimately harvest for you as well. I don't know. You haven't got into lots of detail. So, I don't know what targets you're setting. Make sure they're challenging but realistic. Make sure your expectations are really clear. I expect you to be rebooking this percentage of your clients. I expect you to be reactivating this number of lost clients. Lay out their column in front of them and say, okay, who are you going to be upselling to? Who can we call to see whether they can bring a friend along with them next Tuesday? So, ultimately, what we're doing is clear expectations and then coaching. But ultimately, Mr. or Miss Anonymous, ultimately, if none of this is working, you have to be prepared to change that conversation. If everything you're trying to do is falling on deaf ears, if everything you're doing is just adding to your frustration because they're really not taking column building seriously, that conversation needs to shift. And you have to be prepared, ultimately, to manage that person out of the business. Sorry, that ended on a bit of a gloomy note. I want it to be hopeful. But really, it's about clear expectations and coaching. And I hope that's helped you. Final question comes from Jessica. I don't know where Jessica's from. What software do you recommend for a small beauty business? I'm looking for something free or low cost. I won't say what she's using right now because she wants to move

and that doesn't seem very fair. I'm using X right now. And I can't get hold of anyone on the phone for support. I need more than email. OK, Jessica, a little bit of a reality check for you. If you want in-person live support, you're going to be paying for it. And free or low cost software does not normally come with personal support. Normally, you're looking at email or even some software that has no support at all from a live person. Normally, it would be if it's very low cost or free. Normally, they would just refer you to the help guides or refer you to YouTube videos and you do your own help. But I think also I would like you to consider not shopping on price. What we should be doing is shopping on features. And any software, even the most expensive software, should be an absolute no-brainer. Yeah, because it's saving you so much time. If you think about the number of bookings that it's taking care of, you know, let's say for a small beauty, I don't know how small, whether it's just you or whether you've got employees as well. Let's say you're paying five pounds a day, so 150 quid a month for salon software. That would put you on the middle to top end of some software packages. 150 quid a month is still less than a receptionist would cost you. If you've got online bookings, it's saving you a receptionist or an extra receptionist. It's saving you, let's say, an hour of your time returning calls to get people booked in that you don't have to do because the salon software is taking care of it. If you're on five pounds an hour, my darling, we've got bigger problems than your salon software. Stop shopping on price. Figure out exactly what you want the software to do. It sounds like support is a big part of that picture for you, Jessica. So look for the ones that have got the best support and whatever they charge, price it in. Get recommendations, of course. Ask other people. Be careful, though. Most people want to be reassured they've made the right decision, so they'll persuade you that they've made the right decision, even if what they've chosen is a bit iffy. Also join some of the Facebook groups. Lots of these software companies have user groups or support groups. Ask your questions in there, but be ready to share as well. Don't be one of those people that just asks and takes and asks and takes. Be the kind of person that contributes to the discussion and helps other people on their journey too. So that's inspired you to spend some money with software companies. Please, Jessica, stop going for the freebies. And I always say, if you are not paying for the product, you are the product. And that's not a good place to be in your business either. And that's it for questions for today. Don't forget to send your January questions over. Phil at buildyoursalon.com.

You know I love hearing from you guys anyway. I hope the rest of December treats you well. Well, just seven short days until I'm coming in your eyes and ears again. And until then, take care. Sit down and see what's going on with the queen of salons. Hair, beauty and more successful tips for business owners. All on build your salon.