I was asking him how his business was going in these tough economic times and he responded by saying that whilst sales were low, profits were still quite healthy, thanks to his focus on minimizing waste.

Curious I asked him to tell me more. He went on to explain that in the early days of running his business his focus was on getting more customers and increasing his sales. His business grew quite successfully, but then finally got to its limit, where no matter how hard he advertised, he simply could not sell any more pizzas.

Still not content with the money he was making, he began to look at ways to increase his profits by cutting costs. One particular evening after closing time, he noticed the large amount of wasted food that was getting thrown out with the garbage. He started to think about how his business made money. He realized, that in its simplest form, his profits came from buying raw food stuffs at a certain price and then selling each piece of food for more than what he paid for it in the form of a cooked pizza. Understanding this, it then dawned on him that each item of food that was thrown out, was money he had wasted, and profit he would now not make. Ever since that night he has focused on eliminating wastage where possible, and ensuring that every item of food brought in its fair share of profit.

Now you might be thinking, ‘What does a pizza shop have to do with my salon?’, well the answer is ‘plenty’. Particularly in the area of spray tanning.

I know that I am about to push the SunFX bandwagon a bit here, but it’s for good reason. It’s because the SunFX spray tanning system does this better than any other. You see, other spray tanning systems in the market are not designed for applying spray tans. They are instead modified paint applicators in the form of air-brush guns and the like. But tanning solution is runnier than paint, and as such it needs to be applied through a spray gun designed specifically for that purpose.

These other systems waste a tremendous amount of tanning solution through over-spray and the dreaded solution drip. Evidence of the amount of over-spray that occurs can be seen by the fact that the skin of the receptionists of salons using these inferior systems is typically orange on top and pale as you look down their legs. This is because the over-spray floats around the room, settling on the staff who work there.

The SunFX Pro Spray Applicator however is specifically designed to apply SunFX tanning solutions. Because it is so accurate, you only need a tiny amount of solution to apply a full body tan. Skilled operators are able to get as many as 30 full tans from one bottle of solution!

Now admittedly some of the other solution brands are cheaper, but you need to use more of them to get a rich natural looking tan. Therefore you are getting fewer tans per bottle, which means less profit overall. By buying the cheaper brand you are actually costing yourself money.

So the salon recession surviving tip that I want you to understand is the importance of reducing your wastage. In spray tanning the answer is SunFX. But what other areas of your business suffer from wastage, and how can you reduce it? Answer those questions and your profits will increase even if your clientele drops off.

One of the realities of a recession is that people are watching their money more closely. People will often go without those products or services that are deemed to be a luxury, rather than a necessity. Beauty treatments are commonly one of the first things that people give up during times of financial hardship.

But the reality for most salons is that they still have customers, just less of them. The regulars tend to keep coming in, but you tend to lose ‘walk in’ traffic and those who would be typically classed as infrequent clientele. The loss of these clients is significant, as these are often the clients who give your profits a real boost and turn your good weeks into great ones.

But all is not lost; you simply need to work on making more from less.

To do this you need to start focusing on the average expenditure of each client, as well as the frequency of their visits. Are there any products or services that you could be selling your clients that you are not selling to them already? Obviously spray tanning is a big one, as a SunFX spray tan is hugely profitable for your salon, and highly desirable for your clients.

Products are another lucrative area that many salons have not previously focused on. Sure you have always sold products, but how many more could you sell if you really focused on them? By selling an extra product to every second client, you will soon have boosted your profits even though you might potentially be dealing with fewer clients.

It is also important to ensure that your existing clients are coming back regularly, particularly if your overall numbers of clients are diminishing. Make sure that you book people in for their next appointment before they leave, and it’s imperative that you give them a reminder phone call a day or so before their next appointment is due. It’s also worth considering putting individual clients on customised beauty programs. Find out if they have any important functions or engagements coming up and then set out a program of regular appointments leading up to the event that ensures they will be looking their best.

Whilst finances may be tight across the country, there is no doubt that well run businesses can still succeed, and in fact grow. Focus on increasing the per visit expenditure of each client, along with the frequency of their visits, and you will find that you can grow your profits even if your client base is diminishing.

Talk to most beauticians and they will tell you that they are beauticians, not sales people. They don’t like ’selling’ to their clients. Many feel that if their clients wanted to purchase products they would ask for them.

This unwillingness to ’sell’ to clients often stems from the belief systems of the person asked to do the sales. If they believe that sales people are sleezy, untrustworthy or unprofessional, then of course they will not want to be seen as a sales person in the eyes of their clients.

If you suspect that this is the challenge with the team members you employ in your salon, there is a simple test to prove your theory. Sit your team down with a pen a paper and tell them, ‘In the next 2 minutes I want you to write down every word that you can think of that describes a salesperson’. They might need a bit of encouragement, so offer suggestions like ‘Helpful, good listener, etc’ to get them started.

After 2 minutes ask them to stop writing and share everything they have written down. Chances are more than 80% of the comments will be negative, such as ‘untrustworthy, rip off, liar’ etc. If this is the case, then it’s easy to see why your team are not ’selling’ products to your salon’s clients.

So how do you overcome this? Simply by explaining to your team that they are not ’sales people’. They are in fact professional therapists, and as professionals, they need to offer their clients the best possible after salon care products. Give the example of going to the doctor. You’re feeling sick so you go to the doctor. Your doctor is a health care professional who gives you advice on what you’re suffering from, and the best way to treat it. He or she will then give you a script for medication that will hopefully correct the problem. Now ask yourself this ‘Is this doctor a salesperson?’ The answer is of course NO. Similiarly when a client goes to a salon, they are expecting professional advice. Not only on what treatment will give them the best, most beautiful outcome, but also what products they should be purchasing to help them maintain their beautiful appearance in between treatments.

Get your team to view product sales as a beauty ‘prescription’ rather than a sale, and you’re well on the way to increasing your profits through professional advice.