How to Make the Most of the Changing Seasons

A new season can mean a lot more than just a change in temperature. There are different holidays on your calendar, new fashions in the clothing racks, new foods in the produce isle, and, maybe most importantly, new items on your to-do list. Because as lovely and exciting as a new season can be, it can also be pretty stressful. As a stylist, chances are you’re gearing up to accommodate a busier schedule, with every customer demanding the latest style or trend spotted on the runway. So how do you make the most of it? Here are a couple of tips:

Prep your staff.
First up, huddle your stylists or coworkers together for a strategy session. Ideally, you should be having recurring meetings anyway, but it’s 110% necessary around season-shifting time. Talk about your expected client volume, how you’ll divvy up work, whether you need a waitlist, etc. Make sure that everyone knows what to expect in the coming weeks. And, if you’re going to be doing something special—like any of the things below—make sure you talk about all that, too.

Schedule sales for anticipated services.
If things are going to be crazy anyway, you might as well go all out. Lure even the most salon-shy customers to your seat with seasonal deals and/or discounts on recurring services. Make fall-pallette color jobs just a little bit cheaper than the rest, offer discounted summer blowouts for clients who bring their friends, or instate a 10% sale on trims, move-up appointments, and/or Instant Hair! Whatever the season calls for. And, if you’re extra-ambitious, you could even make an event out of it. Anyone up for a Halloween costume party at the salon? Winners get prizes!

Update your featured products.
New weather means new hair care concerns, so make sure that your featured products—the ones that are immediately visible to clients—cater to their current needs. Pull together your moisturizing serums and anti-frizz sprays for fall and winter, and your UV-protectants and texturizing sprays for spring and summer. If you have seasonally-themed products—like pumpkin spice-scented conditioner, rosewater spray, or the like—bring those to the forefront, too (after all, we’re all suckers for that pumpkin spice).

Introduce new offerings.
A new season is a great opportunity to roll out some new salon offerings, be they products or services. Adding a new extension method to your toolkit? Wrap it into your seasonal sales to incentivize your clients to jump onboard. They’re likely already hyped by all the new seasonal developments, so a new service could send their enthusiasm through the roof!

Decorate!
Honestly, one of the best parts of welcoming a new season into your salon has got to be the decorating. You know—making it feel like autumn, winter, spring, or summer, inside and out! Bring out the jack-o-lanterns, the holiday lights, the flowers, or the seashells! It’ll be a festive touch, not just for your clients, but also for you and the other stylists! You are the ones who spend most of your time in that space. Make it a place in which you enjoy working!

What are you doing in your salon to play up the changing season? Tell us in the comments below! And don’t forget to share pictures of your decorated salons with us!