Most salon owners leave thousands of pounds on the table every year because they hate selling retail.

You feel pushy. You don't want to be that aggressive salesperson. You're afraid of rejection.

So products gather dust and you miss massive profit opportunities.

Here's the truth: NOT recommending products is doing your clients a disservice.

THE MINDSET SHIFT

Stop thinking of retail as "selling products." Start thinking of it as completing your professional service.

You're a professional. Your client isn't. You know which products protect their work, maintain treatments, and extend results.

If you don't tell them, you're being SELFISH about your fear of rejection instead of thinking about what's best for the client.

PRESCRIBE home care. Don't "sell" products.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK

❌ Product displays (people don't browse)

❌ Vague mentions ("We have some great products...")

❌ Waiting until checkout (they're mentally done)

❌ Selling features instead of results

WHAT WORKS

✓ Get agreement in CONSULTATION (before starting service)

"To create this style, you'll need these products at home. Is that okay before we start?"

✓ Show product DURING service (let them experience it)

✓ Prescribe BEFORE checkout (not at till)

✓ Make it easy to say YES

Physically pick up products. Walk to checkout with them.

✓ Handle objections professionally

"Expensive?" → "£1.50/week to protect a £120 colour service"

"I'll think about it" → "Wrong products = results fail sooner = back spending £120 sooner"

"Next time" → "Damage happens in first few days - next time is too late"

ADVANCED TACTICS

PRICE IT IN: For extensions or colour correction, include products in service price. Guarantees results, breaks bad habits.

TEAM FLEXIBILITY: "Budget tight? If you take all three products, I can do the third half-price."

BUILD STORIES: "Sarah struggled with frizz until she started using this. Now smooth all week."

THE REJECTION MINDSET

When McDonald's asks "Would you like fries?" and you say no, do they take it personally?

No. Next customer.

Same attitude here.

WHY THIS ISN'T OPTIONAL

This used to be optional. Not anymore.

Massive profit opportunity you can't afford to decline.

If YOU won't retail, your team definitely won't either.

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📊 RESOURCES:

Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com

💬 WORK WITH ME:

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

🎧 LISTEN:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Why Leave Money on Table

1:18 - Why We Hate Retail

2:15 - Mindset Shift: Service Not Sales

3:10 - Being Selfish About Rejection

4:12 - What Doesn't Work

5:15 - Get Agreement in Consultation

6:03 - Have Products in Stock

6:50 - Prescription Framework

7:37 - Price It In Strategy

8:22 - Handle Objections

9:23 - Not Optional Anymore

#salonretail #salonproducts #salonprofitability

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Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Most salon team targets don't work. Either they don't exist, they're random numbers that sound good, or - here's the killer - everyone hits their individual targets and the salon STILL misses its numbers.

That's because individual targets don't add up to the salon target.

THE FOUR MEASURES (Track these, nothing else)

Stop tracking 17 things. Your salon software has too many reports and it's confusing. Track these four for every team member:

MEASURE 1: SERVICE REVENUE

How much money each team member puts in the till from services.

Work BACKWARDS from your salon target:

- Salon needs £50k/month

- 4 team members

- £50k ÷ 4 = £12.5k per person

If everyone hits £12.5k, salon hits £50k.

MEASURE 2: RETAIL (Units, not revenue)

How many products did they sell?

Why units? Selling 15 shampoos is harder than selling one set of expensive straighteners. We're measuring the HABIT of retailing.

MEASURE 3: UTILIZATION

Percentage of column full with paying customers.

Target: 80-90% (85% is sweet spot)

- 100% = no breathing room, stressed model

- Below 70% = not making money

MEASURE 4: REBOOKING OR RETENTION (Pick one)

Rebooking: Percentage who rebook before leaving

Retention: Percentage who return within service cycle

Pick REBOOKING - you see results faster. Most retention reports are unreadable.

Target: 60%+

THE THREE-LEVEL SYSTEM (Makes it motivating)

Each measure needs THREE numbers:

TARGET: Challenging but achievable (15 retail products/week)

CELEBRATION: Above target (20 products/week)

When they hit this, recognize it publicly. Gives high performers something to stretch for.

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE: Below target (10 products/week)

Don't mention in 1:1s. It's YOUR internal line - when coaching isn't working and you need a capability or disciplinary conversation.

THE 1:1 STRUCTURE (10-15 minutes max)

"Your four numbers from last week:

- Service revenue: £1,300 (target £1,250) ✓

- Retail: 12 units (target 15) - slight miss

- Utilization: 87% (target 85%) ✓

- Rebooking: 58% (target 60%) - close

What challenges? What should we focus on?"

Done. 10 minutes.

Frequency: Monthly if performing well (around payday). Fortnightly or weekly if struggling.

THE COACHING TOOLKIT

For each measure, have 3-5 tactics to coach:

Service revenue low? Upsell treatments, extend appointment times, fill gaps

Retail low? Prescribe like a doctor, show product during service, explain results

Utilization low? Increase rebooking, reduce cancellations, fill last-minute gaps

Rebooking low? Pre-book at till, create urgency, review service quality

Targets without coaching toolkit = pointless.

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE

Individual targets don't add up to salon targets.

ALWAYS work backwards from salon target. If everyone hits individual targets, salon should hit its targets.

COMMISSION VS TARGETS

Don't coach people toward commission targets. Commission should MOTIVATE them. If you have to coach them to hit commission, the commission structure isn't working.

Coach them toward SALON targets - what YOU need them to achieve.

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📊 RESOURCES:

Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com

💬 WORK WITH ME:

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

🎧 WATCH:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/o5ErCGsd2w8

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Why Most Targets Don't Work

1:20 - Problem 1: No Targets

2:12 - Problem 2: Random Targets

3:02 - Problem 3: Don't Add Up

3:52 - Problem 4: No Coaching

4:44 - Four Measures Only

5:42 - Why Separate Service/Retail

6:39 - Retail: Units vs Money

7:32 - Utilization (85% Sweet Spot)

10:03 - Rebooking vs Retention

10:56 - Three-Level System

12:39 - Minimum Acceptable Line

13:37 - Coaching Toolkit

#salonteamtargets #salonKPIs #salonmanagement

Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Referrals are the best source of new salon clients - but most salon owners get it completely wrong. They put up a poster saying "Refer a friend, get 10% off!" and wonder why nothing happens.

Here's the problem: referral programs fail because you run out of steam.

You can't maintain referral-focused energy year-round while also running your salon, doing your marketing, managing your team, and actually doing hair.

So referral programs die by March. The poster fades. Nobody notices it anymore.

The solution: Split your referral strategy into TWO parts.

PART 1: ALWAYS-ON FOUNDATION (Background referral generation all year)

- Shareable transformations (before/after photos sent automatically to clients)

- Branded Instagram templates (make it easy to tag you)

- New client welcome system (acknowledge who referred them)

- Thank you texts (when someone refers, thank them immediately)

Set it up once. Runs forever. Generates referrals passively.

PART 2: FOCUSED REFERRAL CAMPAIGN (One month, high energy, then STOP)

Pick ONE month per year (or two maximum).

Week 1: Announce the campaign

- Email everyone: "This month only - refer a friend, you both get [REWARD]"

- Make the reward generous (not 10% - that's not enough to change behavior)

- Stacking rewards (one customer sent us 13 referrals in one month!)

Week 2-3: Push hard

- Mention to EVERY client in salon

- Post about it on social media

- Send reminders by email

- Create urgency ("This month only")

Week 4: Final push

- "Last week! If you've been meaning to refer someone, now's the time!"

Then STOP. Campaign over. Back to normal.

WHY THIS WORKS:

✓ Focused energy for one month is sustainable (year-round isn't)

✓ Creates urgency (if it's always available, nobody acts)

✓ You don't burn out (the always-on foundation keeps ticking over)

✓ Referrals have minimal wasted marketing effort (your clients pre-qualify who they refer)

The mistake: Running referral campaigns for 3-6 months. You'll run out of steam by month 2.

Better: One month of brilliance beats six months half-arsed.

Pick your referral month (February is great if January was quiet, August works if you need summer boost).

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📊 RESOURCES:

Salon Spark (Weekly Accountability + Community): https://salon-spark.com

→ £75/month, cancel anytime, try it for £1 first month

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💬 WORK WITH ME:

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

→ Book a call for help implementing referral systems

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👋 WHO I AM:

Phil Jackson. Ex-salon owner (award-winning, since 2001). Now I coach salon owners who want profitable businesses without the hustle BS.

This podcast is for the ones who take their business seriously.

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🎧 LISTEN:

Spotify: [your episode link]

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP

Website: buildyoursalonpodcast.com

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Why Referrals Are the Best Source

1:18 - The Problem: You Run Out of Steam

2:14 - Why Referrals Have Less Wasted Effort

4:05 - The Poster That Doesn't Work

4:51 - Two-Part Referral Strategy

5:44 - Part 1: Always-On Foundation

6:27 - Step 1: Shareable Transformations

7:21 - Step 2: Branded Instagram Templates

8:01 - Step 3: Acknowledge New Client Referrers

8:49 - Step 4: Thank You System

9:41 - Part 2: Focused Referral Campaign

10:22 - Make It Rewarding (One Customer Sent 13!)

11:17 - Mention to EVERY Client

12:06 - Don't Extend It - You'll Run Out of Steam

#salonreferrals #salonmarketing #salonreferralprogram #salonbusiness #wordofmouth

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Questions? Email: phil@buildyoursalon.com

Need help with salon marketing? Reach out - let's chat!

If you're working harder than ever and not making profit, there's a good chance your prices are too low.

But raising prices feels terrifying. What if clients leave? What if nobody books?

Here are the 3 signs you're definitely undercharging - and exactly what to do about it.

WHY YOU'RE STUCK AT LOW PRICES:

Fear #1: Clients will leave

(Spoiler: The ones who leave over £5 weren't your clients anyway)

Fear #2: Columns will be empty

(Reality: When you charge properly, you need FEWER clients to make the same money)

Fear #3: You don't feel "worth it"

(That's imposter syndrome talking. You're worth more than you're charging.)

THE 3 SIGNS YOU'RE UNDERCHARGING:

Sign #1: Fully booked but not making money

- Columns rammed, working 50-60 hours, barely scraping by

- You're discounting your time - making £10-15/hour after costs

- The market is telling you that you can charge more

Sign #2: You're attracting price-sensitive clients

- They ask "How much?" before "What can you do?"

- They negotiate, cancel frequently, don't tip, complain constantly

- Cheap prices attract cheap clients

- Premium prices attract people who value quality

- "Every time you price someone out, you price someone in"

Sign #3: You're cheaper than competitors (and shouldn't be)

- If competitors charge more and you're equally good (or better), you're leaving money on the table

- Don't obsess about competitors when setting prices

- Don't let someone else's business model dictate your charges

- Premium pricing = premium perception (and better coffee, training, decor)

HOW TO RAISE PRICES WITHOUT LOSING EVERYONE:

Step 1: Run the numbers

- Understand WHY you're charging what you do

- Set prices based on the profit YOU want to make

- Make it a no-brainer for the right customers

Step 2: Announce it properly

- 4 weeks notice minimum

- Small sign on reception: "From 1st March, new prices"

- No apologies, no drama

- Current clients can rebook today at old prices (increases rebookings)

Step 3: Handle pushback

- Most people complain but don't change behavior

- Listen, but don't negotiate

- Tiered pricing helps retention (can't afford top stylist? Book someone else)

Step 4: Replace the clients who leave

- That's a marketing problem

- The right clients will find you at premium prices

YOUR ACTION PLAN:

Put a date in the diary. If it were me: 1st March.

That gives you 2 weeks to set new prices and get the announcement up.

RESOURCES:

Get Paid Properly (Profit & Pricing Program): https://getpaidproperly.com

→ The complete system for setting profitable salon prices

WORK WITH ME:

Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com

→ £75/month, cancel anytime, try it for £1

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

→ Book a call for intensive pricing and profitability help

WHO I AM:

Phil Jackson. Ex-salon owner (award-winning, since 2001). Now I coach salon owners who want profitable businesses without the hustle BS.

In my own salon, we promised to be the most expensive haircut in town. If anyone matched our prices, we'd immediately increase ours. Some people came to us BECAUSE we were the most expensive.

WATCH/LISTEN:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@buildyoursalon

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP

Website: buildyoursalonpodcast.com

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Working Harder, Not Making Profit

1:12 - Why You're Stuck at Low Prices

2:02 - Fear #1: Losing Clients

2:55 - Fear #2: Empty Columns

3:48 - Fear #3: Imposter Syndrome

4:35 - Sign #1: Fully Booked, Not Making Money

5:31 - Sign #2: Attracting Price-Sensitive Clients

6:23 - The Groupon Story

8:01 - "Every Time You Price Someone Out, You Price Someone In"

8:50 - Sign #3: Cheaper Than Competitors

10:29 - How to Raise Prices Without Losing Everyone

11:06 - Step 1: Run the Numbers

11:50 - Step 2: Announce It

12:35 - Step 3: Handle Pushback, Step 4: Replace Clients

#salonpricing #salonprofitability #raisingprices #undercharging #salonowner

Questions? Email: phil@buildyoursalon.com

Finding good people for your salon feels impossible. Zero applications, ghosted interviews, or people who show up for one day and disappear. Recruitment in 2026 is brutal - but some salons are still finding brilliant people.

Why it's harder now:

• Post-COVID shift: People want flexibility, development, culture (not just a job)
• Gen Z researches you on Instagram before applying
• Competition is fierce: Everyone's desperate

If your strategy is "post an ad and hope", you're screwed.

In this episode:

• The 3 mistakes killing your recruitment
• Always-on recruiting (build your pipeline BEFORE you need people)
• How to make your salon visible to potential employees
• Writing job ads that actually attract good people
• What flexibility actually means in 2026
• Your January action plan

Stop desperate scrambling. Build your employer brand and pipeline.

Work with me:

Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com
£75/month, try for £1

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

Watch/Subscribe:
YouTube: Watch on YouTube
Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple
Website: buildyoursalonpodcast.com

Most salon team meetings are a waste of time. They're either non-existent or just you moaning at your team for 45 minutes while everyone stares at their phones.

Neither builds a better salon. Here's how to get them right.

The three camps:

• No meetings at all (no cohesion, everyone in silos)
• Occasional roasting sessions (owner's frustrated, nobody wants to come back)
• Rambling chaos (starts late, runs 90 minutes, nothing gets decided)

In this episode:

• Why I got this horrifically wrong for years
• The 45-minute structure that works
• Monthly minimum (when to increase frequency)
• What to include: Product training, promotions, wins
• What to exclude: Negativity, roasting, venting
• The agenda trick that prevents sabotage
• Your January action plan

Team meetings build culture and keep everyone aligned. Get them right.

Work with me:

Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com
£75/month, try for £1

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

Subscribe:
YouTube: Watch on YouTube
Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple
Website: buildyoursalonpodcast.com

I've been coaching salon business owners for almost a decade. Want to know the problem that keeps coming back? Owners working their asses off and barely paying themselves.

If you put yourself on your team's wage structure and couldn't afford to pay yourself, you're not building a business - you've built an expensive hobby that happens to have staff.

In this episode:

• The 3 reasons salon owners don't pay themselves (guilt, fear, confusion)
• Worker vs Owner: Why you need TWO types of income
• Wages for the work + Dividends for the risk
• Real 2026 numbers: Small salon (£36-54k), Medium (£54-80k), Large (£80-160k+)
• How to set it up in January and stop subsidizing your business

You deserve to get paid what you're worth. Let's fix this in 2026.

Resources:

Get Paid Properly: https://getpaidproperly.com
Complete profit & pricing system

Work with me:

Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com
£75/month, try for £1

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

Subscribe:
YouTube: Watch on YouTube
Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple
Website: buildyoursalonpodcast.com

You don't need 100 members to make salon memberships profitable. You might not even need 50.

After helping 100+ salons launch membership programs, I can tell you exactly how many members YOU need - and it's probably fewer than you think.

In this episode:

• How to calculate your membership target based on YOUR actual numbers
• Why most salons need 30-60 members (not hundreds)
• Small salon vs. large salon targets - what's realistic
• The reverse engineering strategy: start with your overhead gap
• Why "more members" isn't always better

Stop guessing. Start with the real numbers that will transform your cash flow.

Resources:

Salon Memberships Made Easy: https://queenofmemberships.com
The complete system for launching profitable memberships

Work with me:

Salon Spark (weekly accountability + community): https://salon-spark.com
£75/month, cancel anytime, try it for £1

1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com

Subscribe:
YouTube: Watch on YouTube
Website: buildyoursalonpodcast.com