Customer Satisfaction

There’s a lot to be said for customer satisfaction. First, a satisfied customer is more likely to refer your services to others. Second, one customer has a circle of influence of up to 250 people (and guess what? Piss one customer off and they will tell 15 of their close friends and those friends will tell 15 of their friends…you get the point).

According to the following statistics, maintaining excellent customer satisfaction this holiday season should be paramount on your list:

1. By keeping current clients happy, you are saving five times more than trying to gain new business elsewhere.
   
2. If you retain 5% of your customers, this will increase the value of an average customer by 25-100%.
   
   
3. In terms of probability, you have a 50% chance of successfully selling to a current customer, but try to sell to a new customer and you have a 6% shot (puts things into perspective doesn’t it?) 
   
   
4. Remember what we keep saying about client referrals? They generate new business at very little or no cost. This happens when your customers are satisfied.

Let’s put it this way, 91% of unsatisfied customers will never purchase from you again. So how do you beat the odds?

One word: surveys!

Surveys are the easiest way to keep track of how your business works. It’s just as important to the well-tenured client as it is for the newbie. So when someone makes a recommendation, lodges a complaint, or simply states “this worked for me,” respond to each issue in a timely fashion and eradicate any negative impressions immediately.

“Statistically, 60% of clients interviewed in person will bring new business to you within 60 days of the actual survey.”

What is Special Effects?

A business is not just a name, some employees and a price tag. When you walk into a store or surf the web or try to find a doctor, you want to feel a certain way about your experience and you want that feeling to be positive because it’s personal. So, our doors are open and the invitations are out. Welcome!

Now let us show you what Special Effects is all about.

Our business, our salon, our spa, our home is not just a place where you receive services or purchase products and walk out. We cater to you as an individual. We customize your services, listen to your concerns and reach out to you not just as a client, but as part of our extended family. It’s not about sell, sell, sell, it’s about comfort, happiness, and fulfillment.

When you walk in, pleasing aromas, a calm and relaxing atmosphere and professional staff greet you. Warm tea on a chilly day and other amenities are provided while you wait or you can peruse our various product shelves, handbag collection or chat with our lovely receptionist about current specials/promotions. Our salon overlooks a beautiful outdoor garden while our stylists work on the main floor. Upstairs you can find various rooms for facials, massages and mani/pedis all showcased in Victorian era décor.

What does this mean for you as a customer? This is your home away from home and the doors are always open.

Of course, even with a great atmosphere and wonderful scenery, the most important part of your experience is with the owner and her staff. In this regard, you will not find a more caring, giving and attentive group of women to fulfill your needs. Whether you are planning a bachelorette party, need a massage, or just want to get out for some much needed R&R, our professionals are here to help.

So step in from the cold and take a look around. The doors are open and we look forward to making our extended family even bigger.

The Gift Certificate Quick Guide

The holiday season is right around the corner and with one of the biggest shopping days of the year within arm’s reach, yes we're talking about black Friday already, it is important to highlight one of the biggest sellers all business owners should have: gift certificates!

Follow these simple guidelines to boost your gift certificate sales this season:

One for you, one for me – figure out a promotion that will work best for your business. A good incentive is allowing the gift giver to not only buy something for a friend/family member, but will get something for themselves in return (i.e. a $20 gift card for free!).  

To promote sales after the holidays, make the gift certificate for the purchaser valid starting January 1st.

Online Gift Certificates – Purchasing gift certificates online and printing them right from your computer is a great way to boost sales – especially during last-minute rushing!

Email Blasts – include a link to the gift certificate page on your website with every email blast you send out between now and the New Year. The key to sales is repetition, repetition, repetition…

Market All OVER the place – especially at reception desks, product shelves, bathroom doors, all exits to your business, on your staff, on your website, in your emails…everywhere!

Partner with local businesses – print postcard stuffers for other businesses to include with purchases, go to your local chamber of commerce or welcome wagon, cross-promote with other businesses to increase your potential clientele base.

Keep your gift certificate open-ended or an All-You-Need kind of package – too many options confuse the buyer and will decrease sales.

Make sure staff is well versed on what to say and how to say it – make sure your voice hold recording on your phone is filled with gift certificate information as well! Make sure everyone and everything in your business is on the same page so there is no confusion.

Reward Staff – offer gift certificates or cash incentives for employees to BOOST SALES (this is another way to cross-promote with other businesses).

Reception – most important sellers (offer % of sales or lump sum cash amount to the earners to keep the cash register ringing!)

Make sure you put together a 12-month promotional marketing calendar before the New Year starts. This will help you with future sales goals and will take care of the excess inventory (hopefully you will have minimal/none left after successful holiday sales…but just in case).

Remember, you know what your customers want and how they shop. Customize your gift certificate sales to what you know will be a sure seller. You can’t go wrong when there’s something in it for everyone.

Happy shopping!

Much Love,
Debbie Schade

The Best at Home Facial Masks

Sometimes your skin needs more than good food and R&R to get that “glowing” look; while most people pay tons of money for a decent facial (including mask), some of the best facial masks can be done right at home. Whether your skin is oily, dry, red, splotchy or just plain irritated, we have some quick solutions for your facial needs.

The best remedy for redness is a cucumber aloe facial mask which gives you a twofold response: soothe and moisturize. Place a saturated paper mask over your face, let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. A little word of advice, do not overdue how often you use masks; once a week is plenty. (Psst – Target sells these nifty cucumber aloe paper facial masks for only $2…you’re welcome!)

Feeling dry and lifeless? A hit of hydration is all your face needs and a simple avocado and a shot of honey will do the trick. Take half an avocado and ¼ cup of honey, mash the avocado into a pulp, pour the honey in, apply to face and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse face with a cool washcloth.

Is your face saying “I need to look young again!,” then a fine line facial mask is what you’re looking for. Guess what? You can use the other ½ of the avocado for this recipe! Mash up the avocado, mix in one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon honey and apply to face, neck and shoulders. Wait 20 minutes then rinse with warm water.

No ‘zit’ Sherlock – we all hate breakouts and one way to stop disaster is with seaweed and tea tree oil. While Bliss makes this breakout-busting rubberizing mask that lifts out dirt, prevents future breakouts and reduces inflammation for $38, we favor some of the at home recipes listed here. Either way, you’re getting more bang for your buck.

For those of you who have sensitive skin, gentle creams with additional frothing action and the power of green tea can leave your skin moisturized, clear, and clean. Or, you can go the floral route and toss 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon rose water, 2 drops lavender essential oil, 2-3 inches of a medium cucumber into a blender, apply to face for 15 minutes and rinse with tepid water.

Don’t let this season get the best of your skin, or the best of you! Take notice of what your skin responds to best and stick with it.

Much Love,

Debbie Schade 

2012 Hairstyling Tips and Misses

From Emmy updos, to long silky tresses a la Kim Kardashian, to short cropped sophisticated Kiera Knightley looks, you can choose a style and own it this year. Even if you have zero time in the morning or all the time in the world, we have the best hairstyling tips for you this season in addition to some common mistakes you want to avoid.

What Works versus What Doesn’t

1.      Routine haircuts are essential to maintaining healthy hair.  Going six months without a haircut actually makes styling and shaping harder for your hairstylist. Go every 4-8 weeks and keep your tresses beautiful!

2.      Do not work with too much hair at once. You see professionals do this all the time with their nifty montage of clips – pin up excess and work from the bottom up. This gives your hair a more finished look that will last longer.

3.      Pay attention to your roots. When using styling product, really concentrate on your roots and brush up and out to get more volume or straight down to get a more flattened look. The healthier the roots, the healthier the mane.

4.      Don’t bake the good stuff! In other words, don’t expose your hair to the highest heat setting on your flat iron/curling iron unless you have very coarse or extremely curly hair. Do not keep heat on one spot too long either. Mist with a thermal styling spray for added protection.

5.      Use the right brush! Many women do not use the right size brush for their hair. Here’s the rule: under the chin, use thin (i.e. 1” round brush). Anything longer, use a 2” or 3” round brush.

6.      Apply product to wet hair. Your hair is much more responsive to product when it’s freshly washed and it’s also much easier to distribute.

7.      Do not allow mousse/gel to let your hair arrive DOA. Control, control, control! Do not overdo the product on dry hair otherwise your tresses will come out looking greasy, shellacked, or flat.

8.      Use the right product. Yes, there are tons of product sitting on shelves, in salons and staring you in the face every time you pick up a magazine, but only a select few are right for you.

9.      Allow your hair to set. Whether you are using a dryer or an iron let your hair cool down afterwards. You are ruining your work if you brush through warm curls or let go of the round brush when your hair is still hot.

10. Quit horsing around! Let your ponytail be healthy too. Do not use rubber bands or elastics with metal clasps as they will snag your hair and create split ends. Also, do not pull your hair back when it’s wet or pull it back too tight – allow it to dry and use some styling cream for a more finished look.

Check back next week for more hairstyling tips!

Much Love,

Debbie Schade

CEO/Special Effects Salon & Spa

Small Business and Stress: How to Cope

Do you feel like this tower of rocks? Perfectly balancing on a mound of work and obligations ready at any moment to fall flat on your face? As a business owner, stress management is a huge concern especially when things continue to pile up. So, how do you cope with stress in your small business?

On average, the more stressful a work environment is, the greater the chance of developing coronary heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States. As a business owner, you not only have to think of yourself, but your employees as well. Do they feel stressed? Do you convey your stress onto your staff? And, more importantly, you need to delegate responsibilities to your team.

Small business owners try to do it all; from handling one-on-one relationships with clients, to paying the monthly bills, to sending out mass emails, managing payroll, and much more. The problem: you are trying to be too many people at once! You are not a bookkeeper, and an accountant, and a business owner, and a manager, and a salesperson, and a spokesperson, and a receptionist, and a social media guru, AND a blogger…you get the idea.

You cannot possibly tackle all of these responsibilities and manage to keep the towering mountain of rocks from crashing down! Plus, more responsibility means more stress. So what do you do? Figure out which members of your team are good at not just cutting hair, mowing the lawn or answering phones.  There is hidden talent everywhere you look and a good small business owner knows how to find it. This may mean a boost in salary of some kind to keep things fair, but will mean all the difference in your day-to-day stressors and level of responsibility.

So what am I really trying to say?  Let GO! 

Take a deep breathe, and let parts of your business you are holding onto like a dog with a bone, go. This allows you to focus on what is really important, like your customers.

Still having a hard time? Find a friend or family member who knows what you’re going through, needs an extra couple bucks a week and is willing to help. Then you’re not outsourcing to people you don’t know or trust. However, remember one crucial fact: the less personal business gets, the easier it is for you to do your job effectively. In a phrase: choose your team wisely, grasshopper.

Much Love,

Debbie Schade

CEO/Special Effects Salon & Spa

Healthy Food for Beautiful Skin

Healthy Food for Beautiful Skin

Did you know most anti-aging creams or other novelties in a jar are not only expensive, but less and less based on actual science? Instead of spending over $200 for an overnight cream in a 2 ounce jar, start looking into how healthy food can improve your skin.

Lifestyle is important, not the amount of money you spend on products.  “The things you can do to beautify your skin are remarkably similar to what you can do to strengthen your heart, control your weight, lift your mood and live longer and better.” So, let’s get on the same page shall we?

The top five foods to improve skin resiliency, tone, complexion and overall health are:

1.      Whole Grains – benefit: clear and moisturized skin. Grains instead of processed food can clear up your complexion tremendously.  

2.      Nuts (especially almonds) – benefit: young and soft skin. Nuts are primarily antioxidants. Vitamin E combats skin-aging free radicals, holds moisture (relieving dryness and making skin look younger). Almonds, pistachios and walnuts also contain a ton of omega-3 fatty acids which is another amazing skin nutrient.

3.      Red and Green Vegetables – yes, eat your veggies it will make your skin bright and smooth! Carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach are the real winners in this category because they are full of beta-carotene which is converted to Vitamin A (an antioxidant) and, in turn, can give you anti-acne benefits as well.

4.      Citrus Fruits – benefit: smooth and taut skin. Citrus fruits are a primary ingredient in most beauty creams and aid in the body’s production of collagen (think taut skin, not saggy and old!)

5.      Oysters – smelly, but good for meeting your omega-3 fatty acid and zinc requirements to give you smooth, clear and glowing skin. Yup, you’ve heard of the “Mediterranean diet” and it works! Increasing omega-3 intake actually decreases inflammation which directly correlates to older-looking skin.  These fatty acids can also keep the heart’s arteries clear, increasing circulation which is also crucial to skin health.

While beauty in a jar may seem like an easy fix, a cheaper and much healthier way to go is to include some of these ingredients in your daily diet. Eating the right food will make your body glow from the inside out!

Much Love,

Debbie Schade

CEO/Special Effects Salon & Spa