Welcome to the Kitomba blog

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This is where you will find articles and short posts of “stuff” that we think salon and spa owners, managers and staff will find interesting and useful. It might be about running a salon or spa, general business advice or it could be related to other industries that we think are thought-provoking or have parallels with the world of hair, health and beauty. Naturally, we’ll also include news about Kitomba.

You’ll be able to find links to the stories on our facebook page, along with some less serious stuff, and on our twitter feed.

At the bottom of each article  you can let us know what you think, agree/disagree, good/bad, by commenting. If you have a view we’d love to hear it.

Welcome. We hope you like it.

Last Minute Valentines Day Marketing Tips

Be My ValentineWith the bustle of the Christmas/New Year period now a distant memory, it’s time to refocus your marketing efforts on all of those 2012 opportunities in front of you. With just 14 days until Valentines Day, your V-Day promotional activities should now be in full swing.

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Your clients and you

US hair and beauty academy Pivot Point recently conducted a research study engaging 500 consumers to find out more about their relationship with their stylist and the salon overall.

Hair salon and stylistKey take-outs included:

  • Client loyalty: consumers are very loyal to their hairstylist; particularly women aged 36 to 60+ and men aged between 26 and 35. More than half of loyal clients have been seeing the same stylist for three years or more.
  • Trust: hairstylists were on par with a client’s therapist in terms of trust. The importance of continually improving both technical skills in hair design and the softer skills of stylist-client communication are interpreted by Pivot Point as the key to this trust.
  • Professional training: respect for styling suggestions, product suggestions and willingness to pay more for services all increase when a stylist informs clients they receive regular training.
  • Relationship with stylist: friendliness, technical skills and professionalism rank highest amongst the list of attributes. And the consultation at the start of an appointment is viewed as the most important conversation between the client and stylist.

Read the full report from Pivot Point.

Reds Hairdressing from Pukerua Bay named 2011 Kitomba NZARH Salon of the Year

Salon One the Cove, from Tauranga, take home two awards

2011 Industry Awards Trophies

2011 Industry Awards trophies

At a sparkling ceremony in the Auckland Museum on 20 November 2011, Reds Hairdressing from Pukerua Bay in Wellington, was named the 2011 Kitomba NZARH Salon of the Year and the Telecom Employer of Choice.

In announcing Reds Hairdressing as the Kitomba NZARH Salon of the Year Award, Kitomba CEO, Tom Murphy, said, “Reds stood out as the best all round entrant. Their business performance was excellent, their marketing outstanding and the work they do with their teams won them the Telecom Employer of Choice. ”

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Five questions to ask when choosing software for your salon or spa

Business coaching1. Does it meet your needs?

Start by making a list of everything you want the software to do in your salon, e.g. appointment book, client cards, client history, staff timetables, automatic everyday reminder messages, campaign marketing, stock management, reports, security and more. Arrange the list in order of priority, with the most important at the top. Now you have a checklist you can use to make sure the software meets your needs.

2. Is it easy to use?

Salons and spas can be very busy places, so any system has to meet your needs AND be easy to use. It’s no use ticking all the boxes if it takes too long to do your number one priority. Make sure the tasks you do the most, like making and moving appointments, completing sales, are easy for you and your team to learn and do.

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Facetime: Using Facebook pages in your salon & spa business

FACEBOOK LIKE

Facebook is now well and truly integrated in our personal lives. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country in the world after China and India, with more than 600 million active users.  It’s how we stay in contact with old and new friends, share news, invites, photos, videos, jokes and scandal. And more recently, it’s become the way many of us stay ‘in the know’ with our favourite brands and products. But the real beauty of Facebook is the voice it gives to small, local businesses, such as salons and spas. Never before have we had such a direct way to ‘talk’ with our clients and community on a daily basis.

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