Author: blogger

Easy Rebooking Strategies For Salon And Spa Professionals

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Every salon and spa wants high rebooking rates, but many don’t know where to begin.

Rebooking is the easiest way to increase your profits with the clientele you already service. While many beauty professionals feel uncomfortable encouraging their patrons to reschedule, studies show that clients who rebook their appointments make up to 50% more visits per year than those that book from home.

There are three simple strategies that industry insiders can put into practice in order to increase their rebooking rates:

1. Consultation. Client rebooking starts in the chair. As a beauty professional, it is your job to use your expertise to determine how long your product can keep fresh. Ask your client questions about their style, such as “how long did it last” or “when did it stop looking its best”? Your clients will respond to a more personalized approach, rather than the basic “see you in 6 weeks” tactic.

2. Highlight. The more often you reinforce the idea of rebooking to your client, the more likely they are to actually rebook. Take time throughout their appointment to emphasize the advantages to rebooking. Even clients with hectic schedules can benefit from setting something up in advance.

Trying phrases like “my evenings/weekends have been booking up” or “I’d like to see you before the holiday rush” can motivate clients that are on edge about scheduling out. Creating some sort of time reference (ie. an upcoming birthday, an important business trip) can further persuade.

3. Front Desk. Consult your reception staff about the rebooking timeframe you set up for each client before checkout. Make sure that your staff is selective about how they offer appointments; no client wants to hear that in four weeks, your books are wide open. Additionally, if a client knows that you are completely available, they have no incentive or need to rebook.

The front desk should portray your schedule as always being busy. Instead of offering “any time between 9 and 5”, coach your receptionists to ask “would you like a morning/afternoon appointment” or “what is the earliest/latest you could come in that day”. Rephrasing key questions will go a long way with clients.

No client should ever leave the salon without being advised and re-advised to rebook. Clients should be properly informed on when they should return for their next appointment, and given several opportunities throughout the duration of their visit to do so. By following these three simple steps, you can ensure a higher rebooking rate for your existing clientele, helping them to get through the door on a more frequent basis.

Long-term Seo Strategy For Small Business Marketing

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In using search engine optimisation (SEO) as part of your small business marketing plan, you have to understand that this will not bring in the big bucks fast. You have to keep in mind that with this marketing strategy, the search engines are the ones running the show. So, if you choose to use the legitimate and recommended SEO tactics, then expect for things to advance at a slow but sure pace. The good thing about this kind of strategy though is that it is beneficial for your website ranking in the long run.

The two main factors to take into consideration are on page and off page optimization. On page optimization deals with keyword density on the actual website being optimized. It also deals with meta tags which help the major search companies spider the page properly. Each webpage should be optimized for one keyword only. More than one keyword being optimized on the page can confuse the spiders. On page optimization accounts for roughly 30% of the overall optimization strategy.

The second factor, off page optimization, is the most important factor to focus on. When speaking of off page optimization, links are the name of the game. Links, also known as back links, can be created in a variety of ways. The most popular techniques used are article marketing, directory submission, press releases, forum and blog posting, when creating links. Each of these techniques can be overwhelming to the uninitiated, but in each city such as Cincinnati, search engine optimization consultants are ready to assist you.

There are various components of best SEO and they are listed here:-

Link building: Link building is the most important aspect of increasing the search engine optimization. This is because any search engine looks at the number of links online and if your site has many links, then your site will be returned very high in the search results.

Unique content: Unique content is as important as the links for the best SEO results. Your web site should have as much relevant and unique content as possible for your site to have more traffic and the site to be returned very high up in the search engine results for a keyword.

Article submission: This is another method of increasing the popularity of your sites. You can write articles and submit them to various article directories and these articles should have links to your site for the best SEO for your site.

The Truth About Filipino Workers

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Outsourcing workers from the Philippines has been considered as one of the best options for any foreign companies. Primarily, because of the work ethics of the Filipinos. Hardworking, organized, cheerful, and trustworthy are some of the best traits a Filipino worker possesses. The Philippines is also considered as location of choice due to its less expensive operational and labor costs. According to Wikipedia, in 2007, The Philippines remain as a top BPO destination for the estimated $150-billion business process outsourcing industry.

When I worked as a customer service representative for a newspaper company that is based in California, one of my co-employees asked one of the top executives of that particular newspaper, when she visited the Philippines, why they have chosen to outsource the business in the Philippines. One of her answers was, Filipino workers are more empathetic and polite than the Americans. Is it for real? Well, yes, it is. Based on what I have experienced and, of course, we had the chance to listen to some calls of an American customer representative. They have the natural accent, of course. But when it comes to with dealing customers, Filipino workers are the best.

Another reason why foreign companies choose Filipino workers is because of our ability to speak and understand English. There is no doubt about it. Filipino workers could really communicate with the English language. Although, some are not that fluent, but foreigners can actually understand what they are trying to say.

Filipino workers are also in demand in foreign countries. Nurses, engineers, chefs, and even domestic helpers, foreign employers want Filipino workers. Isnt it alarming that most Filipino professionals are leaving for other countries to work? The Philippine government should do something about it. We are losing our best Filipino workers to work in our own country.

There is good news, though. Foreign companies have decided to outsource their business here in the Philippines. This means high employment rate for us Filipinos. There are a lot of call centers all over the Philippines.

Aside from call centers, Search Engine Optimization is also a blossoming industry in the Philippines. One of the most important parts of SEO is link building. What is link building? Link building is a strategy used by businesses, especially those who do business online, to improve their websites performance in search engines.

Filipinos are also advanced when it comes to internet. Link building is done through the internet. That is why, aside from Filipinos attitude towards work, foreign employers prefer Filipino workers to do their job on the internet. Filipino workers are also highly competitive when it comes to SEO. I just could not give you the exact numbers of SEO companies that are in existence in the Philippines. But I know there are a lot of them. Some, maybe, are freelance link builders.

To sum it up, Filipino workers are the most in demand employees by the foreign businesses. Investors from other countries keep coming in to invest here in the Philippines. It is not because they could generate more income here since they pay less when it comes to the operations and labor cost of their business. It is because of the quality of work that we give to the business. Filipino workers exceed the expectations that have been set by the company. In addition to that, Filipino workers are driven by the fact that no matter how difficult the task is, we always find a way to make the job easier. Filipino workers are happy and cheerful people and that make the work fun and exciting.

List And Explain The Various Geographical Pricing Strategies

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A manufacturer has to spend a substantial amount in transporting goods from one place to another. And it is difficult to transport heavy goods. So manufacturers follow different geographical pricing policies. These are four different strategies for geographical pricing:
(1)Free-on-Board Factory Pricing (F.O.B): In this strategy, seller bears the cost of goods till they are loaded in the carrier as referred by the buyer. After that, buyer has to bear the freight charges. Seller charges the from the buyer.
E.g. If the selling Price is Rs. 200 and is Rs. 50, seller will charge Rs. 250 from the buyer.
Advantage: Equitable allocation of freight charges.
Disadvantage: For a distant customer will rise the price and they can switch to competitor located nearby.
(2)Uniform Delivery Pricing: This method is also known as postage stamp method. In this method all the customers are charged same price irrespective of the location. Average of total and sale price is used to determine the uniform price.
For example,
The selling price is Rs. 200
CASE I: is 25
CASE II: is 50
CASE III: is 75.
Selling price will be uniform in all the three cases.
Advantages
Easy to understand and calculate.
Serve all customers equally.
Maintain a uniform price.
Disadvantages
Local customers may prefer F.O.B. Pricing method.

(3)Zone Pricing: In this method, a boundary is drawn in concentric circles keeping the warehouse in the centre. Market is divided into different number of areas/zones and each zone has certain set price. Boundaries can be drawn in any shape. The entire customer falling less than one zone are charged same price. Average is used to determine the zone price.
Advantage
Easy to calculate
Fair method of charging
Maintain advertised price for every zone
Disadvantage
Border customer may suffer
Distant customers can switch to competitors

(4)Freight Absorption Pricing: In this method, seller bears the freight charges and charges only the sale price from the customer. is not added in the sale price. Seller does this to attract more buyers and grab a competitive advantage by penetration. Seller often charges high fixed selling prices that compensate him the . So he can use this strategy in three cases:

1.When he fixes high selling prices that can earn him profit even after bearing
2.He wants a competitive advantage.
3. He wants to dominate the market.

Differentiate between market skimming pricing strategy and penetration pricing strategy.
Skimming Policy: Product is introduced at high price and reduced later gradually.
Inelastic demand of product.
Less competition in the market.
Penetration Policy: Product is introduced at low prices.
Charging low price leads to consumer surplus.
It is used when R and D and marketing costs are low.

Defining Results As An Effective Leader

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Good leadership is about getting desired results.

Leaders must understand to focus on desired results.
Many times the effective leader is not the one who contains all the skills you read about in books, or the skills that are most focused on in training and development programs.

Often the best leaders are the ones who get the job done, drive the team and the company towards the end line, and achieve the objectives laid out by the board of directors, the employees, and/or the clients.

The following should help create a set of tools or tests to make sure that company attributes and branding can translate into results.

1. Results must be balanced.
To what extent does the leaders results balance across employees, organization, customers, and investors?

Example: When productivity started to drop at its U.S.-based manufacturing plants, Proctor and Gamble first started experimenting with workplace aesthetics by focusing entirely on creating a relaxing work environment, shorter shifts, and employee-centered work settings.

The Result: At first, there was an increase in productivity as compared to the manufacturing plants where no changes were made. But over time, the company found that the employees had become too self-actualizing and too lethargic, and productivity dropped below the original baselines. Proctor and Gamble realized that some changes needed to occur, but that only focusing on the workers (and not the leadership, investors, or clients) made for a poor strategy.

2. Results must be strategic.
To what extent does the leaders results align with company strategy? There are two things to consider here:

1. Business focus, or what is your business really about? (i.e. product, customer, technology, or image)

Example: When you think of Nike, you think of baseball or basketball or running shoes, right? Well, Nike actually focuses on getting elite athletes to wear its products so the image of excellence with a Nike Swoosh attached to it is their primary concern — NOT just the image of a running shoe. I.e., when you wear Nike golf shoes, you will swing a club like Tiger Woods!

2. Customer Value Proposition, or what do your customers buy from you rather than from your competition? (i.e. low cost, quality, speed, service, or innovation)

Example: Hewlett-Packard offers innovation above all else. In other words, the company is willing to cannibalize its own products today if something with more features and benefits to the consumer is going to come out tomorrow. From HP’s perspective, you always know you are buying the latest and greatest if you buy HP.

3. Results must be lasting.
To what extent will my results endure over time?

Example: What sort of images come to mind when you think of the Exxon Valdez oil spill? Immediately after that spill, the Board of Directors issued a blame statement as to who caused the spill (remember Captain Hazelwood?) Meanwhile, 10 million barrels of oil spilled out into Prince William Sound while media from around the world rolled the cameras.

The Result Most people remember the tragedy of the oil spill rather than the massive clean-up efforts and expenses that Exxon incurred as a result of not doing the right thing first.

Example 2: Contrast the above with the Tylenol scare in the 1980s. Immediately following highly publicized incidents of people being severely injured or killed due to cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, Johnson and Johnson pulled every unit of the product from the shelf nationwide and assured the public that it was going to make the drug tamper-proof.

The Result Most people remember the invention of tamper-proof bottles, and the stock value of J&J actually went up immediately following the release of this new innovation.

4. Results must be selfless.
To what extent are my results selfless, making the whole greater than the parts?

Example: When a new regional manager for Jensen Electronics found out that two store managers were cheating in a company-wide sales competition by forgetting to report returned items (which would decrease the overall sales numbers for the competition), he risked being labeled as “the tattle-tale new guy.” Instead, he forged ahead and sent out a memo saying he would do whatever it took to terminate these two individuals, as a way to show that he believed in integrity more than he believed in winning the competition.

The Result The two managers were ashamed of their actions and quit. The “tattle-tale” leaders region posted record sales not only for the competition, but for years to come, as a result of employees’ inspiration from their new leader.

It is important to remember that results-driven leadership is critical. Hiring, training, and developing your companys leaders based on the results they can achieve in addition to the qualities they bring to the table is a better combination than simply focusing on the standard good leadership attributes that a supervisor or leader may bring to the company.