BeautyPRpro » Industry Opportunities

What’s Your Excuse?

Alexander Irving — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:50:05 +0000

Some writings resonate

We’ve heard every reason and excuse in the book for salon professionals not becoming successful with their own PR.

“I can’t afford monthly PR agency fees“, or, “I can’t afford multi-month commitments right now“. Those two have always been among the biggies. Well we’ve solved that one for you. Check out PR a la Carte. Let’s not hear that particular excuse anymore. OK?

On that topic, here’s a post we received a copy of this morning from Seth Godin’s Blog . If you don’t subscribe to his blog, we suggest you do. Here it is, short and sweet.

Every successful case is a special case

It’s easy to dismiss strategies or plans or people who succeed by pointing out how they have something special, something irreproducible, some sort of advantage that makes their success special.

Special as in, “not available to me.”

They went to Harvard, they’re public, they’re not public, they have a great fundraising team, they have a powerful partner, they didn’t go to Harvard, they already have a reputation, they have no reputation to risk…

This is silly, as all success is special. That’s what makes it success. We don’t consider breathing a success, since, fortunately, we all can breathe.

The trick is learning about what the special cases have in common, in understanding how maybe, just maybe, you have some of the very same attributes that others have used in a new way.

Comments?

When Were You Happy Right Down to Your Very Soul?

Alexander Irving — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:53:03 +0000

Photo courtesy of Tolis Flioukas

Pay Day Yesterday!

Like the “Starfish story” … we know we have done something important.

We all work hard. You, in the salon behind the chair, and we, in our BeautyPRpro and Esche & Alexander PR roles. We do what we do … over and over.

We bring our experience and talent to the table every day for our friends and clients. We share our information, experience, and observations to help make the world (and life) a little better for ourselves and others.

But despite all your (and our) best work, we know people are often fearful. They stay where they are because they are afraid. You can only hope a few are really paying attention, being affected and improved by your efforts and inspired to get past that fear of change.

You get your pay off in your chair. We get ours in the form of comments on the blog (See comments in yesterday’s post) and when we see the results achieved by individuals and companies who have used our information and guidance. That feels good?

A Cacophony of Great Voices

Look around the professional beauty industry and you’ll see and hear a multitude of voices that have carried similar messages over the years. Our friends Vivienne Mackinder, Tony Beckerman, Ian Gavet, Dwight Miller, Martin Parsons, [too many to list here … boy, are the others going to be upset ] the list goes on and on … all with the same message:

Learn how
Be the best at it you can be (at this moment in time)
Get out and do it (despite your fears)
Love (and respect) yourself
Share your time, treasure and knowledge with others.

We’re proud to serve and love seeing these kinds of responses to our message. Thanks Becci See … it does happen.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Are You a Self-Sabotaging Salon Pro?

Alexander Irving — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:29:55 +0000

Just talk … It’s upsetting.

… and it always makes us sad.

The wishers … the dreamers …. the pretenders … the talkers …. so very few actual starters.

So many stylists talk a good game. They talk about about stepping out from the crowd. They talk about what they are going to do for themselves tomorrow. They talk about entering the ‘big pool’ … NAHA or the Contessas, or some other great PR opportunity.

I don’t mean I’m upset because they miss out on being as famous as Nick Arrojo, Beth Minardi or Vivienne Mackinder … Very few do. I mean because they end up never realizing some of their greatest dreams and creativity. They never even take the risk.

Why so Upset Alex?

Because Sharon and I have seen it so many times over the years … so many talented salon professionals dropping the ball on themselves. Not following through. Not taking a risk.

We got a call from a salon pro in Canada last week. She wanted to know how much BeautyPRpro charges for a press release. Sharon and I were both at a meeting. She left a voicemail. The Contessas are coming up you know.

We called back quickly. 3 hour time difference to Toronto. Made it in the same day before her salon closing. We can work with that. We called her back at work and on her cell.

We returned the call several times the next morning early because we know what crazy hours stylists have and how little time they actually have between clients. It’s tough out there so we always go the extra mile. We’ve done that for years.

She never called again. I hope she wasn’t just wishing … dreaming … talking … and that she found someone great to write her news and that she got it out and got what she needed. I hope I see her in the Contessas. I hope, I really hope.

Make You Angry?

Gee, I hope so. Mad enough to do something different for you? I hope so.

If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll also get a FREE copy of “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners. We’ll keep you posted on new articles and PR info.

Please click the ‘Share’ icon below and share this on Facebook, Twitter, SalonGalaxy, hairbrained.me, or other fav … or best of all … email it directly to a friend.

And the ABCH Winners Are …..

Sharon Esche — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:27:21 +0000

Drum Roll Please

We’re announcing the winners Were you in our “Make Your Clients Raving Facebook Fans” classes at the ABCH ‘Energizing Summit’ on June 12th? If so, you got the secret password to enter our June 19th drawing for a complimentary Day of ‘Ultimate Imaging’ for you and your business. That’s a full and fabulous $7,500-value day you’ll share with national PR consultants Sharon and Alex (Esche & Alexander PR / BeautyPRpro) PLUS doing a hair fashion shoot with industry-renowned photographer Gary Lyons.

As promised there is a winner from each class. And the two winners are …

AM class – Judi Troutman – Raleigh, North Carolina

PM Class – Rosey Ibarra – Downey, California

If you two would call us at 760-414-3370, we can get started. Yippee-Kazoo!!

Congratulations!

If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll receive a FREE copy of our ebook, “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners” and receive each article/post minutes after it hits the blog.

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How To Become an ‘Overnight’ Salon PR Success

Alexander Irving — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 02:26:10 +0000

“The World is Filled with Talented, Poor Dreamers”

We don’t remember who gets attribution for that quote, but our BeautyPRpro header copy above reflects how we feel about that headline.

Several thousand years ago a Roman philosopher said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. More recently, a guy named Samuel Goldwyn, a Hollywood producer/movie mogul said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get”.

Well, odds are you’re not going to be ‘hit by lightening’ and hired for that new reality TV series on Bravo, so you better start planning how you are going to get noticed and get ahead in your career.

Every stylist/colorist on industry stages and in the magazines editorially has garnered real PR success (forget the ‘flash in the pans’) by beginning with passion, fear, anxiety, and hope. They plunked themselves down, talked to people who knew the industry and how stuff happens, planned out their early steps, and added their personal sweat, blood, tears and talent. Simple, no?

What Did They Do … ?

Wrote a personal bio and media information material
Developed a fashion point of view
Created a news release plan to get known by local and industry editors
Did charitable activity for the year
Developed fashion photography for their clients and the media
Grew their editorial relationships
Attended industry events to be seen at, involved in, and photographed at.
Decided on newsworthy local sponsorships
Argh …. That a huge list! … Yeah, and that’s not even the half of it … but …

Just Do ‘One’ Thing

If you try to think about it all alone, it feels overwhelming. That’s why so few actually step out and move on down the road to real PR success.

It is actually simple. Just do the first thing. Once you start (and succeed) at the first thing you do, the next gets easier and feels more doable.

It Really Is That Simple?

Yep! Want help? No cost to say hi and share your dreams. Ask those salon professionals who’ve done it how they did it. They’ll talk to you. Just call ‘em.

Are You Inspired? Share Your Thoughts with a Comment.

Money in Your Beauty Industry Pocket

Alexander Irving — Sat, 21 May 2011 01:47:52 +0000

Takes Only 30 Seconds

This is an unusual post for BeautyPRpro. We think you’ll understand why we deviate from our usual offerings when you read just a little more. The action we ask is simple.

Click this link and put a few extra bucks in your pocket. Well, not instantly, but eventually it means we will all will make a few sheckles more.

The link above is to send a message to your elected representatives to support the “Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act” that has been introduced in the Senate.

This act provides the beauty industry businesses a dollar for dollar tax credit on FICA (social security and Medicare) taxes paid on employee tips.

Write a Letter? Nope, done for you.

The letter process is automated and took us all of 30 seconds.

The restaurant industry already has this, we don’t.

Here’s the link again

http://bit.ly/kqN6JK

Any questions?

Visit probeauty.org/advocacy

Any questions? Visit probeauty.org/advocacy

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If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll receive a FREE copy of our ebook, “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners” and receive each article post minutes after it hits the blog.

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Making Your Salon PR ‘Larger-Than-Life’ In a Smaller Market

Alexander Irving — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:38:13 +0000

Your ‘Appearance’ is a Basic Salon PR Ingredient

Salon Bogar in Londonderry, New Hampshire, http://www.salonbogar.com and http://www.facebook.com/salonbogar is a ‘brilliant’ example of how a salon owner with commitment and determination can:

Re-image their salon without going broke.
Make the internet and social media work harder.
Motivate their staff.
Expand and grow their connections with their clients.
Get closer to their local press.
Diversify product offerings to match their clientele’s wishes.

It all happened gradually and manageably over the past couple of years, in a tough economy, and (if you’ve visited their website already), the results speak for themselves. Larger than life? Spectacular looking? You be the judge.

Seems like Only Yesterday

Two to three years ago, Amy and Alfredo Lamparelli looked ahead at the future, their staff, their Aveda Concept Salon and tried to imagine it … better yet.

They had been an excellent, profitable, and client-retentive Aveda Concept salon for over 20 years. They did great work. Their clients loved them. But, the winds of change (technology and the economy) were afoot and were blowing through every aspect of their salon.

Website, client attraction and retention programs, promotion, advertising, PR and newsworthiness, staff training & motivation, cost-cutting, retail sales, physical plant improvements … only Amy and Alfredo know all the areas they spent time, money and effort on every day.

We Helped … Just a Little

The morphing of the look and image of Salon Bogar into the new decade, new economy, new industry image, was an amazing journey for their salon … and a satisfying one for Sharon and I. So much more than a website make-over, photo shoot, local imaging, industry activism … their journey perfectly illustrates the process salons (and individual stylists) in smaller communities need to think about as they look ahead and decide if they want to be on the map in 10 years … or not.

We are looking forward to sharing what we know about Salon Bogar’s story over the past couple of years. Amy has agreed to write posts in a series over the months ahead and contribute as the true subject matter experts they are. So, stick around. Subscribe to the blog. Don’t miss a post. It’s FREE of course. We know you’ll learn a lot about what you need to do for yourself.

When you comment on this post, don’t forget to check the “Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail ” box. You can follow the conversation without returning to the blog.

If you found this article useful, get a free subscription to BeautyPRpro. You’ll receive a FREE copy of our ebook, “Life-Changing PR for Salon & Spa Owners” and receive each article post minutes after it hits the blog.

Feel free to click on the ‘Share This’ icon below to send this post to a friend or mark it at your favorite social bookmarking site.

Seize the PR Moment!

Sharon Esche — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:21:41 +0000

Cosmetology Leads Among Respected Professions.

Those of you that chose the career of ‘cosmetology’ can hold your heads up even higher these days. We know you have often had to endure annoying public opinion, comment, and yes … even sarcasm about having chosen to be a hairdresser. Well, now there’s some solid career data to make a strong case for just how ‘smart’ a decision you made to those who would have preferred you became a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher. Someone has taken a highly credible approach to analyzing careers that you can place on the table that makes you look pretty darn clever.

Now you can announce to disapproving family members, friends, or others in ‘other industries’ that being a cosmetologist today actually ranks higher than becoming an attorney, an architect, or even a newscaster! In fact, when we first reviewed the analysis, we noticed that our job, ‘public relations executive’ ranked a notch below ‘cosmetologist’! We have often joked that we should have gone to beauty school. With what we know and the skills of a good stylist, we’d be rich .

All of this is according to the latest ranking of jobs, from best to worst, by the respected job search portal CareerCast.com, whose 2010 Jobs Rated Section offers a comprehensive analysis of 200 jobs – from Actuary (#1) to Roustabout (#200) – giving each a unique ranking based on the hard data of today. The methodology of the research lends great credibility to the data so you should familiarize yourself with it. You can find that here.

The Top Jobs study also ran in the Wall Street Journal recently, here and here. Take a look. It’s fascinating … and reveals what many jobs are ‘really’ like. So hold your heads up high – and tell the naysayers in your life to (ahem) … check it out.

Photo Credit: joeinfulleffect

What Should You Do With This Information?

1. Do Something ‘Local’ for Yourself

This is newsworthy information and local press likes national news pickup as it relates to a local business. How to tie it in to you and your salon? With such credible national media as the Wall Street Journal reporting on this latest ‘Best and Worst’ 2010 job survey, it makes perfect PR sense to share this perception of your work. You might want to check out our blog post “Good PR in a Bad Economy – Catch the Wave“.

Here are a couple of lifestyle story ideas you could pitch to a local lifestyle editor:

A Good Time to Be a Salon Pro – The thrust of your pitch is that a down economy is a great time to be in the beauty industry because beauty is relatively recession-resistant. Your salon (if you can show your business is doing OK) can be a great illustration for that fact; especially if you are looking to hire stylists when other industries are letting employees go. Don’t worry that the writer may want to interview other salons in the area for their take … you and your business are in the story … you pitched it and you tell a good story.
A Career for Any Economy – The thrust of your pitch is how you (and your salon business) have weathered several economic up and down turns because of your choice of career. You can share your experience with what beauty services clients are cutting out, cutting down and what services you have been providing that go the extra mile to bring clients back for me by meeting a consumer need. Focus of this story is sharing what consumer trend is and how good salons and beauty pros are bringing even greater value to consumers.

2. Use the Information on your Facebook Fan Page, Website, and Blog.

What did the survey reveal? Discuss misconceptions. Use it to share your own stories of beauty school and how it wasn’t as easy as people might think. Use it as a launching place to discuss how your salon has prospered by developing extra-value to the client services (not a discount story). Have fun with looking at over-rated and under-rated jobs.

3. Create Fun Promotional Items for Your Staff

An example would be promotional tee shirts or buttons for your staff (and as client give-aways that says, “You Should Have Gone to Beauty School” or “Hair Designer: A Better Career Choice than Doctor, Lawyer or Newscaster – Wall Street Journal”

4. Dump Any Old “I’m Just a Hairdresser” Mentality”

If you’re one of those who ever answered the question “What do you do?” with an answer something like, “I’m just a hairdresser” … grab a copy of Vivienne’s “I’m Not Just a Hairdresser“. Get inspired, proud and reminded of the passions that brought you to the career that you are in. Your friends, clients and the media will certainly notice.

Oops – We forgot to mention in the first run out that this post was drawn from the conversation we had (and our regular column drawn from it) with Vivienne Mackinder in the latest issue of MOD magazine. If you don’t read MOD, you’re out of it. Her TV shows are also killer! … and fun.

What Other Things Can You Think of?

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Don’t Neglect Great Opportunities to Get Good PR

Alexander Irving — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:11:57 +0000

All It Takes is an Hour or Two

Our whole raison d’etre here at BeautyPRpro is to share information and ideas to help you “get good at getting press”. Our job includes covering your back and bringing your attention back to remember those all-important fundamentals while you are distracted working on your local and national consumer press to fill those salon or spa chairs with paying clients. Yes, of course it’s local and national press that will help you do that, but don’t neglect your roots and industry credibility!

What you do in your industry, and what your industry says about you is fuel for credibility in your craft and that the consumer media needs and wants to see. Sorry, you have to do both.

Hey! It’s Really Not That Hard.

We found Stacey Soble, Editor, Salon Today Magazine twittering and facebooking away the other day and asked her if she would share a few tips on what you can do to get more of your ‘stuff” into Salon Today where the focus is on the business side of the salon business. Here’s what she said …

Thanks, Alex, I am happy to share some thoughts. In SALON TODAY we make it very easy. At the bottom of each department is a box that tells readers exactly what we are looking for and where to send the information. For example:

In Marketing, we’re looking for examples of brochures, service menus, business cards and pamphlets.
In Architects of Design, we’re looking for decor images and stories.
In Asked and Answered, we actually post the question for the next month’s roundtable discussion.
Our applications for SALONS OF THE YEAR and the SALON TODAY 200 include multiple essay questions designed to give us story ideas for our publications, websites and e-mail newsletters. One of the best ways to get coverage in our magazine is to fill out these applications. Even if a salon doesn’t win, they have a great chance at getting coverage through the year as we pour over the applications.
For SALON TODAY, it’s all about sharing great business ideas that help owners grow — so any successful salon business strategy has the makings of a great story. Many of our features start with a press release or even an e-mail that simply shares an idea that worked for someone.

Final Thoughts

Stacey gave you a humongous clue about how most editors work when she discussed the applications in her next to last point. If you can get your credible, well written information in front of an editor somehow and make an impression, you are steps ahead. You don’t have to win immediately, you just have to look good and be smart. They save good stuff. They have magazines to get out to other salon pros looking to grow. You can become a subject matter expert, a quotable source, and a credible resource for them to use and share with others down the road. Isn’t that what you want? If they say things about you … you can quote them … and whoo hoo … you look good to area press..

Drop by Stacey’s blog at Salon Today!

What are Your Thoughts?

Have You ever Done What Stacey Suggests or Are You Just Too Busy?

HAIRCARE Live to Give – Damn Newsworthy!

Alexander Irving — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:57:37 +0000

Help for the Unemployed is News – Catch the Wave!

Maybe you should think about catching this wave. With unemployment a daily headline, human interest stories about people helping people who have lost jobs are sure-fire regional and local TV, print and internet news coverage.

Industry icon and former Vidal Sassoon Artistic Director Maurice Tidy and friend Gina Caruso recently launched their “HAIRCARE” Live to Give charitable organization with a national kick-off event hosted by Maurice’s former Sassoon colleague Daniel Rizzardi at his Secrets Salon in Charlotte, North Carolina. Along with approximately 25 Charlotte NC stylists volunteering their services, the group created haircuts for more than 300 recently unemployed job hunters and became the area’s news ‘darlings’ for the days around the event.

HAIRCARE Live to Give

Charleston, SC based Tidy and Caruso conceived the idea of “HairCare” Live to Give when Gina joined the unhappy ranks of the unemployed. “It really hits home when it happens to you”, says Gina who became acutely aware of how many sacrifices must be made when someone loses the financial security of a regular paycheck. Maurice, using his international reputation as a launching asset, helped pull together some real help for people looking for work. “Staying well groomed and appropriately dressed is critical for job hunters and HairCare addresses that urgent community need” says Maurice.

But this is not my story to tell. I discovered the group making plans on Facebook when Maurice, Gina and a bunch of other early Sassoon-ers were raising awareness for this first HAIR CARE event and recruiting for help with the launch. Our guest poster today is Ben Kincaid, a talented stylist at Charlotte’s Spa Fifty-One Salon and a BeautyPRpro subscriber who was one of the event’s volunteers. This is his story about what happened to him that day.

Ben’s Story

On June 13th-14th over 300 people showed up at Secret’s salon in Charlotte, NC for a free haircut. Vidal Sassoon Artistic Director, Maurice Tidy was there, so was his prestigious Sassoon days colleague and Secret Salon’s owner, Daniel Rizzardi. However, these people did not show up specifically for these industry greats or for the other stylists there (myself included). These people showed up because they needed our help, they were out of work and struggling to find jobs.

This was the launch of Maurice Tidy and Gina Caruso’s national “Live to Give” charity event. Gina likes that the program doesn’t bury its recipients in red tape … its simple, if you are out of work and looking for a job, “Live to Give” will give you a look that will carry through your job interviews.

So there I was, 8:30 a.m., with Maurice, Daniel, and a whole bunch of other area stylists, all of us excited and enthusiastic about what was going to happen.

The doors open at 9:00am and there were 30 clients were already waiting. These folks seemed a little nervous, not knowing exactly what to expect. But thanks to Daniel’s warm greetings everyone seemed to relax in an instant. Immediately, the 8 of us were working fast and efficiently, in about an hour we were done the group.

The next few minutes were great for me because Maurice took a little time to show me some new cutting techniques, and tell us all some inspiring stories. More clients started arriving, and shortly thereafter, the media showed up. And from that point on we didn’t stop working all day. We cut hair for over 300 people that day. Whew!

I can honestly say that it was so exhilarating to work with people who really appreciated the service we offered. Some of my clients had me on the edge of tears, and others had me laughing, and at the end of the day, I was a better person for being there.

I encourage salons and stylists nationwide to participate in this program if you can. I came away from the event ready to do it again in Greenville, SC and anywhere else I can close to home. You should too!!! Really, any licensed cosmetologist can participate, and should because a chance to help your community and being able to learn a few new techniques from the likes of Maurice Tidy doesn’t come along that often. All though many of the stylists work at different locations and salons, the friendships that were created will be shared for years to come.

Here is a shot of our gang at Daniel’s place. This was shot early in the AM so we’re missing many of the other stylists who showed up to volunteer their time and talent. Sorry guys. There wasn’t much time left for our own photos.

Left to right: Doug Hutto, Gina Caruso, Maurice Tidy (photos), Fallon Hantzos, Daniel Rizzardi (photos), Mary Rizzardi-Henderson (photos), Linda Rizzardi, Ben Kincaid (photos), Kelly Cooke

Do You Want to Schedule a HAIRCARE Event in Your Salon?

Here’s a link to the Anne Hardy PR Group’s press release for you to peruse.

Drop a comment here

or call Gina Caruso at 954-536-552 or Anne Hardy PR Group at 212-496-6585.

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