In-Salon Classes for Consumers
Home Depot offers classes on everything from deck building to carpet installation. Williams Sonoma offers classes on cooking. Michael’s offers classes on knitting.
Naturally the premise of retailers offering classes to consumers is not only to build store loyalty but to sell them products. Once you taste a panini sandwich made on a panini maker, you are more likely to buy a panini maker.
As mentioned in my last blog, more consumers are doing their hair and nails at home than ever before. Consumers are buying boxed hair color, Pantene shampoo and styling products, Sally Hansen nail polish and Maybelline makeup.
So here is the idea at large. What if salons offered classes to consumers on haircutting, styling, manicuring and makeup? Consumers who don’t visit salons regularly would now be drawn into the salon environment. Instead of consumers buying retail brands, they would buy salon brands. For salon owners, instead of making money on services they would make money on products.
Salon clientele would not be affected. In fact, they would be impressed that the salon they frequent is bold and talented enough to offer classes.
Classes could be held on Sunday’s and Monday’s without creating conflict with regular clients. Goodwill would be huge and an even bigger benefit would be that eventually the same consumers would took the class would become a client since we all know results are never the same at home as at the salon.
Here is one final idea for you to ponder. Keratin straightening is a hot topic. Unfortunately, the formaldehyde issue has yet to be taken seriously but it will. In the meantime, women love it. We are now selling an at-home kit that is formaldehyde-free and works wonders. It’s called Liquid Keratin and retails for $69.00.
The idea is that the salon buys the kit from us for $51.75 and offers a Keratin class for $100. The consumer gets the kit included and learns from the stylist how do it properly at home. All the while the stylist also uses salon styling products to sell after the class.
Imagine the possibilities.
Happy Thursday!
October 29th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Why not offer to teach clients how to style their own hair as an add-on service to their new cut? So many clients love their hair when they walk out of the salon but it never looks as good when they style it at home. Rather than just give them tips on how to style their hair, why not instruct them how to do it and let them do it themselves. Most people learn by doing and you could observe what your client is doing incorrectly and make suggestions on how to do it better. You’ll also be retailing the products they used.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:55 am
my mom’s a manager at william sonoma. She’s in charge of the classes there, and every night before she’s up till who knows when baking and cooking to prep for the classes. Its alot of work, but since she’s the best at what she does…… she gets the job.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Larry, I think you should start a school too. Not like we have now for licensed prof. but for people looking to become licensed!!! Think of the possibilities… they’d learn from TNG, Pay TNG to attend, learn with the products TNG carries, then continue to buy and use TNG products…
Get ‘em hooked while their just starting out! 
October 29th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I think that offering classes is a great idea! I like my hair short, the style I like is called a fade (#2 clip on top and trimmer on the sides) but to keep my hair the way I like it I had to go get a cut every other week. to save money I learned to cut it my self when I was a teen, but I hate the clean up after! Even do I know how to cut my hair I still go to a salon and get it done, and I think that if the salons offer classes the clients will also see what a hassle it can be and will value more the services they get at the salon and find other things to cut back on.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I agree with Jamie. I went to the Douglas J Aveda Institute for my esthetician license, and we were ONLY allowed to use Aveda products. I think that in general, people are most comfortable with the products that they initially learn their trade with. I still prefer Aveda to most other skin care lines. Douglas J is basically prepping their students to be Aveda employees. If TNG had a school (which we could use a few more good ones in this area), the students could learn with Kemon, TIGI, Crew, MOP, etc., and experience how great our products are.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I love the idea!
October 30th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I think Jamie is correct. It has been mentioned before to get a school going and always denied. The possibilities of students getting hooked on our products while learning would only bring us more profit and loyal customers.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:41 am
We have an Academy, Let’s make it a available! Beauty school! That would be great! I would be the first to enroll!!!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Bianchis in Clinton Township used to offer Blow Out classes. Clients brought in a blowdryer and round brush and were taught how to blow out their hair! =)
October 30th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I actually would think of going too. Im licensed in Massage Therapy, it might be really interesting to do hair too!
Lani’s mom is becoming cetified to instruct here and that gave me an idea. What if some employees who are already licensed in hair… went and became certified to instruct too. They Could put in time here doing half their normal job, and the other half instructing? This would build trust with the students when they go the stores and see their instructors…. make them even more loyal, make the current employees here even more involved and even if they aren’t instructing, they would pick up the slack of the half time missing employee.. (does that make sense?) This would/ could be very profitable in many ways
and TNG would dominate the industry!!!!
~Jamie ps happy halloween
October 30th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I would sign up if we opened a school!