If you were to ask anyone of my personality, they would tell you that I am a bit eccentric. I'm flashy, I'm spontaneous, I'm creative, I'm different, and I'm myself. So when I create marketing strategies and plans for clients, thinking outside the box is a very strong skill of mine. I am not a fan of the boring or subtle. I'm not a wear black and tan kind of gal. This allows me to use my form of creative flow to create unique and interesting marketing possibilities. Some of which The Gazette itself has loved and allowed me to do. This has allowed The Gazette to take my talents and bring in some new revenue streams. Thinking differently can make a company innovative, in my opinion. Give the world something new and before you know it, it is something you need. Kinda sounds like I am quoting from the Lorax doesn't it? If you think about it though, it is how business works.
I have decided to write on this topic this week because I was impressed by a local business that added "flair" to an every day product. Like many women in the Colorado Springs area I get my nails done every couple of weeks. As a woman it is important to me to have nails and because I am what you would call a chronic nail biter (yummy right), I get my nails done. Recently I have been getting my nails done in a standard fashion with colored tips. Elegant, sexy, professional, classy... whatever you want to call this design, this is what I usually get. I do not like the standard white tips like most women because it does not suit my unique and colorful style. So by changing my tips to black, red, pink, green, orange, blue, etc... I am able to express my individuality better. That is until last Friday I went into my nail salon, and my nail artist threw a colorful curve ball my way.
I currently have my nails done at Smashing Nails, which is located at 129 N. Wahsatch Ave (across from McDonalds off Kiowa). The cute quaint nail shop lured me in with a fantastic Groupon deal and has kept my business ever since. The great thing about this shop, is Monica, the Nail Artist and Owner, is a vibrant young woman with a very keen fashion sense and unique style that appeals to my own style. She is currently a one man operation, but has a healthy clientele base and amazing customer service. She also has an amazing eye for flair like I do. So during my bi-weekly visit to Smashing Nails I decided that it was time to do something a little different with my nails. Maybe a new color on the top, or full color, I didn't know... just something different. That is when I seen her nails done. I almost fell out of my chair they were so enchanting!! When I commented on her nails and told her how amazing they were, she then asked me if I would like the same thing. Immediately I was like YES YES YES!!! I have NEVER seen nails done quite like this before. They were colorful, unique, stylish and still professional. When I asked her about it, she called this style a fade.
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| The creative new fade style on my nails. |
Now you may be wondering... why on Earth am I blogging about nails? What a boring topic that has nothing to do about business. Hold your horses... I am getting to the point. My point is that Monica created a new style all her own. She told me she was just messing around one day and learned how to create this new fade style for nails. Instead of my nails having just one color on the tips, I now get to pick 3 colors!! So not only did Monica speak to my sense of style as a consumer, she has not trapped me in her grasp and kept me as a loyal client who will never ever EVER go anywhere else to get nails done. She created a new technique that can very well become the new fad of nail fashion and I am one of the first people to help display this new creative design. To me... this is great business. So my point... thinking outside the box and having creative flair, even to existing product, can create a whole new form of revenue for a business. Usually business and product is about what the consumer wants. So if a business can speak to different characters of people, then these different personalities can all shop at the same businesses.
Now what Monica did for my nails may not be for the next person. I know many women out there who prefer the classic white tips. That is perfectly fine because Smashing Nails does that too. But expanding the reach of those who may be looking for something different is a great way to bring in a new clientele base.
So the point being GIVE THE CUSTOMER WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS and they will love you forever. Plain and simple. You make someone happy and they will be loyal. But don't forget to keep impressing your current clientele base as well. Customer service never (and when I say never, I mean never) stops. And customer service doesn't just mean helping your clients out with simple questions and solutions to problems. Customer service means you hold your clients dear and give them exactly what they want. If they ask, then they should receive.
Another thing that Monica did that I don't see a lot of businesses do, is she used her own product for marketing purposes. She did her own nails the way she liked them. So when her clients come in and see how lovely her nails are, then they know they are good hands. I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten my nails done at salons and the person doing my nails were for a lack of a better word gross. Yuck... why should I let you do my nails if yours look horrible?
I'll tell you that not only has Monica wowed me by tailoring to my unique style, but she always has time for me, she doesn't rush me, she makes our appointments relaxing and personal, and she remembers my name. That is very important to me, especially if I have to sit in a chair for an hour and have you work on a piece of my body. Many times have I gone to nail shops where I am just another person walking in, even if I have been going to the same spot over and over. Let me tell you business owners, if I am a regular at your shop and you don't know my name by the 3rd visit... SHAME ON YOU!! Doesn't matter how many people walk through that door!!
So back to the main focus of my rants here... is that creativity can be the doorway to new possibilities for a business. Do not be afraid to venture out a little. Do not be afraid to listen to employees when they have ideas, and definitely listen to your customers. If you give your customers something your competitors cannot, then you have gained more than a customer, you have gained a loyal friend.
For you ladies out there that may be interested in a new look for your nails, feel free to call Monica at Smashing Nails. Her phone number is (719) 244-6533 or go like her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/smashingsalon. Let her know that Brandy with The Gazette sent you her way!!
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