The People’s Choice

Consumers who read Allure magazine turn to the popular publication for the best makeup tips. (After all, it does call itself “The Beauty Expert”!) But in the June issue, Allure editors turned to their readers for advice on the best cosmetic products. The “Clear Winners” in the 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards were divided into the categories of upscale “department store” and the less expensive “drugstore.” The list included several well-known polish shades:
 
Natural-Looking Nail Polish
Drugstore: Sally Hansen No Chip 10 Day Nail Color in Infinite Natural; Department Store: Essie Cosmetics Nail Polish in Mademoiseller.
 
Bright Nail Polish
Drugstore: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Fuchsia Power; Department Store: OPI Products lacquer in Charged Up Cherry.
 
In addition, Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hard As Wraps polish received a mention in the “Advanced Placement” category of the awards, which was reserved for breakthrough products released during the past year.

Daylight Savings Time
With summer on its way out, how can you squeeze every last drop out of this lucrative service season? If there are any remaining summer festivals in your town, sign up for a booth and offer abbreviated services, or depending on your location, you could even try an open house on a balmy summer night or during the local farmers’ market. Or you could copy a popular Los Angeles tradition—the diverse city celebrates its many cuisines with a yearly Restaurant Week. Participating eateries in this event come up with special fixed-price three-course menus so patrons can sample their offerings, generating city-wide excitement over going out to eat. Do something similar by partnering up with other salons in your town for a Salon & Spa Week—or go it alone—by offering a special menu of reduced-price services for one week only. If you heavily advertise the special promotion, you can probably catch your pedicure-only clients before they check out for another year, but you can also grab some walk-ins intrigued by the specials. Make it a festive occasion, something that people will look forward to next year. And if you explain the benefits of your services to these new clients, you’ll hopefully see them return before the next one rolls around!

Everything Old Is New Again
The buzz may be to focus on your salon’s Internet presence, but don’t forget that the majority of your clients still pick up the phone to make an appointment. Yodle.com is a website dedicated to giving the telephone the consideration it deserves—its motto is “Clicks are great, calls are better.” Yodle offers the following tips for making the most of your old-school technology in newfangled ways:
 
1 Use the Internet to drive calls to your salon.
Yodle finds that 74 percent of consumers use Internet search engines to locate area businesses, but only three percent of small-business marketing budgets are dedicated to the online arena. Shore up your online representation to make sure that when a potential client is looking for a nail tech in your area, your salon’s phone number is one of the first to pop up. Also, don’t forget to list your number prominently on your website so it’s easily found.
 
2 Pick up the phone.
Is someone answering your phone at all times? Yodle says that only 36 percent of small businesses answer their incoming phone calls, letting the rest go to voice mail—or to the next entry in the phone book. If you’re a nail tech working alone, it makes sense to let some calls go unanswered so you can give the client at your table your undivided attention. But if you work at a salon and are hurting for clients, hire someone to handle your phone calls.
 
3 Select the right receptionist.
Since the first person many of your clients will have contact with at your salon is your receptionist, choosing the correct person is vital. Ensure that she knows how to keep her cool in stressful situations and has a warm, calming and positive voice. For the sake of clarity, it’s also a good idea to make sure that she speaks English clearly—but depending on your area, knowledge of a second language might also prove hugely beneficial.
 
4 Close the sale.
It’s also important to teach the employee handling your phone calls to learn how to read a client’s tone of voice. If the client sounds unsure of what you’re discussing or hesitant to close a conversation with a firm booking, don’t push her in an attempt to change her mind—you may end up overwhelming her. On the flip side, if you’re dealing with a cool, confident client, don’t try to outsmart her; follow her lead and stay amenable to her suggestions.
 
Hot Off the Press
To promote her new salon, Nail-Lissa’s Nail Boutique in Somerville, New Jersey, Melissa Moschonikolakis took out a small advertisement in the local newspaper, the Courier News. But Moschonikolakis and her employees—including Alice Williams, a national educator for ProLinc Cosmetics— hit the mother lode when their ad rep passed on the salon’s press release to a reporter, Erica Lamberg. She called Moschonikolakis and wrote up a full article on the salon, highlighting its status as a female-owned business. “Since the article hit the newspaper, the phone has not stopped ringing!” Williams says. “What strikes me most is that the majority of the people I’ve spoken with said that they were struck by the picture more than the article; they seem to like the fact that we’re older and not young kids just out of school. I’ve even had clients from 15 years ago contact me!” 
 

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Deborah Danik-Angeloni with Empire CEO Franklin K. Schoeneman & her winning entry

Winning Ways

More than 3,000 Empire Education Group cosmetology students took part in their school’s National Competition earlier this year. Traveling to Hershey, Pennsylvania, from 86 schools across 18 states, competitors tested their skills in the country’s largest student cosmetology competition. Among the future nail techs, three earned recognition in the nail art competition: Deborah Danik-Angeloni took first place, Chantana Collins won second and Jacqui Sumner placed third. As the first-place winner, Danik-Angeloni will embark on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Netherlands to train with Odyssey Nail Systems educator Trang Nguyen.

 
Knowledge is Power

From left: Gerardo Guzmán, George Schaeffer, Miriam Schaeffer, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Eduardo Xol and Antonio Sanchez.

A good education should be a gift in and of itself. In reality, most kids would rather spend their days playing video games or hanging out with friends than working to get good grades. So OPI Products offered an incentive to keep the children of their employees on the path to success, and on June 4, the company hosted its fourth “education celebration.” Children and employees alike gathered outside at OPI headquarters in a carnival-like environment—complete with soft pretzels and ice cream bars—where OPI president/CEO George Schaeffer and executive vice president/artistic director Suzi Weiss-Fischmann awarded 83 new computer systems and 18 $1,000 college scholarships to children of employees. “Education is such a high priority to us at OPI that we make every effort to encourage studying and make learning easier for these deserving students,” said Schaeffer. Also in attendance was the star of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Eduardo Xol, as well as two leaders in the local political community, Gerardo Guzmán, district director at the office of assembly member Felipe Fuentes, and Antonio Sanchez, East Valley area director at the office of Los Angeles mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. "It is so inspiring to see how dedicated these students are, and to know that we can help them achieve their dreams through the power of education," Schaeffer added. —Stephanie Yaggy

 
Sleight of Hand

CND cofounder Jan Arnold (far right) chats with beauty magazine editors.

The idea of realistic-looking "fake" nails is a difficult concept for many women to grasp. This makes it hard for nail techs to attract those clients who think of enhancements as tacky accessories. In an attempt to change their minds, educators at CND devoted a whole day to those with the most sway over beauty trends: beauty magazine editors. More than 20 editors from magazines such as Allure, Elle, Lucky, People and Vogue attended “A Fresh Take on Fakes: What do fantastic ‘fakes’ look like today?” at the Shoreham Gallery in New York City, where CND luminaries unraveled the mystery behind acrylics, gels and various other salon services. CND cofounder Jan Arnold discussed the concepts of wraps, glue manicures, acrylics and gels, and research chemist Chad Conger highlighted the science behind each service. Then ambassadors Roxanne Valinoti and Angelina Wingle showed how the enhancements are applied in a salon environment and performed hands-on demonstrations. "The information was relevant, clear and extremely thorough," said Patricia Reynoso, beauty director of Ladies’ Home Journal. "I went to the event knowing that I would learn something new."

Flying Discs

The Nail Manufacturers Council (NMC), a subdivision of the Professional Beauty Association, has been working overtime to furnish nail techs and salon owners worldwide with safety and sanitation information in a brochure. Previously, those brochures had only been available on the NMC website, probeauty.org/about/committees/nmc. “What we have written and posted on the NMC website has received great reviews, but many people are still unaware that this information is available,” says Vicki Peters, coauthor of the brochures along with OPI Products’ Paul Bryson and CND’s Doug Schoon. The NMC will now be disseminating the information via the mass distribution of free CDs in various languages. For more information, contact Peters at 714.881.3100 or email vicki@vickipeters.com.
 
A Russian Conquers Germany
Using CND Brisa gels, Russia’s Victoria Tregubova won first place in the gel category at the recent International Nail Competition in Dusseldorf, Germany. Tregubova, who was there representing Ole House, CND’s Russian distributor, competed against nail techs from 16 countries, including Germany, Sweden and Korea. Tregubova’s victory marked the fourth time in six years that a Russian placed first in this competition. "Thanks to Victoria and other Russian manicure masters, the world got acquainted with Russian-style nail enhancements and artistry," said Galina Zelenova, president of Ole House. "Her beautiful work sets high standards for all the competitors."
 
Island Getaway

Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, recently played host to Risé Carter, national director of sales and education for NSI. She was there to hold a "Science of Beauty" seminar, which involved demonstrating NSI products such as the Attraction Acrylic System and Balance UV Gel System in conjunction with NSI nail-art tools. Nearly 100 nail techs came to the Westin Dragonara Resort at the invitation of NSI Malta to observe Carter’s talents. "We received great comments from the technicians. I couldn’t be happier with the results," said Stephanie Caruna, co-owner of NSI Malta.

 
Best of the Brits

British nail tech Elise Pilkington secured her spot as the overall UK champion for 2008 at the Southern Heat Championships on March 2, where she won using the Glass Glaze Fiberglass & Silk Wrap System from Backscratchers Salon Systems. Combining that win with another at the same competition in the Salon Nails category and a similar victory with the same system at the Northern Heat Championships in October 2007, Pilkington, a tech with Backscratchers UK distributor Super Nail & Beauty, scooped up the top nationwide prize at Professional Beauty 2008 in London. "We were thrilled with all of Elise’s numerous wins in the past, but are especially proud of her achievements at Professional Beauty 2008," said Carolyn Sears, director of Super Nail & Beauty. "The awards are a testament to her skill as a technician as well as the quality of the Backscratchers product."