I heard a great story from Derek Halpern who spent over $300 on a men’s haircut. Seriously. What’s the difference between a $300 haircut and a $10 haircut? It all comes down to the experience and expectations. This story is a great introduction into sharing how you can stop losing customers when you increase your agency profits.

Increasing Profits Without Losing Customers

One of the easiest ways to increase company profit is to increase pricing. Many people struggle with this and say, “People wouldn’t buy from me if I raise my prices and they would go to my competition.” That’s not TRUE!

When Derek arrived at the studio (not the barber shop) they walked him over to the bathroom to put on his robe. The stylist listened to him for a while and then started making recommendations based on the shape of his jaw line and his hair type. The stylist spent 45 minutes doing the sides of his head with a “gold” comb, and then another 45 minutes on the top of his head. Finally, the stylist walked him through the step-by-step process to style his hair on his own.

Here are two takeaways from this $300 haircut that you can apply to your business…

1. The business changed the terminology from ‘barber shop’ to ‘studio.’  By doing this, guests do not have any preconceived notions of what to pay and they can charge anything they want. Smart. If you want to charge higher prices, avoid general terminology and do something that stands out.
2. People can charge whatever they want for their service if they deliver a unique experience and the vision. Meaning, if you are great at what you do, provide an experience that is different and educate your clients on what they can do differently to better themselves,  you can charge just about anything you want.  What things can you recommend to your clients that they don’t already know? How can you make your customers feel different and special?

Whatever’s the industry standard… do better.  You need to be great at what you do and hone your craft. It wasn’t just a haircut – it was a learning experience.

Improve as as Agency Owner

I hope this gave you clarity on how you can stop losing customers while you increase your agenct profits. Are the other challenges you are facing in your agency? How can I help?

I have covered topics from facing failing economies and recessions or how a speaking opportunity can create business for your agency. Or maybe you want to know the four phases of growth within your agency and want extra help in taking your agency to the next level and sell your agency for a larger profit? I have all the information you need to help you through it.

You can learn more about my life and my experience as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by reading our blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

If videos are more your thing, don’t worry, i’ve got you covered! You can check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.