Topless hairdressing – this salon’s booked solid, here’s why…

Most people in business are far too timid in their marketing – an accusation that can’t be leveled at this salon in inner-city Sydney.

Their stylists are topless - no wonder they’re booked solid.

Once you’ve gotten over the tittering, a couple of things to note here that may be useful for you and your business.

1) ‘It’s better to be different than it is to be better’. Most salons make the mistake of thinking it’s all about being ‘really good’ at their trade. Yawn. Folks, it’s ALL about being different from everybody else. This salon has nailed it.

2) ‘Riches in Niches’. Most salons try to be all things to all people. And end up being as bland as beige. This salon owner recognizes one of the great truths of small-business marketing; find a target market that’s a mile deep but only an inch wide, and you’ll get rich.

3) Being BOLD. There is absolutely no point in putting out a marketing message that makes you indistinguishable from the wallpaper. You may as well save your marketing dollars. This one is shouting from the rooftops.

4) FREE publicity. This story appeared on the national Ten Network’s nightly news bulletin, seen by hundreds of thousands of eyeballs all over the country. The value of such publicity is incalculable. The owner of this salon could never have afforded to pay for such a prime-time TV ad. She didn’t have to. Being different did the job for her.

5) Selling the experience, not the hair cut. If all you offer is a haircut, that’s all you’ll sell. You become a commodity. And commodities are always price-driven. For this salon, the haircut is a by-product of what they sell. E.g., what they’re actually saying is

“Pretty girls with bare boobs in your face for 20 minutes – $60. Includes Free Haircut.”

Is it new? As you’ll glean from some of the comments below, of course not. In fact it’s my contention that it’s often not a very bright idea to experiment with ‘new’ when there is ample evidence of the success of ‘old’.

Now, you may not want to hire topless stylists and only attract male clients. But I hope this has at least encouraged you to go away and analyze this marketing example for clues to how you can develop your own Unique Selling Proposition. What’s your NICHE?