One way to use Local Lead Finder. Local Lead Finder is a $10 Google Sheets template I built that turns any Google Maps search into a lead list: every business, with phone, website, rating and reviews. This post is one use case for it: getting a new shampoo into salons. I’m not a haircare brand; this is the playbook I’d follow if I were, run for real with the template. Other ways to use it are listed at the end, or see all 18 lead generation ideas.
You’ve made a shampoo people love, and you want it in salons. Search for how, and you get advice written for salon owners on selling retail, or forum replies that say “try sampling, go to trade shows.” Nobody tells you which salons to call. And the usual routes cost real money: a trade show booth, or a distributor who takes a cut of every bottle before you’ve proven anyone wants it.
Here’s what I’d do if this were my shampoo. I ran it for real in Chattanooga with Local Lead Finder, a $10 Google Sheet I built that pulls every business on Google Maps into a spreadsheet. It found 325 salons. I’ll show you which 41 to call first, which ones to skip (chains, salon suites, brand-only salons), and the offer I’d send:
I’ll give you a free case to use on your guests. If they like it, sell the bottles at the front desk and keep the margin. It costs the salon nothing, their guests try it in the chair, and the stylist does the selling.
TL;DR
- One “hair salon” search across 73 Chattanooga areas found 325 results, and 284 are independent salons you can pitch a free case.
- Pitch independents, where the owner decides. Chains like Great Clips and Supercuts decide product at headquarters.
- Don’t waste a case on brand concept salons: Kaleidoscope Salon, with 1,059 reviews, is an AVEDA Concept Salon.
Who this is for
- Indie haircare founder: you made a shampoo and want it used on real heads in real salons, not stuck waiting on a distribution deal.
- Beauty brand sales rep: you get a ranked list of every independent salon in your territory, busiest first, with phone numbers.
- Cosmetic chemist launching a line: you can find the salons whose names already match your formula, like organic or curly.
- Salon product distributor: you can see which salons are independent and which are chains or concept salons before you drive anywhere.
- Natural haircare maker: you can pull out salons like Banana Tree Organic Salon that are already looking for clean products.
Before you start
- A Google Places API (New) key (how to get one free)
- Local Lead Finder set up in your Google Drive (setup guide)
- Product samples, enough for a case to give away to each salon that says yes
- A one-line description of what makes your shampoo different
- A city to search
Don’t have a Places API key yet? How to get one free. Haven’t set up the sheet? Setup takes 5 minutes.
Step 1: Find every salon in the city
Region: Chattanooga, Tennessee. Find Areas pulled 73 areas from OpenStreetMap: Chattanooga plus towns like East Ridge, Hixson, Signal Mountain and Ringgold across the Georgia line.
Then “hair salon” in Search in All AREAS. It came back with 325 results, each with a phone number, address, rating, review count and website.
Step 2: Take out the salons that can’t say yes
Not every result is a good fit for a free-case pitch:
- 16 barbershops. Different product, different buyer.
- 6 salon suite buildings. These rent rooms to independent stylists. The building doesn’t buy product; each stylist does. Worth a visit later, not a message now.
- 16 chains (Great Clips, Supercuts, Sport Clips and similar). Product decisions happen at headquarters.
That leaves 284 independent salons, where the owner usually decides what goes on the shelf.
=SUMPRODUCT(('hair salon (AREAS)'!A2:A326<>"")*NOT(REGEXMATCH('hair salon (AREAS)'!A2:A326,$H$1)))
$H$1 holds the list of names to exclude: barber, suite, the chain names, and two results from the original run that weren’t salons at all (a shopping village and a “showbar”).
Step 3: Start with the busiest chairs
More reviews usually means more guests. More guests means more people trying your shampoo in the chair. 41 independent salons have 100 or more Google reviews:
Two things jump out:
- Kaleidoscope Salon Inc. AVEDA Concept Salon. It’s in the name. A concept salon has a deal with one brand, so it’s probably not going to stock yours. Skip it, or save it for later.
- Banana Tree Organic Salon (374 reviews). If your shampoo is clean, organic or sulfate-free, that’s your first call. Read names for clues like this.
Below the busy salons are 159 independent salons rated 4.5 or higher with fewer than 50 reviews. They’re smaller and newer, and the person who answers the phone is often the owner. They’re also more likely to want something that sets them apart.
“Every company starts at $1.” (Noah Kagan, The Dollar Challenge)
Your first salon might sell six bottles in a month. That’s fine. It’s proof for the next salon.
Step 4: The pitch
Set this as the WhatsApp message in SETTINGS so every salon’s link opens with it:
Hi! I make [shampoo name], a [one-line what’s special] shampoo made in [city]. I’d love to send you a free case to use on your guests. If they like it, I’ll set you up with bottles to sell at the front desk. No cost to try. Can I drop one off this week?
Then work down the list, busiest independents first. Mark each one Outreached so they turn green and you never message a salon twice.
Step by step
- Get a Places API key and set up Local Lead Finder.
- Put your city in SETTINGS > Region and run Find Areas.
- Search “hair salon” in all areas.
- Take out barbershops, salon suite buildings and chains.
- Sort the independents by reviews, busiest first. Skip brand concept salons.
- Look for names that match your product (organic, natural, curly, color).
- Send the free-case message. Mark each salon Outreached.
- Drop off cases to every yes, and check back in two weeks for reorders.
Common pitfalls
- Pitching chains: Great Clips, Supercuts and Sport Clips decide product at headquarters. Take out all 16 and spend your cases on independents.
- Messaging salon suite buildings: the building doesn’t buy product, each stylist in it does. Set those 6 aside for an in-person visit later.
- Sending a case to a concept salon: a name like “AVEDA Concept Salon” means a deal with one brand. Read the names on your busiest list before you send anything.
- Leaving barbershops in: a “hair salon” search still brought back 16 barbershops. Different product, different buyer, so exclude “barber”.
-
Trusting every row is a salon: the original run had a shopping village and a “showbar” in it. Add anything odd to your exclude list in
$H$1. - Searching before Find Areas finishes: Find Areas takes a minute or two to pull towns from OpenStreetMap. Wait until the AREAS tab is filled (73 areas here) before you search.
- Not marking Outreached: without it you’ll message the same salon twice. Outreached rows turn green and stay green in every future search.
Learn the Google Sheets formulas in this post
- 3 Ways to Count in Google Sheets: the basics behind counting salons, chains and barbershops in the results.
- How To Sort A Filter: sort the independent salons by reviews so the busiest chairs come first.
- 200 REGEXMATCH Examples in Google Sheets: the pattern matching that takes barbershops, suites and chains out of the count.
-
REGEXMATCH Formula Generator for Google Sheets: build the exclude list in
$H$1without writing the pattern by hand.
Better Sheets has hundreds more tutorials like these. If you want to get better at Google Sheets, join Better Sheets.
Other ways to use Local Lead Finder
- Selling on Consignment to Salons and Spas: a razor kit, 55 shops: for product makers who want shelf space without a wholesale order.
- Wedding Hair Group Deals: salons open to booking the whole shop: for wedding planners booking hair for a whole bridal party.
- How to Sell Websites To Salons: for web designers pitching the 38 salons whose only website is a booking page.
- How to Build a Local Business List in Google Sheets (142 coffee shops, Boise): for anyone who wants a whole local business list in one sheet.
All 18, grouped by who they’re for: Lead generation ideas: 18 local businesses to sell to.
FAQ
How do I get my product into salons?
Make it free for the salon to try. A free case for the backbar lets stylists use it on guests, and guests who like it buy a bottle at the front desk. Start with independent salons, where the owner decides.
Should I pitch chain salons?
Not at first. Chains like Great Clips and Supercuts buy product centrally. Independents can say yes in one conversation.
What about salon suites?
Salon suite buildings rent rooms to independent stylists, so each stylist decides for themselves. Visit in person and pitch the stylists one by one once you have a few salons on board.
Which salons should I pitch first?
Start with the 41 independent salons that have 100 or more Google reviews, since more reviews usually means more guests trying your shampoo. Then look at names that match your product, like Banana Tree Organic Salon for a clean shampoo.
How do I keep track of which salons I’ve messaged?
Mark each one Outreached from the Find Leads menu. The row turns green, gets copied to the OUTREACH tab, and stays green in every future search.
How much does a search cost?
Each area is one Google Places request per results page, on your own Places API key. Google gives up to 1,000 searches a month free, and the sheet shows the most a search could cost before it runs.
Is Local Lead Finder a scraper?
No. It uses Google’s official Places API with your own key, and writes the results into your own Google Sheet.
Get the sheet
Local Lead Finder is $10, and free for Better Sheets lifetime members.
