Sex and the Salon

“Hairdressing is a sexy business.”

That quote came from a German colleague and friend while I was in Paris doing a photo-shoot for a worldwide advertising campaign. My friend is right! It is a sexy business – and a rewarding one. Friendships will be formed in the salon and the opportunity for romance may very well present itself – think business. Clients come into the salon to leave looking good and feeling sexy. They may not wish to admit that….but that’s what they are after. Nothing makes a client feel as good as a great haircut and a new fresh look – it’s even better than a fab new outfit.

Shampoo You

For many clients the most intimate part of the service is the shampoo. People need the sensation of touch. Te environment of care and beauty we create is a haven for many. It may be the only time clients are treated well, cared for and told they look beautiful. For many clients, it’s the only time it’s all about them. It is our job to do it in a professional manner.

A shampoo can be a luxurious five minutes for the client. Never rush this segment of the service. After an excellent shampoo, the client will be putty in our hands and the rest of the service will be a breeze. Put your heart and soul into your work and great things will happen for you.

In most cases, someone becomes beautiful because someone cared to make them beautiful. WE have all seen great makeovers on stage and on Oprah!

Few of us are the beauties photographed for ad campaigns – keeping in mind, they’re 13, 14, and 15 years old! - but we all love to look fresh and making someone feel fresh and beautiful is a rewarding result of our everyday work life.

Always finish the service with the client

feeling fresh and sexy about themselves!

Intuition

Nurture your natural intuition. Listen to that little voice in your head when it’s telling you something is not quite right – the hair feels funny or the color looks sketchy. Sometimes a client won’t inform you of previous color in their hair because they might have forgotten, or they don’t think it’s important. So always take a strand test.

Rely on your knowledge and keep asking questions. Do a strand test, and never be afraid to say “no” – you’ll be in a lot less trouble. And if a client comes in fried from some other salon just count your blessings you didn’t do it. Fix it and the client will love you for it and see you as a true professional.

Next….Step 6: – The Business of Hair – till then.

-Teri

More Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Clients will bring baggage with them into the salon. It isn’t your job to fix their lives or their private dilemmas - just their hair. Turn questions of personal issues around

Repeat the client’s questions back to them through the mirror. After many, many years of looking at clients through mirrors I know what I am talking about. Funny things happen in reflections; clients find they get a glimpse of their true selves.

Reflect, just like the mirror, and remember to talk to the client in their language; “I feel,” “I see,” “I hear” – it will reassure them. Repeat what they ask and turn it around so they can answer it for themselves. I have found opinions and advice are best left at the front door of the salon. It can get you into all sorts of problems. Let the client ‘see’ for themselves and listen to them respond to themselves. Most of the time clients just need a sounding board, like a reflective pool. This is what mirrors are for. There truly is a form of alchemy happening when one uses a mirror correctly.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall” is not just a cute line from a Disney movie. It is an appropriate metaphor for intense self-realization.

When the wicked step-mother glares hungrily into the reflective pool of her mirror she is unhappy and seeking answers – so are many of your clients, and some of them come face-to-face with very hard realities that can make the visit tough on you.

Handling the Tough Client

People can be difficult and you will experience, at one time or another, unhappy prima donnas who have little left but loneliness and their checkbooks to look forward to. You will meet people in this exciting industry who you might never want in your chair again. It’s how you deal with them – by letting them deal with their own problems – that we can better negotiate a truce before an emotional battle breaks out. After all, it’s their hair and their money that is paying for your expertise, so it’s up to you to initiate the negotiation. Forget their problem, because it is their problem, which you probably can fix anyway…Don’t take it on…Just breathe, breathe, breathe, and smile.

If there is a problem and you still just cannot get along with this person…

Turn the client over to someone else in the salon.

Recommend another stylist or colorist who you feel might better suit the client. Life is a two –way street. You not only help the client, you free yourself up for a client who is happy to work with you. Don’t put up with rude clients…cut them lose and get a fresh client who appreciates your talents!

You can’t help all clients, but all clients can be helped!

Next….Step 5 – The Intimate Business of Hair - till then.

-Teri

Something for Nothing

If you want to give something away, give a service to a loyal client – but NEVER give them a service they’ve already experienced. Let them try something new.

Never offer free services to new clients!

Apply a color your client will love. Give them something to keep them coming back. Make them NEED you. I love to get my clients chemically dependent, and they’ll love you for making them look good, again and again.

The bottom line is we want and deserve to be paid for what we do. Your dentist doesn’t throw in a free filling because she likes your smile – you pay through the teeth for it. Charge for your services, especially when a client comes in with a condition they are unhappy with….

You’re in the business, baby,

and business people don’t give anything away.

The Kitchen Chemist

If a client comes back after ruining her hair with kitchen chemistry color and wants you to fix it, get tough, stand behind your experience and skills and make it worth your while.

Take the time to make it right and charge for it – do a strand test to save you time and money. Teach your clients to expect and enjoy good service; let your clients know it and they’ll pay you for it. Don’t teach them to expect price breaks or freebies and certainly not if they have messed up their own hair.

You provide a professional service, charge for it!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

We all know mirrors don’t lie. Think about this: If the hair salon was the only place you were told you look beautiful you would gladly come back again and again! You’d reschedule and look forward to the visit and tip for the pleasant experience? Clients soon realize that they need you.

It is important to reassure the client during the service about how good they’re going to look. Find something beautiful to comment on. Point out the positives; never mention the negatives – of which the client is already painfully aware. The service should always be an uplifting experience.

Never: “Oh my God your face is as round as a plate!”

Always: “You have gorgeous eyes and beautiful cheek bones, let’s emphasize them.”

Use the mirror as a filter for life.

We still have a bit more to cover in this chapter….so

Next….Step 4: Part 3 – Never Forget the Client - till then.

-Teri

This is a very important chapter in my book. If you take away anything from my recent blogs….please remember ‘The Three Rs.’

The Three Rs

Reassure the client with attention and great service, supply the latest information on innovative products that you can
Retail and get a commitment from the client to
Reschedule before they leave the salon. This will form a bond between the client and you. It’s called

INTERDEPENDENCE

and it’s where you want your clients to be ASAP!!!

Once they have committed to rescheduling, the appointment date is set…it is one less thing for them to worry about. (Remember…we live in a fast-paced world now and people want to have things scheduled out and taken care of in advance.)

In marketing terms it’s called “taking the buyer off the market” so get it done every time someone sits in your chair.

When the clients wants to reschedule – make them!

Stickability

More on the Interdependence thing…

Stylists and their clients stick together because there is an exchange between them, which is both healthy and profitable. Clients want someone they can trust, stylists want people they can rely on.

Half a day of cancellations can be half a week of rent money

Honey…

None of us need the misfortune of lost opportunities, and we’ve all had last minute cancellations that cost us $$$ - both are unacceptable and bad business.

‘No-Shows’ are unprofessional and disrespectful. If you conduct yourself in a professional manner you deserve to be treated accordingly. If a client continually lets you down, cut them out and move on with your career and your lift. Be assertive and be heard. If you are being professional, you’re worth it!

We still have lots to cover….so

Next….Step 4: Part 2 – Never Forget the Client - till then.

-Teri

Read your client. Do they want to talk and share, or just sit and be silent enjoying the experience? Pay attention to their needs and address their wishes.

They’ll pay you for it.

A positive comment will win every time. Use your skills and your toolbox of ‘visibles’ i.e., look books, magazines, manufacturer’s posters, and your ‘invisibles’ i.e., knowledge, intuition and experience in a positive way and claim the moment. Show your client what will make them more beautiful with these tools at your disposal; use them confidently to help you put the client at ease and you in charge.

Exclude confidence! Be assertive!
Let the client know they are in good hands!

When your client leaves your chair jot down something the client mentioned - something they spoke about with interest during the visit - kids, a party, and a show they loved…anything they were interested in. When the client returns, mention it. They will know you were listening to them and it will make them feel wonderful and special to think you remembered something about them.

Never lose the facility for empathy. Expand on it and embrace people - mentally and physically - a hug can work wonders.

Always stay focused and stay in the moment.

Guiding the Client: The Chameleon Technique

This is the ability to adapt and change with each client’s personality. To some…this technique comes naturally, but mastering this technique is an absolute must. It may well be the most important of all my messages to you and….

It sits at the heart and soul of this book.

The salon is a revolving door or personalities with changing emotional moods. Be ready for it! It’s about adapting to the client’s personal situation. Adapting and empathizing with the client puts them at ease and make them feel calm and receptive so you can work your magic.

Remember…it’s all about client service and it is where your future lies. It’s about developing people skills - because we are in the PEOPLE BUSINESS. Thank them for rescheduling…and always be the best you can be.

Next….Step 4 - Never Forget the Client - till then.

-Teri 

Now that you’ve got a client in the chair….just how do you plan on keeping them there? Duct tape? (We love our duct tape…) But really…you have to seriously consider the how… and that is to just listen to the client and answer your clients needs with great service, consistent routines, and empathy. Yes..empathy.

Put yourself in the client’s situation!

Listening to the Client

Listening to people in our business may be your biggest challenge. We have to start listening every day because it is truly amazing what happens when someone hears you - really hears you - for the first time.

Listen to the client’s concerns.

Note this… A major reason for a client’s apprehension is that stylists have the ability to effect change in the client’s “image.” It is in our hands, they know it, you know it, and it is a matter of trust. They trust that you have listened to them and understand what they have said - and they trust you do make it happen.

The older a client gets the more fearful of “change” they become. You have the power to make them feel beautiful when they leave your chair. So, address your client’s fears with confidence and understanding using their language. When you do, they will hear you clearly, relax, and enjoy the experience…Plus RESCHEDULE!!!

Communication is EVERYTHING. Once you have heard the client’s wants and needs, make them feel secure and gain their confidence by FULLY explaining the services you will perform to achieve what they want.

Don’t be the Blind Stylist

Ever pretend NOT to see a client’s concerns? It is important for you to see what they are pointing out. If you don’t, ask more detail questions until you get to the root of the issue. Do not succumb to what we call “hairdresser blindness.”

Never put down another’s work. Always focus on the positive. Find out what the client wants and move forward.

Stay in tune to the latest trends and be brave in your creative suggestions. Your individual style will evolve (if it hasn’t already) and your career and success will soon grow. Edgy can be good, but there are limits to what a client will bear (depending on your clientele). There is a certain equation - a fine balance in how far you can take that edginess. Just remember it all comes back to reading and listening to your client. We’ll cover Reading the Client next time.

Next….Step 3: Part 2 - Keeping Clients in the Chair - till then.

-Teri

You are a measure of the value you place on yourself, your work, and the benefits you provide you clients…that wonderful feeling of being pampered and beautified…at your hands. It works like this…No client…no business…go figure! A busy schedule is an indication of a good stylist and a good personality - these two components go together. The busier you become the more people will demand your service and the more they are willing to pay for your services.

Make someone beautiful, they’ll compensate you and reschedule.

Networking
You have to get to know people and good people who can help make your business grow. Networking can mean the difference between a successful for unsuccessful business.

People become clients once you get them in the chair.

I am known as the Queen of Networking. I’m from a small town but had big dreams…and networking correctly like I did - let me realize those dreams. It worked for me…it can work for you.

Advertising
This can get really expensive is you are just starting out and you may not be able to afford a splashy ad in newspapers or magazines.

So be bold, step out and meet people. Join clubs and local associations, like your local gym, Rotary International, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis, political groups, etc. Do whatever you need to do to get yourself to gatherings -because everybody wants to - and must - LOOK GOOD! So comment on their hair and anything else that is appealing to get them to talk about themselves.

Introduce yourself at dinner parties, in cafes (you local Starbucks), and tell them what you do. Tell them you would love to do their hair. Flatter them, be positive, smile, be professional, and give them a business card!

Business Cards are a must for your business. When you meet someone…introduce yourself and give them a business card. A nicely, professionally printed and easy to read card.

Post Cards are one of the BEST promotional tools I’ve used. I’ve been using them for years. Refer to my previous post on what should be on it and how to order. Click here.

Remember - the service doesn’t stop when the client leaves the chair, it is nurtured at the point of retailing the client professional products and rescheduling the next visit. Doing is what we stylists do best!

Next….Step 3 - Keeping Clients in the Chair - till then.

-Teri 

When your client sits in your chair it is your job to observe, listen, and be prepared for anything. You may have a client that comes in after having had a bad experience in a previous salon, etc. It’s your chair — so be positive, make them feel relaxed and comfortable and YOU be in control.

Miss Congeniality

Yes, that is you. When you have a client for the first time listen to what they have to say. Hear what they want to change about their look or their life - in my experience these two things, more often than not, are very closely related. Change is scary and what we want as a client is for people (you) to listen to us, to hear us out, not to shut us out.

Clients want a patient, focused and professional
stylist to take the time to help.

The Consultation

I like to break the consultation down into three types of clients - the feely, the visual, or the functional. So, first listen to the words they use and how they describe their hair…

• Feels - heavy, bulky, uncomfortable

• Looks - funny, silly, flat

• Functions - works or it doesn’t

• The ‘feely’ client is the warm and fuzzy type.

• The ‘visual’ or ‘it looks’ client always wants to look like a million dollars.

• The ‘functional’ client is perpetually re-occupied - usually a lawyer, doctor or academic.

There are combinations of the above, but learn to recognize the predominant type and speak back to clients in their language, their word choices. They will feel confidence in you, your abilities, and your worth as a professional.

Next….Step 2 : Part 2 - What Am I Worth, Networking, Advertising - till then.

-Teri

• A Winning Attitude
• Excellent Listening Skills
• Excellent Levels of Observation
• A Sense of Aesthetic Balance
• Flexibility
• Cleanliness
• Punctuality

By now, you’ve either recently gone to Beauty College, are going, or been there - done that long ago. We all know that passing the State Board test is the requirement needed to start the beginning of a fun-filled, exciting, and lucrative business for many years to come. And, some passion thrown in too.

Important Lesson #1 - Never use your MOM for the State Board test!

Whew…glad that’s done!

Salons
Always remember…the salon is a very special place and is the place that defines YOU. It’s where you do business, forge friendships, and make people beautiful.

The salon is where you are the PROFESSIONAL!

This is the place where client will come to you to relax and feel secure in your chair. Stripped of makeup and with limp, lank hair ready for service, the mirror can give a frightening truth…but they are there knowing they will look and feel better at the end of the service.

Because hair is an intimate business and clients will talk to you about personal issue, do yourself a huge service - don’t invest in salon gossip. Keep it to yourself! Remain courteous and discreet and your client will refer others and continue to come back themselves.

Cuts and Band-Aids
All I can say on this subject is that you WILL have them and you WILL need to wear them. Band-aids are a must so keep yours neat and clean - changing several times throughout the day.

Cleanliness and personal hygiene are a must!

Footwear
This is a big one…shoes are a must behind the chair and a wearing good shoes to work in will help prevent health issues (varicose veins, bad posture, and back problems) in the future.

So remember, start out on the right foot!

Next time - Step2: Getting Clients in the Chair - till then…

-Teri 

I learned early that we don’t make mistakes in the hair business, we make discoveries. Like when I cut off Barbie’s hair and it DIDN’T grow back. And Fluffy really didn’t like curlers…but was always clean and curly.

I love sharing what I have learned and put as much passion into my work as an educator as I put into every other sector of my life. I love to educate and share my knowledge and learn something new every day through my discoveries and by paying attention you won’t have to experience the same ‘discovery’ twice!

As hairstylists, we love what we do. We make people look great, which in turn makes them feel great. It’s what win – win is all about. And remember…

We need to plan and visualize and effect changes for ourselves – whether you are beginning in the industry or a professional who wants to experience more. So let’s get to it – I’m going to show you how you can better approach and service your clients and apply what I have learned to what you do and have fun doing it!

Next time - Step 1: Discovering Your Career – till then…

-Teri