Sales Mistake #1: Failure to Listen

Sometimes, we get too focused on what we have to offer, and all the cool things we’re up to. When this happens, we get so caught up that that we forget to just sit down and listen to the person we’re talking with, ask them some questions, and maybe discover a problem or a pain that we could offer a solution for. If you don’t sit down and listen to your prospect, you’ll never discover why they should choose to work with you because you won’t identify their problem or their pain. So, mistake #1 is failing to listen.

Sales Mistake #2: Failure to Follow Up

I believe that this is one of the most under-utilized tactics in sales to get someone to come to your side. We simply don’t follow-up! Sometimes our turnaround is just too slow. Here’s an example:

Let’s say you have a prospect who’s reached out to you in an email. They have a question for you. And you sit on that email for 3-5 days. That’s over with, kiss that opportunity goodbye. Because now you’re teaching them that they can’t expect to work with you and get answers when they want answers.

Do we live in a world of instant gratification or not? You already know the answer to that. People want answers now. So the sooner you can get back to people, the better chance you have of them coming to an agreement with you and choosing to sign with you. The turnaround (in my opinion) needs to be within 12 hours. If you cannot get back to someone within 12 hours, you need to let them know.

“I’ve received your message, and I’ll get back to you by this date.” Give them a sense of security in you. If you’re going to be gone at a conference for a few days, you need to set up an automatic reply on whatever platforms you’re using. If it’s social media, you don’t have a choice. Unless someone’s managing your social media or texts, you’ll have to suck it up and find a way to get back to people.

The difference between those who are good at what they do and those who are wildly successful is this: they’re willing to do what others cannot do or will not do.

Following up is part of that. What if you fail to follow up when someone initially reaches out to you? That’s their very first inquiry to you and you don’t get back to them right away? Already you’re teaching them what it’s like to do business with you. I wouldn’t sign up for that, would you?

What about thanking someone for their business? If you don’t do it, that’s another failure to follow up!

Someone signs an agreement with you, they spend money with you, and now you fail to give them a thank-you? Or now that they’ve actually done business with you, your customer service goes down the drain, you don’t get back to them when they need you, they call you and you don’t respond to them right away? Do you think they’ll ever buy from you again?

Or here’s the bigger question: do you have a chance to tap into their network? If they have a friend who needs you, would they consider you now or would they say, “Well he or she was really great to work with until we actually paid them, but now I don’t ever hear from them!”  

You don’t want to be that person.

Sales Mistake #3: Failure to Ask for the Sale

You may sit down and listen, and you may get back to someone right away every time, and you may be working hard, and you might think, “I’m doing everything right. I’m doing the best I can do.”

At that point you know that you’re providing amazing service to this person. But your biggest failure could be that you haven’t even asked them one time to do business with you.

Think about children. When they want something, they will not give it up. They will ask for whatever it is their little hearts desire over and over until someone gives in. We can learn something from them! You have to be a little tenacious. It’s not being pushy to say, “You deserve to work with someone like me.” And you need to be prepared for the answer to be “yes.”

There’s a difference between being a supportive salesperson and a dominant person. There are some personality types that will actually say, “You need to do business with me, I am the best person to take care of you.”

I would love it if someone said that to me, and I would believe them! Because confidence trumps experience. If you’re a supportive personality and you could never imagine yourself being that aggressive or assertive with prospects, then I recommend that you ask one simple question: “Does this feel like the right fit for you? I would love to work with you. If you’re ready and this feels like the right fit for you, here’s my pen, we can sign this and get it going.”

Obviously this is applicable to different areas; you need to translate this into your industry and your life.

The Takeaway

I’d like you to choose one of those three failures that you felt the most connected to.

I definitely know that my biggest struggle of these three is the listening part. I’m on top of it when it comes to following up with them and asking them for the business, but I don’t really sit and give them a chance to talk to me. It’s all about what I have to say. That’s my place of failure.

Start by following these two simple steps:

#1: Identify your failure.

#2: Take just a few minutes to brainstorm what you are going to do differently and how you’re going to do it differently.

An example: “I’m going to be a better listener.”

Well, you need an action item, something specific. Mine is this: In every meeting, I’m going to start off by asking some questions. This will become habitual. And I’m going to sit back and listen, and try to take notes on what painful or problematic issues I’m hearing for each person, which, sometime soon, I can respond to with a solution.

And what kind of message does that send? “You know, today I just want to listen to you. I’m going to hear you out. I’m going to listen to your responses for these questions I have for you today. And I’m going to take some time and then get back to you.”

Well, I think that sounds like you care a bit more than maybe some others do, because you’re willing to take the time to think of a solution for me.

Getting back to someone doesn’t mean that you’re losing out on the sale if you don’t get them to sign right away. You can ask for the sale at that moment and then say, “I’d like to do business with you, and my goal is for us to work together. I’m prepared for us to sign an agreement; however, I’m going to listen to what you had to say today and put together a solid plan of action for us.”

Friends, you will be successful at sales. Sometimes it’s not a lack of knowledge about what we’re doing or selling, but rather the habits that we’re forming or have formed that are prohibiting our success.

And if we can recognize the “downs” and fix them, the “up” will take care of itself, and you’ll be wildly successful. The key to substantial success lies beyond the technique.

Do you want even more coaching on sales? Check out our services page for information on virtual coaching and salon team development opportunities! To get more industry advice and empower yourself, make sure to follow Beyond the Technique and listen to our weekly podcast!

If you’re guessing that we are going to suggest that you say “Thank You!” more often, you are close, but no cookie! While you should always thank your clients for choosing you as their Stylist, we suggest taking this a step further to truly share the depth of your gratitude with your loyal clients.

This might seem scary at first, but do not worry! We are going to walk you through how to share your authentic appreciation with your clients and why it is so important.

How To Spill The Beans

Before you share a mini heart-to-heart with your client, it is important to look at them face-to-face. This means turning your client to face you in the chair instead of standing behind them (hint: try sitting on a cutting stool). Becoming eye-level with your client removes the feeling that you are in an authority position and instead makes the client feel like they are chatting with a friend.

Once you are face-to-face, share your genuine, open, and authentic appreciation for your client. If you’re drawing a blank, here’s a little help: “You know what? I just want you to know how much I appreciate that you continue to choose our hair salon and me as your stylist. It means a lot to me, and I’m really thankful for the relationship that we’ve built.” That’s it! We promise it is as simple as it seems!

Relationships: It’s What We Get Paid For

As hair professionals, we must never forget that our clients are our livelihood. One of the top three reasons that a client would leave you is because they think that you wouldn’t notice. Since we know that isn’t true, don’t miss the opportunity to take these special moments to let your clients know that you are very, very appreciative for them!

We are so lucky to be part of an industry that is rooted in building and maintaining fabulous relationships. As a Stylist, you really become part of your clients’ lives as they share with you their biggest secrets, thrills, and experiences. It doesn’t matter how great you are technically behind the chair; you must be able to show humble gratitude to your clients to build a strong following.

We all know how amazing it feels when someone tells you how much you mean to them, so pay it forward and pass along your sincere appreciation to your clients!

To get more industry advice, make sure to follow Beyond the Technique on social media and listen to our weekly podcast!

Our contributor, Shana Dee, is a Georgetown, DC Master Stylist with over 16 years of experience in the salon and wedding industry. In addition to Shana’s numerous achievements, she worked with President Obama’s sister and sister-in-law for the 2013 Inauguration! Shana Dee truly believes in sharing her knowledge and experience with other professionals. Beyond the Technique is excited to share Shana Dee’s Six Steps to a Winning Consultation!

Step 1: Ask Direct Questions

Let’s start with an example of a bad question to ask a client sitting in your chair: “So, what are you wanting today?” While this question seems sincere and helpful, it is actually an ineffective question because it results in a rather vague answer from your client.

So, how do you avoid ineffective questions and vague answers from clients? Ask direct questions! By asking direct questions, you are ensuring that the client is expressing what needs to happen with their hair.

To make sure that your next consultation is a winning one, Shana Dee offers some examples of direct questions that she asks her own clients:             

• What look are you wanting to change about your color?
• What styles have you tried before? Longer or shorter?
• When you are at home styling your hair, what areas do you struggle with?
• When you are scrolling through Instagram, are you drawn to certain hair colors and styles?
• What color have you had in the past that made you feel so gorgeous? This is Shana’s personal favorite!

Another strategy that Shana Dee uses to truly understand what the client wants is to ask about past styles, such as:

• What did you like about the last color and cut that we did?
• If you could change anything about the way that we did your style last time, what would it be?

Asking these questions makes the client feel like they’re in control of their hair, even though the Stylist is the one creating the look. Also, Shana points out that these questions allow you—the Stylist—to make it OKAY for the client to tell you if they didn’t like what you did before.

Shana’s final tip about asking direct questions during a consultation is, always try to stay away from negative questions such as: “Well, what color didn’t you like?” Stylists should always try to focus on positivity and keeping the client in a positive mindset!

Step 2: The Nonverbals

Many of us have heard statistics that most of our communication is nonverbal and, in fact, is conveyed through body language. To have a winning consultation, you must be conscious of both your body language and your clients’!

To ensure that Shana Dee can observe her client’s nonverbal cues, she never puts a cape on her client before giving a consultation. That seems simple, right? Shana recommends doing the consultation not-caped, so you can observe the client’s full body. When asking direct questions (see Step 1), Shana can observe if her client’s nonverbal cues demonstrate uneasiness or openness. If the client is nervous, they tend to close their body inward and become smaller. On the other hand, open body language conveys a feeling of relaxation and ease.

Another significant nonverbal cue is where you choose to stand during the consultation. While doing a consultation, Shana Dee chooses to stand in front of her client rather than behind the chair. Standing behind the chair places the Stylist in an authority position which can make it harder for the client to open-up and feel at ease. By standing in front of your client, you can chat with the client just like you were catching-up with a friend. Always remember that your nonverbal signals should make the client feel as comfortable as possible.

Despite your best efforts to make your client comfortable, there are times when a client is reluctant to open up and will appear nervous. In these instances, Shana Dee recommends putting these insecurities on the table and asking some more direct questions--surprise! For instance, if you noticed that your client’s fists were clenched or they were fidgeting with their hands, you could ask: “I noticed that your hands were clenched when we were talking about that. Are you sure that you’re comfortable with me cutting your hair that short?” By noticing these nonverbal indications, Shana is giving her client the opportunity to change her mind, or reassure Shana that she is nervous, but wants to take the risk! Shana Dee reminds us that: “When you let the client go into what they are not saying, that is when you find your gold mines of information.”

Step 3: You’re a Stylist, Not a Savior

Learn how to say no! As a stylist, you’ve done consultations and thought: “I can do it. I can do it.” Then, you look at the hair a bit more and realize: “Wait, nothing can save this!” Shana Dee insists that you must learn that some hair cannot be saved, and being a professional means saying no sometimes.

Stylists have said it a million times: “You can’t take dark brown hair and turn it to blonde in one day.” Sometimes, clients will try to bully you into performing a service that you are not comfortable with by saying things like: “Well, so-and-so did it at Salon XYZ. How come you can’t do it?” As a professional, Shana Dee reminds you to feel comfortable and confident in saying no and referring the client to another salon.

To explain why a client’s hair cannot change from dark brown to blonde in a single day, Shana Dee shows her clients several pictures of Khloé Kardashian’s transition from dark brown hair to blonde. Even with the amazing colorist, Tracey Cunningham, working on Khloé’s hair, it took about three steps over a year’s time to make the transition. Showing the pictures helps demonstrate the why behind taking color one step at a time.

Shana Dee reminds you that: you really do know what is best, and you should recommend what you think is best for the client.

Step 4: Compliment, Compliment, Compliment!

This is Shana Dee’s absolute favorite step to a winning consultation! She loves this step so much, that she recommends all stylists compliment your client within the first five seconds of seeing her. For instance, when you see your client waiting for you, you can greet her by saying: “Hi! It is soo good to see you! I love your hair! Tell me how you styled it today; it looks so pretty on you!”

By immediately complimenting your client, it creates a conditioned feeling of positive energy as soon as they see you. Plus, it always gives your clients something great to talk about when they are out with friends! As the saying goes, people will never forget how you made them feel.

But, believe Shana Dee that the chance to compliment your client does not end in the waiting area! When you finally go behind the chair to touch and move the hair, there is another great opportunity to compliment. The first thing that Shana does is say: “Oh my gosh, your hair is just so pretty! I love it! Look at all this shine that is still in your hair. You do such a good job of taking care of it at home. Are you still using that shampoo and conditioner that you got last time?” Not only is this a great compliment which boosts your client’s confidence, but it reminds them about purchasing more shampoo. Complimenting is a win-win for client and stylist alike! The opportunities to compliment are truly endless—simply endless!

Step 5: Money, Money, Money

You’ve got to talk about money! Shana Dee’s best money advice is to get comfortable with your own ability to talk about money. She believes that being comfortable with money has nothing to do with our clients, but everything to do with the way that the Stylist feels about money.

One strategy to become more comfortable talking about money is to educate your clients about how much certain products and services cost. Shana quickly points out that this does not mean rattling off a list of the prices for toners and hair color. Instead, she demonstrates to the client how many steps it will take to reach their desired outcome.

To do so, she uses another nonverbal gesture—your hands! Shana Dee suggests getting out your hand and saying: “So, you want this balayage. We’re going to hand-paint, then we’re going to go through and add some low-lights.” Is your hand still out?! Then, start counting off: one, two, three, with your fingers. “Then, I’ll have to rinse and tap your roots to blend the color really well. Finally, we are going to tone that. That’s about four steps to give you the gorgeous color of your dreams. Does that sound about right?” After your client agrees, you say “Ok, so for those four steps, it is going to be this price_____.”

If your client hesitates about the price, tries to haggle with you, or seems uncomfortable at that price point, feel comfortable referring her to another Stylist that better matches her needs. If Stylists at your salon find themselves in this predicament, you should check out one of Beyond the Technique’s sponsors: Meet Your Stylist. Meet Your Stylist is a one-of-a-kind survey on your salon’s website that matches clients to your stylists. Your new clients will be paired with her top three matches at your salon who are also in her price point. Suggesting that your new client fill out the Meet Your Stylist survey ensures that both you and your client are comfortable with money!

As always, being a professional means being able to express your price and being okay with it. Shana advocates for sticking to your standard, understanding your value, and knowing what you are worth.

Step 6: Educate

Clients don’t know, what they don’t know. Shana Dee loves educating her clients and believes that all Hairstylists should deliver their knowledge in a way that can be easily understood.

A common example of this type of conversation is when a client who has dark hair wants blonde hair. After the client explains her request, she adds: “But, I don’t want any red in my hair.” Like Shana Dee, hair colorists know that as soon as you lift the hair, the underlying pigment is going to be exposed, and that color will be a combination of straight-red, red-orange, yellow-orange, or yellow.

To educate her clients about color, Shana explains that color is on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is black and 10 is blonde. Then, she will look at her client’s hair and say something like: “You’re a level 7.” Then, she plays a quick learning game with her client by saying something like: “When I open up your cuticle and lighten it up, there’s an invisible color in there and guess what color it is? Well, it’s red!” When the client continues to insist that they don’t want any red in their hair, you can say: “But, your hair already has red in it.” In this easy example, you are educating the client about hair color, and you will not be blamed for red in the hair.

When you’re telling a client no, tell them yes at the same time. Even though you’re saying no to what they think they can have, you are saying yes to the possibility of what is going to look amazing on them!

Try Shana Dee’s Six Steps to a Winning Consultation and share with us your results—we are sure they will be great! Shana Dee encourages everyone to follow her on Instagram @hairbyshanadee, so she can “start lovin’ on you!” To get more industry advice, make sure to follow Beyond the Technique and listen to the weekly podcast.

Listen to the full interview with Shana Dee on Episode 45 of Beyond the Technique’s podcast.

A lot of salon owners struggle to book millennials behind the chair.  Are you in a salon with a similar challenge?

I’m technically the oldest age of a millennial. And being that I’m at the cut-off in regard to age, sometimes it can be difficult to relate to millennials because we simply have different ideas about “work”. But, every single one of our team members at my salon is a millennial so it has been imperative for me to learn how to effectively schedule them behind the chair. Sometimes as leaders we expect others to follow in our footsteps because we did it this way and we know it works. Well, that’s a mindset that may become a challenge for you. If you are the type that has worked the typical forty hours a week or more and you want to hit the grind all day everyday, your mindset and work ethic may not be the same as this newer generation. It is important to understand what your millennial employees need in order to have successful internal retention rates. The ultimate goal is to create a win win for everyone!

Setting Boundaries

I believe millennials appreciate boundaries; deep down they don’t want a free for all. In fact, my staff meets every single Monday for a team meeting. That level of commitment shocks a lot of salon owners. What I believe that they are looking for is flexibility.

Our approach to booking our stylists behind the chair is laying out the needs of the salon. For example, I let them know we really need coverage during specific time frames and we need them to fulfill 30-35 hours a week behind the chair. The reason we book them less than 40 hours is we understand they need time to prepare for the start of their day and often times they’ll stay late. Who can relate? Keep in mind my stylists are commissioned employees, not independent contractors. I want to create a plan where everyone wins. And of course I want to retain them, so it’s important for us to communicate regularly about their schedule and workload.

Creating a Win-Win Situation Through Compromise

To create a win-win situation, we bring their options to the table and they have the ability to choose within set boundaries what works best for them. The key to success: compromise. The best leaders are the ones willing to sit down and meet in the middle with employees to create a win-win for both parties. Keep in mind that we don’t expect you to roll over and do whatever everyone wants. Boundaries are healthy and necessary. At the end of the day you are running a business.

It is important to know your employees’ lifestyle, family, and leisurely commitments outside of work. We have to understand that the millennial generation has so many things that they like to be a part of and maybe they just want that extra time to decompress. It may be different than your lifestyle, but different is okay. We find that when they are at work they take 100% ownership in their careers. So, sitting down and saying this is the playground we get to play inside of and asking where they see themselves within these boundaries, that is where the conversation begins.

Creating Positive Change for your Business

I want to encourage you that if losing younger staff members is a reoccurring theme for your business then it is time for you to look at what can be done differently. Let’s say that you have fresh talent come in and they are with you for a couple of years and then they tend to go off on their own and become independent contractors. It is important to think about what you could have done differently to gain their loyalty. It starts with simply having an open conversation with them. They want to be treated with the same respect as master stylists. Not only do they want to be treated with as high of a regard, they also want your acknowledgment, and your time. We have this attitude that they need to earn their keep, and they definitely do! This is why there are probably additional perks that only lead or master stylists have. But, when it comes to communication they want as much of your attention, leadership, and time as everyone else.

Empowering your Millennial Stylists

While you may need to be willing to create an open dialogue with millennial stylists, there is always a silver lining. You have the ability to use your leadership to inspire young stylists to get to those upper levels. And let’s just put it out there, when they charge more because they’re at a higher level, you earn more and so do they. Another win win.

This generation wants something now; instant gratification is what they’ve grown up with. Waiting or working towards more is somewhat challenging for this generation. So keep encouraging and keep the lines of communication open.

Is it time to begin the dialogue with the stylists at your salon? We do this on a regular basis. Change is constant at my salon, and everybody is used to that. Is that the same at your salon? Maybe it is time for a change. But all for the better, wouldn’t you agree?

This effort is to make things better for everyone so there is longevity, loyalty, fun and an environment where everyone can thrive financially. Instead of wanting your stylists to feel that they have a great job, make them feel like they have a great life. After all, this is our career, not a hobby. This is how we make a living, and we want that living to be extraordinary for everyone.

If you have ideas that you’d like to bounce off of other salon owners throughout the US, you may be eligible to join our Beyond The Technique mastermind group!

Apply Here!

How many of us are excited for what 2017 will bring? I suspect like many, you’re setting goals and planning on bigger and better things for your career and your personal life as well. Today I want to share the formula for change! I cannot take credit for this formula. I learned this from my ActionCOACH mentors.

ActionCOACH is a global business coaching franchise. They help you go from here to there. It’s all about growth and development, but action is necessary to get the results you want. I hope that gets you as fired up as it gets me! If you don’t have a mentor and/or accountability in your life, specifically for your business, I would highly encourage you to consider hiring one. My mentor has dramatically changed my life for the better, with an emphasis on my career. And to shamelessly plug Beyond The Technique, you know we do offer this service! And it’s custom to our industry. Bonus!  Check out our services page to learn all of our options.

I learned the change formula from them and today I want to share it with you. I think that when you finally understand what it takes to change and you acknowledge what it means to have all of these tools for change, you can finally implement change into your life. But are you ready for change? I think that in today’s society, the easier you can adapt to change the quicker you can find the success you’re looking for. Your willingness to change will be transformative for your future successes.

If you are someone who really likes a methodical pace to life, this might be a very big challenge for you. To progress in your career and have great success, I think it’s incredibly beneficial to be adaptable to change, because there is no constant in life. We’ve all heard the saying, “The only constant is change.” So, I want to know, are you ready to change in a positive direction?

The Formula 

The formula of change is this, [D x V] + F > R

What does that mean? 

‘D’ stands for dissatisfaction, the ‘V’ is your vision. ‘F’ are your first steps and ‘R’ stands for your resistance.

What this means is your dissatisfaction times your vision, plus your first steps has to be greater than your resistance if you want to change.

Here’s my personal example: Many of you already know that I’ve struggled with weight my entire life. I’m entering into an adult phase of my life where it’s new to me to have such a healthy lifestyle. With this challenge and change, my level of dissatisfaction had to be greater than my resistance. However, I also had to have a vision. I had to believe that change was possible, that I actually could live differently, and that I actually could get to a certain point. The vision had to be there. I had to believe and see what the future could bring.

I also had to have some first steps prepared, and for a while I had no idea where to begin. Eventually, I decided that my first steps would be to join a support group for people who struggle with food and to create a fitness plan. Those elements had to be greater than my resistance for change. When we get in that hamster wheel, it’s easy to stay there because eventually we become very comfortable with the same old thing. We accept the way we are.

But the moments when we become dissatisfied and say, “What am I doing? I don’t want this.” are so important. Those moments have to be greater than your resistance. You need to have a vision and decide on your first steps.

Do you need to have the fifteenth step planned out from the very beginning? No. Those future steps can be flexible because they may change as you do. Really, the first steps determine the third, fourth and fifth steps, so don’t overthink it! You don’t have to know the end game to begin. You don’t play basketball knowing you’re going to win the game. You believe it, you have the vision, but you have to start by taking the first step. You just have to start playing the game.

Your level of dissatisfaction needs to be high-- you have to be dissatisfied with where you are. And then you have to add that vision, add the first steps and you’re on your way to change.

Is your dissatisfaction level high?

The following is a professional example.

I have stylists that are extremely loyal to my salon. They love working, they’re hard workers, and they go out of their way to put in extra effort. We have weekly team meetings. We have bi-monthly advanced education on top of our weekly team meetings. We serve more brides in our community than any other salon, so many in fact, that we’ve been able to charge more than double the price of competitors in our area.

Long story short, my team is phenomenal and incredibly talented. But at some point I realized that I was not willing to change my structure for them to have time off or to work less. I had fear, which we’ve identified in previous talks as being false expectations appearing real. My fear was if I let them work less they may not treat this like their career. My fear was they’d look at it as more of a hobby and take their careers less serious. I was afraid that they wouldn’t care as much anymore and they would only participate part-time. They wouldn’t have any real accountability to their careers.

For years that fear kept me from changing my full-time protocol. It was like, “you’re all in or you’re out.” And this is such a reflection on me as a person, because as leaders we tend to implement what we think is best for us, and I’m definitely that person. I’m all in or I’m all out.

But I realized that I wanted to grow bigger at a second and third location. So I needed to decide if it was feasible for me to have professionals who were full-time or if it was more realistic to be accommodating and flexible. Eventually I decided I needed to change my outlook on this part-time option for them.

Previously, I’ve lost some really great employees and team players because they also thought the policy was “all or nothing” because that’s what their leader put out there to them. There wasn’t any animosity in their leaving; we still care deeply for each other. But, I lost employees that I was very sad to say goodbye to. I did lose these great people because I was just so rigid and stuck in my ways.

Finally, after losing two top performers because I didn’t have any other option for them, my dissatisfaction level was at an all-time high. So I had to take a firm look and decide what I would rather have. Do I need to have everyone be full-time? Or can I be more flexible?

I revised my vision. It now works for people who do have families and want to work part-time :)

First Steps and Moving Forward 

The first step for me was to sit down and create an action plan of what the outcome would look like and how I’d get there. After that I met with the managers of our hair salon--these are the leaders that help to implement all changes. We met, discussed our outcomes, and realized how great the change was. We now have options for both full-time and part-time and it doesn’t feel like those options are prohibiting anyone from being their best when they’re involved. You can work part-time and you can still participate; it’s a real, full-time career even though you’re here for a minimum of three days.

We offered this to the team and told them about what an amazing opportunity it was, and they were so happy to have more options. It was a win for everyone.

The underlying message here is that as a leader, you have to look within. If things aren’t working out your way, maybe you’re being too resistant to change. If you’re not getting what you want or need, ask yourself what you can do to change. That way you can ultimately have the life you desire.

Share with me on social what changes you’ll be making this year! And if you haven’t already, please join our private Beyond The Technique Group page! This is a safe place to share ideas, questions, and challenges with other professionals across the US. Cheers to a great year ahead!

By: Kati Whitledge - Founder of Meet Your Stylist & Beyond The Technique

Do you struggle with having enough new clients in your chair? Do you also find it challenging to get them to rebook for future visits? When clients say they’ll call later to rebook or that they’ll go online to book, are you forced to just cross your fingers and hope that it happens?

How many of you are following up to make sure that they actually have rebooked at that four-week mark before they should be getting ready to return?

Hopefully this strategy will help to immensely improve your rebook success rate. We all agree that if you consistently rebook your clients, you will have long-term success in this industry. It’s imperative that you rebook, because as hairstylists, you probably have commission-based income. This means that as a hairstylist, you’re only making money when you’re doing services.

It’s actually a security strategy for your future to be rebooking your clientele. 

Expectations

Out of every ten clients that visit your business for services, how many should you be expecting to have rebook and return consistently? I’d estimate that when you’re first starting out, that number should be about five out of ten. After six months in the industry, that number should rise to about six out of ten. At that point you should be more comfortable in your position and more confident with the verbiage for requesting rebooking.

After one year, you should be rebooking about seven out of ten. You should be very comfortable at that point. And then, after two years, you should be consistently rebooking eight, if not nine out of every ten clients you see. At that point you’re no longer fresh and new in the industry. You’re not only better at asking for rebooking, but your technical skills have phenomenally improved.

Additionally, during this time, your loyal clients are referring friends to you, so your client base is increased additionally. As a result, it should be easier and easier to rebook, because so many of these new people were referred to you verses finding you randomly.

Or, if your salon is using the Meet Your Stylist tool, every new client will be like a referred client, and you shouldn’t have to worry about new people who might be booked with you randomly. 

Have the Right Mindset

Most stylists are very supportive people, which means directly asking someone to rebook an appointment may seem very pushy to you, but you need to have more confidence in yourself. Be proactive, rather than reactive with your life and career. Understand that it will be mutually beneficial for you and your clients to rebook. It’s not an infringement; it’s a favor to get them set up with you in advance so that you can ensure that they have the appointment time that works best for them. It is for their benefit as much as yours.

By rebooking someone, you are ensuring that they have the best, customized experience with you, at a time that works well for both of you.

It’s also important to establish boundaries and expectations. If you never encourage your clients to rebook, you might end up coming in early or staying late for them, and they’ll learn that they can just expect you to adjust your life to fit their needs. A healthy relationship with your clients includes setting boundaries.

I know stylists out there who will come in on their day off just to accommodate clients. I applaud them for doing anything to keep their clients happy, but it also breaks my heart that they’re giving up their designated time off. They need to be willing to be firm and request that an appointment be set up in advance on a day you’re available.

Offer Two Options

This is the big strategy I have for rebooking clients. Offer options, rather than asking a yes or no question. Many stylists say, “Would you like to get set up for your next haircut?”, which is a failure because it’s too easy for them to say no and never return. Or feed you with the “I’ll book later” line.

They can still say no with the following strategy, but it’s not automatically assumed. Instead, you’re triggering them to think and make a choice.

Ask something like this instead: “Would you like to set up your next appointment for Tuesday or Wednesday five weeks from now? That would the 12th or the 13th of the month.”

That way you give them choices, but either way they’re back in your chair.

If you don’t like that tactic, try something like, “Would you like to make your next appointment for four weeks or five weeks from now?”

Again, two options. From there, you can ask further questions about which day and time they prefer in order to finish booking the appointment.

Try not to get in the habit of saying, “My whole night is free. What works for you?” If you say things like that, it’ll appear that you have no other clients, and the individual you’re talking to will think they can just choose any time and you’ll accommodate them.

Once you’ve selected the date and time for them, write it down on your card and give it to them. Even though they’ll probably just put the appointment into their phones, they now have your business card and might be able to refer you to a friend.

As the professional, you know when any particular client needs to come back in order to maintain the look they’ve chosen. You should have already gone through this information with them during their consultation, so you giving them these options later will make sense to them.

It is your responsibility to guide each client to make the best choices for them.

For your busiest clients, why not suggest setting up their entire year ahead of time for a recurring monthly appointment? Then once you establish that full year of appointments, let them know that you’re also accessible. If a conflict comes up for one of their appointments, let them know that you’ll be happy to adjust it so it works for both of you. 

Plenty of people would love to get on board with a system like that. Will you still get a no? Of course you will. But don’t think of that as a rejection. Be confident enough in yourself that it’s  okay when not everyone says yes, even though most people will take you up on it.

Find Consistency

You probably have clients who always tell you that they’ll just book online later. But instead of just letting them continue with unpredictable promise, tell them that you’re getting super busy and don’t want them to go online later just to find out the time they want isn’t available. Just recommend that they let you help them out while they’re there that day, so that they have a great appointment time and day all ready to go.

Again, be confident, firm and directive. Even if you fear being pushy, there is nothing pushy about establishing healthy boundaries and expectations. That’s being assertive, not being aggressive.

I promise that this strategy will work and it will help you improve the number of people you’re rebooking. Just give it a try for a few months and watch how your rebooking percentages, and your pay, positively increase.

Be so active with your pre-booking that you’re swamped. That way, if and when someone cancels the day before, it won’t put a huge dent in your day. You’ll still have plenty of other appointments that day to make up for it.

Rebooking your clients is one of the top three things you need to become an expert at to be successful long-term in this career, so it is completely worth your time to be confident, learn these strategies, and book more clients.

By: Kati Whitledge - Founder of Meet Your Stylist & Beyond The Technique

I was told this once and I’ll never forget it: Be slow to hire and quick to fire. If you know in your gut that you have someone on your team who’s rude, or has an attitude problem…Or if you do have an employee that’s struggling with a skill set and just isn’t getting it, there’s only one thing to do before you decide to let them go. You can reposition them. We can pretend that your clients aren’t aware of what’s happening behind the scenes, but we know better. They can get a sense of those things, even if they don’t know exactly what’s going on.

So today I want to talk about how to prevent that in the first place – the need to reposition or let someone move on. And that’s where that advice I received comes in handy. Be slow to hire, quick to fire.

Step 1: Spread the Word

First, let your team know: “Hey everyone, we’re hiring for two more hairstylists. We’re getting busier, we’re hoping to grow, we have the room, etc., so we’re beginning the hiring process.” Let everyone in-house know the game plan.

The second thing to do is, let your customers know. Everybody knows somebody. So, the easiest way to let them know is possibly by email, and preferably a more official marketing email, with your logo; make it very professional looking, branded and informative. Why send a very official email? That way they can forward it on to the perspective candidate they have in mind.

The other way to let your clients know is through Facebook, and your other social media outlets as well. You can also take that another step and create a Facebook ad. For that, I’d recommend reaching out to a social media marketing professional who can help you really target the right people. Think about the demographic that you’re looking for, and the experience level of hairstylists you’re looking for. What are they going to be looking at when they’re on social media, who do they follow? Make sure that if you’re doing a Facebook ad or boosting a post, your targeting is on point.

The next way of spreading the word is by building relationships with the beauty schools in your area. I will tell you that it’s worth the drive. We personally go all over to beauty schools. We’ll go from Madison, WI a little bit farther over to Milwaukee (about an hour and a half away) to talk to beauty schools. And it pays off! My second hire ever was from a Milwaukee beauty school, and as of now she’s a master stylist on our team, and is also one of the managers at our salon. So sometimes it’s worth the trip. We also have stylists that will travel as far as seventy miles to come to work. When they’re in a salon where they have the chance to grow personally, professionally and financially, they’ll make the trip. They often move closer later, but there are some people willing to make the drive if it’s for a great position that can help them grow.

Another platform to use to spread the word is Craigslist. Craigslist now charges you for your post, but remember that you get what you pay for. So whatever you’re putting in your ad or your message, make sure that it’s speaking to the right people.

And a platform for hiring front desk representatives, is Indeed.com. Again, you’ll pay for that exposure, but it will help vet out the right people for you as well.

Step 2: Craft Your Message

Let’s just say that we choose the Craigslist ad route. In our area, It costs $25 to post your ad for hiring. The posting title should be something that includes the position and your specific location. Make sure not to be too general. You’re not just looking for any hairstylist. What in particular are you looking for? Stylists fresh out of school? Stylists with a certain level of experience?

I’m going to share what’s been very successful for us. This is what we wrote and posted for our candidates:

“Do you have a similar story to Rachel? [the name was changed for publication] We believe some of you are similar to Rachel, and if so, you might be the right fit to join our team! Rachel is the most loving, giving, and hardworking stylist we have on our team. Her goal is to make everyone happy. She often asks, “What do you think you’d like to do today?” This is what she asks her clients, because she’s a very supportive person. Prior to Rachel joining our team, she had quite the journey. She started as a stylist at a salon, but a couple years later some of the others were leaving to go rent their own suites. She decided to follow along and transitioned to an independent contractor. She soon realized that she was ill-equipped to run her own business and became very down about her lack of success.

Maybe like you, she doesn’t have a very self-promotive personality. Rachel eventually decided to close her suite and return to a salon setting as an employee. Because she now lacks the confidence from her prior experience, she ends up working at a low cost-for-services chain. But that’s not what she envisioned for her life, when she chose the beauty industry. Deep down she knew she was capable of more. She was searching for a salon that she felt matched her capabilities and worth, especially with the nine years of experience she had at this point. After seeing an ad similar to this one, Rachel applied at our salon and joined the Be Inspired Salon Team.

Now we admit, we were hard on her at first. If you’re a supportive person who will do anything to avoid conflict, it is very hard to accept critique. But we knew Rachel was capable. She never gave up, and it’s paid off in a very big way. Today Rachel is one of our lead stylists, and one of our bridal hair experts.

What we’ll never forget: she thanked us for building her confidence, and let us know that in all her years in the industry, she is making more money now than she ever had, and more than she ever thought she would.  She no longer fears that she won’t be able to support her daughter.

So maybe you’re like Rachel. Are you seeking more for yourself professionally? Maybe today is the day that you choose to believe you can have an abundant life. If you’re ready for similar success, apply at Be Inspired Salon.”

Wow. How much are we revealing to them through this letter? We’re basically saying that we’re ready to push you from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it.

And what are we looking for here? We’re looking for a hairstylist, preferably with experience, who hasn’t had the greatest success in the past. Because typically, they just need the right environment. So we want to reach those people, and tell them that it will be worth it to join our team.

We’re saying right from the beginning that Rachel is loving, giving, and hardworking. And we’re asking, are you like her? So hopefully, we’re disqualifying people right from the beginning who aren’t like her. Don’t be fearful of doing that! You want the right people to apply, so you can find the best people for your team.

Of course on Craigslist you should also add photos - photos of the team, the salon, potentially the products you use, and past work – so they can get an idea of the culture and what it’ll be like to work with your team.

And do you need to do it this way? Not necessarily. You could list the job responsibilities, expectations, duties, etc., but I just thought: what a unique way to ask if people have something in common with a stylist on our team who we already know is amazing. And we want more stylists like her, so what better way to get our message out than by relaying it in a story format.

So once you have your message created, remember that when you’re posting it you need a call to action. So at the bottom of your ad, tell them what to do next. “Go [here] to apply.” Do they need to physically come in and apply in person? Or is there a link on your website for them to apply online?

Once you include your call to action, decide if there are any other hoops you’re going to make them jump through. Here’s our example. We were hiring a social media assistant to take over all of our salon social media sites. What we said was this: “Thank you for your interest in the position. Your next step to qualifying for an interview is to create a social media plan for the following scenario. We currently perform hair color services using Goldwell products. We are currently launching a new option within our Goldwell hair color line, called Elumen. We would like your creativity for how we should promote this on all of our social media platforms. Here are our two goals: 1) Convert followers into new guests, 2) Create an ongoing conversation among our followers, and existing guests.  You have until Thursday at 12 pm to complete this challenge. We look forward to seeing your innovations.”

And this could work for hairstylists, front desk, social media reps, or any position, just depending on what project you can give them. And it shows you a few things.

First, you’ll be able to see if they can really follow direction. Secondly, you’ll see if they can meet a deadline. Three, you can tell if they’re open to working hard to get hired.

One person complained to me once and said, “I’ve never had someone ask me to work for free.” You too may receive one compliant here and there, which will make it very easy for you to disqualify them.

It is hard to find the right people, but this will make it so much easier. Make them work for it and prove how much they want the job, and prove they have the qualities you want in an employee.

Step 3: Phone Call

The phone call is the first interview. I’d recommend it be done by a leader of the salon (though not necessarily the owner—a manager or coordinator is a better option). For this first official phone call, stick to basic questions. If their answers to the few basic questions impress you, then they can come for an in person interview.

What you’re really looking for is a reason to disqualify them immediately. For example, are they even able to start right now? We’ve had people apply who aren’t even moving to the area until a certain future date. It’s hard to rely on that. They could arrive and then have a ton of things going wrong with their life and be unable to work. It’s happened. Or they’re in school, but won’t be available full-time perhaps for another four months. This too has happened.

Ask right away what interests them about the job. For hairstylists, we ask, “On a scale from one to ten with ten being a master level, how would you rank your skill set in the following areas?” And then go through services such as long hair cutting, razor cutting, clipper cutting, updos and special occasion styles, makeup applications, highlights, lowlights, balayage, foiling techniques, color formulating (what color line are they currently using?), waxing, and any other services you provide.

And here’s what to be wary of. If they’re fresh out of school and giving themselves and eight or nine out of ten on any area, be careful! If they come out of school thinking they’re that capable, they’ll find out pretty quickly that they’re not as good as they think they are right now. Or, they may not be moldable. If they really think they’re almost a master level in technique, then what could you teach them? It’s a red flag.

We also ask what they’re currently earning, and what their salary expectations are. Hairstylists should typically have their expectations in line with what’s realistic, depending on if they’re in school or have more experience. (This could be a great question for front desk staff, or any other position outside of hairstyling as well.) I find it interesting that most hairstylists don’t know, especially right after school, what they should be making. I don’t think that a lot of them know that nationally the average hairstylist makes thirty thousand a year. And that’s actually a bit gracious; it’s usually a little below that. So, if they’re coming to the table with something higher than expected, you can feel free to bring them back to reality, just by asking questions about whether they know about those national average incomes. And make sure that they know that that average value definitely doesn’t apply to most people in their first year. It also depends on your location, success beyond the technique, and how much you’re able to charge.

Another great question: What is the longest amount of time you’ve held a job? Please do not make exceptions in your mind. Your past typically predicts your future. If someone has struggled to hold a job, oftentimes, that won’t change.

Step 4: Salon Tour

First, tell your candidate that you’d love to have them in for a salon tour, and offer a couple of potential dates and times.

In my experience, if they call in, and offer any issue with why they physically can’t come in, I have never given anyone a second chance. How badly do they want this opportunity? If they truly do, they’ll make it happen. I’ve seen it too many times, and it’s too much of a red flag for me. I need to be able to trust people and their integrity, and if they can’t show in person when they’re supposed to, I won’t be giving any more of my valuable time to that candidate.

For the salon tour, your manager or lead stylist should be in charge. This is the second round of potentially disqualifying them for the position. Do they appear to be along the same lines as everyone else working for you? This is an example: If our brand is a swanky, upscale salon boutique, there will be certain styles that come in that won’t be a good fit for our clientele. It’s not even that you wouldn’t hang out with this person, but if they don’t look the part that our clients expect, there will be a challenge in coming together, and fitting together.

Your salon has a culture, and its own breed per say, of people. And your clients do too, and they expect those to match up. So, do make sure that your candidates look the part, and would fit in to the atmosphere of your business? While you don’t want to judge someone based on how they look, your clients will. They will take notice of how your new hires look and fit into the environment, and that is something you need to keep in mind in the beauty industry. When you’re selling “beauty”, you need to have employees that your clients will trust and build a relationship with.

Also during this tour, I have the stylist fill out a couple of personality quizzes. One is their “DISC” profile. If you go to DISCpersonalitytesting.com, there is a cool blog that will help you discover the personality of your team. And if you don’t do this already, I’d recommend to do it for your entire team as a fun exercise. You should find out the kind of personalities and people you’re working with, and who you work well with.

These are the four personality types:

“D” Personalities are dominant, driven, don’t need repeated directions, and are always ready to take action. Sometimes they tend to be less precise, because they’re so driven. They’re more task oriented than people oriented, though they can sometimes be great with people as well.

“I” Personalities are inspirational types. They’re very into people. People energize them, and they love to be the center of attention. They want to know everyone, and tend to be great at sales, but also often fail to complete tasks. You may have to repeat directions to them.

“S” Personalities are supportive. This will probably be 70-80% of your stylists. They’re steady, supportive, and dislike change. They move at a methodical pace and they love people. They may also lose a bit of accuracy because of this.

“C” Personalities are logical and analytical. They’d rather know what the right steps are than the easy steps. They’re more precise than intuitive. They are very task oriented and pride themselves on accuracy. This makes them great technicians with amazing results, but they may struggle communicating with people.

Everyone will have a dominant type, and a secondary type. If possible, it’s really great to know both of these, so you can be sure you’re putting people in the right positions.

There’s also another quiz, about the five love languages. I love to know about people’s top two love languages. This can be found at 5lovelanguages.com. It’s cool; everyone wants to be shown love in some of these ways more than others. The five languages are time, touch, positive affirmations, acts of service, and gifts. And it’s great to identify these when you’re hiring. If someone’s top love language is positive affirmations, you know that you should be hypersensitive to giving them positive feedback. If gifts are a top category then consider giving them a surprise $5 gift card or a small token like that when they do a great job. If you recognize these things, you’ll understand what drives them and how you can best appreciate them, and it will be reciprocated.

These tests can be very impactful for the relationships you’re building. When you work full time, you probably spend more time with your coworkers than you do with any family or friends. So at a full time job, you are in a relationship with the people around you, and you want the relationships to be fulfilling.

Step 5: Sit-down Interview

So finally, once they’ve filled out these profiles, they don’t have any major red flags, and you’re fired up about them, you’ll invite them back for the sit down interview. This is technically their third interview. Once again, your manager should facilitate this interview, along with either the owner or a top leader on the team present as well. Because when you finally sit down with them, you want your people there. Now you’ve already judged their appearance; they appear to be a good fit. Now you want to judge them based on really getting to know them. Will they really fit in with all of you?

So here are some good questions to ask to make sure their values are in line with yours:

• If you could volunteer anywhere, what organization(s) speak to your heart?
• If I called your former boss (or your school instructor) what would they say about you? And then I’d follow that up with; what would be one thing they’d tell me that irritates them about you? Because otherwise they’ll stick with positive things. This way you can discover things they might not be as proud of. Can you live with that admission
• Then I’ll bring up what I mentioned earlier about spending so much time around coworkers. What are we really going to learn about you when you start with us? And not just positive things again; what things might we not love but learn to live with?
• If you weren’t in this industry, what could you see yourself doing? Great answers are ones that mention other service industry positions where they are serving others or helping others in some way.
• Besides relatives and friends, who are three people you admire and why? This another great way to get to the heart of a person.
• What do you know about us? Do they know enough about your company? Do they know how awesome you are? Or are they just going through the motions and applying everywhere? If they’ve really taken the time to learn about you, they could really be worth a second look.

Step 6: Skills Audition

Now, your leaders, owners or managers have had this sit down interview, and you’re interested in someone. It’s time for the fourth interview. And I know this seems like a lot of steps, but like I said, be slow to hire and quick to fire. This will be their official audition. You want to see what they’re actually like in this position. So for a hairstylist, this is how it works: Tell them, “We will provide you with a model. Please come in at this time and date, and bring your cutting tools. We’ll provide the rest.”

In the meantime, find a model. You can search on Facebook, or among contacts that you have. Let them know that if there are any mistakes made or anything they’re not happy with, you’ll fix it for them for free. Make sure the model knows exactly what to expect.

Typically, at this point a manager will still be the one running this, but an owner can certainly be involved by now as well.

So, they’ll come in and bring their cutting tools, while you provide the blow dryer, flat iron, shampoo, conditioner, capes, combs--all of those basic items. I’d recommend that you have the service be a precision haircut, like a bob haircut or crop/pixie or even a blowout for something simpler. Never do color; I learned that the hard way. I had someone come in for this skills audition and they brought their cousin as the model for a color. Our manager spent four hours of her life helping with this color service. The stylist had never used our color line, she was new in the industry, and was very slow. The cousin basically got a great free service from us, we used a ton of product and it took way too long. It was definitely the wrong call.

So learn from us: don’t do color and don’t let them bring their own model. If they bring their own model, they’ll automatically be more comfortable with that person, and they’re also guaranteed a rave review! There won’t be authenticity to the model’s final opinions.

One of the main things you’re looking for during this audition is how they interact with the client – both verbally and non-verbally. Do they stand close to the client, do they look at them when they ask questions, and do they turn the client to face them? What are their natural tendencies? Any skill or technical issues you recognized that needs to be improved? What cannot be easily improved, are people and their communication habits and natural tendencies. Be honest with yourself, because usually your gut instincts will turn out to be correct.

Step 7: Decision-Making

Finally, after they go through this fourth interview, you should have a pretty good idea if they’re the right fit or not. You know if they dress and look the part, that they’ve worked hard for it, shown up every time, and demonstrated their ability to communicate. Now you’ll let them know that you’re going to discuss it, and contact them by a specific date. Give them that deadline so they have a specific expectation.

Then, managers and leadership team members, and anyone else who were a part of this process should all meet and come to a final decision. Trust your team. If you’re not the one hiring, trust your team members to choose the right people. As long as everyone has a clear idea of who you’re looking for and the expectations you have in mind, there is no reason for you not to trust their decision.

You should also trust your gut. If there are some red flags now, those won’t miraculously go away later. It is typically going to come back and make you regret not trusting your gut. If you’re feeling something’s off from the start, trust yourself and know that there are plenty of great candidates out there. Don’t be desperate—it could cost you clients and profits in the long run.

Overall, this is the best way to go about your hiring process. The goal here is simple: you want to hire the right people for your team. And nothing I shared here was about blowing us away with how phenomenal you are technically. I’ve had applicants whose hair color, haircuts, and updos were unbelievable. But they knew it. And their attitudes were not in line with the people we hire. We only hire people who want to be a part of a team. Of course you can have stars on your team, but they should still be team players. They should still want to see the whole team succeed and build each other up.

Are you fired up to start the recruiting and hiring process? I hope this offers you tremendous insight and inspiration to build the right team for your Salon. Best wishes to all my beauty professionals!  

PRINT THIS HIRING GUIDE FOR YOURSELF! CLICK HERE. 

In this post I’ll show you an easy strategy that will bring you goal setting success. Goal setting can be a difficult hurdle to jump before you can start achieving real success, but it’s so important to do! It might seem daunting, but with this strategy you start with small, specific goals, and use your sense of accomplishment to do more and more.

Start by setting one specific goal. You’ll only have to start with this goal for one week. Then you’ll maintain it for the next week, while adding another goal by week two. Let’s break this down together.

The First Week and First Month

Here’s an example of a simple, obtainable goal. Let’s say you want to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. That’s one, specific goal. And notice it’s detailed, meaning it’s a particular amount. So you’ll set this easy goal, and it’s just for one week. And then, after just one week of maintaining that goal, you’ve had a success! It wasn’t hard, didn’t last long, but now you’re encouraged by your victory and feel better about adding on.

So you’ve made it one week with that one goal. When week two begins, you’ll still be drinking that amount of water daily, but in addition to that, you’ll add a second goal. For the second goal you might plan to take a walk two nights a week after dinner. Pretty simple. Just two nights a week, take a walk after dinner. If that’s not feasible for you, it could be before breakfast or midday—whatever works for you and your routine. But these goals are supposed to be simple and achievable. The activity -walking- is simple, and the timeline- after dinner- is specific. You could even add more specificity and say that you’ll always take this walk on Tuesdays and Fridays, or whichever days work best for you.

So, week one you drank water. Week two, you’re drinking water, plus taking walks after dinner. And for the rest of the month you just maintain those two goals. After the month is up, you can say that you’ve reached serious goal setting success. Now you’re more encouraged to add on new goals or increase the ones you have now.

Month Two

In the second month, continue drinking that amount of water and walking twice a week, but also pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read. You know the book I’m talking about. It’s the one that all your friends said was awesome, that you then bought on Amazon, and then let it sit around, totally unread.

Starting in the second month, you need to pick up that book, and just read three pages per day. Some of you might struggle with this. You’re going to want to read more than that; you might really get into it. But you should cut yourself off. Dedicate yourself to the goal, and show yourself that you can do those three pages per day throughout the entirety of the second month.

And by the end of that second month, you’ve continually accomplished three goals! Not only have you set specific goals, but they seem to be easy for you to accomplish. What you’re doing is creating easy, obtainable habits, that are still benefiting you, and giving you that sense of accomplishment.

Know Yourself and Stick to Your Strategy

Now, there are some people out there who will want to just go big or go home. And if you know that that’s you, then go ahead and go for the gold. But for most us, going a little bit at a time will build up the momentum that we need to push through, and obtain goals. It’s like a snowball effect. A little bit builds up more and more until you achieve huge success. That’s what this is all about.

Not only will you be astounded by your sense of accomplishment, but you’ll have the desire for more. You’ll have more joy in the time you’re taking for yourself and these little feats, which will become big victories over time.

I’ll admit it; I am that person who loves to go big or go home. But it can be a struggle because when I crash, I crash big. I fall so far, and so hard. So maybe I don’t have it all figured out. But I have things that I’ve started and maintained, and I know that if I can do it, you can do it too.

This is the best way to begin goal setting—small, specific tasks and adding only one or two per month. Are you ready to start kicking tail on goal setting?

Acknowledging and Accepting Your Challenges

I know that I’m speaking to the salon owners, and hair and beauty professionals out there. And I get that we wake up many days wondering what we were thinking! Sometimes our profession can seem like a thankless job. But it could also be the same with parenting, or any role we’re in. Some days we may just wonder what the heck made us decide to put ourselves in this position.

But I believe that you were born for this. I first heard this saying when my husband and I went on a “Love like you mean it” cruise. It’s a marriage cruise put on by an organization called Family Life. Their mission was not only to have couples walk side by side with one another, but also to have them grow closer to the Lord. This cruise was an amazing opportunity for us, and I can’t say enough about how great it was for our relationship with each other, and for our walk with Jesus. I’m very thankful for that opportunity. While there, I heard one of the Pastors onstage say, “Marriage is a mission you were born for. When you become married, you’re taking on a role with your partner, and you were born for that role.”

Think about it like being a fireman. Would a fireman resent having to put out fires? Sometimes we do resent the obstacles we need to go through. But we still jump over, climb under, get through that obstacle and emerge better, stronger, wiser, and more resilient.

Persevere to Find Greatness

Nothing, in my opinion, is not meant to be. And I know that it’s challenging when you have these obstacles and you wonder if it could get any worse. But I promise that if you persevere, you’ll realize (and maybe not anytime soon, but eventually!) that you needed to experience that hurt, pain, or trial, so that you would be prepared for future challenges.

So stay positive in the midst of the struggle. Keep your eye on the greater prize and the greater vision. Remember why you began this adventure in the first place. When you remember why you started on this path for your life, you can endure any challenge.

In this line of work, it’s never because we have to. It’s because we get to. All storms eventually die down, and the sun comes back up.

You were born for this. Try to remind yourself of that regularly. There is a bigger, greater, deeper purpose, and you are exactly where you’re supposed to be. And if you persevere and endure, you will be successful. You may not see glimmers of hope for six months, or a year. You may not see how this will work or might not believe that it’s true. But just don’t give up.

I can even get a little biblical with this topic. I believe the devil tries to bring us down. And there are also a lot of naysayers and negativity out there. “See? You couldn’t do it, I knew you couldn’t do it.”

And even in our own minds, there can be plenty of negative self-talk. But think about it this way…You choose a role, just like a fireman does. You have to show up for hard, scary tasks sometimes.  But you’re prepared to put out the fire, because that’s your role. You were born for this. Don’t give up.

We all have expectations of what experiences we have when we shop at our favorite stores. Think about Sephora as an example. You know when you enter the store there will be someone there to greet you and offer you a mini basket. The lights will be bright, and the techno music will get you excited to have fun while you’re shopping.

Nordstrom’s does that quite often as well – they have a live DJ with techno music, and there is definitely something to that. It increases the heart rate, and by nature that makes us excited.

When you sit back and think about what your clients should expect when they walk in the doors of your business, what does that look like? What does it sound like and feel like?

The reason we come to expect this particular experience from Sephora is because that franchise has intentionally developed that plan as a process for each and every experience. What if you treated your company like a franchise, so there was a systemic process that your customers could rely on, regardless of whether it was their first visit or their thirty-first visit?

And if you’re thinking, “Well, we’re not a franchise…”, let me encourage you regardless. Even though you might not be a corporate owned company, you can still mimic their smart business practices.

There is a reason that these large companies are successful. Big businesses are just small businesses who did it right. So realistically, it will take time and it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

A great book I’d like to recommend is called “Better Than Before” by Gretchen Rubin. In it she discusses what she calls “adult rules”, and one of her adult rules is, it’s hard to make things easier. That’s so true! But once you do, your salon will begin to work like a well-oiled machine.

So what should your clients expect at their first visit?

While you’re working on a front-end process – which can typically take up to a year to become perfected – you should also be looking at your clients’ expectations. We recognize that every stylist or artist is creative and unique. But there should still be expectations that your clients have for your stylists, regardless of who they are.

You have to look at your creative department, your artists. Your clients should expect similar consistency, regardless of which stylists’ chair they’re sitting in.

So, what follows are the three main expectations that your clients should have on their first visit to your business.

1. They should expect you to have a vision

I think this is surprisingly a struggle for a lot of hairstylists. It’s a little hard for me to relate, just because this is one of the main reasons I entered this industry. I could look at someone and envision the hairstyles, hair colors and the makeup that would look the most attractive on them. I just naturally had a knack for that sort of thing – even things like styles and fits of clothes, colors, what types of fashion and patterns would look particularly good on someone, etc.

But while that aspect of it was very natural to me, what was not natural for me was the execution. I could see clearly how something could look, I could visualize the end result, but I struggled with all of the steps to actually getting there.

However, there are also the other group of professionals out there who are great with the execution. They’re precise workers, they know every step they need to take…but they struggle with the vision.

But remember, we’re called upon by our clients to offer our expertise. They’re looking for us to have a vision for them. And I get it: as professionals we are eager to please! But try to avoid asking your client, “Oh, what are you looking to do today?” You should already know because they have an appointment booked! So if they’re reserved for a hair color service, there isn’t a mystery to it; they want to get their hair colored. I hear this all the time and it frustrates me!

 You already know what they want: a hair color, or whatever it may be. But first and foremost, you need to start with a consultation, or a discovery session. That session is where you can identify what they struggle with their hair, what they love, and so on. [Check out the blogs on amazing consultations!]

Offer Your Vision

Here’s an example: You have a client named Nancy. Nancy is booked for hair color. Nancy has fine textured hair, naturally dirty blonde, with highlights that have grown out. And you’ve discovered that her hair is in fairly good condition, and she loves being blonde. But she doesn’t love how light her highlights are. So, from there you can say, “Based on what I’ve heard, it looks like you’re looking for natural balayage honey blonde, versus a platinum highlight. And that might not be clear, but let me show you examples of my work or some Pinterest photos that mirror my vision of your hair color for today.”

 And after you show her the pictures, you can follow up by saying, “Is this in line with what you were thinking?”

 That is absolutely the best question for people with supportive personalities, who are uncomfortable with “taking charge”. Some artists will be more dominant and have no trouble taking control, and saying, “We have to go this route. This is the hair color that will look awesome on you.”

 But any passion you bring to the table will excite her! Typically, unless she’s the wrong fit for you, she’ll think your ideas and passion sound awesome, and will be on board with your vision.

And in every consultation, one person is going to take control, it will either be you or it will be the client. But you are the expert. You should be the one in control. They should expect that you have a vision for them.

2. They should expect that you have a solution for them

You cannot find out what solution to offer if you don’t listen. You have to pay close attention when you speak to them; what are the underlying desires and messages you’re hearing from them? This is really going to feed off of the “vision” question from before. If a client comes in with a problem – which happens all the time – they should be able to rely on you to offer a great solution.

 And when you can offer great solutions to anything they’re concerned about, they’ll become amazingly loyal clients. Here’s an example: You have a client named Dan. He’s looking for a new haircut that’s easier to style. He tells you that he doesn’t have much time to blow-dry. And he really doesn’t know how to incorporate products. And he also reveals that his head itches, particularly in the winter with his dry skin, and it gets embarrassing if his dry skin is falling on to his shoulders. These are his frustrations. Your response could be, “From what I’m hearing, I recommend styles like [these]”, and you show him some of your own examples or examples online that inspire your vision. Maybe you show him some sporty, short cuts, and let him know that they’re as close as it gets to a “wash and wear” style, very low maintenance.

 And you also let him know that you’ll be using an exfoliating cleanser, followed by a rich, reparative moisturizing conditioner. You recommend that Dan uses the same vigor during the cleansing process on his own, as you’re using during your appointment, so that the dead skin can slough off of his scalp and the new skin can be rejuvenated. You also recommend that he uses some conditioner, because while this may be an added step in his morning routine, it will also bring some added relief. Ask him to use the conditioner and the cleanser faithfully for one month, and let him know not only will you follow up at his next visit, but that you’ll contact him – in the way he prefers – and follow up to make sure that he’s thrilled with the results. You should then also offer Dan a complementary clean-up in between appointments so that he’ll stay looking fresh.

 So here’s the outcome. Dan leaves with products that are the solutions to his challenge, along with an awesome haircut that won’t require a lot of styling, and a complementary clean-up booked for the future. He also leaves with two additional appointments booked: his next two future haircuts. Dan leaves, and is most likely thinking about how glad he is that he found your salon.

And if you want to make Dan’s life even easier, you let him know that he can always have the same day and time with you if he wants to, just by setting up recurring appointments for the rest of the year. And then you can send email reminders, and a list of the dates he set up.

All of this will make it easier for your client, ensures their loyalty, which of course is great for your financial security. You’re creating a demand by offering unwavering customer experiences.  

3. They should expect to be informed of the upkeep requirements

This can sometimes be oddly uncomfortable to talk about. But there’s also something much more uncomfortable if you don’t tell a client about the upkeep and maintenance plan. You might then run into that person in public, and of course they’ll be excited to see their hairstylist out and about. And maybe they’ll tell their friends or the people around you, “Oh, this is my stylist!” But what if they look terrible?! And the people around you look at you like, “I don’t know if I’d go to you if that’s the work you do…”. Because the person you’re talking to hasn’t done any of the upkeep or maintenance, and now their hair looks bogus. This is a dramatic example; I know ;)

All of you know what I’m talking about. You have clients that only come in every so often, and they love your work, but they need to receive your information about the specific maintenance plan for their hair!

And if they don’t agree, you can’t really control that. Some people might even agree, but then slack on upkeep or cancel right before a scheduled appointment…these things happen. But for the most part you have to get used to those types of conversations, even if they don’t make you feel totally comfortable, because they deserve to know how to maintain their hair.

Here’s one more example: Your client wants to go from blonde to red today. And let’s just assume you have the extra 3-6 hours available to make that happen! Prior to jumping in, you need to stand firm that if the client is open to this change, they need to also be open to the upkeep. They need to be aware of the necessary color protection products they’ll need to leave with, the rebooking dates, and the costs to not only continue, but also any demands in the future if they decide to be blonde again! So, just make sure they’re very aware of these things. Not to discourage them and make them change their minds; you want to get fired up with them!

“Okay, that sounds awesome! Just want to make it clear, if we do this today, there are some steps we’ll have to take. You have to be willing to come in in three weeks to do another round of semi-permanent hair color to freshen it up!”, or whatever the process is that you’ll be doing. Get excited about it with them rather than discouraging them.

If you truly think it’s a bad idea or a bad fit for them your best option is to show them some great alternatives. Then get them fired up about those options.

Or do it in baby steps. Start with one small step and then if they like that, take it a step farther. Be on board with what they like and what you think will be best for them.

So even though this conversation can be a cause for contention, it doesn’t have to be terrible! I recommend that you write down what you’ve recommended so that they’ve heard it from you verbally, but they’ll also have the reminders in writing. And you could email it to them, message it them, hand them a written note, etc. Just keep in mind that you should also have a copy for yourself as well.

Once you tell them verbally and give them the written reminder, they’ll be able to see how seriously you’re taking it. They’ll see that you’re a professional and you really do have a personalized plan for them. If someone puts that effort in for me, I think “Wow, I see what they’re doing and I totally respect and trust them.”

But let me also tell you this: Writing it down is as much for your benefit as it is for theirs. You know how busy you can get! So if you tell Dan or Nancy something today, you might totally forget what you said by the next time they’re back.

And most Point of Sale computer systems, where you book appointments and collect payment, are so savvy that there should definitely be some area to write notes. So you should be equipped to do that; just be on top of that for each client. That is taking it to another level, the master level.

Just remember that those who are masters of their craft take years to develop themselves. This journey you’re taking towards mastery, is a gift!

A Recap

The three things your clients should expect at their first visit are as follows. One, that you have a vision for them. Two, that you have a solution. And three, that you inform them of any upkeep requirements.

In the end, it really comes down to phenomenal communication. Great communication trumps some areas you might lack in skill-set. I really believe that relationships matter more than expertise.

Have you ever had a haircut from someone who was extremely talented and gave you just an amazing haircut, but you didn’t connect with them?

Now you’ve had a haircut from someone else. And even if it wasn’t the most flawless haircut you ever had, it was an amazing experience, and you left thinking about how awesome that stylist was. More than likely you’ll choose the hairstylist you connect with over the one that gave you better technical results.

Keep that in mind. It often comes down to basic communication, your ability to connect with someone and give them an amazing experience. People love to work with professionals who they believe hold similar values.

If you want to make sure that the right clients are sitting in your chair, check out MEETYOURSTYLIST.COM. It is the only tool available to stylists that provides you as an expert, the control to choose your own clients. You should definitely check it out and read some of the testimonials. I am thrilled to talk about it as an opportunity, because it’s been huge for the salon that I own. 

A “USP”, Unique Selling Proposition is simply what makes YOUR Salon/Barbershop different from the rest. We’ve heard businesses say, “We give the best customer service”. Wouldn’t most upstanding businesses argue this same point? We want to help you create a UNIQUE point of difference that will allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Clients Crave Custom!

Let’s imagine you have very curly hair. If you had to choose between a Salon/Barbershop that does all related services under the sun or a Salon/Barbershop that exclusively works with curly hair types, which would you choose? Your clients are no different!

Get Excited!

Think about your favorite celebrity professionals. They are typically known for one service that they do incredibly well. YOU are essentially preparing your career/salon/barbershop for this same status.

Time for a Brainstorming Session!

If you had zero restrictions, what would you do that would impress the pants off your clients? If money wasn’t an issue, if lack of manpower wasn’t an issue, etc…what would your Salon/Barbershop do that would blow the minds of all your clients?

Ideas:

• We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to provide late night services in which we’ll have a DJ, Pianist or some form of entertainment, while serving one alcohol beverage per guest during their appointment. You could offer this one night per week to start and go from there!
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to cater to teenagers! This includes a specialty brochure of trendy services and pricing for those ages 10-17.
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to carry our own exclusive product line!
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to offer complimentary clean-up appointments in between normal scheduled haircut appointments.
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to specialize in Curly Haircutting.
•  We want to be the ONLY Salon/Barbershop to offer monthly packages that bundle client’s favorite services.

Be Courageous!

Friends, do not be scared that if you do this you may lose clientele in other areas…if you do it will provide an opening for your USP which will ultimately serve your future clients the best. Meaning, do you want to be average? Average is best of the worst or worst of the best. Or do you want your clients to have the very best? Of course! Be courageous and create your Unique Selling Proposition today!

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ADVERTISING TIP! Did you know it takes 21 times for an adult to remember new information? This is why it is GOOD to sound like a broken record! Friends, choose ONE message you want your market to know and repeat this over and over and over. Not only will you have a greater ROI (return on investment) with this strategy, but you’ll be able to track your ROI much easier because the message is consistent.

Example:

If you specialize in red hair color, and if doing red hair coloring services is enjoyable, profitable and key to providing a solution for your clientele...then this can be your message: "We are the very best in red hair color". Now focus all of your efforts in exploiting this fact!

Social

Have a Facebook album featuring your sizzling reds. You could have an album for each type of red, such as “Annie” reds, Burgundy reds, Auburn reds, Animated reds, Strawberry blondes, etc…

You pin your best red hair color clients, you Instagram these pictures as well. You ask your audience, “Have you always wanted to try red but scared to know if it will work for you? Let our experts provide a complimentary color analysis to unlock your red hair potential!” Then show different shades of red that would be applicable to any client.

TIME

You get the point…choose ONE service that you want to be known for and hone in on that message again and again. Depending on the area you live, and the platforms you choose to share your message, it may take up to one year for the market to know this about your brand. So give it time.

What do you want to be known for?

Men’s haircuts?

Bridal Hair?

Makeup?

Treatments for thinning hair?

Curly hair?

Balayage?

If you’re a part of a team, your entire team should be on board with one to three categories that your location specializes in and would like to be known for. If you’re an individual, we recommend just choosing one.

MESSAGE

We want to discuss this in more detail as this topic should stand on its own. However, a quick reminder that once you hone in on what you want to be known for. You now need to effectively get this message across to the right audience. An example of what not to do would be sending the message that you’re known for bridal hair and advertising this in a magazine that reaches women ages 35+. This seems like common sense but start with this first: thing about WHERE your ideal audience obtains the information you’d like to put in front of them. More to come on this topic :)

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Industry friends and those alike. If gaining referrals from your current clients is a key component to your success, then consider offering a referral REWARD! 

THANK YOU

Your Referral Reward is your “thank you for sending me/us a new client!” And wouldn’t you feel more encouraged to spread word of mouth referrals to your favorite businesses if you knew you’d receive a special thanks?!  Of course!

GIFT

Make sure this is a gift instead of a discount. When you give a discount it shows clients that your service or product is worth less than the price it is. When you give a gift, you're adding VALUE for your client's experience. A simple gift would be giving them a gift card!

Here’s an easy way to track referrals!

Client Name

Phone

Service(s)

Stylist(s)

Referred By:

Gift Card Amount

Gift Card Sent

GET CREATIVE

Friends, you could also partner with a related industry provider. An example is if you do not provide nail services, you could partner with a nail spa! They could donate or you could purchase $5 or $10 gift cards from them to give as rewards and vice-versa! This is a win win for both parties :)

Remember, the key to substantial success lies Beyond the TechniqueTM.  The little things we do make the biggest difference to our clients. Clients will be loyal to us unless they receive better service elsewhere. Be generous with your rewards and reap the benefits of a growing clientele!

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Here’s another awesome way to add value for your clientele versus offering discounts which ultimately devalue your products and/or services.

Offer a VIP Program

A great way to earn loyalty is offering guests an annual VIP program. They actually pay for an entire year of perks that are only available to them. NOW you may use the discount in a positive way since they’ve paid to receive this discount. An example would be to sell clients a $100 annual VIP membership to your business. By purchasing this for one year, they’ll automatically receive 10% off all products, and so on…You have the power to decide what areas you’d want there to be a perk. Remember, the bigger the perk, the higher the annual price. Do some easy math to discover if it will be valuable for them. Also, keep in mind they’ll be more likely to spend more, more often when they have their “perks” with you :)

We’ll leave you with this thought. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. Try something new and commit to investing in that idea for a minimum of six months. You will reap the benefits of your commitment!

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Here’s another cool way to offer value to your clientele without offering a discount!

Give POINTS for Purchases

Have you thought about offering a reward for clients who spend consistently with you?  You can do this many creative ways but the easiest is simply offering one point per one dollar spent.  You can apply this point system to products, services or both!  Yes, you will have to keep track of the client’s points.  Many salon software programs will offer this as a built in feature or you may have a spot in the client’s notes you could manually keep track of this for them.  An easy example is offering your clients a $10 gift card per 300 points they’ve earned.  If you don’t have gift cards, you could offer a spending credit!  Either way, you are ADDING VALUE versus devaluing your reward.

Exploit Your Perks!

Once you implement new perks for your clients such as points for purchases, encourage your team to get on board with promoting this.  If you are gung ho about your perks and super fired up for your clients to be receiving a new reward, the result will be that they will match your positive energy and be excited to earn (spend) too!

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Here is an EASY idea on how to ADD VALUE to your offers that will excite your current clients as well as give an amazing offer to new clients.

Why Discounts Don’t Work –Give a Gift!

Industry friends, offering a discount psychologically trains the brain that what you have to offer isn't worth the price you sell it. Also, you're attracting clients who are doing business with businesses that offer discounts. Think about that...would your ideal client believe, respect and be glad to pay full price for your products and services? If the answer is "yes" than we need to rethink our strategy on building a better clientele.  Here is an easy way to ADD VALUE to your offers that will excite new clients.

GIFTS!

Instead of offering 50% off a facial waxing service (devalues), offer a complimentary facial waxing with your first haircut appointment!  This offer is gaining you full value (as it should) for your quality haircut service and has cost you very little in overhead!

Another strategy would be to offer a $5 gift card towards color protection shampoo and conditioner when you book your next hair color appointment!  What an exciting gift!   This is far more effective than giving 20% off your recommended products.

Remember, they’re either sold on using these products or they’re not. A 20% off discount is not an attractive push.  Consumers tend to buy what they want, not necessarily what they need.  The good news is most clients use shampoo and conditioner so they are going to buy them…it’s just a matter of when, where and from whom.

Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.  If you want a loyal clientele that values what you have to offer, implement new ways to provoke sales that don’t devalue your profession.  You deserve the very best!

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Friends, we are day makers. We want to make others happy and be a positive resource for them. But we could all agree that there have been times when you should've listened to your gut and refused to proceed with an appointment. We must be careful that our desire to make a sale or perform a service does not trump the time when it's necessary to say "no".

For my hair industry friends in particular, the rule of thumb is this: if you and your client aren’t able to agree on a plan within fifteen minutes, then today is not the day. It may not be their day or it may not be your day. If their expectations aren’t in line with yours, then you must be confident and you must encourage your colleagues to be confident in saying, no. “No, you cannot go from brunette to platinum today”…

Have you ever sensed your client's apprehensiveness and proceeded anyway? You felt like you performed that service perfectly and yet the client's reaction was not the excitement and validation you were hoping for. Doesn’t that hurt the most? When YOU KNOW you were flawless in your execution?! We get it...

Friends, be honest with yourselves because if you get that gut feeling you might be setting yourself up for failure if you choose to proceed. Instead, be confident and communicate why today isn’t the day to proceed in that direction.

SOLUTION

Give your client options for the future! Get them fired up about ideas you're going to send them so they can offer you feedback on those ideas. Send them your top three picks to choose from. This results in them choosing from what YOU have pre-qualified. Therefore, you are in control!  Yes, this is going to take after-hours time.  But, who does that?  Not very many professionals are committed to going above and beyond, so when you do it's going to make you the rock star!

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Once you’ve created your perfect consultation questions for new clients and existing clients, let’s implement these lists for all staff members. It’s about giving the professionals all the tools they need to be successful. By implementing a consistent consultation system, you’re creating a phenomenal experience for your clients regardless of who they visit at your business. We all have times of unplanned sick days, vacation days or maternity/paternity time off. If some of the staff is awesome at communication and some are not, this becomes a disservice to your clients. So let’s do this together to ensure everyone’s success!

Here’s an example of one salon’s consultation plan for brides-to-be (download it here):

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Existing Clients! Friends, as a reminder this should take less than 10 minutes. Here are simple question recommendations to ask your existing clients at each visit.

• What are you struggling with your style? What are you loving about your style?
• Are the products you’ve purchased (name them) working for you as expected?

Are you able to make recommendations on prior use or new recommendations based on their feedback?

•  Goal for today?

Again, this is your opportunity to share your vision, plan for today and plan for the future. When looking at pictures, please remember that what YOU see may not be how they see it. Ask them, “This is what I see, is this what you see”?

BODY POSITIONING-when executing these questions that you create, please consider making eye contact with your client face to face instead of face to mirror. You are deemed more confident and more trustworthy if you look at someone in their eyes.

KEY: make sure that all staff members are consistently asking the same questions.

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What are questions you’d want to ask every new client? Keep in mind this will need to take less than fifteen minutes. Here are examples of questions we’d recommend you ask new clients.

• What are your struggles with your style? What are you loving about your style?
• Tell me about your daily routine? What products and tools are you using? Have you done this routine today?
• Are you coloring your hair?

We know you know…we want to discover what the client has been doing.

• What is your goal today?

What inspires them? Do they have pictures? Is their idea of red the same as yours?

• Do I have any restrictions today?

You want to find out if cutting more than 1/8” is going to send them through the roof!

• What are your maintenance expectations?

This is your opportunity to advise them on their upkeep to enforce your ability to rebook their next appointment.

Interjection point: Propose your vision or plan of action to the guest along with your future plan!

• Do you have any questions for me before we begin?

BODY POSITIONING - when executing these questions that you create, please consider making eye contact with your client face to face instead of face to mirror. You are deemed more confident and more trustworthy if you look at someone in their eyes.

KEY: make sure that all staff members are consistently asking the same questions.

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