Taking control of the haircut
February 1, 2021
Stylists often comment to me, ”I can’t wait until the day I’ll feel calm after a client shows me a photo of how they want their haircut.”
Clients can make us feel very uptight, especially when the photo of what they want is on their own phone or device. This makes taking control of what we need to plan and create very difficult.
They often show the photo, ask you if it will suit them , then they put their phone away, I wonder if they assume I have a photographic memory, and I’m am able to decipher exactly how the cut was created with the slightest glance!
This discussion often arises with students in our Bootcamp Workshops. Below are some great tips on how to take control of the haircut, stay calm & manage the situation.
- No matter how experienced you are , one look, or even a 30 second study of a photograph in a consultation is simply not enough. The most experienced stylists take time to study as many aspects of the haircut from the photograph as possible, they will continually review the look as the haircut evolves.
- Your stress will begin to increase, if you feel that can’t keep reviewing the photos throughout the cutting process. You know very well, your not so perfect photographic memory will kick in, and things will start to go wrong. The fact is, by looking regularly at the photo the more precise you’ll be and closer you’ll get to producing the haircut your client wants.
- Many stylists feel that the client may think they don’t know what you’re doing, if they keep asking to look at the photo. To solve the uncomfortable situation, of you having to keep asking the client to show you the picture again and again, ask them to airdrop the photograph to you.
- By taking control, you are able to plan the creation of the look the client wants , when you are in control, you stay professional, and you will enjoy your work.
Kylie xx
At some point you’ll need to draw a line in the sand and put forward a clear explanation that defines your salon culture. It is essential you provide a clear definition of what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour. This clear definition will be the difference between your team performing or not. The goal is to have your salon team operating above the line at all times and maintaining consistency for you clients. Never before as a salon owner have you had to embark on as many courageous leadership decisions. Operating above the line is open and positive. It encourages the team to have ownership over the salon business, and become accountable and responsible . Operation below the line is closed and negative. It is about denial, excuses, defensiveness and blame. Becoming an above the line leader is not easy. It’s about putting systems in place so that your team are accountable for the salon making a profit. This is not an easy task, but very necessary. Here are a few of my tips to help you operate above the line: Create systems that attract the right team members, those who want to behave in an accountable way. Create a culture where everyone wants to be responsible and take ownership. Offer an education pathway to grow your team towards your salons goals. When your team aligns with the salon culture, they will enjoy being accountable and responsible for introducing colour, home care products and re-booking every client. Your education program helps build confidence within the individuals, they feel secure and understand their responsibilities.
I love these two quotes from Benjamin Franklin. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” & “The only thing that is more expensive than education is ignorance”. Interestingly, some enquiries regarding technical education are not taken up because the salon owner thinks the investment isn’t worth the price. A common comment is ”I pay for the training and then they leave”. Try not to confuse price with cost. Price is what you pay the provider. Cost = Investment (price) minus Return. When you embark on an education program looking at investment v’s return on a weekly basis is an eye opening view point, quality education actually costs nothing. For example, the PRICE of an investment of $3000 in cutting education over 12 months is $58 per week. If you are educating an apprentice, after six months they would start returning $500-$1500 per week. Your $58 per week investment just returned $13,000 to $39,000 it could be double the following year. There is no COST, you have a minimum profit of $10,000. Even better, when your apprentice leaves you’re miles in front, and the return in additional income, not to mention client satisfaction, would keep your salon’s cash flow and reputation positive. A majority of clients who have been surveyed over the years place value within the service, and the relationship with the salon team at the forefront of their reasons for returning, a high level of skill was an expectation that is non negotiable, your clients expect that what is advertised, will be delivered professionally every time. I was consulting recently with a salon owner who was restructuring her price list. The Salons new focus was the very lucrative and demanding demographic, Ladies 40 years plus, who have short hair and regular colour service. Her plan was to hand the new clients to her 2nd year apprentice whose cutting skills were very basic. This owner was going to give 15-20 clients per week to an undertrained apprentice, the potential income for the Cut & Color was up to $5300 per week, however the $75 per week education plan we suggested was deemed too expensive? That’s 1.4% of gross return. The problem is, you only get one go at this market, cutting skills must be exceptional. Exceptional cutting skills only come with an investment in education and lots of practice. Put bluntly, if you advertise fast haircuts, they had better be fast. If you advertise colour expertise, you had better be an expert, If you Advertise Fashion Edge Hair Styles, your teams skills had better be right on the edge of fashion. Only when you deliver what you promise, will you attract and keep your target market.
During the last three weeks of December the majority of hairdressers care for nearly everyone in their clientele. In December, the spending of many of your top clients often decreases. There is a compensation to some degree, because many clients spend more than they normally would and try to squeeze in before Christmas. Even though your cash flow can increase dramatically, increases in salon wages, due to shift allowances and overtime, along many other expense increases, can often dramatically reduce you profit. During this period when stylists are at their busiest, procedures often get thrown out the window. Stylists are more focused on getting the client out of the salon, rather than up selling, retailing and rebooking. If your consultation and booking processes aren’t managed well, you will create a sort of concertina effect, as clients cram in prior to Christmas then stretch their appointments over January. This leads into the February/March Credit Card repayment shock, followed by the School Preparation blow, wiping many clients off the map until April. Careful Budgeting and astute management is required to navigate this post Christmas period. I rarely consider average client spend as performance indicator, however over the December to March period, the average client spend for Hair Stylists with professional habits and behaviours often remains the same or higher, in this instance average client spend could suggest, organised appointment management. So let’s look at what top performing hairdressers do differently: During consultation they always discuss cut , color and home care and place the homecare products in front of the client. At the basin they always ensure that the products they have recommended are used and explained to the client. Whilst cutting the hair they advise the client when they would like to see them again based on the needs of the color and the cut frequency 4, 5, or 6 weeks. Before blow drying their clients hair they always talk about how the client will manage their hair at home. Explaining what products will be needed to achieve their goals and always use them on the client that day. When finishing styling, they always recommend the products that the client needs to use at home to keep the hair looking as great at as it does at the salon. Before the client leaves the workstation the hairdresser always closes the sale on their home maintenance recommendations. They rebook the client for their next one or two visits before they leave the salon.
