Be great and grow your salon business

It’s not hard to go from being a good hairdresser to being great, says Emil McMahon. These six simple steps to greatness will help grow your salon business - what are you waiting for? Daily life in a salon is fun, chaotic, different for every client and hairdresser, and always unpredictable! The challenges faced every 45 minutes are exciting and a part of what makes being hairdressing so wonderful. Sometimes in the creative maelstrom of the day, fundamental GREATNESS is forgotten and good takes over. Good is easy, GREAT is a challenge. Maintaining GREAT is a monumental task, but if it is achieved then the results are spectacular. Simplifying the client’s visit, there are six key points of GREATNESS that should be second nature to hairdressers; intuitive steps that happen as part of the client’s experience. These six steps should be as GREAT as the cut and colour the client enjoys. Six steps, that’s all it takes to become GREAT every time. Step 1: Communication The most important part of a hairdresser’s day-to-day job. Talking and listening in equal parts. Clients want advice, hairdressers are the experts. Good communication leads to a good result. GREAT communication is much more rewarding for both hairdresser and client. Step 2: Consultation Fact finding, discussing likes and dislikes; the consultation needs to be client focused, from the haircut and colour to what products and equipment are required to maintain the look. Good consultations lead to happy clients, GREAT consultations lead to super-happy clients who will share their joy with everyone they know. Step 3: Retail/Telling GREAT hairdressers don’t shy away from talking about retail, because they believe it’s part of the service they offer clients. Step 4: Up-sell of services Thinking about clients and what they expect from their visit to the salon helps good hairdressers become GREAT. Offering additional services, new colour techniques, blow-dry bars, nails, brows, beauty, all make GREAT a natural occurrence; one the client really enjoys! Up selling is not a daunting challenge when you are delivering GREAT service, it’s an intuitive, logical step to keeping a client loyal. Step 5: In-salon treatments An integral part of salon life, treatments can be a major force in any salon. Beauty salons maximise their skills and use the opportunity of offering treatments to ensure the client’s visit is GREAT. Hairdressers should do the same, build the treatment time into the visit, use it as an opportunity to make clients feel GREAT about the service they receive… and, in-salon treatments help make the art of telling (selling) GREAT too. Step 6: Re-booking A logical step to being GREAT. Signing off from a GREAT salon visit should be one of those tick the box moments. Did each of the five previous steps to being GREAT happen? Hopefully the answer is always YES! All that needs to happen now to achieve maximum GREATNESS is the next appointment. The hairdresser, the receptionist and the client should work together to make sure the next booking is in the diary, the final step in making good GREAT. For more information and training contact Emil McMahon at [email protected] or call 07885 985843