Consultation is key: colour, extensions and smoothing treatments

A thorough consultation is the best way to start any salon appointment, particularly if your client is going to be undertaking a costly service like colour, a smoothing treatment or extensions.

Not only will a great consultation ensure you're both on the same wavelength, but it should also minimise the chances of your client leaving the salon anything but entirely satisfied with your services.

A thorough consultation should not just cover your clients' expectations for their treatment, but also the right aftercare products, maintenance and what your joint longterm plan for their hair is going forward.

Colour 

Whether a colour change is dramatic or subtle, it's important to consult with your client before every service - assuming that because Mrs Jones always has a half head of highlights she's going to have the same thing every six weeks is not only restricting creativity, it could also reduce your potential money by failing to promote something new.

Here are three top tips for a colour consultation;

1. Take your time - ask questions and make assessments on lifestyle, budget, skintone, clothing, makeup choices and what colours and treatments they've had done previously. This is where listening is as important, if not more, than advising.
2. Use pictures - visuals get the message across much more easily and remove any confusion. Your clients aren't colour experts and may ask for one thing and expect something totally different. Imaginative language will help too - never use technical terms or numbers that will go above their head completely.
3. Have a policy - the idea of colour should be introduced before the client has even suggested it, so even if a client is only booked in for a cut stylists should be trained to know enough about colour to suggest it as part of an overall look. Hold regular training sessions covering current colour trends and celebrity looks that you can expect to see clients asking for. 

Smoothing treatments

Keratin and smoothing treatments are all the rage and while many clients will be excited by the results they give, they may also have read stories in the press and be wary about side-effects or unexpected results.

Athorough consultation will reassure clients that you are an expert offering a professional service, not just cashing in on a current trend.

Here are three top tips for a smoothing treatment consultation;

1. Be a source of knowledge - make sure your client knows what to expect from their treatment in comparison to their natural state; how long the treatment will last, the effect it will have on their hair type and how it will fit in with their lifestyle.
2. Recommend aftercare products - keratin treatments are an expensive investment, so ensuring that clients have the right range of products to keep their hair looking perfect long after they leave the salon will make them feel as though they're getting value for money. 
3. Take on concerns - with the media full of headlines about keratin treatments, it's no wonder clients may have worries. Ensure that the product range you choose has a good technical support system in place and undertake regular training with staff to ensure that they can answer any difficult questions confidently. 

Extensions

Hair extensions have never been more popular, with clients using both clip-in and more permanent solutions to add length, volume and colour to their locks.

Clients may not know the breadth of results that can be achieved with extensions so a consultation is vital - and will allow you to explain the importance of maintenance and aftercare too. 

Here are three top tips for an extensions consultation;

1. Use visuals - pictures of celebrities and catwalk looks are a great tool for showing the results that you can achieve. Balmain Hair has recently introduced a hardback how-to guide with before and after shots and hair samples which walks both you and your client through the entire process - beautiful imagery and touchable samples say more than a thousand words.
2. Talk about aftercare - using the right products and tools is essential for extensions so it's vital that you discuss products as well as techniques for brushing, combing and styling during your consultation.
3. Make a future plan - even if extensions look and feel fine, it can be sensible to give hair a breather. Why not talk about a luxe backwash treatment or post-removal blow-dry so that hair looks at its best? Encourage clients to book in for their next extension reapplication before they leave.