How to use neuro-linguistic programming in-salon

Salon consultant Ryan Fox dispels some myths around Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and explains which techniques can be useful in the salon environment. Background Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, has been a popular subject for many in the salon industry in recent years who have been looking to develop both themselves and their teams. It sounds complicated, but don’t be put off by the name. Like any subject you can get very detailed and complicated if you like or you can treat it as a bag of useful tools and pick the one you need for the job - which is what I would recommend. What is NLP? NLP as a methodology centres on communication and change and can help develop personal flexibility and the ability to see the world from other people’s perspectives. As we are nearly all born with the same basic neurology, NLP says our ability to perform any task depends on how well we control our nervous system. If we break down the name we get more insight into what it covers:

• Neuro: is about your neurological system and how we experience the world through our senses which then effect physiology, emotions and behaviour
• Linguistic: is about how the words we choose to use affect our own and others behaviour
• Programming: is about the thinking patterns we have hard wired into us that we use to make decisions, solve problems and learn

  Why is NLP useful in the salon environment? Because NLP focuses on communication and change, it suits the salon environment enormously. Think about the phycology of what you are doing for a client when they come into the salon. It’s personal development and transformation in a physical sense that has a huge impact on how they think and feel. Imagine the number of times one of your clients has come in feeling sad or stressed, and by your actions, you have turned it around so they go out smiling and confident. However, it’s not just the physical changes that have had this impact, it’s also about the words you have chosen and the feelings of trust your have created by the way you have cared for them. How to get started There are lots of books and courses on NLP out there that you can choose if you want to know more about the subject itself but there are some useful techniques that you can apply straight away to see if it’s going to work for you. The most important thing is to have an open mind to start with, not to take it too seriously (nobody likes an NLP bore who is too intense) and then to get practical with it. In my experience it only works if it’s natural, otherwise it comes across as fake and people think they are being “techniqued”. Therefore you have to practice so it’s real.   Useful Techniques A good place to start is with the four Pillars of NLP. These are:

• Rapport – building relationships and trust with yourself and others.
• Sensory Awareness – how to be more aware of your senses so that you can magnify or dull situations so you are more in control of your reactions. They say in London people are exposed to an average of 3,500 ads and 174 newspapers worth of information a-day so we have to dull down our senses so we don’t become overwhelmed. That’s why no one talks on the tube.
• Outcome thinking – getting what you want. How many times have you gone into a meeting not knowing what you want to achieve. If you know it beforehand, you can steer the conversation in that direction.
• Behavioural flexibility – having the strength to change when what you are doing isn’t getting the results you want. Have you heard this phrase before ”If you always do what you always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” How many times have you stuck to something out of stubbornness when you know where it’s going to end?

The four- Point Formula for Success This is a useful way to get your team thinking about serving their clients more effectively and you can build this into your client service procedures.

1. Know your outcome – prepare for each client by knowing what you are going to talk about and specify precisely how you want things to be at the end: Great hair, upgrades, extra services, homecare advice, what products purchased, next appointment booked.
2. Take action – you can’t just think it, you have to walk the walk to make it happen so” just do it!”
3. Have sensory awareness – the way you know if things are moving towards your desired outcome or not is to see, feel and hear what is going on. Work on tuning in your senses.
4. Have behavioural flexibility – Darwin said after years of studying animal behaviour that “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” If you have the flexibility to adapt when you need to you are more likely to get the outcome you want.

for more info visit www.umbrellaconsulting.co.uk