The redken business summit 2010

It's not often hairdressers are told not to listen, but this was the advice proffered by motivational speaker Blair Singer at the Redken Business Summit 2010 - held in the inspiring city of Marrakech, in Morocco.

Of course, sales communication specialist Blair wasn't talking about clients, he was warning against taking notice of those little nagging voices that lurk in everyone's subconscious telling them not to take risks.

"Inside you is a champion and a loser, an angel and a devil, a hero and a villain," he told delegates. "The question is - which one are you going to listen to?"

The aim of Blair's four-hour session was to dispel these little voices - he's well qualified having founded the Little Voice Mastery Institute, as well as writing a number of books on the subject. He was also there to talk about the art of selling, a skill that becomes much easier to master once those little voices have been put in their place.

Blair recounted stories from his own past to illustrate how not listening to the negative voices in you subconscious can lead to success. In his first sales job he was told to sell something in 48 hours or be fired. When the "something" you have to sell is a calculator almost the size of a desk, this isn't the easiest challenge, and 68 cold calls later, Blair hadn't sold one.

"Something inside me snapped," recalled Blair. "I started walking into offices, straight past anyone who tried to stop me and ended up getting escorted from some by security. I didn't sell anything, but accomplished one important sale - I sold me to me."

Don't listen to the little voices

"A lot of the time the reactions we get from people are nothing to do with us. They have to do with something in the other person's subconscious - their little voice," explained Blair. The upshot of which, is not to take rejection personally.

These same little voices also stop many people achieving their full potential, said Blair.

"Most people are on auto-pilot," continued Blair. "Most of us have no idea how much we can accomplish. Most of us are way better than we give ourselves credit for."

The biggest fear most people have is public humiliation, said Blair - ahead of rejection and death!

Pick on the behaviour not the person

Building your own self-concept and that of staff is the only way to ensure a team meets its full potential, Blair told delegates. As a manager, it is vital to protect the self-esteem of every staff member, he warned. "This doesn't mean you can't challenge people, but don't demean them in the process - pick on the behaviour, not the person."

Everyone on a team must sell

"In order to build a successful business you have to know how to sell," stressed Blair. "Selling means income which gives you the ability to build a great team. As a manager, you have to have the ability to teach people on your team how to sell. Everyone on the team must sell."

Selling, according to Blair, isn't just about delivering a full-on sales pitch. "We come into the world selling," he told delegates. "It's a life skill, not just a business skill."

Effective selling across a team require a business to have clear, solid systems in place, said Blair, or, putting it in a more emotive way "a code of honour". Ever team member needs to be aware of this code, said Blair and if they break it, it needs to be confronted.

Having a clear code of conduct in place should take the emotion out of any challenges that become necessary, said Blair.

"The code of conduct or code of honour becomes the impartial third party - it's not about you imposing your will on someone else."

Once the code of honour is in place, managers need to start recognising the different personality types in the team, and how these can effectively be used to sell the business to the clients - there's no point trying to force someone to be something they're not, said Blair, it's far more effective to make full use of the traits they already have.

By the end of Blair's presentation delegates seemed energised and ready for change - and more than a few had stopped listening to their little voices.

The Dynamic Consultation with Peter Lunn

Complementing Blair's high octane presentation was an interactive session with business coach Peter Lunn - The Dynamic Consultation.

"Back in 1990 I visited a salon group in Yorkshire and I asked the team members, 'do you do consultations?' I also asked how long a consultation lasted and they said around five to 10 minutes. In reality the average consultation was lasting about 40 seconds," Peter told delegates.

An effective consultation is imperative in maintaining client loyalty stressed Peter, who told delegates that six out of 10 first-time clients do not return. The main reason for this, he said, was poor consultation.

Peter put the six out of 10 statistic into context by saying: "Around your salon there are around 10 competitors each of which gets 10 new customers per week and each looses six of these. That means at any one time there are 60 clients still floating around that were unhappy with their experience. This means the majority of new clients entering your salon have recently been disappointed somewhere else. When they enter your salon start with the end in mind - getting the customer to come back."

Peter suggested adding a hair review to a salon services menu. This could involve a 15 minute appointment dedicated to discussing a clients hair needs. This, he said, was the way to encourage them to upgrade, to purchase retail and, most importantly, to come back.

Peter offered some tips on making the most of the consultation. These included:

• Speak to the clients face to face and at the same level, not through the mirror
• Don't put a gown on the client prior to the consultation, this will cover up important information about the client's sense of style.
• Don't invade the client's intimate personal space - for example playing with their hair the second they have sat down.
• Consultation right now is the weakest link in hairdressing," said Peter. "Make a commitment to be the best at it."