Loading ...Archive for June, 2007
Expansion.
Posted by: | CommentsA couple weeks ago the landlord of the property where I have my salon came in on a busy Saturday. The real estate agent who was renting the office space next door retired and the space was available. I had considered renting the space and expanding the salon into it, but after consideration of the costs and if I really needed the space I decided against it. Low and hold the landlord came into the salon and told me that I needed to expand my business and offered to rent me the space next door, just add it to my lease (I though that I’d have to sign a new lease and add years onto the current one and that was one of the reasons against taking the space) at the same amount per square foot, plus he would give me 6 MONTHS free rent on the additional space to help me get up and running. WOW….Just like the Godfather, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He didn’t even need a horse head. So, the current summer project is the expansion of the salon. I will be adding 550 square foot to my current space of 900, which will make the salon much more livable and will relieve some of the bottle necks we have when we get busy. I’ll keep everyone updated of progress and will picture document the remodel as we go. Cross your fingers.
Michael Cole is Yoda…
Posted by: | CommentsI was checking out Michael Cole’s website today and ran across the AskMichael section of his website and saw a letter that I though was so prevalent of a lot of beginning stylist and wanted to share it here, I hope he doesn’t mind…If you haven’t already done so, please check out his website here at.http://www.michaelcoleseminars.comHere is the letter.
Dear Michael,I just started Cosmetology school a little over a month ago. I have always enjoyed playing with hair so I started with high hopes that I was going to be a real natural. Well, it turns out that I am not so great after all. In fact, I am probably having the most trouble in my class. I do not seem to be very creative and I am having trouble coming up with good hairstyles. I am getting very discouraged and am starting to think that I am not creative or talented enough to be in this business. I even get so bummed out that I dread getting up to go to school because I feel that I am no good. I know that I should think more positive but it is so hard when I am so slow at learning. Should I stick it out and hope for the best or give it up and try to find a career that I am better at? Please help!Thank you,Slow StudentDear Student,Thank you for your letter and congratulations on your decision to pursue a career as a salon service provider. As I read your letter, something kept popping out that you were probably not aware of. Let me paraphrase back to you some of the things you wrote:1. “I am not so great after all.”2. “I am having the most trouble in my class.”3. “I am not able to come up with creative hairstyles.”4. “I am slow at learning.”5. “I am getting very discouraged.”6. “I am not talented enough.”7. “I get so bummed out.”8. “I dread getting up and going to school.”9. “I am not good enough.”10. “I am not smart enough.”I think that you have a gigantic “NOT” in your “I AM.” You have also created for yourself a Top 10 list of self-limiting and self-sabotaging “I Am’s.” No wonder why you find yourself drowning, you have yet to be informed on the single most important law of your life. This law will always govern how successful you will become, regardless of weather you believe in it or if you are even aware of it. This law that dictates and happy you are in life is called “The Law of I AM” and it says: Whatever you say after you say after you say I AM is what you will become.My suggestions for you are as follows:1. Whether you decide to stay the course I school of drop out, I strongly encourage you to NAME, TAME & CLAIM your I AM language without BLAME & SHAME. By this I mean start becoming aware of your language without blaming others or yourself.2. Consider thinking of new positive ways of using your I AM language. Such as: “I Am willing to begin think more positively about the progress I Am making in my career.”“Any thought I have that does not support the good that is in me is a lie and I no longer believe in lies.”Do this everyday for 30 days and at the end of that time you are not doing any better than you have been, you have my blessing to do something else.God Speed to your turn around,Michael Cole
Hit the nail directly on the head.
Prices.
Posted by: | CommentsI would like to add to my talking about discounting the haircut or ‘giving’ it away free when someone get a color or perm…Firstly, let me be real specific about exactly what I wish would change within the industry and that is hairstylist that undervalue themselves and their services. When you have a stylist in Orange County, California (one of the most expensive counties in the country) that charges $4.95 and has a big white and red sign out front of their business to promote their cheap haircuts it brings the entire business down. Why I say that is because in the exact same strip center there is another salon/barber that has a sign in the same white and red that says “Haircuts $4.75″……….. Is there ANY client that you would want in your chair that will choose one haircut over the other for a lousy TWENTY CENTS?!?When I went to beauty school some 18 years ago, in KENTUCKY haircuts were $5.There should not be a haircut service given anywhere in the country that is LESS than minimum wage. In my opinion a haircut should be TWICE minimum wage. Which in California is $7.50, so the cheapest haircut should be $15. Period. What is my reasoning you say? Well, you have a license. You have had to pay for your education. You have had to pass a state board test (which is no small feat in and of itself). Minimum wage means that you don’t have any training. If you charge less than minimum wage, aren’t you telling yourself that you are LESS than an unskilled worker?The only way that I think that you should discount or give away your haircut service is when you are using it as a promotion vehicle. For some excellent ideas on how to promote your salon and your services check out Presotto’s posts.
LifeSaver.
Posted by: | CommentsI would like to give a huge thank you to Martin Parsons!The Beauty Revolution was my first trade show where I was a guest speaker and had my own class room as well as a booth on the trade show floor. That being said, I was learning the process as I went along. When everything was being planned I did not realize that I had to book a prep room, I just assumed that a prep room would be provided. WELL, I was wrong. Come show day. I’ve no place to prep my models for my class and it’s too late to set one up.With no options available. I asked Martin Parsons if he had some extra room to spare. He was gracious enough to allow me a table in his prep area both days to do my pre-done models and prep my stage models. What a GREAT guy. I cannot thank him enough. I’m humbled by his accommodating my crew, which I know can get a little rambunctious at times and being so genuinely nice.3 cheers for Martin!!!Thank you again, sir.On a side note. I met a group of guys called The Netwerk at the show. I listed my class as Bauhaus Hair Concepts, I guess that they could relate to what I was doing and sharing at the show so they came to the booth when I wasn’t there looking for me. Theresa told them about my philosophy and what the Bauhaus means to me (or how I use the ideas in my cutting and salon). I went to their booth to check them out but they were in class, so I check out their DVD and bought one to help support another group trying to make a difference in the educational vacuum that the industry has become stuck in. I eventually stopped by their trade show booth again and met John Alanouf. Great guy and very passionate about his craft. Check out their website here.
Time.
Posted by: | CommentsBoy, time sure does fly these days. I cannot believe that it’s already time to pay rent for February! STOP THE INSANITY!!!I think that getting older fills my schedule with stuff and I start looking weeks and months ahead and don’t spend enough time in ‘today’ just for ‘today’. When I was a kid (not that long ago, by the way, tee hee), I would only care for today, ride my bike and not even thing about the future, never worried that I had to be prepared or ‘on’ for a big trade show that I was working this next month. Just ride. Jump some milk crates. Eat White Castle’s and ride some more. Life was simple.I made a new years resolution. I decided that I wouldn’t be like everyone else, I’m such a rebel. I’m starting my new years resolution on February 1st! Ha Ha!DVD update. I have finished the HairMaven Video Magazine Winter 2007 issue. I will have copies made today and tomorrow so I will have them for sale at the Beauty Revolution show in Los Angeles this weekend.I have to finish my power point presentation that will accompany my seminar today. I cannot believe how much work I have to do this last week. I have been preparing for this show for a month now, and it still seems that I have to do everything to prepare in the last 3 days! Thank GOD for the wife and my crew, Theresa Michelle and Saejin. Anything I would do would be monumentally horrible without their help.Yeah, this post is a little all over the place but it is a necessary evil in that it will help me get back into the flow of posting my blog consistently.The salon had a client come in a few days ago, a referral. When she walked in she couldn’t shut up about how great her last hairstylist was and how much training that she had taken, blah, blah, blah. When asked why she doesn’t still go to her, she said that the drive was just too far (1-1.5 hour drive). So Theresa proceeds to color her hair. She wanted red, but not bright red, and NO BROWN but didn’t want it orange, and didn’t want any blue based reds and and and and GAAAASSSSSPPPPP and and and and and.. You getting the picture? Anyway, the color was beautiful, really beautiful. She says that the salons lighting is horrible and she cant tell what the color is, so we take her outside, blah blah blah, she wont be able to tell until she gets home….. Oh boy…. She calls later, “My husband says. Boring, Dull, never been that color before, Opaque!”. I tell Theresa she can do 1 of 2 things.1. Book her for a re-do and apply a colorance semi permanent over the top, and if she doesn’t like it fire her.2. Send her a check and just fire her now.Theresa being the trooper that she is, books a re-do, applies the colorance, makes her look like Lucy, and it appears that she likes it, or that it’s acceptable.Oh yeah, there was a third option.3. Poor a bucket of water on her head and watch her melt……
A New Year, a fresh start.
Posted by: | CommentsNow that we have a new year, it’s all about ‘what are your resolutions?’ and how are you going to improve upon last year.. You going to loose that extra 38 pounds that you found on the side of the road in a restaurant called Weinnerschnitzel? Hum… I’ll have 2 chili dogs and chili cheese fries with a large Sprite. Oops. I guess you figured that I was referring to myself. I’m not proud. I do need to exercise to get myself in better shape so I’m not so completely kom-pooped after a long day at the salon. Which I have made steps towards getting myself ‘ready’ to get into shape (like buy all the cool stuff you NEED to exercise in), but have yet to get myself ON my bicycle to actually exercise. Having an upset stomach and feeling like I’m about to find the flu doesn’t help the situation either…But, I digress.This blog entry is about expanding. Expanding myself in ways that I’m not always expandable in, pushing myself per se. Expanding my business, Expanding my role as leader in my salon. Expanding my clientele behind the chair and expanding my price. I wrote on my forum a few new years resolutions and though that I would expand on them here as well.One of the main areas of focus this year for me is cleanliness and sanitization of the salon and the implements that are used in the salon. I want to be clean obsessed in the salon and have it neat as a pin when clients come into it. I want the stations to be spotless and the towels put away. I want all the hair off the floor between clients and I want the capes used to be clean and pretty. No more color stained cutting capes. The only way that I’m going to implement these changes in my store is to do them myself and set the example. Period.The biggest sanitization change that I’m implementing is the use of clean brushes, combs and clips on each and every client. The way that I’m going to present this change is just as important, if not more important than the actual change itself. I want the client to be able to see that each tool is in an individually wrapped bag and removed just before I use it on their hair. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going all french waiter and holding the brushes on silver platters with a white towel draped across my forearm. But, I want the sterile, individually wrapped brushes, combs, and clips visible to the client.In my opinion, clients cannot tell good hair from great hair. I’ve stated before, if you were to rank a haircut from 1 to 10, a client cannot tell the difference between a 5 and a 7. Most hairdressers couldn’t tell the difference either (yes, I’m cranky, sorry). So, if a client comes into a salon, there has to be something else to separate that salon from every other salon that they have ever been to, there has to be something ‘special’ about that salon. That special use to be just being better than everyone else, but in todays superficial society where style has more weight than substance that doesn’t ring true. So how do you create this “magic dust” of ‘special’? I don’t know. I don’t think that anyone knows. It’s been as elusive as the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The only way I know to create something special is to keep trying different things to improve your salon, and different ways to make the salon better than it was last month. This never ending improvement will lead you to your own pot of gold….I don’t feel so good. I’m going to lay down now…Oh yeah, don’t take Tylenol on an empty stomach.
Since we are talking about referrals.
Posted by: | CommentsI saw this article this morning and though it was relevant. I’ve also posted the original link at the bottom..
How to get referrals. There’s been thousands of pages written about this topic, but still, no luck. It’s too hard.Yes, we know that referrals are the very best way to grow your business.And we know that asking for a referral is both scary but apparently the most effective technique.And we know that excellent service is a great place to start.But still, not enough referrals. How come?First, “HAIR STYLIST” often forget to look at this from the consumer’s point of view. Why on earth should I give you a referral? Yes, I know it’s important to you, but why is it important to me?And second, I have a lot to lose if I refer a friend to you. You might screw up, in which case she’ll hate me. Or you might somehow do something that, through no fault of your own, disappoints. If I recommend a greek restaurant and my friend goes and they don’t have skordalia, and she loves skordalia… oops.And third, the act of recommending you isn’t easy. It’s not easy to recommend a tailor to make your co-worker look a little less shabby. It’s not easy to bring up the fact that you have a great psychiatrist or even a particularly wonderful (but very expensive) shoe store.Given the no-win nature of most referrals, you need to reset your expectations and consider a few ideas:
• Make it easy for someone to bring up what you do (by changing the nature of the service or product).
• Give your best customers something of real value to offer to their friends (a secret menu, a significant gift certificate). Once you do that, not giving that gift to a friend feels selfish.
• Paying me to refer you rarely works, because you’re not just asking for a minute of my time, you’re asking me to put my credibility on the line.
• Understand that low-risk referrals happen more often than high-risk ones, and either figure out how to become a low-risk referral or embrace the fact that you have to be truly amazing in order to earn one.and
• Be worthy. Not just in the work you do, but in your status in the marketplace. I’m far more likely to refer someone with a back story, someone who’s an underdog, or relatively unknown.
That’s why saying “thank you” in deeds (not so much in words) goes such a long way.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/11/how_to_get_refe.html
How to make money, part 5.
Posted by: | CommentsPart 5: The Close: When you are finished with a wonderful educational blowdry/style, escort your client to the front desk and ask the following questions:
1. What Take Home products do you need to take care of your hair?(then shut up! under no circumstances are you to add anything to the question such as… Or not. So if we put the whole thing together it would sound something like this… Do you need any hair products, or not? another fine examples is Would you like the conditioner we used on you that smells so good, or do you want to finish what you already have? If they ask you what they should use, then you should already have an idea of exactly what they should be using, not guessing or asking the client what she thinks, YOU are the professional)2. What day would you like to book your next hair reservation?(do not say anything after the question. let the client answer. If they ask you when you think they should come back, then HAVE AN ANSWER. This is the good part. There is no right answer so you can’t get it wrong. If you think 5 weeks, then say something like this…. With your hair texture, I think 5 weeks would be the correct time frame.)Now for the last step.Ready?Ask for a referral.This is easy once you get over your fear of looking like an arse or feeling way stoopid. A good starting point for developing your own way of asking is something like the following. “If you know anyone or have any friends that would appreciate the type of work I do, I promise to take real good care of them if you send them in.” or something like “I’m still trying to build my business, so if you have any friends, please tell them about me, for everyone you send in I’ll give them a referral discount and I’ll do the same for you just for sending them in.”Repeat…
How to make money, part 4.
Posted by: | CommentsContinuing the series…
Part 4: the educational blow dry/style.We as hair stylist take for grated the blow dry. We do it every day, it’s no big deal, just hurry and get it done because this client ran late so it put me behind for my next one and it serves him/her right to get a adequate blow dry, why, she’s lucky she is even getting her hair blow dry at all as late as she was. Besides, she’s paying for the haircut anyway…Wrong.The client is paying for a complete experience. It is your responsibility to do a complete service, no matter if the clients of this world are so use to substandard service that they don’t know any different and expect substandard service.How many clients book their appointments on specific days because they are going out with their friends that evening? Or, have a hot date and want to look great (and FEEL attractive)? More than I think we know.I know that most of my clients cannot style their hair like I do, or as good as I do. That is not the point. I don’t want them walking out of the salon looking like they do everyday. I want them looking like a more perfect version of what they do everyday. I want their hair to be amazing and beautiful. So much so that everyone they come in contact with comments on their hair. How would it make you feel for someone you don’t know to tell you your hair was beautiful? It sure would make ME feel good, but then I’d worry that they were trying to scam me because I don’t have any hair..?!?Anyway.Give the client a educational blow dry and teach them how to apply the styling products you use, show them step by step. It takes only minutes to do, and it makes a world of difference in the way that they client looks at you are their beauty PROFESSIONAL. I am constantly amazed by how many clients do not know how to apply mousse or any styling product, and have difficulty styling their own hair. A little help from you will go a long way towards them making YOU look better by making their hair look better on a daily basis. And what better compliment than for a co-worker of your client to notice how great their hair has been looking since she/he has visited you, and not just on the day of their salon visit, but on a daily basis. That is powerful, and dangerous. Dangerous because it is the spark that ignites the fuse that quickly turns an average stylist making minimum wage into a hairdresser on fire! A hairdresser that is a powerhouse of styling ideas and energy that could ignite an entire salon to become something more than just a hair shop, but a place clients go to feel better about themselves and their lives and they tell everyone they know.The educational blow dry is an opportunity to educate your clients on what products they should use and those products are available in your salon. You don’t have to sell, just educate. Nothing more, nothing less. Tell them what you are using, AND how to use it, then tell them they way.Take your career seriously, because it’s serious to your clients.
Oh the HORROR of it all!
Posted by: | CommentsWhat has happened? Where has ‘technique’ gone? Remember the days when stylist had pride of workmanship? I bought a couple of DVD’s from a very respected haircutting organization. This organization has been around for years. They are know for their excellence in technique, known for then belief in skills and workmanship. They study architecture and other arts to incorporate and expand their own craft. You get the picture.I popped in a DVD and watched in horror, the sloppy SLOPPY technique displayed with reckless abandon, the constant recutting of the shape because the technique was so bad the first pass, the recut once the cameras were off, the slap in the face of the previous directors. The previous art directors were men of renown. Giants in the evolution of haircutting. Masters of their craft. Today, what I see before me was a complete embarrassment. How could a stylist LEARN from this cut? How could a novice even attempt to follow the steps and without explanation of why these steps were chosen?I was speechless.It’s no wonder stylist are so confused when trying to learn how to cut hair. It’s no wonder stylist are so fascinated when someone actually explains to them the ‘why’s’.
The ‘king’ is dead……..
