Interacting With Your Client

Speaking to my client was always the most trouble I had while in beauty school. You train your brain over and over to learn the detail of every specific hair technique and develop the tools to execute a cut perfectly. Whilst doing all this… you still need to hold a conversation!? That’s what I couldn’t wrap my head around. I would get into the “zone” and have the toughest time pulling myself out to build a relationship with my client. The client experience is number 1 in the salon. You need to make the client feel GREAT.This is a priority even over the hair itself. Say your color didn’t turn out quite right, or the haircut is a little too short…if the client felt amazing and had a wonderful visit to the salon they’ll be more likely to come back and allow you to tweak it down the road. Client retention is the key to success in this industry.

Aside from my nerves and my incomplete understanding of hair in general I still found speaking to clients to be difficult. Being considered a very sociable person by nature didn’t seem to help much in these situations. Yes, of course I knew how to speak to people at a party or at some type of gathering, but a complete stranger? No even a friend of someone I know? That’s tough. What do I say!? “How’s the weather?” With all my education–I wasn’t prepared for this.

A client wants to feel welcome! Don’t forget that a you as the stylist aren’t the only one meeting a complete stranger. They want to feel welcome and comfortable in a new setting. Not only do they want to feel beautiful and walk out feeling great, they also prefer enjoying your company. With my experience I’ve developed some opening statements to “break the ice” and to gather you more information on their hair rituals at home, allowing you a more efficient diagnoses on their hairs specific needs.

Breakin’ the ice

• “What brings you in today?”
• “What products do you use at home?”
• “Tell me on thing you love about your hair, and one thing you hate about your hair”
• “Are you attending any events soon, if so what type?”
• “When was your last cut?”
• Bring up a current event/movie/novel
• “What’s your profession?”
• Ask about their family/friends
• Pets/Hobbies/Interest

Get them talking about them! If there’s anything people LOVE to do at the salon is chit chat, use that to your advantage. Learn about their personal life and takes some notes at the end of the service to make them feel important! Things you wouldn’t remember on your own, just enough small detail to show you care! Aside from being a hairstylist, you’re going to become these peoples therapist. Have fun with it! These people are just like you and their needs are no more than what you would expect. Take a breathe! They’re going to love you. Start your career in beauty today!