Dress for success

I occasionally shop at a certain store here in town that specializes in natural remedies and organic food. The workers there reflect the store specialty by generally being very "granola" in their appearance in both style and cosmetics.

So I was surprised to be greeted by a familiar face with her newly shaved head with a heavy side fringe dyed Royal Purple that practically screamed "hello" at me. Wow! Apparently, her fiance is a few hours away from graduating from a local Beauty School and has been playing in the paint pots of hair color. As we discussed him and his talent, I found myself thinking  something like "No matter how talented, that person might be, if my hairstylist stood above me in rainbow colored hair, I doubt I could take anything they said seriously, let alone trust them to dig in. ( -- Unless you get me on that not-so-rare-anymore day when I'm game for just about anything that may cause my mother to wince and my husband to think I have gone out of my mind. Just for the heck of it. And then the next day I'm pretty glad the moment has passed.)

Which brings me to my point today. What does your personal appearance say about your desire to succeed? Do you wear on your head and on your body the look that will attract the kind of clients you want to work for? If you had a job interview today, would you get the job? (Technically, every client who sits down for you is your boss.)

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As a color educator for a major company, my supervisor insisted that I never pack or wear jeans for any travel or appearances. As a representative for this company you were expected to always look the part, showcasing your very best appearance at all times.

 

Another place I worked had this dress policy: If your old crush from high school walked in the door today, would you greet him with "I'm All That and a bag of chips!" confidence or would you be looking for the nearest exit, hoping to not be recognized? If it is the latter, why do you come to work looking like that?

One of my first mentors ever was a girl who came to work in torn jeans, flip flops, no make up, and absolutely straight hair. Her clientele? You would not believe it based on the advice I written so far. The shop's most glamorous, big hair, and if I may say big spenders were all in her chair. And they all left looking like a million bucks-- hair teased and sprayed into perfect clouds of famous fluff. You could wait MONTHS to get your turn in her chair. What??? She will assure you that she DID THE DRESS FOR SUCCESS THING for years while she built her clientele. She carefully dressed each morning in super firm bangs and high heels to collect her glamorous and high paying clientele. Once her talent and reputation spoke for her she relaxed her personal style and laughed all the way to the bank.

Think about your professional appearance  Are you wearing what you are selling?  Take care to be the kind of look you want your clientele to be.  Its as important as any ad you would pay for.



What is your success style?

Your the customer today.

What can you learn from watching other businesses?

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Recommends you do those unexpected things that make
clients remember visits with you.

I like to observe what other businesses are doing.  It interests me to see what they are doing to keep customers coming, and what will ultimately not be a viable money maker.  Sometimes it is so easy to spot and I leave the business thinking "If only they could see that, they would change it."

It makes sense that we do this for our own businesses.  Have a seat in your chair and think about being your customer right now.   What do you see?  Salon promotions, interesting products?  Hairy brushes and shampoo goobers?  (Wait..........  Okay, that little project has been totally bugging me for WEEKS now - and now it is done.  BTW, did you know that WD-40 and a dish scrubber remove spray paint off plastic?)

What are other businesses doing right?  What kinds of things keep your customers attention?

I like shake things up with something unexpected.  I came across an article in my American Spa magazine that stated August 10 is "National S'mores Day".  Who knew?  So I toasted up a bunch of S'more treats in my oven to share.  Random, but enjoyed smiles of delight all day.
 

If your were to give your self advice on one visual thing you could do to improve the view from your chair today, what would it be? 

 

Have you got five minutes?

Make a list and start checking these things off today!

Index Of SCHEDULE'em How To Videos

Okay, fans... here is a simple link to videos that will coach you how to use SCHEDULE'em.  Cut it loose, and try this out.

Weekly Standing appointments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXc1_U_bh3k

Make an Appointment In 30 Seconds Or Less

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wjW50O2jCU

Recent History Tab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mj3rk0p-oA

Schedule Tab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmGPJVZp34U

Emails Confirm, Remind, and Send Receipts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4I6-yzlGH4

Instant Referral Program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KiH9P4vtVk

Features of the Client Tab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idzj0GBCQ7o

Client Check out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C_NSuL2uuo

Hiring a good apple

Keeping your growing salon HAPPY is a daunting task.   There is no proff that I can offer, but it is my opinion that busy stylists don't have time to bicker and cause salon drama.  If they are busy with a client they don't have time to stir things up.

Get Rid of Bad Employees...FAST – Jack Welch, former CEO of GE always believed that 10% of your employees need to go. Bad employees affect the success of everyone on your team and your customer’s experience. They are cancer and you’ve got to rid the team of the cancer before it spreads.



That said, here are a couple of things that you can keep in mind to make your salon a great atmosphere for workers and clientele:

• Don't hire any new talent if you don't have work to provide them.  You and your team should be at full capacity before you go looking for additional help. Nothing will kill morale quicker than a team of people sitting around waiting for clients. The trick is to watch for and anticipate your next new hire. 
• Hire a Salon Assistant to keep things running smoothly.  That person's task may be full of menial things like clutter busting and folding towels, but if your staff feels that someone is there to support them while they are busy, it will help them do more customers with less fatigue. Hiring assistants is an excellent way to capitalize on another team member’s productivity.  The assistant will add volumes to any busy stylist's bottom line.  Consider an assistant for each high producing stylist.  Its a win/win for you and the stylist.
• When considering a hire for a licensed position do not overlook potential when the applicant does not have much experience or clientele.  As a salon owner I find it is much easier to teach skill than manners.  Hire someone with the disposition that will mesh with your current team personalities and you will find a happier result for the entire group, and a solution that will grow with you.

Impossible or I'm possible?

“Love what you do and the money will follow.”  The one thing I would add to that statement is this:  Get to work!  Passion without execution is just a good feeling.

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Don’t try to be everything to everyone. As far as your staff goes, not everyone WILL stay or even SHOULD stay with you. Just lead your team from your heart. Doing so will establish what is to be expected and then others can choose to meet that expectation or not.

Have you ever had one person wreck your whole day?
When was the last time you caved to something and learned from that?

I'M POSSIBLE.

So many heads, so little time... pre-book for success.

Today's reality check:   "MY MOTHER was telling her hairdresser about her bad luck with men, after having just broken off with her boyfriend of five years. "You think that's bad," the hairdresser responded, "I had a customer who just found out her boyfriend was married." "You're kidding!" my mother exclaimed. "How long did it take her to find out?" The hairdresser thought for a minute and began counting on her fingers. "About eight haircuts."

Keeping each customer on your regular schedule for "about eight weeks" is an art.  Plan for the success of having full books by offering the valuable pre-book option to each customer every time they have finished another visit with you.  When I always offer, my customers will see it as a standard of operation and rarely leave without a new appointment. 

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What percentage of your customers reschedule?
What percentage of your pre-scheduled customers stand you up?
How often do you have your customers come in?

 

Set a goal to offer pre-booking to all of your

departing customers starting now.

Booth Renter or Small Business? Explore your own potential.

When I first opened up my little salon  I knew I wanted to own a business that 1) made money!!! 2)  would provide jobs for other people at a salon people actually wanted to work at.

Well, knowing what I wanted and knowing how to make all that happen were two different things. I had lots of experience working in salons that I didn't want to be like, but very little real working experience for what it takes to have an ideal workplace that is still profitable and a great place to work. 

As a small salon owner time flew by.   The highs were so fulfilling and the lows still make my stomach turn.  I was lucky enough to have strong support that pulled me through the tough times and a staff that made me proud all through the whole adventure.  At some point I realized I was absolutely consumed by the business.  My fear of not being able to direct my staff to success was compounded by the fact that I felt I had to do every important thing myself, including make sure the bathroom was actually clean.  It was driving me to the point of exhaustion.

.

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One day it hit me...  I am that salon owner I don't want to work for.  Yikes.  My next reality check: What has brought me to this place and how do I escape it?

 

It was time to sell and simplify. I had to look at what I had invested.  Do I own a JOB or do I own a Salon?  Does this place have any value if I am not at work? 

 

Some hard things changed. I took a really good look at what work I was doing for my clients, and what work I was still able to give may salon.  Through a business coach I learned what saved the day then and will still get me through the days ahead here in my private studio. 

 

What I learned there and practice "Smarter Not Harder" in my business today are some of the themes you see me write about .  Here are some tips for you s you grow your business into something valuable for someone else to buy from you some day:

 

Read the E-Myth Revisited.  NOW.  I listened to this book as I exercised AFTER I had sold my salon.  Big mistake.  What I learned literally brought me off my treadmill and to my knees.  I wonder: if I had simply read/heard this book during the Salon Owner days, would I still have my salon????

The ultimate goal of working ON your salon or spa should be to have it function as well as possible without you standing behind the chair and full time managing.  If you will do this, you will own something that is valuable to someone else. If your salon depends on you to function, don’t expect people to line up at your door to buy it, and well, good luck with that "vacation time".

Your new objectives should be:
1) To get your salon or spa to the point where it is NOT dependent on you!
2) Develop your employees to do things without your involvement.
3) Figure out how to give customers what they want, without having to go through you.
4) Have your employees take care of the day-to-day tasks, freeing you to focus on the more strategic issues.
5) Build a model for your business that ensures things get done right at the first point of contact.  

source: 2012 Milady

 

Getting your salon or spa to this point takes a new path of conscious, sustained effort and a lot of time. But, I am here to tell you I did it.  I worked hard, re-trained some of my staff, hired smarter, and and I was ULTIMATELY able to sell it for a nice profit.