What has shifted in the Hair Industry?
Can we just agree…gone are the days we can just do good hair…come to think of it, I know quite a few who do amazing work, but are just feeling the financial stresses at the moment. (Fear not, I’ve put a list together to help!)
But before I start sharing ideas and resources, I have a challenge for you. This will be an awesome exercise to try out on your own time & will take only 5-10 minutes!
I want you to write down what your beliefs are about the hair industry. It could be anything; artistic, problem solving, hard work, easy, frustrating, temporary, fun! Whatever pops into your mind, go ahead and write it down without overthinking it.
Ready?
Now create a column of YOUR words on the left, and on the right, I want you to write down the opposite word. (It doesn’t have to be the exact opposite, but again, the first word that comes to mind.)
Solution
See how easy problem solving can be when we hit a challenge? Whatever your purpose, when you lose your way, you now have a thought process you can create association with which is opposite! This exercise can especially help when we get caught up in thoughts of overwhelm, burn out, and exhaustion.
Now lets get to the nitty-gritty of how we can change with the times!
Over communicate! If there’s a lesson I have learned time and again, it’s that we must communicate to our clients expectations, options, cost, time, upkeep or maintenance, and any other variables that must happen before, during, and after the services. These are so ingrained in our schedule that we assume the client knows! But MOST don’t, so we must be very clear!
Cover you color costs. It’s always good to run a market analysis every year on your business, but taking something as simple as calculating what your cost per hour as a stylist and then using Salon Scale to calculate down to the penny what you’re using in your color costs will ensure you’re covering your bottom line & you won’t have to guess on that extra bowl of lightener or color.
Have your social media and email marketing work together. Any post you put out there for clients to inform, teach, or share, just start to stock pile your captions. If creating an interactive post is challenging for you, get a Template Pack to plug captions in using Google drive. This is a great way to create a newsletter for your clients, or even a private FB page for clients to reconnect you as being the beauty professional they can turn to.
Reconnect with clients. Look back over your books, for the past 3 months, who did you see that hasn’t come back in again? Call or send a nice card letting them know you’re thinking of them & looking forward to the new season, holidays, refreshing their hair. Whatever it is that may be coming up!
Social media isn’t just to gain new clients, it’s also to maintain connection with existing clients. The more you show up on social media, the more your clients get to see you or are reminded of you. Keep tabs on your clients accounts, even if you don’t follow them back so you can tag them when you post something that reminds you of them. It could be a common topic even; dogs, cooking, a show, restaurant recommendation, vacations planned. This will increase your engagement & your business/client relationship!
If you know self marketing and social media isn’t your strong suit, invest in Coaching. Once you get a game plan going with clear, and actionable goals, you could double your income in a matter or months.
Lucky number seven! There are 7 actionable steps you can start implementing into your day to day activities as a hairstylist. Successful Stylist is an easy to follow, and affordable course package that I wish was around when I was building my books. You will get all the steps, verbiage, and even worksheets to set a better consultation, increase retention, prebook your clients, and integrate retail into your appointments without feeling like you’re selling.
Now I’m here to tell you, coming from a teen, single Mom who has gone though so many transformations in this amazing industry throughout the past 21 years…If I have been able to find success, leave a multiple 6 figure career, and find success again…I know for a FACT, you can too!
All it takes is looking at that other column every now & then, and allowing me to help you strengthen the skills you need to sharpen a little more.
Comment below what stood out for you and what stage in your career you’re in!
xoxo
-Ambrosia