What we can learn about business from hair stylists
I was thinking about how hair stylists sometimes have the amusing habit of exclaiming when they’re done with somebody’s hair, “Do you love it!!???” I’ve always thought this is just funny and cute but I realized there’s a purpose for it. They hope that their enthusiasm will rub off on their customer who will then leave happy.
As I pondered that, I realized hair stylists do a number of things that the rest of us businesspeople can learn from too.
Make your customer feel good
When I was younger, I went to a barber who was Persian. She was extremely happy to the point that she made herself laugh. I always enjoyed going to see her because I’m friendly and talkative by nature myself so I enjoyed being around her.
I’m me and you are you
Every client coming for a haircut is different. I like to talk a little more than a normal person. A lot of guys like to just drink beer and watch sports. Well, there are barbershops for that too. If you weren’t aware this is a thing, the California Legislature authorized barbershops to serve beer and wine last year and this is becoming a popular trend.
Know what will work for your client
Hair stylists often deal with difficult people who bring pictures of celebrities they don’t resemble and then ask to look like them. The stylist is trained to make their customer look good within the parameters of what they have to work with. It’s up to them to use their experience and judgement to figure out how to make you look good, and that might be different than the picture.