Treat Everyone Like Its Their First Time

I was a hairdresser for more than 30 years. I am sure that when I first started in the hairdressing world, I did not have the best work ethic or the best people skills. Unfortunately, that was touched on very little while I was in beauty school.

I always say some of the best lessons I ever learned came from the School of Hard Knocks. I lived by a rule of thumb: Treat people as you would like to be treated. I paid close attention to customer service providers and watched what actions made me feel the most special, and the interactions that made me want to return to a certain establishment.

When we opened our salon, we decided two things: 

1. We would treat our employees the way we wish that would have been treated as an employee. 
2. We would give the best possible customer service that our guests had ever received.

What I didn’t want to do was become a “one-hit wonder.” I’m sure you know those places, the first time was great, but the return visit was awful and made you never want to return.

I decided to make each of my clients who visited our salon feel like it was the 1st time that they had ever walked in the door of our business.

We greeted each salon guest by name and asked if we could get them anything while they waited. Once I took a client back to my chair I did a consultation before there was ever had a drop of water on their head. I asked detailed questions to make sure I could provide the best possible hair service for them, and I did this EVERY time they came in.

I never wanted the newness of our salon to wear off, where the client no longer felt important or welcome. Our success was made every time just like the first time.

Here are a few questions for you:

• How do your clients feel?
• Do you make them special each time they walk into your business?
• What can you do to stand out among the competition when it comes to customer service?

The competition is stiff in the salon industry. We have to work hard to stand out. I used to have a business coach that would say “You want to be remembered beyond the parking lot!” Provide such great customer service to your salon guests that they become your raving fans and tell everyone about you.

About the Author: From being behind the chair to in front of the camera, Kim Becker brings more than 30 years of experience as a salon owner and CEO to her work as the leader of Hello Gorgeous! a national non-profit organization.  As a speaker and top-rated podcast host, she uses her experience as a business leader to help others make 2-millimeter shifts to better their business.