I am constantly looking for ways to simplify; everything from ridding myself of one-sided friendships, clutter in my home or extra work for both my businesses. Removing the unnecessaries makes space for things that enhance my life rather than bog it down.
It would be hypocritical if I didn’t practice this philosophy behind my chair as a hairstylist, as well. I believe it to be my job to simplify your hair. Coming from personal experience, I used to be a slave to my own. If I could take back the countless hours I spent blow drying, straightening, curling and coloring I would do something more productive with them, all the things I invest in now that bring me contentment and satisfaction. It is my job to keep you out of the salon and to prevent you from buying an arsenal of products you don’t need and that clutter your cupboards. What??? How do I make money, you ask? Because people trust me and become lifelong clients as a result. It is sustainable. If I send someone home without performing any service because their hair didn’t need it, when I do recommend a service or product they will buy it because they know I’m sincere. If I keep the price of a service down and space appointments further apart it will be easier for a person to maintain that long-term. On the contrary, if I perform pricey, time consuming, high maintenance services and put the hard sell on overpriced products, most folks couldn’t and/or wouldn’t continue for very long. That is how I have built a 39 year clientele. Norma, now 96, was 59 when I started doing her hair. I was 19 then and am now 57, just to put it in perspective! More than half of my clients have been coming that long. Now that’s what I call sustainability!
Let me give you a couple of examples. As a persons hair starts to turn gray I don’t believe in completely covering it with color. I choose to use a non-ammonia tint whenever possible, which blends the gray with your natural shade, preventing a harsh obvious line of regrowth. Nor does the hair shaft fade off-tone because it is not permanently “changed” by ammonia, as it is a deposit-only color. If a little extra kick is needed I’ll add as few highlights as possible to do the job. I know people who get a full head of foils every 6 weeks! That is almost never necessary. (We offer free consultations to further explain this, if you are looking for a change.)
Now a short product story. Marsha, a long-time client, was struggling to control her thick, wiry hair. After much discussion, we agreed she needed some sort of styling aid to help tame the shrew. I looked through all of our commercial products, as I haven’t yet developed any products specific for styling. (More on that in a future blog.) Sickened by the exorbitant prices and knowing this woman is on a fixed income, I had an idea. I grabbed a jar of my handcrafted Bliss body butter. You should have seen her face when I schmooyed a palm full of that all over her hair! Then you should have seen the look when it totally transformed her hair by giving it instant shine and manageability!! She was beyond thrilled to only spend $9 for 4 oz. instead of $19 for 2 oz.
So these two examples gave my clients more time and more money to spend on additional things that enrich their lives, which has a ripple effect out in the world by exuding more joy and projecting less stress onto others. It’s not about making the sale. It’s about keeping the client. I’ll end with this quote by Irving Berlin: “The toughest thing about being a success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success.” Peace.>