The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin

Morgan Franklin: Welcome to the
Aspiring Stylists Podcast with

Tracey Franklin. Where to begin,
grow and aspire to become the

best stylist you can be. Whether
you're thinking about becoming a

stylist opening a salon, or
developing your skills as an

experienced stylist the next
step of your beauty career

starts here. Each week we'll
discuss strategic ways to

design, plan and execute on
becoming a stylist that excels

behind the chair and above the
bottom line. Here's your host,

Tracey Franklin.

Tracey Franklin: So this one's
about the time I had to fire a

client. So I'm going to set the
stage for you. We had a new

guest, she was calling to make
an appointment. And from the get

go, we could tell that this
client might be a bit

challenging was just the
verbiage that she was using with

our salon coordinator. The
difficulty that we had finding

the perfect spot for her red
flags were flying up in the air

everywhere. So she comes in for
her service. And first of all,

she wanted an appointment with
one of our master stylists. But

none of our master stylists had
availability. And she had a very

specific timeframe in mind. So
We accommodated that timeframe.

But we only had a studio
stylist, which is an entry level

stylist available for this
appointment. So she came in. And

from the moment she sat down,
she was very degrading to my

stylist, like are you listening
to me? Are you hearing what I'm

saying? I want this to go right,
there can't be any mistakes. So

the conversation continues. And
they come to some sort of

agreement about what needs to be
mixed up and how it needs to be

applied. And my stylist steps
away to go to the color bar, she

motions for me to come over and
I can tell that she's like

visibly nervous, the client has
really set the stage for some

uncomfortable time together. I'm
keeping my eye on the situation

and the stylist comes back and
proceeds to start applying the

color. The client turns away and
looks at her and says Are you

stupid. So right then in there,
I walk over to the guest, I

asked her to follow me to a
private area where I can tell

her we don't talk to our
stylists like that in this

salon. And we don't allow anyone
else to talk to our stylists

like that. And if she's going to
stay for the rest of her

appointment, she's going to have
to learn to treat the stylists

with some respect, because we're
not going to put up with that.

I'm just here to tell you I take
my job as their coach and Salon

leader very seriously. And the
part where I protect them from

this kind of behavior is just as
important to me as anything

else. So the client gets a
little snippy with me and I just

put her in her place the best I
can respectfully. So she goes

and sits back down and it
continues. So I pull her away

once more, and I tell her one
more word, and she's going to

have to leave even if she has
color on her hair, she's going

to have to leave, I say go back
to the chair and don't say

anything else to your stylist
whatsoever. She goes back to the

chair, the rest of the
appointment is silent. Then I

walk her out the door and I
uninvite her for any future

appointments. Now, I feel like
that is a bit of a dramatic

scenario, when it doesn't always
go that way. There are a lot of

reasons while you will no longer
be a fit. But some clients are

going to let you know from the
very beginning and you need to

be paying attention to those
cues from the go. I've had a few

others we'll call them Mr.

Hanzi. And Miss never satisfied
the breakdown of the

conversations because you're
probably wondering, what does

that conversation look like? So
for Mr. Hands, he was just like,

hey, I wanted to thank you for
being such a loyal client here

at the salon. But unfortunately,
you've made more than one of my

stylists feel uncomfortable with
your touching and some of the

things you're saying. So
unfortunately, we're no longer

going to be able to offer you
services here at our salon

anymore. And of course he was
baffled by it. He swore up and

down nothing like that had ever
happened in it. If it had been

one stylist I might see the
potential of maybe reading more

into it. But with two stylists
that I trust with everything I

have, they came to me they said
it, I believed him and it just

wasn't a fit. I wasn't going to
let them be treated like that

any longer. And for Miss never
satisfied. And I'm sure some of

you have some of those types of
clients right now that

conversation is really easy, and
it just sounds like this. Hey,

Sally, I've just noticed that
for the last couple of

appointments you haven't been
really satisfied with your

services. I'm not sure if we're
getting our wires crossed. If

there's just some
miscommunication. At the end of

the day, I want you to be
really, really happy with your

hair. And I'm just wondering if
maybe another stylist would be a

better fit for you. Easy peasy.

You've got your point across in
a very respectful way and you've

let her know that you're picking
up on the cues that she's not

loving what you're doing lately.

Sometimes it's just time to part
ways no harm, no foul, right.

That season is over and it's
time for her to find somebody

else that can better suit her
needs. I feel like we should

always try to save the
relationship If possible, you

know, put them on probation
without telling them that that's

what you're doing. I had a
client one time that for

whatever reason, I started
calling her the twofer, because

it felt like I was always
redoing her hair, she was

getting two for the price of
one. And I just had to have a

similar conversation with her
and say, Hey, I'm noticing that

I'm having to make a lot of
adjustments to your service

plan. And so I'm just wondering
if we need to have a deeper

conversation about what the goal
is just give them the

opportunity to dive a little
deeper, maybe there's just some

underlying things they're not
liking about what you're doing

that can be shifted, and that
will help save the relationship.

No matter what always take the
high road, especially on

Messenger. That was a lesson I
learned the hard way. I feel

like the signs are usually
there. Early on, it might sound

like well, no one ever gets it
right. Or your price is sure are

high. And I'm like, Well, honey,
I ain't getting any cheaper. You

know, long term, it may sound
like hey, I need to come in and

I need more Blonde on top or,
you know, you're resorting back

to that twofer situation where
you feel like you're always

having to redo something and
take extra time out of your

schedule. You know, I've had to
put a client on probation before

for not getting what she's
booked for. I had her booked for

a base color, a Bolyai and a
haircut and she came in for her

appointment. She said we're
gonna skip the color today. And

it's like, well, no, ma'am. I
have you booked for three and a

half hours. And what you've just
reduced your appointment down to

is a third of the price and a
third of the time. And so that

happened more than once. So it
was just a conversation of okay,

we're going to really need to
know what we're getting Next

time, we're going to have to be
certain that what we're booking

is what we're actually getting,
because time is money. And a

client that does that with a
service plan on the spot, in my

opinion is the same as the last
minute cancellation because now

you've got two hours on your
appointment book with nobody to

fill it with because there's
just no time, there's no notice.

If you dread coming into work
that day, if you see them on

your book, and you're absolutely
dreading the day, that is a

surefire sign that that client
is not the right fit for you.

Sometimes they stopped following
the cancellation policy and

you're noticing that they're
calling last minute to

reschedule their appointment or
cancel altogether, I'm going to

tell you right now you better
have a fee for those instances,

you know, the signs are usually
there. And you just have to find

the courage to handle it and
implement those fees that lets

the client know that you take
your cancellation policy

seriously, and remind them, hey,
this is my job. You know, this

is what I do for a living, it's
how I put food on the table for

them, they've just decided to
not get color for you. You're

wondering if you're going to
make the kind of money that week

that you need to make to get by,
it's really important that you

have a very professional and
respectful conversation with the

client when it's time to fire
them. And I really hate to use

that word. But that's
essentially what we're doing,

hey, you're, you're no longer
welcome here. Take your money

and go. Sometimes that looks
like walking them out to their

car. You know, having that
conversation in the salon

anywhere kind of sets you up for
someone overhearing it, and the

client feeling really
uncomfortable about that. So I

feel like walking them out kind
of reduces any chance of any

kind of drama rising or anything
like that, you know, so walking

them out to the car is how I
prefer to do it. Nothing good

can come from letting it get out
of hand, absolutely nothing. So

just make sure that it doesn't.

And if they start to raise their
voice, make sure that you keep

your voice nice and low and
calm. The truth is a happy

client will tell to clients that
they're happy. But an unhappy

client will tell 200 clients
that they're unhappy. So you

never want to give them a reason
to talk. Unless they're willing

to embellish the story. It's not
like they can go to a friend and

say, oh my gosh, my stylist just
fired me. She was so rude. She

told me to never come back. That
would be a complete lie. So you

want to make sure that you don't
give them anything to talk

about. Honestly, I like to
practice what I'm going to say a

few times it helps me get
collected and get it out the

right way. I'm not fumbling for
my words or wondering what I'm

going to say next. I even like
to create a few scenarios in my

head ahead of time of how things
might go and how I might handle

them. If it does go that way.

Let them respond let them say
whatever it is they have to say

but don't lose control of the
conversation. It's very

important that you always stay
in control of the conversation

so that you can say what you
need to say the way you need to

say it. They may ask for
examples you know like what what

do you mean I've been late four
times. All write it down on a

post it here you go these are so
you know our software documents

when clients check in late or
cancel less than 24 hours. These

are the exact dates and times
and what you were booked for.

And I'll even put how much money
it costs me. That's a humdinger.

I feel like for them although
they may not like it they can

see the value and knowing what
But it costs a stylist when they

have behavior like that over the
phone is definitely the most

comfortable way to do it. If you
can prevent the client from even

returning to the salon post
appointment, then I feel like

that's the most comfortable way
to handle it. But sometimes

that's not possible, or
sometimes it doesn't feel like

the right fit. If I've been
doing a client for a really long

time, like 10 plus years, and
for whatever reason, we're just

not the right stylist client for
each other anymore, I'm gonna

want to have that conversation
face to face, that clients been

loyal, they've been a good
client, it's just time to move

on. And I don't want to treat
that relationship, like none of

it ever mattered. So I'll have
that conversation in person. And

you know, just make sure that
they fully understand and make

sure that it goes well. And
we're able to part ways on a

positive note, you're definitely
gonna want to do this, at the

end of the appointment, I mean,
I'm not going to, you know, work

on someone for a couple hours
with a really, you know,

uncomfortable vibe, that's
really the whole thing. So it's

a conversation that I would
definitely have at the end of

the appointment. And you know,
starting that conversation may

just sound like, hey, you know,
I need to talk to you about

something like, this isn't
comfortable. And I hate that

it's come to this, but I just
really feel like blank, blank,

blank. And then you're going to
add in those reasons, you know,

the reasons of not showing up
for their appointments or not

getting what they're booked for
the things that we talked about,

every conversation is going to
be unique, but I feel like you

can just start it by saying,
hey, we need to talk, this isn't

easy, I really respect you, but
we're no longer a fit. So you're

hearing me talk a lot about
boundaries. And it's because

they're so important. You know,
if the client isn't aware of

what the boundaries are, then
you're almost always setting

yourself up for being underpaid.

And what that can look like is,
again, doing things for free or

being talked down on what you're
going to do or what you're going

to charge for those services.

setting those expectations ahead
of time is the best way to avoid

that situation. At the end of
the day, maybe it's just better

for them to see another stylist
you know, for me, the more

successful I got, the less
available I was and the more my

prices were. And no matter how
much a client likes you,

sometimes it's just not possible
for them, maybe they need a

little bit more flexibility that
you can offer them or maybe your

prices have gotten so high that
they're just not comfortable

paying that anymore, the best
thing that you can do is refer

them to another stylist in the
salon. And that way you still

get to see him, you still get to
walk up to him and say, Hey, how

are things going and keep that
relationship going? To some

extent, boundaries are one of
the most important things that

you can have in place. When you
create a business relationship

with someone, those are really
important to understand up

front. And a lot of times that
can happen when they call, our

front desk has a very thorough
first time client spiel about

our cancellation policy about
how we book appointments, how

things go, they're really
setting those expectations

before the client even comes
through the door, you know, but

sometimes issues arise later,
and they forget what those

boundaries are. Sometimes firing
a client really isn't necessary.

Sometimes it's something as
simple as just reminding them of

the policy or paying a
cancellation fee is all it takes

to nip the situation in the bud
and get that client back on the

right track. And sometimes it's
just a youth thing, you know,

for whatever reason, they are no
longer respecting the boundaries

that you put in place all those
years ago, maybe it's time for

them to see a another stylist in
the salon, maybe the chemistry

between them and someone new
might be a better fit. It's not

always about firing the guests,
sometimes the relationship can

be saved. There's a lot of
significance in the self

reflection that comes from the
learning experience of ending a

client relationship. What was
your role in the breakdown of

the relationship? And what will
you do differently next time?

Maybe you realize that the
conversations didn't happen as

your prices continued to climb,
it wasn't a conversation and it

should have been, or maybe you
know, you're listening to the

client complain about how you're
never available when they need

you. You know, that would be a
conversation that you could have

with them. You know, like I
totally understand. I know, I'm

so thankful for all the success
I'm experiencing, but it's

definitely making it a little
bit harder to get into me. self

reflection is a really positive
thing. Make sure you show

gratitude for the clients that
you love serving, I mean spoil

them and remind them why they
continue to choose you. You take

care of them and they take care
of you.

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

The Aspiring Stylist Podcast
with Tracey Franklin. If you

enjoyed listening and you want
to hear more, make sure you

subscribe on Apple Podcast,
Spotify or wherever you find

your podcasts. The Aspiring
Stylist Podcast with Tracey

Franklin is a Morgan Franklin
Production. Today's episode was

written and produced by Morgan
Franklin editing and post

production by Mike Franklin.

Want to find out more about
Tracey and the Aspiring Barber

and Beauty Academy go to
aspirebarberandbeauty.com