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: What if I told
you there was a blueprint for

all your client appointments? A
guaranteed path to successful

communication? Sounds too good
to be true, right? What if I

told you it's totally free and
can be done in five minutes?

It's your consultation. It's
finding the language and

communication between you and
your client. So many of the

challenges that we have a
stylist could be solved if we

knew what questions to ask, and
actually took the time to

understand and truly listen to
the language that our client is

using. The most important tool
that you can bring to the

appointment is the consultation.

It's literally the blueprint for
all of your appointments, you

can do a very thorough
consultation in five minutes or

less if you're asking the right
questions. And effective

consultation can make a very
good first impression. I love

having a new client in my seat,
because I feel like it's when I

show up my strongest, I'm trying
to make a good impression. I'm

trying to impress them with my
elaborate vocabulary and my

knowledge of hair. And I feel
like sometimes we don't give our

long term guests the same
energy. And I feel like they

definitely deserve it. A good
consultation also builds trust

when your client is sitting
across from you in the styling

chair, and they're looking at
you and you're asking them these

questions, you come off as a
professional, they feel like

they can trust your ability to
deliver a good service because

you look like you know what
you're talking about. And you

sound like you know what you're
talking about, I want to discuss

the importance of researching
your clients preferences and

history, the type of things that
I put into my clients profile,

it's not just their
formulations, as a hairstylist

that has been doing hair for
over two decades, I remember the

little box that I would keep in
my station and I had the little

index cards in there. And I
would always write down the

client's formulation, the date
of the appointment. And that way

I had something to you know,
refer back to at their next

appointment, I would even maybe
write down some of the things

they purchased if I remembered
to but mostly we use those

little cards for formulations.

And they were actually called
formula cards. But now we have

so much more technology that we
can lean into, you can basically

find out anything about your
client or any client through the

salon software. You know,
sometimes it's not about you

taking care of your own client.

For example, we have a stylist
at my salon that's about to go

on maternity leave. So she's
going to great lengths right now

to make sure that all of her
clients information that another

stylist is going to need to know
is in there. That way, that

client still gets the same
consistent, great results and

service that she's used to with
that stylist and she feels taken

care of by the salon while her
stylist is out. Every software

is going to have tools about the
service history, but you can

actually go in there and add a
ton of notes. So I like to put

the products that they buy. But
I also like to put like little

unique things about that
particular guest. Maybe she's a

you know, a single mom of three,
or maybe she really likes to

hike or she's, you know, really
interested in the environment.

There are things that I like to
remember about the client for

their next appointment so that I
can bring it up and they can

feel heard, you know, they can
feel like I remember them. You

know, you go to the doctor's
office, and it feels like you

answered the same exact
questions every single time and

you're like, Dude, you literally
saw me six weeks ago. Why are

you asking me the same questions
over and over again? Well, with

notes in your profile like this,
you don't have to be like that

you can go in and you can
comment on the things that you

wrote down previously, without
making it seem like you've

literally forgotten everything
about them in six weeks.

Sometimes it's as easy as
checking in on the new shampoo

that they purchased. Hey, I
noticed you bought color control

last time that stuff is flying
off the shelf. Everybody seems

to be loving it, how are you
feeling about it, and then you

really get to take a deep dive
into what the client's

preferences are at home, because
that matters just as much the

time that they spend styling
their hair in between their

appointments needs to be as
smooth and seamless as when they

leave the salon. So make sure
you're setting them up for a win

and make sure that they're
satisfied with that aspect of

the service. So let me share a
few of my tips on creating a

super welcoming environment and
for setting the stage for a

really successful consultation.

I I really like it. When I see a
stylists walk up to their guests

with a huge smile on their face.

A smile is like an opening to a
conversation that is going to

feel extremely welcoming,
extremely warm and extremely

friendly. So always have a smile
on your face. When you're

walking up to a client, whether
it's the first time or the 100th

time, when you walk up to them
with this smile on your face,

introduce yourself in a really
confident way and lead them back

to your station, take the lead,
if they've never been there

before. They don't know their
way around the salon, and you

don't want them to feel
uncomfortable. So make sure that

you are letting them know where
the bathrooms are where your

station is, ask them if they
need anything, before you get

started on your consultation, I
like to stand across from them,

I do not like to stand behind
them and look at them in the

mirror. I don't think that that
is personal enough. And it's

just not something I recommend,
I like to be eye to eye with

them. So it's more like a
conversation, not an

interrogation, you know, you
definitely want to mirror the

guests. So if your guest is
someone that speaks really

softly and really quietly or
slowly, you want to do your best

to mirror that you don't want to
show up with this big boisterous

energy on someone that's very
low key because it can make them

feel really uncomfortable and
startle them a bit. Honestly,

you're also going to want to
repeat the key things that the

guest says so that they really,
really feel heard, you know, if

your client is like, Oh, my hair
just feels really dry right now.

So you're gonna say, Okay, so
I'm hearing you say that you

feel like your hair is really
dry, we can definitely address

that repeating, it also removes
the judgment from it, you know,

so now you're not telling them
that their hair feels dry,

they're openly admitting that
they feel like their hair feels

dry. And that opens a door for
additional services for that

appointment and products that
they can take home to really

remedy that, you're also going
to want to offer solutions with

details that include time
investment, and money

investment. So you're going to
want to be really familiar with

your prices. So you can pop off
with that if they have a

question. I really don't like
it. When I hear my stylists say,

Oh, let me look, let me figure
that out for you, we need to

know what our prices are. And we
need to be really confident in

them, you need to be able to
quote them a price on the spot.

So make sure you're familiar
with your price list. And you're

going to want to let them know
that you know, hey, I can help

you with this dry hair for
$30.10 minutes. That way,

they're very clear on the amount
of time they're going to spend

with you that day and how much
it's going to cost them. I also

like to write things down on a
clipboard, I feel like it looks

really, really professional. And
then you have some reference to

go back to later and put in the
software, it's really hard to

type that out while you're
trying to actively listen to a

client. So writing it down in
shorthand allows you to go in

and give a more elaborate
description of the things that

they said so that you can come
back to those later. There is

great significance in active
listening during your

consultation, you're going to
want to appear like you're being

an active listener. And you can
do that by really paying

attention to the things they say
looking them square in the eye

and giving them your undivided
focus, show them that you're

listening by nodding and
responding to the things that

they're saying. You're going to
want to hold off on any feedback

until the end of the
consultation, please do not

interrupt the guest while
they're trying to get it out.

Sometimes they're going to tell
you things about their hair that

may hit an emotional spot. And
then if a woman is experiencing

hair loss, and she's got fine,
thin hair for the first time in

her life, that's not a time that
you're going to want to

interrupt her with solutions.

Let her say what she needs to
say. And then you can come in

with your professional
recommendations like a hero.

Stay honest with your guests,
you know, don't patronize and

missing Oh, it's not that bad.

Come in with a solution. That's
how you can really help them not

by trying to sugarcoat the
truth. Make sure that you've

heard everything that they have
to say and never, never, never

judge never say anything that
might allude to the fact that

you think what they use is gross
or the things they do isn't

right. Just keep that smile on
your face and be a really good

listener. You're always going to
want to ask open ended

questions. Never ask yes or no
questions to your guest. You

really shut that door really
quick. When you do that. It

doesn't even allow them to
actually think about it. Let me

give you an example. So I'm
talking to my guests, Sally, and

I've just given her a beautiful
blowout. So I'm going to say to

Sally, Sally, these are the
three products that I use to

create this beautiful style.

Which one would you like to get
started with? So I didn't ask

Sally, do you need anything
today? Would you like to buy one

of these? I sounded like a
professional with the assumption

that Sally is going to take home
something right because I just

gave her a bomb blowout and her
hair looks better than an ever

has before. So we've built the
trust or the consultation and

now I've delivered an incredible
service. She's going to be very

interested in how she can
recreate this at home and that's

going to be through these three
products. She may grab all three

I'm not going to get my feelings
hurt. If she doesn't, she's

going to at least take one of
them home never fails at least

one of them sometimes too. And
just remember, a no is just a no

remove any emotional attachment
to it, you are not in Sally's

pocketbook, you do not know
what's going on in Sally's life.

Sometimes it's not about not
wanting the product, it's about,

Hey, maybe I have to come back
and get that later. You know,

like my hair color is kind of
expensive. It's definitely worth

it. But I'm going to have to
come back and get these

products. So emotionally, remove
yourself from the response, just

be the professional and make the
recommendation. I want to share

tips on how to communicate
expertise in a way that really

builds trust between you and
your clients. And one thing that

I really like to do is I like to
add in some feel good questions

too, because a consultation can
feel a bit like an itemized list

of what a client does not like
about their hair, how miserable

they are with their current cut
and style. So you want to ask

things like, Well, what do you
love most about your hair? Can

you remember a time when you
felt really, really good about

your hair, and that allows them
to come in with some preferences

for one thing, but it also kind
of raises the vibration just a

little bit. So it doesn't always
feel like I'm asking them to

pick themselves apart. When a
client feels heard and

understood, it really puts them
at ease, you're standing right

across from them, you can kind
of see their shoulders lower a

little bit, and they might sit
back and they might cross their

legs. These are all visual cues
that your client is getting

comfortable with you and is
ready to open up to you during

the consultation. And when
you're able to deliver amazing

results. They really see you as
a true professional. You've

stood there across from them
with your clipboard, taking

notes, asking all the right
questions. And now you've

delivered an incredible result.

They are definitely in it for
the long haul. You want to use

the client's own words and your
recommendations. You want to

start by saying earlier I heard
you say that you felt like your

hair was really dry. So now
again, that removes any judgment

or any accusation from you that
you feel like the client has dry

hair and makes her feel more
emotionally attached to the

statement. Use the client's own
words and your recommendations

earlier we talked about that it
removes any of the perceived

judgment and emotionally
connects them to the solution

that you're offering. You're
also going to want to know your

products and the ingredients in
those products. A client who is

admitted to dry brittle hair
will love to know about the

avocado oil and the mask you're
about to recommend. Let's talk

about how we conclude a
consultation and set the

expectations for the
appointment. Not all clients are

going to love what you have to
say a client that put level

three hair color on her hair
last winter isn't going to be

thrilled that she can't be a
platinum blonde by summer. But

always be honest and upfront
about what is possible. And

always keep the health of the
hair top priority. Now this may

not be popular opinion, but I
always check in with my first

time clients about their beauty
budget. My services are not

budget friendly for a lot of
people. And I am not going to

leave my new client with sticker
shock at checkout. And my poor

reception is to have to deal
with it. It's just not fair. So

make sure you're going over your
pricing structure. When you're

talking to your client. It's not
always comfortable, but it's

necessary. And you can just say
Hey, before I go mix your color,

do we need to talk about your
budget today? And they're either

gonna say yes, or they're gonna
say no, a client that's not

worried about it isn't going to
say yes, and vice versa. But

that gives the client the
opportunity to say hey, yeah,

you know, just for kicks and
giggles give me the total for

what today's gonna be. And then
that allows you to slide in,

give her the information and
modify the appointment before

it's too late before she gets up
to the checkout. And she feels

that anxiety of it being way
more than she thought it was

going to be. Same goes with an
existing client that's really

straying from her normal service
plan. So say you have a guest

that's been coming in for a
really long time and she's only

been covering her grazing
getting a root trim, but springs

around the corner and now she
decides she wants a barley

asure, well, that's another $150
that she's not going to be

expecting. So you're going to
want to go over that with her

before you go and mix the color.

follow ups are a great way to
ensure the guest satisfaction. I

always follow up with any client
that received a major

transformation, whether it be
hair color transformation, or

she's wearing hair extensions
for the first time, I just like

to check in with a little text
message or iMessage and just let

them know that I'm thinking
about them and I hope that

they're loving their new style.

And I'm just checking in, make
sure you're giving them a safe

space for real feedback.

Sometimes it's going to be
challenging, you know a client

that's not used to spending 30
minutes blow drying her hair is

going to be a little bit put off
by that and you know, it's okay

they'll get used to it but she
should feel really comfortable

saying you know, is it gonna get
any easier is it always going to

take this much time to style my
new hair and then allows you to

come in and give them some
really good feedback and maybe

some helpful tips that will help
them get through this transition

a little easier. Remind them how
important it is to you that they

are happy with their service and
how much better of a stylist you

are because of it.

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