By: Elizma Crous, Modern Hair & Beauty National Education Manager
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Adding value to client's salon experiences should be your number one priority right now. The experience is what brings clients into your salon and what draws them back.
In this article, we talk about the opportunity you have add value to client's experiences; why emotions play a significant role in adding value; and ways you can increase your value perception.
Opportunity to add value
The past few months have been tough. We could not express our creativity, our businesses had to endure immense strain, and we had to quickly re-assess and adjust our approaches and offerings.
We faced new fears, not only about our health but also for the survival of our industry.
It's been challenging, and it will be for the foreseeable future.
However, as the saying goes, "in every difficulty lies opportunity".
And we've been allowed to form deeper connections with our clients, to re-imagine ourselves and businesses, and to change what isn't working.
We're in a position to add value that goes beyond the actual service and price.
More than ever, clients want meaning attached to their spend. They want to know who is behind your brand; what you stand for; how your service differs to others; and if they are valued beyond the transaction.
Connect through emotion and increase your offering’s value perception
The emotional connection clients tie to products and services have been the base on which many successful businesses are built. It seems to be especially important during years of pandemic or scarcity.
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Emotion stands between buying an R 5000 or R 50 000 watch. Both tell the time; both serve their purpose. However, the value of the more expensive watch lies with the emotion it evokes.
For example, when you buy a Rolex, you don't buy it to tell the time. You buy it because of what it stands for and how it makes you feel.
Similarly, your clients don't book an appointment for a haircut, colour or blow dry. They book because of how you make them feel: from seeing your posts on social media to enquiring about your services to the service itself, and finally their post-salon experience.
Ways to increase your salon’s value perception
1. Position yourself in the industry
Does your salon allow you to grow, reach career goals, and is the business aligned to your values?
When you're in the right place or building a business that aligns with your goals and beliefs, you're more inclined to connect with clients with whom you can build long-term relationships.
They will choose your service or re-book because they believe in what you stand for rather than be overly concerned about the cost.
Conversely, when your position is an ill fit, you'll build superficial relationships with clients. It will be only about the service, which can be found somewhere else.
2. Create a brand
Your brand is the way for clients to recognise and differentiate you from other salons. It's more than your name and logo. Your brand shows people who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
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It's expressed in your visuals online and in your salon, how you write on social media or your website, how you answer the phone, and how you interact with clients.
Your brand is the essence of your business. That's why it's so important to think about, develop, and then to live your brand because it attracts your ideal clients and makes them stick with you.
There are two types of branding to consider as stylists:
Define your personal brand
A personal brand speaks to your individuality and what you represent. It culminates who you are, your experience and skills and how you express that to clients.
An excellent place to grow your personal brand is on social media.
Remember that the person and work on social media should be who you are and what you produce. Your account creates an expectation that a client wants to see realised in your salon.
Establish your salon brand
The salon brand speaks to the business. Why the business exists, what it does, and how it connects its offering to its clients. Your salon brand will personify your business, and this helps you resonate with the type of clients you want to attract.
It allows your business to develop into a tribe that includes the salon owners, stylists, and clients.
3. Consultations
The consultation sets the tone for clients' experiences in your salon. It allows you to establish trust between you and them.
It also affirms your knowledge and skill and gives clients the reassurance that you have listened to what they want, understand their needs, and that you've suggested ideas that will be best for them.
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It's a crucial moment in the salon because it's where you secure or lose clients.
Learn about your client in the consultation.
Spend at least fifteen minutes away from your workstation, next to the client and actively listen to everything the client is telling you.
Your consultation will then turn into conversion, and many times this becomes a return client and a long-term relationship.
4. Continued Education
Continued education elevates your skills and knowledge. In turn, it increases what you're able to offer clients. Understanding the nuances of your craft allows you to personalise services to individual clients. It will enable clients to receive a service that feels tailored, considers their wants, and what is best suited to them.
For example, understanding which toner to use in both shade and brand, or how to mix toners will take a highlighting service from, "oh, you got highlights", to "oh my gosh who did your hair!".
You want to create gasp moments and opportunities for your clients to refer their friends.
Let us know how we can help you increase your value perception through our education and sales offerings.
About Modern Hair & Beauty Education
We’re inspired when we witness stylists sharing ideas, skills, and a commitment to their craft. Even more so when these moments of collaboration produce renewed creativity and excitement.
It’s precisely why our Modern Hair & Beauty Education team facilitate an environment where this is possible.
They inspire, they challenge, and they encourage stylists to try new techniques, to bring their own creativity to the training room, and to give clients more than the standard salon offering.
Our team ensures that stylists are up to date with new trends, know the latest colouring and cutting techniques and have expert technical knowledge of our products. We are passionate about empowering our stylists and believe the key to sustainable career and salon success is through education.
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