When customers enter your shop for a haircut, the goal of cleaning up their look and optimizing their personal style is what brings them in, but the overall experience of being appreciated and building a positive relationship is what will keep them coming back.
Greet Each Person Who Walks In
Even if you are in the middle of a haircut with another client, you should still give an enthusiastic greeting with a smile when a customer walks through your doors. This sets the tone right away and makes it clear you are happy the person is there. If it is the customer’s first time with you, be sure to offer a handshake and introduce yourself. You will want them to know who you are if they are going to come back.
Communication Is Key
The first item of business to attend to when a customer steps up to your chair is discussing what exactly they want to do with their hair. This is more than just getting down to business, this where the positive rapport-building begins. If your customer is unsure of what they want, asking them about their occupation, favorite activities, and how much maintenance they are willing to do with their hair are good questions to ask to give them some guidance on a hairstyle while getting to know them at the same time.
Regardless of whether your customer needs help getting deciding on their haircut or not, these questions are good to bring up during the course of your time with them. When you are with your client, your attention should be focused on them, and they should feel like they have your complete attention. Obviously, moments may come up when you will have to communicate with other workers in a shared space, or pause for a moment to check other clients in, but you should do your best to keep these to a minimum. For instance, you should avoid engaging in a non-work related conversation with a coworker while your client is with you.
Keep the Conversation Light
Your client likely isn’t showing up with the hopes of engaging in an intense conversation. If your customer just so happens to want to vent about something for some reason, allow them to do it calmly and at their own pace. For the most part, you will want to ask lighthearted questions about topics such as what hobbies they like, what their favorite sports teams are, or anything interesting going on in their life. It’s best to avoid bringing up any controversial topics, such as politics or religion.
Search for interests that are shared between the two of you to help strengthen the professional relationship and to create a more memorable experience. If you are keeping up on current events, sports, and other common conversation topics on your own time, this will make it easier to relate to your client.
Get Your Client to Return
When you have given your client a look they love and they are ready to head out, don’t hesitate to offer some sort of send-off that will prompt them to return. This can be as simple as reminding them of your name and letting them know you would love to see them return, or you can have a business card handy to give them a more solid reminder. Do your best to remember parts of your conversation from the previous session with your client, even if this means jotting down a few notes. Being able to follow up on a topic your client discussed before will reinforce the fact that you genuinely appreciate them, making them likely to return.
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