Salon consultations are the most critical thing you can do when bringing in a new client. There are a lot of factors that go into a great consultation. Sometimes consultations are skipped or cut short due to excitement or rush on time. It’s important to schedule time for a consultation in your book for new clients. The consultation is the key to a successful salon appointment and the key to keeping your clients coming back. Actively listening to your clients and understand what they want with their hair is beneficial to both you and your client. Follow these tips to have a successful salon consultation.
Active Listening and Engagement
When your client comes in to greet them with a smile and show them to your chair, you will want to start your consultation once you get to your chair. During the entire consultation, it’s essential to be actively listening to your clients. A nice gesture is offering your client a drink during this time. Your clients will feel less intimidated if you are sitting at the same level as them for this conversation. So if you can, pull up a chair or something to sit on for the duration of your consultation. During the conversation, get your hands in their hair to determine the health and state of their current hair. Being personable gives you a head start evaluating the client’s hair health, making the client feel more comfortable, and creating a positive connection with your client.
Ask Your Clients Important Questions
The questions you ask in your consultation are some of the most important things you can know before you start your salon service. These questions need to be thought out and written down, so you don’t skip over one and forget to ask. Having a salon consultation form is helpful so that you can keep track of the questions and answers from each client. Some critical questions to ask are lifestyle, budget, desired look, past hair experiences, and past chemical treatments.
Take A Look For Yourself During the Consultation
Not every client will be honest with you about their past chemical treatments and hair color; they may have even forgotten that they bix dyed their hair black a year ago, and they may not realize that color is still in their hair. That is why it is essential to do test strands before you do any bleach or hair color. Feel their hair and test the elasticity to determine what the hair can take and how healthy it truly is. You never want to dive into a client’s hair without taking these steps. It can end in a detrimental disaster if you skip this step.
Give A Salon Tour
When you show your clients around your salon and where the bathroom is, a charming gesture will make them feel more comfortable in your salon. Especially if they will be in the salon for a more extended time due to an extensive transformation, they should know where the bathroom is and where they can grab coffee or water. Showing them around will take just a few minutes and be impactful on their experience.
Take Before Pictures At The Consultation
Before Pictures are forgotten a lot; as a stylist, you are excited to get into the hair and start the process. Have this step on your consultation form to check off when you have done it. Having these before pictures will allow your clients to visually see side by side of the fantastic work that you did. Also, you will be able to store these photos and look back after years to see where you started before pictures can be powerful, and you shouldn’t skip over them.
Go Over Salon Pricing
Pricing can be an uncertain and uncomfortable topic to bring up, but going over the cost before performing the service will allow the customer not to be shocked at the end of the appointment and lets them know what to expect. It would help if you Layout the cost of the services you will be provided to the customer on paper to see what each service costs. If the customer says that the price is too high, this is a great time to explain why they need to achieve their desired result.
Understanding how to consult clients successfully is just one part of running your own desk. If you’re also weighing your work setup options, check out our guide on Salon Booth Rent vs. Commission for the insights you need.
Give Your Clients A Time Line
Much like laying out the price for the client, Layout the timeline of how long it will take to achieve the desired look. If you can complete it that day or if it will take three months to get there, lay it out and explain to them why it will take that long. Also, explain the amount of time they can expect to be in the salon. That way, they aren’t wondering why they are sitting there for an extended period.
Consultations are the key to a successful salon visit and keep your clients coming back. Asking the right questions, being personable and relatable are musts when your meeting a client for the first time.Following these tips will ensure a great salon consultation.
