Hey, everyone – it’s Terra, again!
Today, I’d like talk about a pain point that any extension artist has struggled with – and may CONTINUE to struggle with – if the issue isn’t properly corrected. I’ve worked with extensions almost exclusively for nearly a decade. Throughout the years, I’ve experienced my share ups & downs with managing an extension clientele. While this may sound funny… all of these highly important, lifechanging discoveries stemmed directly from my personal FAILURES & FRUSTRATIONS while behind the chair.
So let’s begin…
Education is KEY to building a successful career in the hair industry. As stylists, we know this. We are constantly learning within our industry. Things change FAST. We work hard to stay up to date with the current trends. We spend endless hours in classes, learning new product knowledge & perfecting our techniques. But… How extensively & frequently do you educate YOUR CLIENTS on YOUR KNOWLEDGE?
Our clients are NOT hairstylists. Much of the foundational knowledge that we take for granted, is information on topics that our clients likely have NO CLUE about.
How many of you have experienced any of following situations?
I’ve had clients show up to the salon after…
-
Dowsing their hair with sunscreen & ruining it. And then ask for replacement hair for free.
-
Shampooing with Suave for weeks on their extension hair & want a refund.
-
Swimming in the ocean with insecure hair – resulting in a tangled DISASTER that I have to deal with. (Of course, they asked me to replace the hair).
-
Wearing TIGHT ponytails for weeks at a time in cheer camps/competitions and then blame me for their hair loss & bald spots at the points of installation.
-
Not brushing their hair properly for MONTHS which resulted in a matted MESS at the base of their extensions (which I had to untangle for hours). They also asked me to give them new hair.
I’ve even had clients LIE TO MY FACE about what products they had been using. After having their hair tested — and losing money on replacing their hair— I discovered the truth about THEIR poor decisions.
So with all of that off my chest…
Listed below are my top three key strategies which offer protection from client-error and allow my salon, stylists & I to successfully manage a VERY large & powerful extension clientele, year after year.
1. IMPLEMENT A MANDATORY EXTENSION CLIENT CONTRACT
EVERY client must read & sign an extensive client contract BEFORE extensions are installed.
NO exceptions.
This contract must be worded in a way to protect you & your salon/stylists. However, it is your job to carefully explain every detail about this contract before they sign it.
Posted below is Salon Five Zero Four’s Stylist/Client Contract.
This contract is in place to protect you as a professional, your financial investment, your business reputation and equally importantly – it keeps your clients accountable for their actions outside of the salon.
I cannot stress to you how important this step is.
2. ALL CLIENTS LEAVE WITH ACCESS TO THE ULTIMATE HAIR EXTENSION GUIDE.
Here is the link to our guide.
Text this link to their phone. It’s as easy as that.
Be sure that they have this link before they leave – as this guide answers many of the follow-up questions that extension clients frequently ask their stylists, after leaving the salon.
This information is very straightforward and it will help your clients avoid making critical errors with their hair, due to lack of their own knowledge. Our guide dives into the general care required for extension hair. (These are things that WE know as hairstylists, but they probably don’t).
Educate them in-salon AND send them out the door with information that they can easily reference. It will save you so many headaches down the road – trust me!
3. CONSULT WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS IN PERSON – BEFORE COMMITTING TO INSTALLING EXTENSIONS.
The HAIRSTYLIST holds the power within a stylist/extension-client relationship.
Yes, I said it.
Sometimes during our careers, we encounter those “know it all” clients.
You know exactly who I’m talking about…
I usually find out if I’m dealing with one of those people during my initial consultation. If the kinks can’t be worked out to where I am the respected professional in the relationship — I will NOT accept them as my extension client. Simple as that.
Please ONLY accept clients that fit you as a stylist.
Consultations are not only for creating a strategy to help a new client achieve their hair goals – but they are also YOUR OPPORTUNITY to see if that person will be a good fit for you, as a hairstylist.
I ask myself… Do they belong in my chair? Will this relationship work?
After honestly answering these questions & listening to my gut instincts, I confidently move forward in whichever direction I need to take.
As always – thanks for reading, friends!
I know you are all CRAZY busy with your own lives & careers, but I hope this shed some light on frustrations that you are bound to experience on your journey as an extension artist. Stay tuned for my next blog, friends! I am SO excited to share my extensive Client Consultation Strategy for identifying the BEST clients and making the SALE!
Love,