22 Aug 2014

HOW TO: be a successful salon entrepreneur


The way you walk, speak, dress, and hold yourself are all relevant to how people on the outside see you. “We can't help it. We're predominantly visual creatures. The visual area at the back of our brains comprises 30 percent of our cortex.” Which means most people have decided what they think of you before you even have chance to open your mouth to speak. Lickerman (2012) goes on to state how our judgement of something has a large effect on how we react towards it. We are more “influenced by our own biases than we are by actual evidence. When we have a powerfully positive or negative emotional reaction to someone upon first meeting them—often due to their overall presentation—it powerfully affects our reaction to the "content" we find inside, meaning their personality and character.”

This is an extremely important factor to filter in to business. Your salon is a place of profession and business so the names and prices on the treatment list, the way you answer the phone, the way you dress, and the way the entire salon is run are all factors you are judged on before you may get chance to engage with a customer.

Anyone can be an entrepreneur but the very essence of a successful entrepreneur is how they choose to build their company, or how and where they choose to market it. A successful businessman knows that communication is a buzz marketing word, especially when it comes to service in the salon. They know exactly how they want their stylists to be perceived, and they are aware of exactly, how their clients will be leaving. The point is, successful business people have a plan, they can deal with any obstacles before they can touch the business, and they have an inside vision for COMMUNICATION, both verbal and non-verbal.

So what is communication? Talking, listening, writing? There is much more to communication than you would believe and one thing in particular is often neglected in training sessions which is body language. Actions speak louder than words in successful salons. When we communicate with clients (and other members of the team in front of clients) we use a combination of words, tone of voice and body language and as you might have guessed the 3 elements are not of equal importance.

Research reveals that words (the literal meaning) account for 7% of the overall message, tone of voice accounts for 38% of the overall message and body language accounts for 55% of the overall message. Salons are a difficult place of work because the aim is to feel trustworthy, comfortable and content in your surroundings. However, an extremely important thing to remember is it is still a business, these are your clients, and they are paying money for your service.

How to give positive body vibes?
- Eye contact- this shows interest and respect for whom you are conversing with.
- Be friendly- raise your tone of voice slightly to highlight enthusiasm and positivity.
- Angle yourself towards your potential client to portray a welcoming posture.
- Hold your head up- Try not to slouch as this can give off bad impressions.
- Be genuine. Smile and be yourself, don’t be false as this is equally as off putting.
- Now you have finished reading this go and see how your team are measuring up.

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